As breed standards and conformation judging became more formalized and descriptive in the 19th and 20th century, terms emerged that vividly described a dog’s attributes. We speculate that terms such as, “Candle Flame ear,” “Chippendale Front,” and “Cup Handle Tail,” appeared around that time, and each was so descriptive as to instantly conjure up a clear mental image of the trait being referenced. This allowed people both in and out of the dog fancy to communicate a structural quality with immediacy without “getting into the weeds.”  Call it “shared language,” or “shorthand,” but it works to this day.

One of those terms is the “fishhook front,” and once it’s pointed out to you, it’s hard not to see moving forward. That said, allow us to lay some groundwork to better understand how to see what you can’t see.

In art, “negative space” refers to the empty areas around the elements of an image. Artists use negative space to imply forms that aren’t explicitly drawn, training the eye to perceive shapes and relationships in what appears to be empty space. Similarly, when dog judges, breeders, or fanciers use a term like “fishhook front,” they are encouraging us to see an outline formed by a dog’s neck, chest, and jawline—an outline that isn’t physically present but is implied by the relationship of these parts.  Because, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, we superimposed a fishhook over a Welsh Terrier:

The term, used to describe the front of most long-legged terrier breeds,  suggests a proper front construction with no excessive forechest, and a harmonious flow from the dog’s feet through her neck and head. It’s a slightly more open angle between the dog’s shoulder blade and upper arm that leads to the “fishhook” appearance of the long-legged terrier breed front. When compared to a sporting breed or hound, the prosternum of a long-legged terrier is barely forward of the point of the shoulder.  The dog’s humerus isn’t really shorter, it’s just curved inward toward the midline, so a sound long-legged terrier will have a balanced extended trot. Thank you to the late Dr. Quentin LaHam who talked about this.

Image: Welsh Terrier by CaptureLight/iStockPhoto