False Netherland Dwarfs

[CookieK93]

I have been breeding rabbits (homesteading) so mostly new Zealand or new Zealand x Flemish... I have done as much research as I can, but there just isn't a lot of info or pictures online, or maybe i am just blind. I am looking for images of a true ND vs a false ND. My two NDs I want to breed don't quite have the flat faces, but meet all the other standards, or maybe the examples I'm seeing are... I don't even know, to be honest.
Here are images of my local county fair "Best of Show" buck, Nugget. What would you consider him? True dwarf? False dwarf? I may need to get a side profile photo, if so, just let me know!

 

[CookieK93]

Here is a side profile of the does... maybe I am just crazy! For some reason, it doesn't look so squishy to me!

 

[Alaska Satin]

I have been breeding rabbits (homesteading) so mostly new Zealand or new Zealand x Flemish... I have done as much research as I can, but there just isn't a lot of info or pictures online, or maybe i am just blind. I am looking for images of a true ND vs a false ND. My two NDs I want to breed don't quite have the flat faces, but meet all the other standards, or maybe the examples I'm seeing are... I don't even know, to be honest.
Here are images of my local county fair "Best of Show" buck, Nugget. What would you consider him? True dwarf? False dwarf? I may need to get a side profile photo, if so, just let me know!

False dwarfs can be obvious, or they can be only identifiable when you breed them repeatedly and never see a peanut. We had a false dwarf Polish that never got very big and won G.CH. legs one after another - but out of 5 or 6 litters of 5-8 kits each, she never had a peanut, only true dwarfs and false dwarf kits from true dwarf bucks.

On the other hand, you can have true dwarf rabbits that are big and rangy. We had several true dwarf Mini Rex does that had longer ears and went over weight by the time they were older juniors. But they always had peanuts in their litters, so we knew they were not actually false dwarfs, just too big.

So, just looking isn't the litmus test.

I do think Nugget has fairly long ears and face for a ND; he's not posed, but my impression is that he's a bit longer in the body as well, all of which suggest false dwarf. Your siamese sable doe has a head and ears that are a lot more like what you're hoping for in a ND. The good news is that if the buck is a false dwarf and the does are true dwarfs, you won't have to deal with any peanuts (which I always found very sad).

If you don't have one, I'd recommend you get a copy of the ARBA Standard of Perfection, the go to an ARBA sanctioned show and listen to the judges' comments when they're assessing the NDs. That will help you refine your eye and judgment.