# Question about stacking ?



## NYNIC715

Hey everyone!!

So I was brushing out my 13 week old pup Polo. When I was done I tried to stack him and get a picture... The out of the two that I got 1 - came out terrible - blurry and his back feet are way out behind his tush & the 2nd picture he looks completely roach backed - which I think was him in a more nervous state than anything else. Are there any tips/ tricks to stack properly? And for those of you who do stack your dog successfully - how do you get the stack right and then get a nice clean shot of it? It was nearly impossible for me!!! Granted I had Polo up on the island (a first for him) so he wasprobably nervous as anything & kept moving!!!

I initially posted this in the wrong forum - do Polo is now 14 weeks old - but still the same difficulties!

Thank you!!!?




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## outwest

Puppies are wiggly little things.  You will need two people. Lift his chest and tummy slightly above the table then lower him down. You will usually only need to adjust the rear a little. The hocks should be straight. Where ever the hocks are straight is where he should be stacked. Puppies will sometimes naturally stack with their hocks at an angle under they grow bigger and their legs stronger.The front legs should be straight. If you lift them up between the front legs you can get their front in the right place (straight). If you do those two things you will be able to get a good idea of their actual structure. 

People sometimes train a dog to stack properly by using stacking blocks. I thought about trying that, but never ended up doing it.:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&...urce=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=aHrOUaCTAeaIiAL9pIGgBA

You will need to hold their head up, too. Little puppies will often have horrendously long rear legs that they eventually grow into, so if his are really long don't worry about it. That can actually translate to a nice rear as an adult. Jazz had a super long rear end and I was a little concerned about it, but as an adult his rear is one of his nicest features. 

I hunted up a picture of Jazz at 13 weeks when I stacked him:








Mind you, my husband probably took multiple pictures to get this one and his tail is off to the side, his head isn't up quite enough and his hocks aren't perfectly straight.  Hold them under the chin gently with their head up and snap as many as you gan get before they wiggle away. 

You can also pick a time when he is a tiny bit sleepy so he is more amenable to being manipulated. A dog with a good structure will stack comfortably with their front legs under their shoulders, but many/most poodles have less than ideal front ends.

Sometime the easiest way to get a picture of a puppy stacked is to have a camera ready so that when he peers out the window or sees something interesting you snap a shot. A nice puppy will stack himself many times a day. Here is Jazz at 15 weeks when he saw a butterfly. Of course, he was a ragamuffin that day.


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## NYNIC715

Out west thank you thank you thank you! I definitely need another set of
Hands to help me. As soon as I have Polo in position & move to take a shot - he moves!!! Will definitely try your tips! The photos I did take are embarrassing!








He looks all roaches back because he backed up when I moved away! Please excuse the terribleness of the photo!


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## NYNIC715

That was supposed to say roach backed.... And tell went down as I don't think he was too happy once I moved away


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## outwest

That's not a terrible photo, but you do need two people. :act-up:

Actually, I am pretty impressed that you got anything other than a total blur. If he was tense, he will look roach backed. He looks like a nice puppy! He looks like he might have a terrific front end, actually. Get a friend and try again.  Also, hair makes a huge difference in how they look depending on how it is trimmed. You can get the best idea when they are a tad wet after a bath. Fluffy puppy hair sticking up all akimbo will make even a very flat backed puppy look roached. On the other hand, roached backs a fairly common in standard poodles. 

Puppies also grow at different rates: the front first, then the rear, then the front. Sometimes it is very hard to know what they will look like until about 6 months old when they start to even out. But, a good front is much rarer than a good rear. It appears you may have a pup with a great front.

PS And hold the tail up, too. Sometimes you can put their tail up and move your hand quickly (what I did in that first photo). Otherwise, hold the tip of the tail straight up by the hair. 

I look forward to seeing Polo again! Are you thinking about maybe showing him? Or, just stacking for fun?


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## NYNIC715

Yes I do agree about the being nervous and roaching up in the rear - which is exactly what I think that was all about - hence the tail being down - not too happy! I definitely will grab someone to help me do a photo with him stacked. I just plucked one of his ears today - not going to torment him with doing both - and he is pretty much shot from that... I do not think he was the biggest fan of it (hey what pooch really is) but he will need to get used to it:angel2:

Well here is the story with Polo - the breeder that I chose when doing my research had a litter of pet/show pups.  The one I chose was a pet pup - but... When he got his 1st vaccine he had a reaction to the shot. After much deliberation I chose to pass on the pup as I was concerned about the potenital for future health issues. The breeder did place him with a good friend of hers - so in the end it all worked out. The next litter she had was strictly a show only litter. Due to the circumstances, my pup came from the show litter, so I have a show quality pup - as a pet...lucky me!! My previous spoo was from a line of show dogs as well - so the one thing I did want was the "trot" LOL I did get that plus a whole lot more. Interesting about the front end comments - I am not into showing but like to do things for fun with him - like the stack. I find the "show world" super interesting & it has given me a little more of a critical eye when looking at standards. If anything it probably has shaped me into a better owner - I mean lets face it - any pooch can be gorgeous - if they are taken care of properly. Ironically though with your comment about the front - anyone who has seen him standing or sitting - even when walking always comment on how perfectly straight he is in the front (not sure if that is the same as what you are referring to) 

He really is a cool pup... soft mouthed, listens, eager to please, mischievous - but stays out of trouble - typical smart aloof puppy - one downfall = carsickness. He loves his baths according to me groomer - I try to bath in between grooms regularly - but with his coat (which is super thick) I need to cough up the cash and invest in a "real" dryer so I can give him a home bath....LOL:bath:


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## 2719

Pro Handler Will Alexander has a series of Youtube videos about stacking dogs etc. They are very informative. This one is about No Fuss Stacks






Will Alexander - YouTube This link should take you to his youtube pags.


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## outwest

NY, Hold off on trimming all his hair off until you really think about the showing. You can enter him in a puppy match for fun to learn. You may find showing, especially if you have a nice dog  to be a lot of fun. Granted, it is time consuming. 

When the puppy is standing with his front legs straight, if they fall under his shoulders/withers, that is a very good thing in a poodle. Not too many have good fronts. If you draw a line straight up their leg you will find most intersect with their neck instead of their shoulder. When they intersect with the neck, they don't have the long reach when they move. It comes from decades of hiding the front end underneath hair so that poodle with poor front ends still won and thus were bred. 

There is a lot to a well put together poodle and the front end is only one piece of it. A white with thick hair is also a good sign because many whites don't have as much coat as they could have. 

He looks like a nice puppy. Think hard before you chop all his hair off......just sayin'.


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## NYNIC715

Outwest I have not had him groomed just a puppy clean up. He got bathed, face feet and tail trimmed up. Tail was just underneath so he doesn't poop on it. He needs another bath ASAP...he pees all over his underside... He doesn't lift his leg...soo gross! I'd do the bathing in between but I need a dryer. My breeder uses the K-9 II... I looked at that and the Kool Dry... Gotta admit I am a bit nervous at using an HV dryer! But Polo's coat needs it otherwise he will never dry or ill burn him by using my hair blower.... 

Any suggestions on a dryer? I swathed the forum and It seems everyone loves their own dryer and they all own every one out there!LOL

I don't want the coat cut - I LOVE it! 


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## NYNIC715

**swathed = searched


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## outwest

I bought a force dryer that works well and then I bought a stand dryer. The stand dryer would be enough for a puppy coat, I would think. The stand dryer makes the hair straight.

I am learning how to use these things, too. It is scary. I finally got up the nerve to shave my boys rear end (he is in a continental). I bought my force dryer from someone who had a really expensive one. It works great. I just bought a stand dryer by Edemco, the base model. It seems fine for me, but it was pointed out that it didn't have wheels. My husband is going to put wheels on it for me. 

If your breeder is supportive, talk to her about what she or he would recommend for you to get. Everyone has their favorites. 

PS I can't stand my dogs to go more than two weeks without a bath. With a white puppy, I imagine he is a dirt ball within a couple days. LOL As a little puppy you can just air dry him until you get a dryer. I tried to use a human dryer- it wasn't powerful enough to do much.


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## NYNIC715

I hate that we cannot bath him yet. I am thinking to just pull the trigger this weekend and do it. I know from my groomer he LOVES the bath... dryer he tolerated - but he's a pup - I'd rather hear that he tolerated the dryer versus hated it completely LOL. Currently his coat is mainly white with some splashed of apricot so it is not too terrible - but yes you can see on his hind legs the dirtiness... and his underside grosses me out. I have tried those cleaning wipes - what a joke... In the meantime if I can I do just cut off the gross fur as it should normally be shaved under there anyway....


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