Dog Conformation Glossary

 

(A)

Almond Eyes: An elongated eye shape, rather than rounded.

Amble: A relaxed, easy gait in which the legs on either side move almost, but not quite, as a pair. Often seen as the transition movement between the walk and other faster gaits.

Anal glands: Glands which secrete a substance that is used by a dog to mark its territory. Located near the anus.

Angulation: Angles created by bones meeting at their given joints.

Ankle: See Hock

Ankylosis: Abnormal immobility and fusion of a joint.

Anterior: The front assembly of the body.

Apple Head: A round-shaped or dome-like head as seen in the Chihuahua.

Apron: Longer hair below the neck on the chest; also called the frill.

Arm: The anatomical region between the shoulder and the elbow. Sometimes called the upper arm.

Articulation: Where two or more bones meet.

(B)

Back: The area of a dog's body extending from the withers to the croup.

Bad Mouth: Crooked teeth; when the mouth is closed, upper and lower teeth do not line up according to the standard of the breed.

Balance: When all the parts of the dog, moving or standing, produce a harmonious image.

Bandy Legs: Legs that bend outward.

Barrel: A rib region that is round in cross section.

Barrel Hocks: Hocks that turn out, causing the feet to toe in. Also called spread hocks.

Barring: Striped markings.

Base coat: The primary color of the coat.

Bat Ear: An ear that stands up, with a broad base, rounded at the top, with opening facing forward.; An erect ear that is broad at the base and rounded on the top.

Beady: Eyes that are small, round, and glittering, imparting an expression foreign to the breed.

Beard: Thick, long hair growth on the underjaw.

Beauty Spot: A distinct spot, usually round, of colored hair, surrounded by the white spot of the blaze, on the topskull between the ears

Beefy: Over-heavy development of the hindquarters.

Bite: The relative position of the upper and lower teeth when the jaws are closed. Bite positions include scissors, level, undershot, or overshot, depending on the breed.

Blocky: Square or cube-like formation of the head.

Blocky head: A head with a squarish, cube-like appearance. Seen on the Boston Terrier.

Blunt Muzzle: A square muzzle typical of many breeds such as the Mastiff and Pointers.

Body Length: Distance from the prosternum (front portion of the breastbone) to the posterior portion of the pelvic girdle.

Bossy: Over-development of the shoulder muscles.

Breastbone: See Sternum

Breeches: The fringe-like hair on long-coated dogs that grows on the upper and sometimes lower thighs. Also known as culottes, pants and trousers.

Brick-shaped: Rectangular.

Brisket: Usually refers to the sternum, but in some standards it refers to the entire thorax.

Britches: Longer hair found on the upper rear area of the legs.

Brows: The ridges formed above the eyes by frontal bone contours.

Bull Neck: A heavy neck, well-muscled.

Burr: The inside of the ear; i.e., the irregular formation visible within the cup.

Butterfly: A partially unpigmented nose; i.e., dark, spotted with flesh color.

Buttocks: The rump or hips.

Button Ear: A small, neat ear with the flap folding forward, covering the opening of the ear.

(C)

Camel Back: An arched back.

Candle Flame Ears: A type of dog-ear that is large and erect with uneven edges.

Canine Teeth: The large, sharp, curved teeth that are located on each side of the mouth. Also referred to as eye teeth.

Canter: A gait with three beats to each stride, two legs moving separately and two as a diagonal pair. Slower than the gallop and not as tiring.

Cape: Long, thick hair covering the shoulders.

Carpals: Bones of the wrist.

Cat Foot: Neat, round foot, with high-arched toes held closely together.

Cheeks: The region of the skin that lies below the eyes and begins at the lips, reaching back to the area in front of the ears.

Cheeky: Cheeks prominently rounded; thick, protruding.

Chest: The part of the body or trunk that is enclosed by the ribs.

Chippendale Front: Forelegs out at the elbows, pasterns close, and feet turned out. Named after the Chippendale chair. Also called fiddle front.

Chiseled: Clean-cut in head, as contrasted with bumpy or bulging outlines, particularly beneath the eyes.

Close-Coupled: Comparatively short from the last rib to the commencement of the hindquarters; occasionally used to characterize a comparative shortness from withers to hipbones.

Coarse: Considered a negative term, a dog not refined or harmonious in conformation.

Cobby: Compact, with a short body.

Conformation: The form and structure, make and shape; arrangement of the parts in conformance with breed standards.

Coupling: The part of the body between the ribs and the pelvis/hindquarters; the loin.

Cow-Hocked: Hocks turning in, accompanied by toeing out of rear feet.

Crabbing: Dog moves with its body at an angle to the line of travel. Also called sidewinding.

Crank Tail: A tail carried down and resembling a crank in shape.

Crest: The upper, arched portion of the neck.

Cropping/Crop: The cutting or trimming of ear leather to encourage it to stand erect.

Crossing Over: Unsound gaiting action that starts with twisting elbows and ends with crisscrossing and toeing out. Also called knitting and purling and weaving.

Croup: The region of the pelvic girdle, formed by the sacrum and surrounding tissue.

Crown: The top part of the head; the topskull.

ulotte: The longer hair on the back of the thighs.

Cur: See Crossbred

Curled Tail: A tail which is tightly curled and held close to the back.

(D)

Deep-Chested: Term describing the rib cage structure of dogs like German Shepherds, Great Danes and Irish Setters. Deep-chested dogs have a greater tendency to develop stomach dilatation, also referred to as bloat.

Dentition: Forty-two adult teeth, including incisors, canines, premolars, and molars.

Depth of Chest: An indication of the volume of space for heart and lungs, and commonly referenced to the elbow (i.e., above, at the level of, or below).

Dewclaw: An extra claw on the inside of the leg; a rudimentary fifth toe, removed on most breeds.

Dewlap: Loose, pendulous skin under the throat and neck.

Diagonals: Right front and left rear legs constitute the right diagonal; left front and right rear legs constitute the left diagonal. In the trot, the diagonals move together.

Digit: Toe.

Dish-faced: A slight concaveness of foreface when viewed in profile.

Divergent Hocks: Hocks that turn out. Barrel hocks.

Domed Skull: Evenly rounded in topskull; curved, not flat.

Doming: As seen in Cocker Spaniels, the rounded portion of the head in between the ears.

Dorsal: The portion of the dog carried farthest from the substratum (i.e., away from the ground) during normal locomotion or side of the body furthest from the ground.

Down-Faced: The muzzle inclining downwards from the skull to the tip of the nose.

Down Hairs: A term referring to the shortest hair on the dog, which is usually found next to the skin beneath the top coat and is soft and downy in texture.

Drive: A solid thrusting of the hindquarters, denoting sound locomotion.

Drop Ear: The ear leather folds over; not erect or prick ears.; Ear in which the leather is folded over to some degree.

Dry Neck: The skin taut, neither loose nor wrinkled.

(E)

Ears: The auditory organ, consisting of three regions: inner ear, middle ear, and the most important pinna (or leather), which is supported by cartilage and which affects the expression of all breeds.

East-West Front: Incorrect positioning that causes the feet to turn outwards.

Elbow: The posterior region of the articulation between the arm and forearm.

Elbows Out: Turning out or off from the body; not held close.

Even Bite: Meeting of upper and lower incisors with no overlap. Also called level bite.

Ewe Neck: A neck in which the topline is concave rather than convex.

Expression: The general appearance of all the features of the head.

Eyeteeth: The upper canines.

(F)

Fang: See Canines Teeth

Femur: Thigh bone. Extends from hip to stifle.

Fibula: One of the two bones of the leg (i.e., the lower thigh, second thigh, or lower leg).

Fiddle Front: Forelegs out at elbows, pasterns close, and feet turned out. French front.

Filled-Up Face: Smooth facial contours, free of excessive muscular development.

Flag: A long tail carried high. Feathering on the tail.

Flank: The side of the body between the last rib and the hip.

Flare: A blaze that widens as it approaches the topskull.

Flat-Sided: Ribs insufficiently rounded as they approach the sternum or breastbone.

Flews: Upper lip pendulous, particularly at their inner corners.

Floating Rib: The last (or 13th rib), which is unattached to the other ribs.

Flying Ears: Any characteristic drop ears or semi-prick ears that stand or fly.

Flying Trot: A fast gait in which all four feet are off the ground for a brief second during each half stride. Because of the long reach, the oncoming hind feet step beyond the imprint left by the front. Also called suspension trot.

Folded Ears: As seen on the Fox Terrier, an ear which stands erect at the base and folds forward.

Follicle: A crypt or minute cul-de-sac or lacuna, such as the depression in the skin from which the hair emerges.

Forearm: The portion of the forelimb between the arm and the wrist.

Foreface: The front portion of the skull that articulates with the cranium.

Forequarters: The combined front assembly from its uppermost component, the shoulder blade, down to the feet.

Foxy: Sharp expression; pointed nose with short foreface.

Fracture: A break, rupture, or crack, especially in bone or cartilage.

French Front: See Fiddle Front.

Frill: See Apron.

Fringes: See Feathering

Frogface: Extending nose accompanied by a receding jaw, usually overshot.

Front: The forepart of the body as viewed head-on; i.e., forelegs, chest, brisket, and shoulder line.

Frontal Bones: The anterior bones of the cranium forming the forehead.

Furnishings: The long hair on the extremities (including head and tail) of certain breeds.

Furrow: A slight indentation of median line down the center of the skull to the stop.

(G)

Gait: The pattern of footsteps at various rates of speed, each pattern distinguished by a particular rhythm and footfall.

Gallop: Fastest of dog gaits; has a four-beat rhythm and often an extra period of suspension during which the body is propelled through the air with all four feet off the ground.

Gaskin: The lower or second thigh.

Gay Tail: A tail carried above the horizontal level of the back.

Goose Neck: An elongated, tubular-shaped neck. Also called swan neck.

Goose Rump: Too steep or sloping a croup.

Goose Step: Accentuated lift of the forelimbs.

(H)

Hackney Action: A high lifting of the front feet accompanied by flexing of the wrist like that of a Hackney horse.

Half-Prick Ear: Also known as the semi-prick ear, ears carried erect with just the tips leaning forward.

Hard-Mouthed: A dog that crushes or renders game unfit for consumption.

Hare Foot: Foot on which the two center digits are appreciably longer than the outside and inside toes of the foot, and the arching of the toes is less marked, making the foot appear longer overall.

Haunch Bones: The hip bones.

Haw: A third eyelid or membrane on the inside corner of the eye.

Head: The front portion of the dog, including the muzzle and the cranium.

Head Planes: Viewed in profile, the contours of the top portion of the skull from occiput to stop, and the foreface from stop to tip of the nose.

Height: Vertical measurement from the withers to the ground; usually called shoulder height.

High Standing: Tall and upstanding, with plenty of leg.

Hindquarters: Rear assembly of the dog (pelvis, thighs, hocks, and paws).

Hock: The collection of bones of the hind leg forming the joint between the second thigh and the metatarsus; the dog's true heel.

Hocking Out: Spread hocks.

Hocks Well Let Down: Hock joints close to the ground.

Hook Tail: A tail that is carried down, but with the tip curled upwards.

Hucklebones: Top of the hipbones.

Humerus: The bone of the arm (i.e., the upper arm).

(I)

Incisors: The six upper and six lower front teeth between the canines. The point of contact forms the bite.

Iris: The colored membrane surrounding the pupil of the eye.

(J)

Jabot: The part situated between the front legs.

Jacobsens Organ: A sense organ located in the roof of the dog's mouth that functions somewhere between smell and taste.

Jowls: Flesh of the lips and jaws.

(K)

Keel: The rounded outline of the lower chest.

Kink Tail: A deformity of the caudal vertebrae producing a bent tail.

Knee: See Stifle

Knee Joint: See Stifle

Kneecap: The stifle, with the bone known as the patella.

Knuckling Over: Faulty structure of wrist joint allowing it to flex forward under the weight of the standing dog.

(L)

Lame: Irregularity or impairment of locomotion.

Lateral: Pertaining to the side.

Layback: The angle of the shoulder blade as compared with the vertical plane viewed from the side.

Layon: The angle of the shoulder blade as compared with the vertical plane viewed from the front.

Level Bite: When the front teeth (incisors) of the upper and lower jaws meet exactly edge to edge. Also called pincer bite, equal bite, or even bite.

Level Gait: Dog moves without rise or fall of withers.

Loaded Shoulders: Excessive development of the muscles associated with the shoulder blades.

Lobe Ear: Ears which are lightly folded and set at the back of the head.

Loin: The region of the body associated with the lumbar portions of the vertebrae column (i.e., behind the ribs and in front of the pelvic girdle).

Loose Slung: Construction in which the attachment of the muscles at the shoulders is looser than desirable.

Lower Thigh: See Second Thigh

Lumbar Vertebrae: The seven vertebrae of the loin region.

Lumbering: An awkward gait.

Luxating Patella: A problem that causes the kneecap to slip when the joint is moved. Transmitted genetically and can lead to lameness.

Luxation: Dislocation of an anatomical structure.

 

 

(M)

Mandible: The bone of the lower jaw.

Mantle: Dark-shaded portion of the coat on shoulders, back, and sides.

Manubrium: The first sternabra of the chest.

Measles: An acute, contagious viral disease, usually occurring in childhood and characterized by eruption of red spots on the skin, fever, and catarrhal symptoms. Also called rubeola.

Measure Out: Measured height at withers was determined to be outside the limits for that breed as set forth in the breed standard.

Medial: Toward the mid line of the dog.

Median Line: See Furrow

Molars: The posterior teeth of the dental arcade, with two on each side in the upper jaw and three on each side in the lower jaw in an adult with correct dentition.

Molera: Incomplete, imperfect, or abnormal ossification of the skull.

Move: To gait a dog in a pattern prescribed by the judge.

Moving Close: When the hocks turn in and pasterns drop straight to the ground and move parallel to one another, the dog is moving close in the rear.

Moving Straight: Term descriptive of balanced gaiting in which angle of inclination begins at the shoulder, or hip joint, and limbs remain relatively straight from these points to the pads of the feet, even as legs flex or extend in reaching or thrusting.

Muzzle: (1)The forward, projecting part of the head of certain animals, such as dogs, including the mouth, nose, and jaws; the snout; (2)A leather or wire restraining appliance that, when fitted over an animal's snout, prevents biting and eating.

(N)

Neck Well Set-On: Good neckline, merging gradually with withers, forming a pleasing transition into topline.

Nictitating Membrane: A transparent inner eyelid in birds, reptiles, and some mammals that closes to protect and moisten the eye. Also called third eyelid.

Nose: (1) Organ of olfaction. (2) The ability to detect by means of scent.

(O)

Oblique Shoulders: Shoulders well laid back.

Obliquely Placed Eyes: Eyes with outer corners higher than their inner ones.

Occiput: Dorsal, posterior point of the skull.

Odd-Eyed: Eyes of different color, such as one brown eye and one blue eye.

Ophthalmic: Of or relating to the eye; ocular.

Otter Tail: Thick at the root, round, and tapering, with the hair parted or divided at the underside.

Out At The Elbows: Elbows turning out from the body as opposed to being held close.

Out At The Shoulders: With shoulder blades loosely attached to the body, leaving the shoulders jutting out in relief and increasing the breadth of the front.

Oval Chest: Chest deeper than wide.

Oval Eye: As seen in Poodles, an eye with an egg shape.

Overhang: A heavy or pronounced brow.

Overreaching: Fault in the trot caused by more angulation and drive from behind than in front so that the rear feet are forced to step to one side of the forefeet to avoid interfering or clipping.

Overshot: The incisors of the upper jaw projecting beyond the incisors of the lower jaw, thus resulting in a space between the respective inner and outer surfaces.

(P)

Pace: A lateral gait that tends to promote a rolling motion of the body. The left foreleg and left hind leg advance in unison, then the right foreleg and right hind leg.

Padding: A compensating action to offset constant concussion when a straight front is subjected to overdrive from the rear; the front feet flip upward in a split-second delaying action to coordinate the stride of the forelegs with the longer stride from behind.

Paddling: A gaiting fault, so named for its similarity to the swing and dip of a canoeists paddle. Pinching in at the elbows and shoulder joints causes the front legs to swing forward on a stiff outward arc. Also called tied at the elbows.

Pads: Tough, shock-absorbing projections on the underside of the feet. Soles.

Paper Foot: A flat foot devoid of arch to the toes.

Pelvis: Hip bones, each consisting of three fused bones: an anterior ilium, a ventral pubis, and a posterior ischium; combined with the sacrum forming the pelvic girdle.

Pig Eyes: Eyes set too close.

Pig Jaw: See Overshot

Pigeon-Breast: A narrow chest with a protruding breastbone.

Pigeon-Toed: Toes pointing in toward the mid line.

Pincer Bite: See Level Bite

Plume: (1) A long fringe of hair on the tail. (2) Carrying the tail plume-like over the back.

Poke: To carry the neck stretched forward in an abnormally low, ungainly position, usually when moving.

Posterior: The portion of the dog carried toward the rear during normal locomotion.

Pounding: Gaiting fault resultant of a dog's stride being shorter in the front than in the rear; forefeet strike the ground hard before the rear stride is expended.

Prick Ear: Ear carried erect, usually pointed at the tip.

Prominent Eyes: As seen on Pugs, a big, round projecting eye.

(R)

Racy: Tall, of comparatively slight build.

Radius: One of the two bones of the forearm.

Ragged: Muscles appear ragged rather than smooth.

Rangy: Tall, long in body, high on leg, light-framed; gangly.

Rat Tail: The root thick and covered with soft curls; at the tip devoid of hair, or having the appearance of being clipped.

Reach of Front: Length of forward stride taken by forelegs.

Rear Pastern: The metatarsus; the region of the hindquarters between the hock and the foot.

Rib Cage: The collection of paired ribs, cartilage, sternum, and associated tissue that define the thoracic region.

Ribbed Up: Long ribs that angle back from the spinal column. A reference to a long rib cage.

Ring Tail: Carried up and around almost in a circle.

Roach Back: A convex curvature of the back involving thoracic and lumbar regions.

Rocking Horse: Both front and rear legs extended out from the body as on an old-fashioned rocking horse.

Rolling Gait: Swaying, ambling action of the hindquarters when moving.

Roman Nose: A nose whose bridge is so comparatively high as to form a slightly convex line from forehead to nose tip. Ram's nose.

Rose Ear: A small drop ear that folds over and back so as to reveal the burr.

Rudder: The tail or stern.

Ruff: Thick, longer hair growing around the neck.

(S)

Saber Tail: Carried in a semicircle.

Sacrum: The region of the vertebral column that consists of three fused vertebrae that articulate the pelvic girdle.

Scissors Bite: A bite in which the outer side of the lower incisors touches the inner side of the upper incisors.

Sclera: The tough white fibrous outer envelope of tissue covering all of the eyeball except the cornea.

Screw Tail: A naturally short tail twisted in more or less spiral formation

Secondary Coat: The fine hairs which make up the undercoat.

Second Thigh: That part of the hindquarters from the stifle to the hock, corresponding to the human shin and calf. Lower thigh, including the tibia and fibula.

Self Color: One color or whole color except for lighter shadings. Color definitions may vary by breed. Always check the breed standard for the definitive color description.

Semi-Prick Ears: Ears carried erect with just the tips leaning forward.

Senile Cataracts: Occurring in elderly animals, a lens opacity in the eye that does not interfere with vision.

Septum: The line extending vertically between the nostrils.

Shelly: A shallow, narrow body, lacking the correct amount of bone.

Short Back: See Close-Coupled

Show Quality: A pedigreed dog meeting the official breed standard and thus able to compete in dog shows.

Sickle Hocked: Inability to straighten the hock joint on the back reach of the hind leg.

Sickle Tail: A tail which is carried up and out in a semi-circle.

Silky Coat: A topcoat composed of long, fine and soft hair.

Single Coat: A dog with only one type of coat, typically the topcoat or guard hairs, without the downy undercoat.

Single Tracking: All footprints falling on a single line of travel. When a dog breaks into a trot, his body is supported by only two legs at a time, which move as alternating diagonal pairs. To achieve balance, his legs angle inward toward a center line beneath his body, and the greater the speed, the closer they come to tracking on a single line.

Skeleton: Descriptively divided into axial (skull, vertebrae column, chest) and appendicular (forequarters, hindquarters) portions or the hard framework of the body; the bones of the body collectively.

Skull: The bony or cartilaginous framework of the head of vertebrates, made up of the bones of the braincase and face; cranium.

Skully: Thick and course through the skull.

Slab-Sided: Flat ribs with too little spring from the spinal column.

Slew Feet: Feet turned out.

Sloping Shoulder: The shoulder blade set obliquely or laid back.

Smooth Coat: Short, close-lying hair.

Snatching Hocks: A gait fault indicated by a quick outward snatching of the hock as it passes the supporting leg and twists the rear pastern far in beneath the body. The action causes noticeable rocking in the rear quarters.

Snippy: A pointed, weak muzzle, lacking breadth and depth.

Snow Nose: Nose normally solid black, but acquires pink streak in winter. Also called winter nose.

Soundness: The state of mental and physical health when all organs and faculties are complete and functioning normally, each in its rightful relation to the other.

Spike Tail: Straight, short tail that tapers rapidly along its length.

Splayfoot: A flat foot with toes spreading. Open foot, open-toed.

Spread: Width between the forelegs when accentuated.

Spread Hocks: Hocks pointing outward.

Spring: See Flush

Spring of Ribs: Curvature of ribs for heart and lung capacity.

Square Body: A dog whose measurements from withers to ground equals that from forechest to rump.

Squirrel Tail: Carried up and curving more or less forward.

Stance: Manner of standing.

Station: Comparative height from the ground, as high-stationed, low-stationed.

Steep: Used to denote incorrect angles of articulation. For example, a steep front describes a more upright shoulder placement than is preferred.

Stern: Tail.

Stern Tail: A tail found in a sporting dog or hound that is generally carried straight out.

Sternum: A row of eight bones that form the floor of the chest.

Stifle: The joint of the hind leg between the thigh and the second thigh. The dog's knee.

Stilted: The choppy, up-and-down gait of the straight-hocked dog.

Stop: The step up from muzzle to back skull; indentation between the eyes where the nasal bones and cranium meet.

Straight In Pastern: Little or no bend at the wrist.

Straight Shoulders: The shoulder blades rather straight up and down, as opposed to sloping or well laid back.

Straight-Hocked: Lacking appreciable angulation at the hock joints.

Substance: Bone.

Superciliary Arches: The ridge, projection, or prominence of the frontal bones of the skull over the eyes; the brow; supraorbital ridges.

Suspension Trot: See Flying Trot

Swayback: Concave curvature of the vertebrae column between the withers and the hipbones.

Symmetry: Pleasing balance between all parts of the dog.

(T)

Tail-Set: How the base of the tail is set on the rump.

Tapetum Lucidum: The highly reflective portion of the interior of the canine eyeball that aids in night vision.

Thigh: The hindquarter from hip to stifle.

Thoracic Vertebrae: The thirteen vertebrae of the chest with which thirteen pairs of ribs articulate.

Throatiness: An excess of loose skin under the throat.

Tibia: One of the two bones of the leg (i.e., the lower thigh, second thigh, or lower leg).

Tied At The Elbows: See Paddling

Tongue: (1) The fleshy, moveable, muscular organ attached to the floor of the mouth; (2) or the barking or baying of hounds on the trail, as to give tongue, to open or speak.

Topknot: A tuft of longer hair on top of the head.

Topline: The dog's outline from just behind the withers to the tail set.

Triangular Eye: The eye set in surrounding tissue of triangular shape; three-cornered eye.

Trot: A rhythmic two-beat diagonal gait in which the feet at diagonal opposite ends of the body strike the ground together; i.e., right hind with left front and left hind with right front.

Trousers: Longish hair at the back of both upper and lower thighs.

Trumpet: The slight depression or hollow on either side of the skull just behind the orbit or eye socket; the region comparable with the temple in man.

Truncated: Cut off.

Tuck-Up: Characterized by markedly shallower body depth at the loin. Small-waisted.

Tulip Ear: An ear carried erect with edges curving in and forward.

Turn-Up: An up-tilted foreface.

Twisting Hocks: A gaiting fault in which the hock joints twist both ways as they flex or bear weight. Also called rubber hocks.

Type: Sum of qualities that distinguish dogs of one breed (breed type) or dogs from one kennel (kennel type) from others.

(U)

Ulna: One of the two bones of the forearm.

Underline: The combined contours of the brisket and the abdominal floor.

Undershot: The front teeth (incisors) of the lower jaw overlapping or projecting beyond the front teeth of the upper jaw when the mouth is closed.

Unsound: A dog incapable of performing the functions for which it was bred.

Upper Arm: The humerus or bone of the foreleg, between the shoulder blade and the forearm and associated tissues.

(V)

Varminty: A keen, very bright or piercing expression.

Veil: The portion of the dog's forelock hanging straight down over the eyes or partially covering them.

Vertebral Column: The bones of the central axis of the dog posterior to the skull, including cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral, and caudal vertebrae.

(W)

Walk: Gaiting pattern in which three legs are in support of the body at all times, each foot lifting from the ground one at a time in regular sequence.

Walleye: An eye with a whitish iris; a blue eye, fisheye, pearl eye.

Webbed: Connected by a membrane.

Webbed Toes: Toes connected by a skin membrane; important for water-retrieving dogs, providing help in swimming.

Weedy: An insufficient amount of bone; light boned.

Well Let Down: Having short hocks; refers to short metatarsals.

Wet Neck: Loose or superfluous skin; with dewlap.

Wheel Back: A marked arch of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae.

Whip Tail: Carried out stiffly straight and pointed.

Whiskers: Vibrissae or sensory organs (hairs) on the sides of the muzzle.

Wicket: Device used to measure the height of a dog at the withers.

Winging: A gaiting fault where one or both front feet twist outward as the limbs swing forward.

Winter Nose: See Snow Nose

Withers: Highest point of a dog's shoulders.

Wrinkle: Loose, folding skin on forehead and foreface.

Wry Mouth: Asymmetrical alignment of upper and lower jaws; cross bite.

(X)

Xiphoid Process: Cartilage process of the sternum.

(Z)

Zygomatic Arch: A bony ridge extending posteriorly (and laterally) from beneath the eye orbit.