Hi,
Just wondered if any of you could answer a q for me. Why do you have to stand a Boxer and some other breeds, while some you don't?
Thanx
Lou

I can only hazard a guess at the answer, and that is that  it's all to do with getting the dog to look as good as possible. Someone somewhere decided that X breed looks better stacked and Y breed looks better free standing.I own two stacked breeds, both have slightly sloping toplines as part of the breed standard, and that is difficult to achieve free standing.I also think that fashion also comes into it a bit, over the years you begin to notice little changes in handling practice.
Dawn R.

It's a fairly recent thing stacking Boxers over the past 30 years or so. I knew the Cherryburton Boxers quite well & even managed to show the odd one . They were always free standing & baited but not continually fed as some are nowadays.

It's a lot harder to get a dog to free stand correctly so lots of dogs are stacked & held in position

Fortiunately most toy breeds are stood free as I certainly would not be able to stack mine

The practice originated in America in the late 60's early 70's.

A lot of breeds which were previously shown free standing are now shown stacked, like Border Collies, Beardies, Golden Retievers, Cardigan Corgis + 99% of all terriers for example, by most people. I even showed my GSD's free standing & my beardies would never stand right if you stacked them

Some judges will ask you to free stand your exhibit because they want to see how the dog looks when stood in a natural way. My breed has always been free stood but I notice that one exhibitor is stacking her exhibits and I guess if they start wining well we will get others doing the same. Think it will be a big shame, although it is not thought acceptable among those who show there is nothing to say you can't, so if you are thick enough skinned I guess you will continue to do as you like.

IMO no judge should place a dog without seeing it free stood and a lot of those who do stack their dogs do them no favours as there seems to be a habit of pulling the front legs forward and the rear legs back presenting to the judge a very unnatural and ugly profile.

I think a free standing dog looks so much better than having it topped and tailed, okay so you can hid things by topping and tailing but it looks so artificial to me

Well I suppose it had to happen in this weeks Our Dogs from Sweden Yep STACKED cavaliers Handlers kneeling by the dogs OMG & the dogs looked *!*!*!*!*!*! :( Not the being of a trend I hope

..... I might just have to have a look at that.  I was a show at the weekend and the judge asked us to walk Willow and then free stand her at the end - which is the first time anyone has ever said that, although I can see the reason for doing it.  We always used to show Willow stacked and have just started free standing her instead and she looks so much more natural.

Hi there

We are quite diverse in Boxers we have people who string, free stand and stack/bait, I had a go at all when I started but I do prefer the stack/bait but I also use freestand on occasion, it's down to what you feel most comfortable doing and which your dog is happiest with - I do agree that stacking can look awful if it is not done properly a full lenth mirror is a great aid when you are learning, most Boxer judges do have a good look at the dog free stood when you have finished moving.

My setters are all stacked but my aissies, every dog is different!  I have a couple of doggies with some faults that I can hide when i stack them!!!!  If I free stood them the faults would be picked up on!!!  Also it all depends on how the handler likes it.  Personally I like to see a dog stacked with the handler smiling in the background!!!  Thats what happens when your first major breeds are boxers (10+ years ago!)and setters!!! :D although I did also handle roungh collies when I was young and startng out!

Roxanne

If a dog has a constructional fault it will show up in movement &/or on physical examination

I just hate seeing dogs strung up like most of the dogs in the groups at Crufts

Hmmm these faults dont show up in movement due to found how to disguse it in movement aswell!!! (always be aware of the person who handles well!!!)  Can't see it in examination unless I don't have the dog stood correctly!!!  Its very tricky and takien alot of time with 3 of us to disguise the dogs faults, all tho are minior faults!

Rox

Well if they are constructional faults they will show up if the dogs are moved enough whiich is one of the reasons When I judge it is not a quick triangle & up & down. Why do you think dogs that are bred(supposedly anyway)to wokr cattle sheep etc should be sound, fit & correctly constructed. One of the reasons to gait GSDs in the way they shold be, is to show up poor construction that a good handler can hide on the ole triangle & up & down.

When I judged BC's once I had a dog entered that had done a lot of winning including 1 CC & a JW

When I when over him I found a fault that the handler had "hidden"by the way he was stacked. & on the initial moving the dog looked ok, however when i gaited the class as a whole his fault was all too apparent on the third cicuit of the medium sized ring & he was placed in the(to me)appropriate place(4th)

His handler stormed out of the ing muttering under her breath"Why did she move them so much. anyone would think they were a working breed" Well sorry they are a working breed & should be able to move correctly more than once round the ring

By the way I insist all dogs shown under me are shown on loose leads & not stacked when they have done their individual. this handler chose to string up they dog repeatedly & at the end of their individual again stacked their dog. Not all judges are blind & yes I too can hide minor faults(even managed to hide a mjor fault once to get BOB at a Ch Sh with no tickets for Cardigan Corgis)

Don't forget some judges are experienced handlers too;)

In the UK dalmatians are never stacked, and long may that last!
:)

Hi Every1,
Thanks for all the replies. Went to Cruffs this year to watch, and it just made me wonder why alot of the boxers there where been stacked (hope i got that right :) )
Also just wondered why some used a cloth/mat to stand their dogs on?
So you could show a boxer and just free stand with them? I heard a woman talking at cruffs and thought that you had to stand a boxer. I think it will take me for ever to get all this showing stuff :)
Thanks again
Lou

Personally with a boxer I would stack them and the top and tail (stump!) them!  But this is the way I used to handle my boxers so the way I feel most comfortable!  The thing is when you are in the ring you have to find a way that you and your dog are most comfortable, Had a boxer at our ringcraft who hated having his tail held up, so the handler free-stood him and he the brought his tail up with no help, as soon as you touched it, it went down!

Rox