"Widerrist" is the word of the day. For those of you who do not speak German, this word means "Withers" in English. Does that help?
I didn't think so. It didn't help me much either.
Turns out that:
"Der Widerrist [engl. withers (Pl.!)] ist der erhöhte Übergang vom Hals zum Rücken bei Vierbeinern"
("The withers is the elevated transition from the neck to the back in quadrupeds.")
- source: Net-Lexicon
This is a piece of anatomy that is used for measurement in dogs and horses. When the head of the animal is lowered, this is the highest point on the body, so it is used as a standard of reference.
A graphical representation showing the withers can be found on this very useful page: http://www.dogopoly.com/dog/freestuff.htm
I do occasional work for a translation agency in Germany which specializes in rapid turnarounds. This means that I am usually sent small jobs that need to be done quickly, but whose subject matter is something of a free-for-all at times. In short, I never know what I'm gonna get.
This most recent certificate of breed classification was probably the most obscure piece of translation I've done yet to date. I learned all kinds of new and interesting words, though, and it was fascinating to work on something so different than my usual material.