Forequarters
[For myself, learning a correct front has been the biggest challenge. Most of my fellow breeders feel the same. There are so many elements. The neck, it's placement and shape, the angles between the scapula and the humurus, the depth of chest, the pronouncement of the sternum, which way the toes point and on and on. Comparatively, rears are pretty straight foreword.]
The following is from the Great Dane Standard:
The forequarters, viewed from the side, shall be strong and muscular. The shoulder blade must be strong and sloping, forming, as near as possible, a right angle in its articulation with the upper arm. A line from the upper tip of the shoulder to the back of the elbow joint should be perpendicular. The ligaments and muscles holding the shoulder blade to the rib cage must be well developed, firm and securely attached to prevent loose shoulders. The shoulder blade and the upper arm should be the same length. The elbow should be one-half the distance from the withers to the ground. The strong pasterns should slope slightly. The feet should be round and compact with well-arched toes, neither toeing in, toeing out, nor rolling to the inside or outside. The nails should be short, strong and as dark as possible, except that they may be lighter in harlequins. Dewclaws may or may not be removed.
