Winner of the DWAA Maxwell Award for 2011, Best General Interest or Reference book.

Animal League America Award.

Many people probably think that all the fuss that breeders and fanciers make over their purebred dogs—how they look, how they move—is unnecessary. Why do the teeth need to be just so? Why does a judge do such a thorough hands-on evaluation of twenty dogs that to most of us look so much alike? The answer lies in the fact that purebred dogs are bred for a specific purpose and that the structure of the dog impacts its ability to do what it has been bred for be it retrieving game, guarding livestock, tracking lost people, or pulling sleds full of supplies to a snowed-in village. In her latest book, renowned judge and evaluator of dogs Pat Hastings explores the dog from head to tail and examines in great detail how a dog’s structure can enhance or inhibit its ability to perform. While many books explain how dogs are supposed to look, Structure in Action takes the next step to explain why it so important given the purpose the dog is designed to serve. This well illustrated book will become an instant classic.

Here are just a few of the many examples of how structure impacts action
• Learn how to analyze what you see when observing dogs to prevent problems or improve behavior.
• Why a round bulging eye, a desired look in many lap dogs, is susceptible to injury.
• Dogs whose backs have an extreme downward slope are very prone to breakdowns of the front quarters impacting their ability to run and jump.
• A dog whose rear legs are too short and are set directly below the rear assembly will lack normal propulsive power and are subject to back and spinal injuries.

What dog professionals are saying about Pat Hasting’s Structure in Action:
Pat has done it again with this incredible journey into structure and the pertinence to action. This is a must read for anyone who owns and works with dogs – the dogs’ structure has to be considered when examining the job of the dog. Pat outlines structure clearly and precisely as it pertains to the action of the dog. Dogs will be forever grateful.
Dr. Debbie Gross Saunders, Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner Author, lecturer and teacher

Agility handlers put a lot of time and effort into searching for the “perfect” dog for their next agility prospect. But no dog is perfect; like people, all dogs have structural imperfections and evaluate them in relation to what we are asking the dog to do in our sport…. Unitl now, there hasn’t been a reference on structure specifically aimed at owners of dogs chosen for an active lifestyle. Structure in Action fills this hole. It looks at dogs from head to toe in a practical and understandable manner. For what our dogs give us everyday, we owe it to them to read this book.
Monica Percival, Editor, Clean Run magazine, 4-time National Agility Champion

Author Pat Hastings began her career as an owner-handler, moved into breeding, then teamed up with her husband in professional handling. She is currently an AKC Judge of the Herding, Non-Sporting, and Working Groups, Junior Showmanship, and Best in Show. Her seminars and presentations are well received here and abroad. She has articles published in a variety of dog magazines including AKC Gazette, Dog News, and Clean Run. Pat lives in Aloha, Oregon.



What reviewers are saying...

MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW
“In "Structure In Action: The Making Of A Durable Dog", canine judge and evaluator Pat Hastings, with the assistance of veterinarian Wendy E. Wallace and author Erin Ann Rouse, has compiled a profusely illustrated, 162-page compendium of information focused specifically on how a dog's physical structure can enhance or inhibit its performance and explains in cogent detail the importance of the animal's physiological design. Dog owners and breeders will learn how to analyze their observations of dogs for the prevention of problems and the improvement of canine behavior; the susceptibility to injury of 'bulging eyes' in lap dogs; that an extreme downward slope of a dog's back can be prone to breakdowns of the front quarters resulting in eroding an ability to run and jump; and so much more. Thoroughly reader friendly, informed and informative, "Structure In Action" is a core addition to professional, personal, academic, and community library instructional reference collections on canine development and health”. James A. Cox