OK I was the one that liked a smaller dog, but didn't mean slight. Remember the last 26 years I've had Rotties and Cane Corsos (correctly plural spelling is Corsi.) I like the shorter, compact, powerful dogs that don't criple up on me at an early age. The larger the dog it seems the harder the dog gets worked when it's younger and it's just sad to watch them become dysplastic among other things. A shorter stockier dog can also get into areas the bigger dogs can't. Doesn't mean the bigger dog can't do his job, just what I prefer.
I sure will be happy when my Isis puts in weight again. Your dogs look nice and healthy and maybe too happy. LOL Isis is the one who got bit by a black widow, months ago. Couldn't eat solid food for about 2 months. It bit her in the jaw area. I was doing everything I told people to do to put weight on her and then had a duh moment. She's actually started filling out again the past week. Not where I want her, but she's actually holding the weight again, so maybe another month and she'll look like my old dog again. This is a dog Bill bought me for our anniversary 6 years ago. She's had a rough time. SAR training got her a deep cut and by the time I got her back to the trucks she was so worn out she barely made it. MY FAULT! I had to test both of us by bypassing a marked area and pushing us to get to the victim. She was taken care of by the vet that was there, but developed a skin infection to the point her vet wanted to put her down. It took me a year to even get hair to grow on her. Then the spider bite. On top of that I think she misses Bill. He let her get away with a lot of things I didn't and now she's pushing me, so she's lucky I still concider her recooperating. Oh and Bill looked at me like I was crazy when I showed hin her pic and then said I wanted her. OK well not then, but when I told him how much she was and how much shipping costs were. And she's my first American bred dog in decades, but her lines were all Italian. He almost said no, but I told him that was cheap! LOL
I see the tail thing too, but I've seen dogs that were straight that just happened to wag on one side more. One of my Akitas was that way. That is when he didn't have that tail swinging in circles. I can't remember now which side it was but I called it right tailed instead of right handed. Hard to tell from the pics, because they were obviously moving a lot and I've made a wrong call on a still picture, so I hate now to do it unless the pics are taken with them stacked.
There's something that I do see, but they weren't running straight, they were all over, but when Delilah just walks on her own at a normal pace, does she tend to swing her hips back and forth? Like a butt swag? I'm kind of seeing by her tracks that she may be. Also the way she looks to be holding her back end . Feel down her back and see if there's a gap or break in the topline, like two sections. It probably won't be huge, but I think she has one. Her hips look like they flare a bit, but when she's standing she has decent hocks. Might just be the pose, but her's seem straighter that Samson's. On Samson it may just be the curl, but also feel his back and see if he has a slight break just past his shoulders and just before the base of his tail. Just feel straight down their spines and see if there are sections.
Oh and her sable is not the sable from way back when. A sable back then had little to no black. Dusty is more like the sables I remember and she is clearly not full GSD. She's papered and I've seen her parents, but someone jumped a fence and there was more than one baby daddy involved.
GSDs do need some angulation. I don't like how stretched out they are now days or the fact that everything I see in an AKC shows look to be more Collie looking than Shepherd, but they are supposed to have some angulation. Samson in that first pick, looks like he has enough power to take down a zebra. He's under 2 right? Has he had any prelims on his hips yet? It's good to have them done so you know what you can and can't do with him to make sure his hips are strong and no problems down the line. If the lady you got Delilah from had hip info, did she do OFA or Penn Hip and at what age? Remember that the certificates aren't issued until they are 2, but it's a good idea for checking early.
It's going to be kind of hard for you to get good pics or know how to stack them to show what needs to be seen. I know you're busy and I bug you about different things with them, but I don't want to make mistakes. Maybe I should just look again in the morning since it's after 1:00am. oh my gosh! and I spent hours helping to make a turkey for a contest at Kayla's school. Family project. Good thing I have chickens. Took lots of feathers and with the moulting, there was plenty. I think the split peas are what drained my eyes though. And I have yet another reason for hating maccaroni.
So hard through a pic. Maybe I need to borrow 20 bucks and head to Circus Circus and go look at them. Hands on is so much better. Oh and size isn't a big issues with these dogs. Someone mentioned gender and that's what you're seeing. Male should look masculine and females should look feminine. That being said, I would always breed a more masculine looking female to make sure I had it locked in on my male pups. Remember I said I, not you. LOL My car is trying to mess with me again since Chickenstock or I'd jump in it and go check them out for you first chance I had. Don't forget to check Delilah's tail set.
Was going to answer other posts, but I'm beat. Nity nite!
