Another Stacking Thread

[Ravenbird]

Since @remy started asking questions, it renewed my interest, if only to get a nice conformation photo of Asha. So I made a frame which I *think* puts her feet in the correct place. @remy had the most genius idea of getting screenshots off a video. Holy moly, I've done this over and over but never once thought about it for conformation. Brilliant!!! What astounds me is Asha can look like a cow or look (almost) like a star with her feet in exactly the same place. It's the leaning and stretching that changes the body shape. So here are screenshots off videos, so not best quality, but I'm curious about critique of position. I absolutely am not aiming to show but I would one day like a beautiful conformation photo. The leaning forward I can only get with food, the back slopes nicely, but then the hocks start leaning... others she appears to be leaning back, weight off the front feet makes her look totally incorrect in the front! @Rits? Words of wisdom? Frame on ground right length? You can see that the feet are in the same place, I just change the dog a bit and the whole picture looks different!!!

Info: Adult (3 years 8 months) bitch in working condition (and also in estrus) Ignore the noon lighting and the background which doesn't show her pretty profile... I could go on and on, but I'd rather hear from you guys about how to improve position. And yes, the 3rd photo is not straight on, but I think the others are?

 

[JanS]

@remy had the most genius idea of getting screenshots off a video. Holy moly, I've done this over and over but never once thought about it for conformation. Brilliant!!! What astounds me is Asha can look like a cow or look (almost) like a star with her feet in exactly the same place.

She looks great! Our breeder has been doing the video screenshots too to catch the different positions you can get in a few seconds time.

 

[Kswoodssue]

I think she is beautiful. What does that measure front to back?

 

[remy]

I’m glad you tried out taking screenshots from a video! It has made it so much easier for me to get photos. You are right about how in just a second they can look completely different depending on how they are leaning and distributing their weight.

I am still a newbie, so someone else with have to chime in, but I think she looks great! I really like the positioning of her head/neck in the first two photos. That is what I’m struggling with the most while stacking.

 

[Ravenbird]

What does that measure front to back?

The frame? I'll measure it tomorrow for you.

You are right about how in just a second they can look completely different depending on how they are leaning and distributing their weight.

I'd tried a few photos and they all were so blah-looking. Then in a 2 minute video, I could catch maybe 3 seconds of "almost there". But if the neck & head is right the front is leaning backward. or the tail is down. or, or, or. But video is the way to go, and also I see in the replay what is helping and what is not. Thanks for your input, we all learn from each other around here!

She looks great! Our breeder has been doing the video screenshots too to catch the different positions you can get in a few seconds time.

Thanks Jan! I must be getting old-timers. I've used videos for all my other training so much and it never even crossed my mind to use it for conformation. Your Elroy is a looker too, you know!

 

[Rits]

She is relatively square here, maybe a hair posting in the front and a hair too far back in the rear, just a hair. I bet if she leaned forward she'd be too far back in the rear. Her rear looks closer to the camera than her front. I would also try stacking her to the left, facing the sun, so you can see her pretty face! Plus that is how most stack their dogs for win pics and is the side the judge sees.

Her neck position here is great!! Then from here keep the feed in her face, and slowly bring your hand under her chin until you get just the right amount of flex at the poll. Yes, she's a little over stretched now that she's leaning into the lead, so knowing that next time you stack her you can bring her rear feet a little more under her so that when she rocks forward she doesn't stretch herself out in the rear so much. I think despite her feet, her presence looks the best here. Now just gotta place the feet right and get the forward presence and she'll look awesome!

Once you get her to work for you with bait, you can pull the bait away for a second, then reward right away. Build duration and wait for a weight shift forward. Eventually she'll lean without your hand there!

Great job!!

 

[Ravenbird]

Thanks so much - I knew you'd have some wise words. When I get ready to take a proper photo, not for practice, I'll choose a better time of day for better light and face her left.

next time you stack her you can bring her rear feet a little more under her so that when she rocks forward she doesn't stretch herself out in the rear so much.

So the boards are a good distance apart for front/back feet, but if the back toes were at the front edge of that board and she leaned forward, it wouldn't stretch her out of the perpendicular hocks? It's insane how much changes with just a little movement and weight shift. I don't know how you guys do it.

maybe a hair posting in the front

By this, do you mean what I see as shifting her weight off her front end? Front legs are not straight under her? I call it a foundered horse look, and it doesn't take anything more than a weight shift to look this way! Feet have not moved at all, just her body shifted.

Thanks again - I'll continue to play with this. I can't seem to stop playing with my dog!

 

[Rits]

So the boards are a good distance apart for front/back feet, but if the back toes were at the front edge of that board and she leaned forward, it wouldn't stretch her out of the perpendicular hocks?

Correct. Since you see in the next pic, once she does lean forward her rear pasterns are no longer perpendicular.

By this, do you mean what I see as shifting her weight off her front end? Front legs are not straight under her?

Both. Sometimes it is caused by the dog because they aren't comfortable with stacking yet and don't know what to do, often times it is our doing with foot placement. Judging by the next pic where she is now fine in the front, I am guessing it is her posting and rocking her weight back.

 

[Ravenbird]

What does that measure front to back?

oops, sorry, I forgot to go measure the other day... outside edge to outside edge is 30". The inside edge to inside edge is 21". The boards that her feet are on are a bit over 4" wide, I wanted wiggle room to teach her to stand on the boards and also in case the professional input here was to move her feet an inch or two maybe I wouldn't have to rebuild my frame! In the DIY thread there's a fancier model that is adjustable, but I just wanted something easy so I could get her feet the right distance from each other. Hope you do this too - the more backyard dogs we have photos of the more we learn from each other!

 

[Kswoodssue]

oops, sorry, I forgot to go measure the other day... outside edge to outside edge is 30". The inside edge to inside edge is 21". The boards that her feet are on are a bit over 4" wide, I wanted wiggle room to teach her to stand on the boards and also in case the professional input here was to move her feet an inch or two maybe I wouldn't have to rebuild my frame! In the DIY thread there's a fancier model that is adjustable, but I just wanted something easy so I could get her feet the right distance from each other. Hope you do this too - the more backyard dogs we have photos of the more we learn from each other!

Thanks!