Rabbit Conformation Faults - Shoulders

Shoulder faults are common in many breeds and one of the easiest to spot because poor shoulders really detract from the whole appearance of the rabbit.  It is also a difficult fault to hide or mask - scrunching up a rabbit to hide poor shoulders will make his hindquarters appear severely undercut - another fault!

Make sure your rabbit is posed properly before you evaluate his or her shoulders- we have pages on How to Pose Holland Lops and How to Pose Polish Rabbits.

NOTE:  Some breeds are supposed to have an almost flat or long shoulder appearance - particularly those breeds with a mandolin-type body.  If you own a breed other than French Lops, Holland Lops or Polish, be sure to check your Standard of Perfection for correct shoulder conformation.

Common Shoulder Faults That Do Not Change As The Rabbit Ages

These shoulder faults usually do not change as the animal grows or develops - if a rabbit has long or low shoulders as a youngster, he or she will have that fault for life.

Low shoulders mean they are just plain low and don't rise up to meet the back.  Often this fault appears as a 'flat spot' immediately behind the neck.

Long shoulders are just that...you can visibly see too much length along the top of the rabbit's shoulder area  (this is usually coupled with the low shoulder fault). 

When you hear a judge say your rabbit has a 'late start' this is usually because his shoulders are too long, two low (or both), creating a long gap before the back begins to rise as shown in the first two rabbits (broken rabbits) below.

The lower broken rabbit has low and long shoulders and a late start - with so many shoulder faults he is destined to become a pet bunny.

The upper broken rabbit has long shoulders and a late start, but not as bad as the lower broken rabbit.  She was used for breeding with bucks that have good shoulders, to eliminate her minor shoulder fault.

The third rabbit (solid) has good shoulders which start right at the base of his neck and rise immediately to his rounded back-you can't really tell where his shoulders start or end - they blend in without distinction.

Shoulder Width Faults

When you look from the top of the rabbit, the shoulders in most breeds should be slightly narrower than the hips or hind end. 

Many young rabbits appear to be too narrow in the shoulders - but more often than not, as the animal ages, his or her shoulder area widens out and is no longer faulted.  Of course, there are some rabbits that never attain the proper width in their shoulder areas, even as adults, and these rabbits will be faulted on the show table.

The first rabbit below has nice wide shoulders which expand gently to his wider hindquarters.  The second French Lop has very narrow shoulders- and you and see there is quite an angle from his shoulders to his hindquarters.  Both these young rabbits are the same age.

Finished reading?  Look to the left for links to more pages in our Showing Rabbits web segment!