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Erin

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Hi I am trying to get my whippet's hind legs to stay straight while I am free baiting her. What is it stifles? Anyway, I stand in front of her and let her reach for the liver until they are straight, then I give some room and bait for her ears. It is not as easy as it appeared it would be for me. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Erin
 
Do you mean you want her hocks to be straight or do you mean that you want her hind legs to show her bend of stifle on her hind legs? The bend of stifle is where her musclature ends on her hind legs running towards the point of hock and is curved when stood with hocks perpendicular to the ground.

In the UK we don't bait for ears as we don't show with ears pricked but laid flat against the skull.
 
Back to the drawing board for you Erin, :D The standard says (now) medium bend to the stifles, it used to say well bent. To my knowledge it has never said straight, but this does explain a lot when I look at some of the dogs in the ring. Who or what said to try and get the stifles straight?. My suggestion is take a look at the piccys just posted in SYWC results topic and try to get that sort of look at the back end. Best of luck let us know how you get on .
 
Ok, I was trying to get the hocks straight, my whippet's pasturns in the front legs are straight, a fault over here as they should be bent.

Why I tried to get her hocks straight was because of how to set them up in the rear as she does not extend her hind legs on her own.

In the U.S. people definately do bait to show ears. However I've never been told by a judge that it makes a difference either way but have gone under a judge who tried to get my whippet's ears to prick after showing her gait.

No one told me that the stifles or hocks should be straight, I watched as others baited their dogs until they stretched and thought that was why they were doing it.

Thanks. Erin
 
Still a relative newbie here, but her back legs should be perpendicular to the ground (the hocks I believe is the right word), but her back legs should not be overstretched.

I don't bait Savannah in the ring, but I do try to get her to lean forward - the reason for this is not the hind legs, but the front legs, in order to try and get the proper angulation as she sometimes likes to rock back and it makes them look straight.

Wendy
 
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>my whippet's pasturns in the front legs are straight, a fault over here as they should be bent.

The front pasterns should be sloping when viewed side on. Straight from the front/back

With the rear pasterns the bone from the hock to the foot should be at right angles to the ground. They should be straight from whatever angle they are viewed at.

The hock is the joint at the top of the rear pastern.
 
Thank you all for the comments and picture.

I'm figuring now that I'll just have to go back to stacking my whippet in the show ring before baiting her. I'm afraid now that if I keep allowing her to move forward in hopes of stretching herself out, she will not stay in place when I want her to.
 
One or two of us bait for ears in UK, your dog has to have excellent ears!!. I think the judges like to see ears cocked, it makes for an alert expression and it makes the neck look good too.
 
Yes Karen, I've been told that I should show the arch in my whippet's neck when I bait her. Do you table whippet's in the UK? It is much easier for me to show that arch when my whippet is on the table before the judge goes over her than when she is on the ground. I could get on my knees when the whippet is on the ground, which would make things easier (showing that arch) but I never see any other handlers on their knees anymore, at all the shows I've been to this year every handler is standing. If you can't beat' em join' em. I don't have any points on my whippet, shown only occasionally, though I don't know if I ever will with this one. I think her breeder was breeding for lure coursing and not show. That's why I do not wish to use this whippet as my foundation!
 
Yes Erin we show on the table, although Frodo doesnt go on the table cos hes scared of heights (he wont even jump on the sofa :0 ). If you want to kneel with your dog just do it, I have always just tried to get the best out of each dog and I cant say I ever look at what other people are doing. Be a trend setter! they will soon all be kneeling with you :p
 
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