The artist Nychos and his fantasy of structure

This artist is truly amazing!  He calls his work "eye candy" but I call it brilliant.  Nychos bases his work on structure and it is beauty to behold.  Every living being has an interior skeletal structure which determines shape and movement.  No two are exactly the same.  He adds a bit of fantasy to that, doing much work in a large wall format.  That is extremely difficult, when you must have perspective.  Lots of backing up to take a look!  The work may be different from that which you appreciate as conventional, but it is astonishingly fantastic!  There are more videos of Nychos' work on Widewalls.

Perfect foot timing is an important result of correct structure

No, you won't see a dog in the video at the end of this.  What you will see is a Thoroughbred by the name of Empire Maker.  His record is impressive and his ability as a sire is escalating upward.  He stands at Gainesway Farm in Kentucky for a current fee of $85,000.

Dogs have long been assessed by equine standards, especially in earlier times.  We have borrowed terminology and ideas about structure from horses, although there are enough differences in things such as bone length that vary even between breeds of dogs.  One thing does remain the same.  If the dog or horse is to be considered truly typey, then soundness should be the building block of type.  Without being able to function as the history and purpose of the breed intended, a dog cannot be fully representative of that breed.  Fashion comes and goes, but type within a breed, in the truest sense, remains the same.

Now watch Empire Maker's perfect foot timing, flexibility of pastern, and overall balance.  His is type personified.  Enjoy!

Vizsla Illustrated Standard is now available

After many hard months of work with the committee, the Vizsla Illustrated Standard is now available online through the Vizsla Club of America.  The publication is available as a .pdf on the club's site, and I am very pleased with the beautiful presentation by VCA.  You may view the completed publication on their web site.

With technology being what it is today, much of the actual print expense can be foregone with a simple digital booklet.  There are times where the print version is still appropriate, such as in presentations before groups, so that possibility is still to be considered.  For the most part, the online availability makes education an affordable and pleasing solution for many clubs, especially when the result is as beautiful as that of VCA.

Additionally, the club has taken advantage of sepia tone coloring to add the distinctive breed feature to the original black and white illustrations.  Thank you for making the most of my drawings!

Do you see your dog here?

Robotics are a fascinating thing.  Although these are not specifically meant to be dogs, the similarities of structure become immediately apparent.  Look for upper arm, thigh, legs, elbow, hock, feet, strong back, head, and extension of neck.  Do you see the similarities and the function that is enabled by structure?

After you have watched that, see what an actual dog thinks about his new acquaintance in a dog vs. robot encounter.

New DPCA Video - Live dogs & drawings from the Illustrated Standard

The Doberman Pinscher Club of America has created a YouTube video to assist judges with procedure and important points of the breed.  My drawings from the Illustrated Standard have been incorporated to highlight important areas.  The animated arrows and measures further clarify, and were a nice touch.

This is a good example of additional methods to educate by using materials which can be used in conjunction to present a new approach.

The dog and bitch illustrations included in the video are shown here.  The colored pencil version of the bitch was created after we had completed the pen & ink drawings for the DPCA Illustrated Standard.  It was to be used as the representative for the Doberman Pinscher on the AKC web site.  The moving dog from the illustrated standard is also featured.

Today's Dog in History - Cerberus the Hound of Hell

Dogs have always been an important part in the history of our culture.  Even before domestication, they were the stuff of legend.  From Cerberus, the guardian of the gates to Hell, to Argos the ever faithful friend of Odysseus (also referred to as Argus and Ulysses), the dog's relationship with man has always been noted, both here and beyond.  We will follow up on some of these.

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From Wordsmith.org and  A.Word.A.Day 7/22/15:

Cerberus

Pronunciation: (SUHR-buhr-uhs) 
Meaning: noun: A powerful, hostile guard.
Etymology: From Latin, from Greek Kerberos. Earliest documented use: 1386.

Notes: 

Cerberus (also Kerberos) was the three-headed dog that guarded the entrance to Hades, the infernal region in classical mythology. Ancient Greeks and Romans used to put a slice of cake in the hands of their dead to help pacify Cerberus on the way. This custom gave rise to the idiom “to give a sop to Cerberus” meaning to give a bribe to quiet a troublesome person. 
Cancerbero (from Spanish can: dog) is one of the Spanish terms for a goalkeeper in fútbol (football). Kerberos is the name given to an authentication protocol for computer networks.

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Welcome to my nightmare.

Bernese Mountain Dog Overlay of Bone, Body, Measurement, and Coat.

This has been a true test of trial and tribulation.  Coming into this new venture of a website, I leave the previous version(s) behind.  Not by choice, just by the necessity to adapt when old and comfortable publishing programs have been abandoned by hosting companies.  That's the bad news.  The good news (and I hope that it is good) is that this new site will take on a more modern look with additional functionality.  That is, after I learn just what it is that I'm doing....  

So for now, send me your ideas on what you would like to see and I'll share my plan with you now.  I hope to have an ongoing study of structure here and to feature smalls bits of information on the anatomy of the dog and the result of a particular structure to the function that it enables.