What do you guys think of a dogs pasterns, should they be 'dead straight' as some breeds appear to aim for or should there be a degree of angulation to allow the dogs front legs to be more flexible ?
I notice the working types among German Shepherds, Siberian Husky etc etc almost always appear to have pasterns that have more angulation therefore are not dead straight.
Are dead straight pasterns too rigid and if the dogs front legs are too straight/stiff I wonder if this would put more pressure on other joints, like for example: the dogs elbows, shoulders etc, also to a degree affecting the function of the dog (kind of like a bit of suspension I guess) which the working types appear to excel from this adequate pasterns angulation.

What are your guys thoughts on a dogs front legs that appear dead straight, I have to admit I like the look of the dead straight front legs but I appreciate a dogs function must come first (what's best for the dog is by far the most important) first and foremost.

Should we be looking for a dog to have dead straight pasterns ....? for me whichever is healthier for the dog is most correct, regardless of which looks better.

Lots of knowledgeable people on here therefore thought I would ask you guys what your thoughts/opinions are on this

Different breed standards call for different pasterns, so it's breed dependent. Personally, being a sighthound person I would not want upright pasterns, the pasterns are the shock absorbers of the front assembly. I want a slightly sloping, flexible pastern. Not long and weak though, or broken down, just flexible.

Bizarrely I noticed recently that the rottweiler breed standard says "Pasterns sloping slightly forward" not back? I assume it's a typo on the KC website??

Me too would like a slight slope.   With my breed it's a challenge to get a dog with the shoulders where they should be and if they are too forward, making the pastern too upright, that in turn, leads to knuckling over.

Extracted from our Breed Standard - UK     Note no direct ref to the pasterns
"Forequarters

Shoulder blades well laid back; shoulders not heavy. Forelegs short, powerful and with great bone; elbows turning neither in nor out but fitting neatly against side. Upper forearm inclined slightly inwards, but not to such an extent as to prevent free action or to result in legs touching each other when standing or in action; forechest fitting neatly into crook when viewed from front. Knuckling-over highly undesirable. Some wrinkles of skin may appear on lower legs, but this must on no account be excessive."

> Bizarrely I noticed recently that the rottweiler breed standard says "Pasterns sloping slightly forward" not back? I assume it's a typo on the KC website??

if your looking at it as if your coming down the leg the pasterns would be sloping slightly forward as you head towards the paws?

>Bizarrely I noticed recently that the rottweiler breed standard says "Pasterns sloping slightly forward" not back? I assume it's a typo on the KC website??

Surely the pasterns should be sloping forwards, towards the front of the dog, not backwards (knuckling over)?

Bizarrely I noticed recently that the rottweiler breed standard says "Pasterns sloping slightly forward" not back? I assume it's a typo on the KC website??

I believe they mean 'sloping slightly forward' from the top of the pasterns to the dogs foot, and I'm guessing your thinking "back" as meaning from the dogs foot to the top of the dogs pasterns, slightly different wording but both versions to mean the same thing (correct/adequate pasterns angulation).

I agree with all your posts on here that dead straight pasterns is incorrect, and that adequate angulation is what's needed in the pasterns (as being correct) very true, good posts.

> Surely the pasterns should be sloping forwards, towards the front of the dog, not backwards (knuckling over)?

At every judging seminar or construction/movement seminar I've been too they've always referred to pasterns sloping back (from the foot to the leg), of course if you're describing it from the leg to the foot it's forwards... but that's weird