Rachel Page Elliott was a very important person in golden retrievers in this country.
She provided a scientific analysis of dog gaits, something that had not yet been attempted.
Gait is very important for working conformation, for a dog with an inefficient gait cannot perform its purpose comfortably or without becoming exhausted.
I have her analysis of the proper movement for golden retrievers somewhere in one of my breed books.
She based a lot of her analysis off her dog, Goldwood Toby UD,. This dog was purchased in Minnesota to be working retriever on the coast of Maine. He was titled in obedience, but he was very much a working retriever.
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I particularly like the footage of the two goldens eating out the same dish.
That’s actually how their temperament is supposed to be.
Pagey also did several breed-specific video studies; the one done for the Golden Retriever Club of America is excellent (as would be expected!). She not only filmed all of her movies and videos, but also edited them herself, wrote the scripts, and narrated most. Her studies in cineradiography (“moving Xrays”, made in cooperation with the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology) are fascinating; you should see what dysplastic hips look like in action!
Toby was only the first of a long line of Featherquest Goldens. The last, Tammy, was the dog that Pagey took to an Agility title, at 87!
i like this book:
http://www.awn.com/mag/issue5.07/5.07pages/bradrickloco.php3
;-)
I’ve got to get this book.
Very interesting!
The book (Dog Locomotion and Gait Analysis) by Curtis Brown, illustrated by Robert Cole, is truly exceptional. Mr Brown and Mrs Elliott carried on quite a correspondence over the years, came to similar conclusions, and their books complement each other very well: hers as introductory, his as a wider exploration of the topic.
Robert Cole was a researcher on the topic of canine locomotion, and breed type, in his own right, with great depth of experience. His series of illustrated articles, “You Be the Judge” in Dog News was always interesting and informative.
Interesting that a film animator recommends the Brown book: after watching some of the awkward creatures on screen, I can see where the book should be quite useful!