# 7 month Male, Backend check with pictures/video



## mbshaw88 (Mar 1, 2016)

Hello!

Our male Ryder is almost 8 months now (80lb) and doing great! Since this is our first Shepherd we don't have a great understanding of whether some of his weird movements/stances are growing pains/awkwardness of a normal puppy or what is an actual concern.

We noticed his back legs will sometimes be very close together when standing, and almost pointed outwards. Did some searching on this forum and found the term 'cow hocked'. He will also sometimes stop with his back legs almost inline with each other, which makes him seem very unbalanced. He has one litter mate that is more cow hocked than he is, but the breeder thinks/hopes it's something that will get better as they grow.

Anyways we just wanted to get some more thoughts from people after seeing the below video and attached photos. Thanks again!

Matt 

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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

for your peace of mind have a preliminary x ray done and pay attention to the dog's left rear .

in the walk he is stiff on the left. 

I wouldn't be doing any more fetch games . Abrupt bursts and changes in direction are not going to help him.

Walk instead -- you and the dog . Regulated speed and moderate distance.


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## Slamdunc (Dec 6, 2007)

Yup, I agree to stop the fetch games and take him for walks. I would also get him checked out by a vet. I see a hitch in his stride and it looks to me to be his right rear. Either way, I would get him x rayed and checked out. I would also check his spine. If you take his right rear leg while he is standing and flip his paw over so it is on his "knuckles" what happens? Just grab the rear leg above the foot and flip his paw over so it rests on the "knuckles" and let go. See how long it takes to right itself? Do this for both rear legs, one at a time. Normally a dog will flip it over and right it's paw immediately. 

I would also trim him down a little, 80 lbs is too heavy IMO at this age for him. Bigger is not better, heavier is not better. Knowledgeable people do not judge a dog or quality based on how big or how much a dog weighs. If he were my dog I'd take 5 lbs at least off of him, probably 10. His weight is not going to help his hind end issues. You should be able to easily see the last two ribs and easily feel each rib when you run your fingers down his side. 

He is a beautiful dog. Best of luck with him.


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## mbshaw88 (Mar 1, 2016)

Thank you for the replies. We really don't play many fetch games, especially during the winter. We did it in the video mainly to show how he moves at different speeds. 

I did the flipped over paw and I couldn't put his foot down without him flipping them back over immediately, so I think that's good?
He's still on Taste of the Wild puppy and seems like a natural weight for his body size. I can feel his ribs, but here's an overhead shot also.

We plan on calling the vet and inquiring about an X-ray.


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