Conformation: What is it and how does it relate to your dog's health and function?
What is conformation?
Have you ever watched any of the kennel club dog shows on TV? The shows that showcase each recognized breed, have a judge look them over, and have each dog strut their stuff? Many pet owners may assume that these shows are "beauty pageants" or "demonstrations of obedience or trick training". However, these show are none of these. They are in fact conformation shows. These conformation shows are a way for ethical breeders to utilize the unbiased opinion of an educated judge to determine whether their dogs are adhering to the health and function of their breed's standard.
Many pet owners are unfamiliar with the term "conformation" and may ask "What exactly is it?".
Conformation is a term used to describe an animal's skeletal and muscular structure (in particular, the proportions of their body), appearance, and function. With dogs, each separate breed has its own separate conformation. These separate conformations are defined with a written "standard". The standard describes in great detail, what each breed should appear as.
Why is conformation important to your dog's health and function?
Bone structure and bone length, musculature, and joint angulation are important to every animals' health.
Animals can be born with incorrect or correct conformation. Genetics are largely what determine whether an animal has correct or incorrect conformation.
Correct conformation *allows* an animal to extend their joints to a full range of motion, allowing them to move with ease, comfort, and agility.
Incorrect conformation *prevents* an animal from being able to use their joints correctly, limiting their range of motion, creating discomfort, and predisposes the animal to injury and illnesses such as bone deformities and bone dislocations (such as arthritis, luxating patellas and elbows, poor bone density, malformed growth plates, and hip dysplasia), torn ligaments, and pressure on organs which can lead to poor or improper organ function. All of these complications can lead to a diminished life span, poor quality of life for the animal, and/or a need for expensive corrective surgeries.
When pet owners go to pick out a new puppy to add to their family, being able to recognize good conformation can help them determine whether they are bringing home a healthy or unhealthy animal.
How to spot correct conformation:
Many pet owners are unfamiliar with how to spot correct conformation in a dog. It takes an understanding of anatomy, physiology, animal behavior, and movement to recognize faults and strengths in an animal's conformation. Below, we have included a few diagrams to help pet owners understand and see the differences in common joint angles in dogs:
Below are some links to publications providing further explanations regarding canine conformation:
Books on canine conformation that we recommend: