Whippet Topline

[lorna anne]

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I gave been told that when a whippet is stacked and the topline is judged, if the arch (curve) over the loin area is higher than the withers, it is regarded as being too accentuated. Is this true and an accurate interpretation of the standard?

 

[bertha]

I gave been told that when a whippet is stacked and the topline is judged, if the arch (curve) over the loin area is higher than the withers, it is regarded as being too accentuated. Is this true and an accurate interpretation of the standard?

Look at some photos of whippets and read the standard, that will help you lol They should not have a arched topline!!!!!!!! Have you any whippet books?

 

[lorna anne]

I gave been told that when a whippet is stacked and the topline is judged, if the arch (curve) over the loin area is higher than the withers, it is regarded as being too accentuated. Is this true and an accurate interpretation of the standard?

Look at some photos of whippets and read the standard, that will help you lol They should not have a arched topline!!!!!!!! Have you any whippet books?

Quoting from the standard, "The back should be strong and fairly long, WITH A DEFINITE ARCH OVER THE LOIN, which the dog should retain on the move. What I would like to know is when does the"arch" become a "hump"? Hope this makes my question clearer.

 

[bertha]

I gave been told that when a whippet is stacked and the topline is judged, if the arch (curve) over the loin area is higher than the withers, it is regarded as being too accentuated. Is this true and an accurate interpretation of the standard?

Look at some photos of whippets and read the standard, that will help you lol They should not have a arched topline!!!!!!!! Have you any whippet books?

Quoting from the standard, "The back should be strong and fairly long, WITH A DEFINITE ARCH OVER THE LOIN, which the dog should retain on the move. What I would like to know is when does the"arch" become a "hump"? Hope this makes my question clearer.

That is the new standard. The old one I think explained it better!!! It was "Broad back, firm, somewhat long, showing a definite arch over the loin, but not humped. loin giving the impression of strength and power". The loin should not be higher that the top of the shoulder, the whole top line should flow from head to tail, definately not humped or exaggerated in anyway. The top line should be held on the move.

Two examples taken by Dewerstone at a show last year.

 

[lorna anne]

I gave been told that when a whippet is stacked and the topline is judged, if the arch (curve) over the loin area is higher than the withers, it is regarded as being too accentuated. Is this true and an accurate interpretation of the standard?

Look at some photos of whippets and read the standard, that will help you lol They should not have a arched topline!!!!!!!! Have you any whippet books?

Quoting from the standard, "The back should be strong and fairly long, WITH A DEFINITE ARCH OVER THE LOIN, which the dog should retain on the move. What I would like to know is when does the"arch" become a "hump"? Hope this makes my question clearer.

That is the new standard. The old one I think explained it better!!! It was "Broad back, firm, somewhat long, showing a definite arch over the loin, but not humped. loin giving the impression of strength and power". The loin should not be higher that the top of the shoulder, the whole top line should flow from head to tail, definately not humped or exaggerated in anyway. The top line should be held on the move.

Two examples taken by Dewerstone at a show last year.

View attachment 66368

Thanks. I agree with you that the old standard explains it better. Unfortunately when the weather is cold the "arch" does tend to become a "hump" at times, doesn't it?! Fortunately here in Cape Town our whippets don't really know what cold weather is all about. . . . But, try explaining that to them!!

 

[netheredge]

The K.C. whippet breed standard on the internet reads "showing a GRACEFUL arch over the loin but not humped". Is there a difference between "graceful" and "definite"? It seems that the word graceful has replaced the word definite. The use of the word "graceful" would seem to imply a less pronounced arch than does the word "definite" and photos of whippets of 30 years ago compared with those of to-day would seem to confirm this. Regards, Netheredge

 

[lorna anne]

The K.C. whippet breed standard on the internet reads "showing a GRACEFUL arch over the loin but not humped". Is there a difference between "graceful" and "definite"? It seems that the word graceful has replaced the word definite. The use of the word "graceful" would seem to imply a less pronounced arch than does the word "definite" and photos of whippets of 30 years ago compared with those of to-day would seem to confirm this. Regards, Netheredge

I agree with you. In the old pics of whippets they definitely look as though the arch was more accentuated than the modern ones. So we have gone from "definite" to "graceful". Who knows, in the next standard it will probably be described as "gentle" and in 30 years time we may have a standard which says there should be NO arch at all and we'll be striving to produce whippets with flat toplines!! Oh my word!!

 

[Noise]

off topic - what's the breeding of Rocket Man?

 

[bertha]

Look him up in the whippet archives.

 

[Macha]

I actually think in the photos above the dogs could do with a bit more arch. I am not criticising the particular dogs as it is hard to tell from a single photo (though it is possible that this response tells something about my personal tastes in whippet conformation or my poor perception??). As for old photos, I think todays' whippets tend to have longer backs but you also have to make allowances for the way dogs were stacked. Sometimes it seems their hind legs were pushed forward to accentuate the arch of the back. Some dogs nowadays look right standing but their backs look flat when they move; "The top line should be held on the move" is something I hear talked about quite often.

can anyone hear explain how these conformation points affect the dogs' fitness and speed (as I'm sure they do)?

 

[lorna anne]

I actually think in the photos above the dogs could do with a bit more arch. I am not criticising the particular dogs as it is hard to tell from a single photo (though it is possible that this response tells something about my personal tastes in whippet conformation or my poor perception??). As for old photos, I think todays' whippets tend to have longer backs but you also have to make allowances for the way dogs were stacked. Sometimes it seems their hind legs were pushed forward to accentuate the arch of the back. Some dogs nowadays look right standing but their backs look flat when they move; "The top line should be held on the move" is something I hear talked about quite often.
can anyone hear explain how these conformation points affect the dogs' fitness and speed (as I'm sure they do)?

I tend to agree that from these pictures, it looks as though these whippets have less of an arch than I personally like in a whippet. Obviously a roached or wheelback is a big no-no, but when the topline tends to be flat, the dog simply loses that whippet outline that is so unique to the breed.

To achieve the speed that the whippet does it has to have a VERY flexible spine. If you look at pictures of whippets galloping you can see how much their spines must extend and then contract. This contraction-extension movement uses lots of energy (just look at the movement of the cheetah), this is why the whippet doesn't have great endurance. There is a wonderful book by Curtis Brown titled Dog Locomotion and Gait Analysis that explains it very well. There is also a book called Dogsteps by Rachel Page Elliot that is worth reading on this subject. Lorna

 

[rls22]

I would be interested to see a photo of a dog that you consider to have the correct topline from your interpretation of the breed standard.

It is always interesting to see how differently people interpet the same words.

 

[dawn]

this is not quite correct - maybe too much 'hump' and not quite in the right place:

Lacking in tuck-up too I think

 

[meddling]

This is very interesting to us amateurs...

Just looked through photobucket briefly, and although these are just snap shots would welcome opinions...I know none of these dogs...hope I don't offend anyone

This is only a baby, but has quite a humpy back to me...

This one to me looks the best of the ones I can find on there, top line wise...

 

[T Hoare]

This is very interesting to us amateurs...
Just looked through photobucket briefly, and although these are just snap shots would welcome opinions...I know none of these dogs...hope I don't offend anyone

This is only a baby, but has quite a humpy back to me...

This one to me looks the best of the ones I can find on there, top line wise...

The first pic is of a Greyhound so not really a good comparison(sp?)

 

[rls22]

Thought I was going mad when looking at that first pic :lol:

 

[meddling]

Thought I was going mad when looking at that first pic :lol:

Oh let me off that one, I have got swine flu :b

Can someone else find some pictures

 

[T Hoare]

off topic - what's the breeding of Rocket Man?

http://thewhippetarchives.net/details.php?id=70760

 

[rls22]

Thought I was going mad when looking at that first pic :lol:

Oh let me off that one, I have got swine flu :b

Can someone else find some pictures

Suppose that's a valid excuse!!

Not sure I am keen on using other peoples dogs as an example though - don't want to offend anyone. I do like to see a lovely curvy whippet though.

 

[T Hoare]