Forequarters

Question 1

Forequarters:
The shoulders are strong, sloping, muscular and well angulated to the upper arm and should not be too closely set at the point of the withers. The forelegs have strong, round bone, extending to the feet and should be straight and parallel when viewed from the front, but the pasterns should show flexibility with a slight angle to the forearm when viewed from the side. Although the shoulders are muscular and the bone is strong, loaded shoulders and heavy fronts will hamper correct movement and limit working ability.

Answer 1

Australian Cattle Dog

Question 2

Forequarters:
The shoulders should be clean, muscular, well sloping with the shoulder blades close set at the withers. The upper arm should be at a right angle with the shoulder blade. Elbows neither in nor out. The forelegs should be muscular with strong but refined bone, straight and parallel when viewed from the front. When viewed from the side, the pasterns should show a slight slope to ensure flexibility of movement and the ability to turn quickly.

Answer 2

Australian Kelpie

Question 3

Forequarters:
Shoulders: Shoulder blades are long, flat, fairly close set at the withers and well laid back. The upper arm, which should be relatively the same length as the shoulder blade, attaches at an approximate right angle to the shoulder line with forelegs dropping straight, on a perpendicular to the ground.
Legs: Straight and strong. Bone is strong, oval rather than round. Pasterns are medium length and very slightly sloped. Front dew claws may be removed.

Answer 3

Australian Shepherd

Question 4

Forequarters:
The shoulders are clean, muscular and sloping with elbows parallel to the body. The forelegs are well boned, muscular and straight when viewed from either the side or front, with very strong flexible pasterns.

Answer 4

Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog

Question 5

Forequarters:
The shoulders should slope well back; a line drawn through the centre of the shoulder blade should form a right angle (90 degrees) with the humerus. The shoulder blades at the withers should be separated only by the vertebrae but should slope outwards from there sufficiently to accommodate the desired spring of rib. Legs straight and vertical, with good bone, and covered with shaggy hair all round. Pasterns flexible without weakness.

Answer 5

Bearded Collie

Question 6

Forequarters:
Upright when seen from the front or in profile.
Shoulder : Sloping and moderately long.
Forearm : Muscled.

Answer 6

Beauceron (Berger de Beauce)

Question 7

Forequarters:
Bone solid but not heavy, muscles dry and strong, front legs upright when viewed from all sides and perfectly parallel when seen from the front. Shoulder: The shoulder blade should be long and oblique, well attached, forming a sufficient angle with the humerus, ideally measuring 110-115 degrees. Upper Arm: Long and sufficiently oblique. Elbow: Firm, neither turning out or tied in. Forearm: Long and straight. Wrist (carpus): Very firm and clean. Pastern: Strong and short, as perpendicular to the ground as possible or only very slightly sloping forward.

Answer 7

Belgian Shepherd Dog

Question 8

Forequarters:
General appearance: Legs are straight when viewed from the front and side and well proportioned in relation to the size of the dog.
Shoulder: Strong and massive. Long and set obliquely. Muscles must always be well developed.
Upperarm: Well-muscled, strong in bone and well angulated. The angle formed by the scapula and upper arm (scapulo-humeral) ranges between 105° and 125°.
Elbow: Set on a plane parallel to the median plane of the body. The point of the elbow is located on an imaginary vertical line lowered from the back end of the scapula. The humero-radial angle (between upper-arm and forearm) ranges from 150° to 155°. The hair hanging down from the elbows should be abundant, long and thick, tending to flocks.
Forearm: Straight; at least as long as the upper arm. Well developed muscles and bone.
Carpus (Wrist): In a straight line extending from the forearm; mobile and lean with the pisiform bone clearly protruding.
Metacarpus (Pastern): Lean and mobile. Seen from the front, must be placed on the same vertical plane as the forearm. Viewed in profile has a slight inclination from the back to the front.

Answer 8

Bergamasco Shepherd Dog

Question 9

Forequarters:
The shoulders are long, and well angulated to the upper arm, neither in nor out at elbow. The forelegs are well boned, straight and parallel when viewed from the front. Pasterns show flexibility with a slight slope when viewed from the side.

Answer 9

Border Collie

Question 10

Forequarters:
The front legs have strong bone and are well muscled. They are perfectly straight and parallel when seen from the front.
Shoulders: Relatively long, muscled, without being heavy and moderately oblique. The shoulder blade and humerus are approximately of the same length.
Upper arm: Moderately oblique
Elbows: Close to the body and parallel. Elbows that turn in or out in a natural stance or on the move are considered a fault.
Forearm: Whether seen in profile or from the front, they must be perfectly straight, parallel to each other and perpendicular to the ground. They must be well muscled and with good bone. Wrist (carpus): Exactly in line with the forearm. Only the pisiform bone juts out at the back of the wrist. Strong bone.
Front pasterns (metacarpus): Strong bone, quite short, sloping forward very slightly.

Answer 10

Bouvier des Flandres

Question 11

Forequarters:

Shoulders well angulated and well laid back, forelegs well muscled, strongly boned.

Answer 11

Briard

Question 12

Forequarters:
The shoulders should be sloped and well-angulated. The forelegs should be straight and muscular, neither in nor out at elbows, with a moderate amount of bone.

Answer 12

Collie Rough

Question 13

Forequarters:
The shoulders should be sloped and well-angulated. The forelegs should be straight and muscular, neither in nor out at elbows, with a moderate amount of bone. The forearm somewhat fleshy with pasterns showing flexibility without weakness.

Answer 13

Collie Smooth

Question 14

Forequarters:
The forelegs are powerful, of good length, well muscled. The bone is solid but not heavy. Always generally showing a straight line, but with sufficient suppleness of pastern.

Shoulders: Shoulder-blades well joined to the body and well sloping.

Upper arm: Approximately equal length to the shoulder blades and well angulated with the connecting bones.

Elbow: Well attached.

Answer 14

Dutch Shepherd Dog

Question 15

Forequarters:
General appearance: Powerful with strong bones. Viewed from the front straight and parallel.
Shoulders: Slightly oblique.
Upper arms: As long as the shoulder blades. The angle between shoulder and upper arm is rather open.
Elbows: Approximately at the level of the lower edge of the ribcage, pointing straight backwards.
Forearms: Rather strong, vertical.
Carpus: Flexible.
Pasterns: Of medium length, slightly oblique.

Answer 15

Finnish Lapphund

Question 16

Forequarters:
The forelegs are straight viewed from all sides, and when viewed from front must be absolutely parallel.

The shoulder blade and upper arm are of equal length and firmly attached to the body with strong musculature. The angulation of the upper arm and shoulder blade ideally should be at 90 degrees but generally up to 110 degrees.

The elbows must be neither turned in nor turned out while in stance or in movement. The forearms when viewed from all sides are straight and absolutely parallel, dry and firmly muscled. The pastern is approximately one third of the length of the forearm and has an angle of approximately 20 degrees to 22 degrees to the forearm. Both infirm (more than 22 degrees) as well as steep pasterns (less than 20 degrees) restrict the working ability of the dog and in particular its endurance.

Answer 16

German Shepherd Dog