Bone Size

[jonesyins14]

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Could somebody please clarify what 'well boned' means? is the bone the circumference of the foreleg, width from the front, width from the profile or just the overall feel. This must relate to the overall size of the dog, a feminine bitch would look odd with large legs and similarly a dog with delicate legs. Can anybody give me a 'rule of thumb'? Is there actually a guide e.g. good bone x cm width, heavy xx cm and where would you measure this? Thanks K

 

[doris]

wow, wish I could! :wacko:

any takers? :blink:

 

[jok]

It tends to be a term used more in the bull breeds. You forever see adverts in the paper for Rottie's and Staffie's saying 'big boned', 'well boned' etc. Very often these huge Rotties and Staff's that we see that are nothing like the standard - some people seem to want massive ones though :- "

 

[Seraphina]

It is not possible to describe. Some whippets have fine bone, some may have bit too much and some are just right............. My Callista is slightly on the light side (and althought it may not look like it in this pic, she does have a neck :b ). and i am hoping that my Stella (pic at 5 months on the table) will have good bone.

I do not have photo of dog that is too heavy, maybe somebody else might

 

[masta]

same as "big boned in humans (w00t)

 

[jonesyins14]

It is not possible to describe.  Some whippets have fine bone, some may have bit too much and some are just right.............  My Callista is slightly on the light side (and althought it may not look like it in this pic, she does have a neck :b ). and i am hoping that my Stella (pic at 5 months on the table) will have good bone.I do not have photo of dog that is too heavy, maybe somebody else might

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Thank you for your reply and your dogs are lovely, but as you say it seems difficult to describe. Would I be right in saying that its quite subjective and as with other things with the standard, its the type and what a judge personally prefers e.g. light or heavier, but some critiques say 'correct' bone - correct to who?

As mentioned on another thread there is a comment that UK whippets with the american influence could be getting taller and perhaps heavier which must mean that together with more traditional english lines there is quite a wide variation in the ring at any one time.

There is definately a lot to learn and appreciate and its really difficult with the subjectivity - or it is for me who tends to have a logical/mathematical mind :wacko:

K

 

[~JO~]

It is not possible to describe.  Some whippets have fine bone, some may have bit too much and some are just right.............  My Callista is slightly on the light side (and althought it may not look like it in this pic, she does have a neck :b ). and i am hoping that my Stella (pic at 5 months on the table) will have good bone.I do not have photo of dog that is too heavy, maybe somebody else might

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Thank you for your reply and your dogs are lovely, but as you say it seems difficult to describe. Would I be right in saying that its quite subjective and as with other things with the standard, its the type and what a judge personally prefers e.g. light or heavier, but some critiques say 'correct' bone - correct to who?

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Correct to their personal interpretation of the standard

Everybody interprets everything differently and this is the same as the written breed standard and this is why dog showing is enjoyable at the end of thh day, as one day you may win and one day you may get chucked out!

I wouldn't try applying mathematical methods to dogs..... it is all interpretation. Good bone to me is sufficient bone to make the whippet look like a whippet and not an IG and too much bone is when the whippets bone is heavier and in my opinion you can lose the elegance. Don't forget a whippet always should shy away from exaggeration, be that 'bone', hind angulation, length of neck etc etc

 

[quintessence]

In addition to Jo's comments I would like to add that the standard calls for moderate bladed bone in the forearm.

Jenny

 

[Avalonia]

Could somebody please clarify what 'well boned' means? is the bone the circumference of the foreleg, width from the front, width from the profile or just the overall feel.  This must relate to the overall size of the dog, a feminine bitch would look odd with large legs and similarly a dog with delicate legs.  Can anybody give me a 'rule of thumb'?  Is there actually a guide e.g. good bone x cm width, heavy xx cm and where would you measure this?  Thanks  K

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I do not think 'well boned' should be considered in terms of bone size as much as it should be thought of in terms of bone density. While there are whippets out there that have noticeably smaller bone, and some with noticeably bigger bone, the vast majority have bone that looks very much alike from one dog to the other. The difference comes when you pick up the dog and find one dog is noticeably lighter weight than another though they are by all appearances the same size. Light boned whippets have much less dense, more hollow bones, and weigh less, while a dog I consider to be well boned has bone that is denser and therefore heavier. Well boned, well muscled (and exercised) dogs will always weigh more than dogs who are lighter boned/less toned because denser bone and muscles weigh.

When I think of our own dogs who had dense bones I always think of Ch. Nevedith Local Lancer, who was just 19.75 inches tall and the picture of studliness. Because he was small he looked like you could just pick him up and tuck him under your arm and carry him around. And then when you would go to pick him up you discovered you needed a block and tackle to get him off the ground. Great bone density and well toned, Lancer came in at 38 pounds -- a shock to anyone wanting to pick him up to cuddle him. Lancer passed this trait on to his children who maintain very moderate sizes but have the same sort of dense bone.

Dense bone is obviously great for active dogs, including coursers, agility dogs, etc.

Lanny Morry

 

[Cartman]

"well boned"......Old saying. It is not the size of the weapon, it is the force of the shot. :- "

Hope this helps. (w00t)

 

[Seraphina]

Bone density is not something that individual is born with. Good bone density is achieved by combination of factors, the most important being load bearing exercise and appropraite well balanced diet, also our hormons play big role in maintaining strong bones. Bone density can be quickly lost anytime through the life due to lack of exercise. It is big problem for people in space, as in weightlessness will reduce bone density of astronauts.

When i talk about bone in Whippet, I talk about the dog's bone being too fine (close to Iggy) or too round and/or coarse

I have not noticed judges picking dogs up to see if they are are heavy enough :wacko:

 

[ROSIE MEADOWS]

In horses (hunters in particular) good bone is measured in inches around the cannon bone. Hunters should have 8 to 9 inches if my memory serves me well.

 

[Sarsanet]

In horses (hunters in particular) good bone is measured in inches around the cannon bone.  Hunters should have 8 to 9 inches if my memory serves me well.

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Rosie, you are right but what is the correct measurement for whippets? I don't know. Like everyone else says, it depends on the build of the dog in question I guess. Of greatest concern to me here in Australia at present is the continuing prevalence of round bone instead of bladed bone. Too many breeders don't know the difference & local judges certainly don't.

Recently I provided dogs for a trainee judges' hound familiarisation day. While I was trying to point out to them the various traits, good & bad points to look out for etc. with bladed bone being one of them I was reprimanded by the organiser for "confusing" the trainees. I was told they didn't need to know that! And we wonder why the standard of judging in this coutry is so poor! Everytime I go to one of these judges' training days I come away shaking my head.

People who don't show whippets and have never owned one but who feel an overwhelming desire to juge them at ch. level - well, you'd think they'd need all the help & inside info. they could get, wouldn't you? But apparently not & it shows when they are finally let loose to hand out CCs at will.

Gail.

 

[Ridgesetter]

Can anybody give me a 'rule of thumb'?  Is there actually a guide e.g. good bone x cm width, heavy xx cm and where would you measure this?  Thanks  K

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My rule of thumb - let your eyes tell you what's right (and wrong). If the dog looks okay to you, then he probably is.

Cheers

 

[bardmand]

Can anybody give me a 'rule of thumb'?  Is there actually a guide e.g. good bone x cm width, heavy xx cm and where would you measure this?  Thanks  K

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My rule of thumb - let your eyes tell you what's right (and wrong). If the dog looks okay to you, then he probably is.

Cheers

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The most sensible and practicable answer yet, in my opinion. Furthermore: If a whippet looks too much like an italian greyhound, it probably has too little bone. If it looks too much like a staffie, it probably has too much.

It is all a question of balance. A dog with a lot of body needs more bone to look balanced, a slightly lighter dog needs slightly less. I have seen (and had) whippets that was not quite balanced either way. This is one of the areas which will and should to a certain extent be subjective.