Judging Poses Help

[Maiouka]

Because I am struggling with what I'm aiming for in a pose, I have a question for everyone...

Which of these three is better, and why?

Wisteria - Bella - Hiroko

I've noticed some judges prefer the left leg to be completely behind the right (as in Bella's case), but I personally think it oftentimes makes the back legs less aligned. I think I personally prefer Wisteria's pose even though you can see a bit of the left leg behind the right, but I've noticed some judges don't like it at all. And I've noticed Hiroko is doing very well but her left leg sticks out visibly behind the right... well, it's just left me confused. Just wondering what everyone thinks so I can start figuring out how to judge shows haha. :)

[Dani @ Caradobe]

For petzy breeds, alignment is all about the ankles. Some judges don't realize this and judge by the legs like Bella, but this is incorrect.

If you look at the pixels around the ankle, Wisteria and Hiroko are close. Neither are perfect, but they are relatively close to what should be. Wisteria is best.

When judging Dalmations, I always check alignment (I prefer back alignment, but some choose front), tail, eyes and nose.

Alignment: It's very hard for petzy breeds to have both legs completely aligned and it should not be faulted if one is perfect and the other isn't. I prefer if the back legs are perfect, but I do not fault frontal alignment seeing as both are correct.

Tail: It should be curved as much as possible. Dalmatians usually create a half-moon where the tip is directly above the rear legs. If you have a hard time judging, paste the poses in paint and put them on top of each other. This is how I judge if the poses are very close.

Eyes: Dalmatians are capable of having the eyes even if the face is turned straight towards the camera. One pixel isn't bad, but obviously it is preferable that they be perfectly aligned

Nose: The nose should be even across the top. The if there is one pixel between the two nose balls that shows that the dog is looking perfectly square at the camera. Pair this with aligned eyes and that's a perfect head Maybe ears if you're picky, but those are close to impossible with the way they move while posing.

[mntndewluver]

Preference preference preference.

I cannot stress this enough. When judging, make a list of got priorities and work from that. I.e, I prefer high heads on MOST breeds, and split leg alignment (not front or back) BUT if a dog looks especially collected with front leg alignment I will place them higher. It's up to YOU as the judge to decide:)

I work mostly with petzy breeds and split level alignment leaves the body/legs the most balanced and even, but neuter front or back leg alignment are incorrect:)

You will never have a pose place BIS 100% of the time, not even with the same judge:)