48 The Shepherd or Police Dog 
offering the spring and leverage to the muscles, 
aided by a strong flexible loin and a croup that has 
the right angle also. The forequarters, while not 
furnishing the power as essentially as the hindquar¬ 
ters, must necessarily be strong, for they are the 
governors that make the speed possible; all this 
combined makes the ideal gait, the swift, tireless 
trot, with an utter lack of lost motion; the German 
trainers call it a fleeting gait. This perfect confor¬ 
mation also stands the dog in good stead for leap¬ 
ing. On account of his powerful construction in 
the hindquarters and his agile forehand the dog is 
able to clear an obstacle that seems impossible for 
his size. 
While on the subject of the perfect Shepherd, the 
show ring suggests itself and it may not be amiss to 
touch upon the showing of the dog. Many good 
dogs are taken into the ring in a listless, uninterested 
way, making his chances to win very remote. The 
judge sees the dog only for the short time that he is 
before him in the ring and must make a rapid an¬ 
alysis. A dog that has been trained to pose always 
has his good qualities showing to the best advantage, 
constantly impressing them upon the judge’s mind. 
A dog* that stands listlessly may have all his good 
angulation entirely misplaced and is often over¬ 
looked. So it is with the one who wants to do bat¬ 
tle with every other dog; it is morally impossible 
for the judge to pass upon a dog that is raging and 
twisting around in a senseless way, and the judge is 
often justified in giving him the gate for his be- 
