WHAT`S YOUR ANGLE?

WHAT’S
YOUR ANGLE?
Understanding Angulation and Structure
for the Performance Dog
by Helen Grinnell King
Copyright © 2012 Helen Grinnell King
Cover and interior illustrations by Robert M. Henry unless otherwise noted under credits.
All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or
otherwise) without written permission from the publisher, except for the inclusion of
brief quotations in a review.
Every effort has been made to make this book as complete and as accurate as possible,
but no warranty of fitness is implied. The information is provided on an as-is basis.
The author, illustrator and the publisher shall have neither liability nor responsibility to
any person or entity with respect to any loss or damages arising from the information
contained in this book.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
There are so many people who contributed to this book. To name
them all would be impossible so here are just a few I would like to
thank, and I hope I haven’t forgotten anyone.
When Daisy Peel asked me if I would be interested in teaching a
structure course for her online classroom, I wasn’t sure how I would
proceed. I had taught many seminars and private lessons, but never an
online course. It was that course that was the inspiration for this book.
Without encouragement from people like Daisy Peel and Stacy Winkler,
this book might not have happened, and I will be forever grateful to
Daisy and Stacy for pushing me beyond my comfort zone.
I would like to thank my illustrator Robert M. Henry. He was very
patient with me and my attempts to control his every brush stroke.
In the end, I learned to trust him and let him do his thing. I love his
illustrations!
In the continuing support, encouragement and editing/proofreading
category, I have to thank Carol Dees, Bob Foley, Claudia Hegdahl,
Laura Bernier and, of course, my husband Mel King. They read and
reread my rough drafts tooo many times
to count.
Many of the photos in
this book were made
possible through the
generosity of some very
wonderful people. There
is a complete list of photo
credits in the back of the
book, but I would like
to give special thanks to
Ken Kennedy, Nina Sage,,
Dr. Shelley Salwei, Stacyy
o,
Winkler, Janice DeMello,
s,
Gail Smith, Cathi Winkles,
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Topsfield Basset Hounds, Monty Sloan, Jef Blake, Suzanne Wesley,
Dorothea Penizek, Lisa Pomerance, Jessica Hecock, Ranja Eklund, Deena
Talbot, Sir Terence Clark, Melissa Blazak, Nicole Kelly, Alex Robinson,
Carol Wolfram, Susan Garrett & the family of the late great Rachel Page
Elliott.
And finally, thank you to Sarah Novak for her incredible design. She makes
everything look extra special, and she does it all with a smile.
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This book is dedicated to my
amazing husband, Mel.
For nearly 40 years,
he has supported every
idea (crazy or otherwise)
I have had. Without his
strength, wisdom and
belief in me, my life would
be dull at best.
I am truly blessed to have
not only Mel in my life,
but so many of the greatest
friends the Universe has to
offer. They know who they
are. Thank you!
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction ...................................... 7
Reference Drawings .......................... 8
PART I Learning the Angles ......... 11
Step 1 Picture This .......................... 12
Step 2 Seeing Spots ........................ 26
Step 3 Connect the Dots ................. 40
Step 4 Line Up ................................ 46
Step 5 Underline It .......................... 50
Step 6 Balancing Act ....................... 56
Part II Why Angles ....................... 62
Know Your Sport ............................ 63
Rear Wheel Drive ............................ 68
Up Front ......................................... 85
Beyond the Angles .......................... 98
Putting It All Together ................... 115
Test Your Skills .............................. 123
Final Thoughts .............................. 127
Contact Information ..................... 132
Skills Test Answers ........................ 133
Credits ......................................... 136
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INTRODUCTION
Practice makes perfect,
or at least a well
informed decision!
We live in an electronic age now, and many things are done over the
internet. Puppies are picked through emailed photos and websites. Stud
dogs are chosen through photographs and videos, and many bitches are
bred long distance with chilled or frozen semen.
People need a way to know what they are getting when they use photos or
videos to choose. It is difficult to know exactly what is going on with a dog
or puppy without putting your hands on it, but with practice, people can
be taught to know what to look for in photos or online.
This book was written to help you see angles in person, on paper or on
your computer screen. The more practicing you do, the better you will
become at seeing angles and understanding why dogs perform the way
they do.
Together, we will take a step-by-step journey through the method
I developed for learning to see angles. With my easy to follow six-step
process, seeing angles in dogs will become second nature.
Helen Grinnell King
www.recipetowin.com
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REFERENCE DRAWINGS
If we are lucky, we will find a mentor who takes the time to teach us and
show us the way in our chosen field.
My passion is structure and how it relates to function. Very early in my life,
I had the incredibly good fortune to meet the late GREAT Rachel Page
Elliott. She became a friend and mentor, and my respect for her is beyond
words. I miss our many discussions on structure but took away so much
from them. Pagey and her books and videos were an inspiration to me
and the foundation for my endeavor to learn more about structure and
how it relates to performance in dogs and horses.
On the following pages, you will find three reference drawings. These are
reprinted from Dog Steps, with permission from the author, Rachel Page
Elliott. I am forever grateful to Pagey for her knowledge and encouragement.
You can find books and videos by Rachel Page Elliot online at
www.dogwise.com. Everything she wrote or recorded is worth reading or
watching. She had an incredible eye and a brilliant mind!
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PART 1
Learning the Angles
6 Steps to 20/20 Angle Vision
Step 1 Picture This .......................... 12
Step 2 Seeing Spots ........................ 26
Step 3 Connect the Dots ................. 40
Step 4 Line Up ................................ 46
Step 5 Underline It .......................... 50
Step 6 Balancing Act ....................... 56
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STEP 1
u
t
c
i
P
is
h
T
re
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Credits
Cover Illustration: Sarah Novak & Robert M.
Henry
Cover photos at bottom:
Left to right: Jef Blake, Nina Sage, Melissa
Blazak, Suzzane Kelleher-Duckett
Page 2: Ken Kennedy
Page 3: Ken Kennedy
Page 4: Top photo iStock, bottom photo
Jef Blake
Page 5: Author’s collection
Page 7: Nina Sage
Page 8: Ken Kennedy
Page 9 & 10: Reference drawings reprinted
“Dog Steps” with permission from
Rachel Page Elliott
Page 11: Robert M. Henry
Page 12: Robert M. Henry
Page 14: Robert M. Henry
Page 15: Mel King
Page 16: Robert M. Henry
Page 17: Mel King
Page 18: Mel King
Page 19: Courtesy of Susan Garrett
Page 21: Robert M. Henry
Page 24: Gail Smith
Page 25: Robert M. Henry
Page 26: Robert M. Henry
Page 27: Mel King
Page 28: Robert M. Henry
Page 29: Robert M. Henry
Page 30: Mel King
Page 31: Top illustration Robert M. Henry,
bottom photo Nina Sage
Page 32: Mel King
Page 33: Top, x-ray courtesy of Shelly Salwei,
bottom photo Mel King,
Page 34: Mel King
Page 35: Robert M. Henry
Page 36: Robert M. Henry
Page 37: Ken Kennedy
Page 38: Mel King
Page 39: Robert M. Henry
Page 40: Robert M. Henry
Page 41: Robert M. Henry
Page 42: Robert M. Henry
Page 43: Mel King
Page 44: Ken Kennedy
Page 45: Mel King
Page 46: Robert M. Henry
Page 47: Robert M. Henry
Page 48: Mel King
Page 49: Robert M. Henry
Page 50: Robert M. Henry
Page 51: Robert M. Henry
Page 52: Top photo Mel King,
lower illustration Robert M. Henry
Page 53: Author’s collection
Page 54: Cathi Winkles
Page 55: Mel King
Page 56: Robert M. Henry
Page 57: Robert M. Henry
Page 58: Mel King
Page 59: Robert M. Henry
Page 60: iStock Photo
Page 61: Robert M. Henry
Page 62: Robert M. Henry
Page 63: Author’s collection
(bottom photo Nina Sage)
Page 64: iStock photo
Page 65: iStock photo
Page 66: Top photo iStock,
lower photo by Deena Talbot,
Page 67: iStock photo
Page 67: Top illustration Robert M. Henry,
bottom photo Shutterstock
Page 68: top Robert M Henry; bottom
Shutterstock photo
Page 69: Top illustration by Robert M. Henry,
lower photo by Stacy Winkler
Page 70: Top illustration by Robert M. Henry,
lower left by Jacqueline Harbour,
lower right photo by Mel King
Page 71: Mel King
Page 72 Ken Kennedy
Page 73: Clockwise from the top left,
Deena Talbot, Ranja Eklund, Sir Terrence
Clark, Sir Terrence Clark, Ranja Eklund,
Sir Terrence Clark, Sir Terrence Clark
Page 74: Lisa Pomerance
Page 75: Ken Kennedy
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Page 76: Ken Kennedy
Page 77: Left photo Jacqueline Harbour,
right photo Alice Giddy
Page 78: Mel King
Page 79: Topsfield Basset Hounds
Page 80: Top left Bob Foley, top right Jef Blake,
bottom illustration Robert M. Henry
Page 81: Mel King
Page 82: Ken Kennedy
Page 83: Nina Sage
Page 84: Fotosearch
Page 85: Robert M. Henry
Page 86: Ken Kennedy
Page 87: Top photo Charlotte Andersson,
bottom photo Jef Blake
Page 88: Mel King
Page 89: Ken Kennedy
Page 90: Top photo iStock, lower photo
Mel King
Page 92: Mel King
Page 93: Mel King
Page 94: Ken Kennedy
Page 95: Top photo Nina Sage, lower photo
Mel King
Page 96: Top photo Author’s collection,
lower photo Jessica Hecock
Page 97: Top photo Ken Kennedy,
bottom photo Nina Sage
Page 98: Robert M. Henry
Page 99: iStock photo
Page 100: Mel King
Page 101: iStock photo
Page 102: iStock photo
Page 103: Shutterstock photo
Page 104: Monty Sloan photo
Page 105: Top photo Monty Sloan,
lower photo Mel King
Page 106: Top photo Monty Sloan,
lower photo Jef Blake
Page 107: Top photo Monty Sloan.
Lower photo Dorothea Penizek
Page 108: Top photo Sir Terrence Clark,
lower photo Mel King
Page 109: Suzanne Wesley
Page 110: Mel King
Page 111: Mel King
Page 113: Mel King
Page 114: From left to right starting at the top:
Top row: Ken Kennedy, Shutterstock,
Cathi Winkles
Second row: iStock photo, Cathi Winkles,
iStock photo
Third row: Stacy Winkler. iStock, Nicole Kelly
Fourth row: Ranja Eklund, Charlotte
Andersson, Ken Kennedy
Fifth row: Jef Blake, Melissa Blazak,
Kay Reamensnyder
Bottom row: Nina Sage, iStock photo
Page 115: Robert M. Henry
Page 117: Nicole Kelly
Page 118: Alex Robinson
Page 119: Mel King
Page 120: Top and middle photos Mel King,
bottom right photo Shutterstock
Page 121: Mel King
Page 122: Robert M. Henry
Page 123: Robert M. Henry
Page 124: iStock photo
Page 125: Bob Foley/Carol Dees
Page 126: Top photo Cathi Winkles,
bottom photo Ken Kennedy
Page 127: Robert M. Henry
Page 128: Suzzane Kelleher-Duckett
Page 129: Stephanie Minnella, Todd V. Minella
Page 131: Carol Wolfram
Page 132: Illustration Robert M. Henry
Page 133: iStock photo
Page 134: Bob Foley/Carol Dees
Page 135: Bob Foley/Carol Dees
Page 137: Nancy Kemna
Back cover large photo: Ken Kennedy
Back cover photos at bottom:
Left to right: iStock photo, Charlotte Andersson,
iStock photo
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3
Helen King has written yet another informative and useful book on canine
structure and angulation. This book builds on her previous book, Picking
Your Performance Puppy, and will take you a step further, guiding you
through the process of evaluating your own dog’s structure and angulation.
Helen uses a clear and concise method, complete with pictures and pitfalls to
watch for, as well as examples to test your skills on in the back of the book.
As our interest in dog sports grows, we owe it to our canine partners and to
ourselves to make sure that our dogs are suited for the sports we intend to
participate in with them - this book is a great instructional manual and a
must-read for anybody interested in dog agility, rally obedience, flyball, dock
diving, obedience, schutzhund, herding, carting, lure coursing, or any other
canine performance sport. Helen’s humorous and down-to-earth approach,
coupled with the great information that she has to offer, will help even the
most inexperienced dog owners learn to become experts in the area of canine
structure and angulation assessment!
Daisy Peel
5-time national champion (AKC and USDAA), 20+ time national finalist, 9-time USA
Team Member, 4-time Americas and Caribbean International Gold Medalist and a World
Agility Open Gold Medalist
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