Whippet Topline

[Macha]

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Someone mentioned earlier about old photos and handling techniques. ...

that greyhound pup has front legs extended too far forward

I'll have to look again but I think maybe the whippet pictured in the same posting was a bit steep in the croup? I like the look of the dogs in the photos posted by beaker apart of course from the weak looking one deliberately posted as a bad example (the brindle with head cropped off)

quite like Bertha's blue - is that Bali Hi ( http://thewhippetarchives.net/details.php?id=53575 ) Rocket Man's brother?

I suppose camels run fast; I know that people organise camel races (but of course the camel's hump has a different purpose)

I saw an x-ray of a whippet's backbone. I think it is posted on k9 somewhere. Apparently the arch is formed by differing length of vertebrae rather than by a curve in the spine.

 

[quintessence]

I wonder if some of you would be interested in the following article, it refers to a Borzoi's topline (my previous other breed) and I think it is a great article, many of the points can be attributed to a whippet as well, I'll leave it for you to have a read and make your own minds up.

http://www.judgesl.com/Borzoi/topline.html

Jenny

 

[Mispickel45]

I wonder if some of you would be interested in the following article, it refers to a Borzoi's topline (my previous other breed) and I think it is a great article, many of the points can be attributed to a whippet as well, I'll leave it for you to have a read and make your own minds up.
http://www.judgesl.com/Borzoi/topline.html

Jenny

Thank you for sending this link. Excellent article from a great site.

 

[bertha]

Someone mentioned earlier about old photos and handling techniques. ...

that greyhound pup has front legs extended too far forward

I'll have to look again but I think maybe the whippet pictured in the same posting was a bit steep in the croup? I like the look of the dogs in the photos posted by beaker apart of course from the weak looking one deliberately posted as a bad example (the brindle with head cropped off)

quite like Bertha's blue - is that Bali Hi ( http://thewhippetarchives.net/details.php?id=53575 ) Rocket Man's brother?

I suppose camels run fast; I know that people organise camel races (but of course the camel's hump has a different purpose)

I saw an x-ray of a whippet's backbone. I think it is posted on k9 somewhere. Apparently the arch is formed by differing length of vertebrae rather than by a curve in the spine.

He is Rocket Man's brother. I just thought, it's all very well looking at photos, you have to see the dogs move really to make a judgement on the top line.

Camel races, have you seen a camel run!!!!!!!!!!!! I wonder what shape it's spine is???

 

[quintessence]

Here is a camel's spine

http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=h...t%3D63%26um%3D1

 

[beaker]

eeek!!! so not much flexibilty over the thoracic then :lol: they'd be rubbish at lure coursing :lol:

 

[bertha]

Here is a camel's spine
http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=h...t%3D63%26um%3D1

Thanks, amazing, looks more like a dinosaur with the way it's neck curves. How did we get from whippet top lines to camels????????? :lol:

 

[T Hoare]

Here is a camel's spine
http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=h...t%3D63%26um%3D1

Thanks, amazing, looks more like a dinosaur with the way it's neck curves. How did we get from whippet top lines to camels????????? :lol:

I think you can blame Richard for that!! lol

 

[Seraphina]

I find it interesting that in Whippet literature the roach and wheel back are considered the same. In Borzois, which I kept most of my life, they were 2 different shapes: roach was synonymous with hump and wheel back was too round or arched back, but without hump. Which somehow seems to make more sense to me.

The picture below is a generic dog spine, in most breeds there is a slight arch, which gives it strength, but the actual topline shape is caused not just by the spine and how long the bones on top of each vertebrae is but also by the muscles, which would make the arch considerably less noticeable in this dog.

Whippet topline should look very similar to this, it should just have slightly more pronounced arch of the spine. Any humps or sudden fall off are unlikely to have any benefit for the dog.