Conformation questions. . . .

[BookWorm]

Hello,

I'm new here (just posted a quick introduction in the New Members section), and I was wondering if anyone here could answer some questions I have about conformation....

My husband and I are looking at an almost 12 month old, female English Mastiff (as a pet, NOT for breeding). We went to meet her yesterday, and the breeder told us all about how impressive her pedigree is and introduced us to her father, and how she was the "pick of the litter" and he decided to keep her, but now has decided that he has too many dogs.... Get the picture?

She is a very sweet dog with a WONDERFUL, loving personality, but I couldn't help but notice a couple of things that concerned me...

First of all, her back isn't at all level; her hindquarters stand probably a good 2-3 inches above her withers. Is this something that she will grow out of as she matures? And if she doesn't, would that be a possible health concern in the future?

Secondly, I noticed that her back legs are unusually straight (I'm talking almost no curvature whatsoever)... and when she walks, it is as though she is walking stiffly on her tiptoes (her pads stay flat on the floor, but because her legs are so straight that is how it appears). After returning home I looked up the AKC breed standard and saw something about "straight stifles" which I couldn't really find any pictures of to visually confirm that it is the same thing, but that is what I'm thinking she has. So, I guess my question would be if she does indeed have straight stifles, will that be a potential health concern in the future?

Also, if the going rate for an AKC registered, 8 week old puppy (from a reputable breeder, not a pet shop) in my area is $2500, how much would you be willing to pay for a dog like the one I've just described? Maybe I'm being overly cautious, but I would prefer to not be ripped off if the breeder is simply taking advantage of my inexperience with the breed.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts or advice you might have! I appreciate it!!

 

[acoz47]

Hindquarters
Hindquarters broad, wide and muscular. Second thighs well developed, leading to a strong hock joint. Stifle joint is moderately angulated matching the front. Rear legs are wide apart and parallel when viewed from the rear. When the portion of the leg below the hock is correctly "set back" and stands perpendicular to the ground, a plumb line dropped from the rearmost point of the hindquarters will pass in front of the foot. This rules out straight hocks, and since stifle angulation varies with hock angulation, it also rules out insufficiently angulated stifles. Fault--Straight stifles. I don't think the straight stifles is a good thing.

 

[BettyBoop]

Ask the breeder where they feel the faults are on this dog. Every dog has a fault or two, even your top show dogs. It all depends on how you handle the dog in the show ring and a minor fault can be hard to find. Your breeder should be open about the faults in their lines and what they are trying to improve on. Good luck.

 

[Sabrina]

If the dog's rear is so high and the rear legs so straight that it is so glaringly obvious, then this breeder is lying to you! An impressive pedigree means nothing if the dog has major faults. If she is just going to be a pet, I would definitely worry about the health implications of straight stifles like that- there is a reason it was writtn into the standard as a fault...but it sounds like the breeder is just trying to unload a dog that didnt turn out as good as he had hoped...i would proceed with caution...

 

[Bentley]

Be aware of the straight stifles, from what I've read this can lead to leg and hip issues in older dogs.

 

[ElJayBee]

lack of rear angulation (straight stifles) and high rear ends are a common problem in mastiff breeds, and both are definitely conformation faults. which is probably why the breeder has chosen to re-home her, since she shouldn't be used for breeding. straight stifles can lead to CCL problems in the future. since the knee joint lacks the right angulation, every time the dog takes a step, it puts more of a sliding forward motion strain on the CCL (cranial cruciate ligament, same thing as an ACL in people) as the femur pushes forward against the tibia. sometimes this never causes a problem, but in some cases the CCL will tear eventually from the constant strain. this means a big bucks surgery for you and the dog. and most times, if one knee tears, the other follows within a year's time.

however, i'm not trying to talk you out of getting her. there is a chance nothing bad will ever happen. but you should voice this concern to the breeder as a price negotiation tool. if it was me, considering the age, faults, and potential problems, i would try and get the breeder to let me sign an adoption/spay contract for at least half the price of what they would normally charge for a pup.