Standard #13

Raising the
Standard

Structure, Type & Functional Conformation

Structure Protects the Dog You Live With

Written by Ashley Young, LakeHaus Kennels — Breeder, trainer, and advocate for purposeful, ethical German Shorthaired Pointer breeding.

Structure isn’t about aesthetics.
It’s about protecting the dog you live with.

Correct structure allows a dog to move efficiently, absorb impact properly, and perform the job it was bred to do without unnecessary strain on its body. When a dog is built well, their joints, muscles, and skeletal system work together the way they’re supposed to — which directly affects soundness, durability, and long-term health.

Key themes in this standard include:

Why structure directly impacts health and longevity
How poor structure affects movement and durability over time
The functional purpose behind breed standards
Why structure matters far beyond the show ring

Structure Determines How the Body Holds Up

Poor structure doesn’t just change how a dog looks. It changes how forces travel through the body. Over time, that added stress shows up as chronic soreness, repetitive injuries, compensatory movement, or dogs being sidelined far earlier than they should be. A dog may still do the work — but often at the cost of their own longevity.

This matters whether a dog is hunting, competing, training daily, or simply living an active life. Structure supports function. It helps protect against injury, supports endurance, and allows a dog to do their job consistently and comfortably over time — not just for a season, but for years.

Breed Standards Are Built on Function

What many people don’t realize is that “correct structure” isn’t arbitrary. Breed standards are written and maintained by parent clubs — organizations made up of breeders, judges, and historians who are deeply invested in preserving each breed’s purpose. These standards represent a consensus, refined over generations, of what an ideal specimen should look like in order to function as intended.

That matters.

Those standards weren’t created to chase trends or aesthetics. They were shaped by decades of observing what works, what lasts, and what allows dogs to do their jobs well without breaking down.

I often hear people say, “I don’t need a dog from a breeder who shows.”

That’s a bit like saying, “I don’t need a house built by someone who follows building code.”

Structure is the foundation. You may not notice it every day, but when it’s wrong, everything above it is affected.

This doesn’t mean every dog needs to be perfect, or that structure exists only for the show ring. It means breeders should understand it, evaluate it, and prioritize it — because it directly impacts the dog’s ability to live, work, and age well.