# Hips/legs/back movement



## Henricus (Jan 9, 2016)

I'm not sure if this is the the right place to post this question. The "show those hips" section is only for hips, not legs and back also, right? 

Without further ado, here's the "issue". Many people I encounter while walking my pup off leash make remarks about his rear legs; because when he plays, he has almost no control over then, which I imagine is quite normal for his age. They're also turned in a bit.
After those remarks, I started paying closer attention. I have no idea if I need to go to my vet to let this check, or that this is regarded as completely normal. 

Hope someone can give a look at this.

He is 5months at the moment, about 22 inches high and 46 lbs. He is a purebred show line, as is evident by his back.

This is him walking, filmed 30min ago (first part he was pulling with a lot of force):
https://youtu.be/nkvjbHtlDh8

This is him running and walking, was filmed almost two weeks ago. He just recovered from diarrhea, so he had lost some pounds. 
https://youtu.be/N16AG8DhoM4

He sometimes sits straight and other times he sits on the side of his hips. If he's getting something to eat, then he's upright, but if he has to wait for me to clean his paws, then he looks like a fifteen year old teenager at school (photos below to show both examples).

He has never shown distress or anything regarding his hips/legs.


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

He's a growing pup. They grow in fits and starts and not always evenly. Don't worry too much about stranger's comments. Do watch for lameness and if in doubt, go visit the vet for a quick check.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

I don't see anything to cause concern - his angulation and movement is pretty typical for show line pups of his age. Crooked sit is normal too - I call it the Lazy Puppy Sit - some dogs never outgrow it, and still sit sideways like that even as adults. Not an indication of any problems.

Many show line pups also seem to be very loose-jointed, for lack of a better description - all their movements seem a bit wobbly like your pup's - again, something that will tighten up as he matures. 

He is quite a bit cow-hocked however - but again most puppies outgrow this to some extent. 

We all get comments from strangers about GSD's hips, everyone is an expert it seems! Doesn't matter where we live, what line our GSD is, how old they are, how healthy they are, we all get the benefit of 'expert' advice from random strangers when out and about. Just thank them for their concern, and carry on.


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## HappyGoLucky (Apr 7, 2016)

What Castlemaid said...

Mine at 5 months (actually starting from 4 moths when I brought him home) and up until I think around 7-8 months he was wobbly like that. Only at 4 months he was so much worse - he was twisting his back paws as he was lifting the foot that it was scratching the outer parts of the pads. I couldn't figure out at first why I'm seeing tiny spots of blood on the floor every time we walk inside from the walk. 
We were also getting remarks from strangers that something isn't right.
Being first time dog owner, let alone a GSD, I was very concerned. We talked to the vet, the breeder many times, our obedience trainer, and everyone was saying just give it time, he looks good.
Right now he walks straight. I didn't make him run (only in the dog park when we used to go to let some steam out) and in the daycare I'm sure he runs a lot. Other than that I just walk him for hours. On average we walk 10-12 km during weekdays and 15-20 km on weekends - I actually am getting compliments on how good he looks. His lines show, he doesn't look unhealthy skinny anymore and his paws/legs/hips are just wonderful.
The only thing I would recommend is to talk to the vet (hopefully a good one). Mine just did some stretches to his back legs to see his reactions. It sounds like if there was some discomfort or pain, he would react somehow abnormal. Nope, his reactions were fine and she said there are no reasons to be concerned.

Good luck with the pup! Very good looking


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## Henricus (Jan 9, 2016)

@car2net
Thanks, I will do that!
@Castlemaid
That took away my worries, thank you. I sometimes have to laugh really hard when he does what you the Lazy Puppy sit, while also staring with a sad face at nothing.. 
I also hope he outgrows his cow-hocked legs and straighten it a bit. 

Yesterday evening I discovered he has an overbite? and his canine perforates his palate a little bit. One more thing on the list for me to worry about 

I will do that! It's funny to think how every (probably not every, but certainly all I have encountered) dog owner thinks of himself as an expert on all breeds. 
@HappyGoLucky
That resonates a bit with what someone told me today about his shepherd. He said it started to get bugger muscles from 8 months on. 

That's quite long, from what age did you start walking with him such distances? And do you walk on pavement, or only on grass/sand? 

I will watch him closely, if I see he is experiencing a slight discomfort I'll immediately contact my vet. But at this moment he runs like crazy with other dogs when off leash, quite wobbly and bumping into everything/rolling over, so I'm not that worried. 

Thank you very much!!


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

If everyone were as careful with their pups as you are being, all the dogs would have better lives. 

When Patton was just under a year old, someone watched him walk from behind and said that the way he walked indicated he had hip dysplasia. At two years old we had xrays done and sent to the OFA. His elbows were normal and his hips were good. That being said, just for good general health, we make sure our dogs get plenty of good exercises and even do a bit of body conditioning routines.


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## HappyGoLucky (Apr 7, 2016)

Henricus said:


> @car2net
> Thanks, I will do that!
> @Castlemaid
> That took away my worries, thank you. I sometimes have to laugh really hard when he does what you the Lazy Puppy sit, while also staring with a sad face at nothing..
> ...


I would say with warmer weather, which would be around 8 months. But we started gradually from about 10-15 minutes of walk per session x4 times a day and now we can walk easily for 2-2.5 hours straight (when we go to the regular park by the river, not off-leash).
We walk about 70% pavement and 30% grass/dirt. I don't let him walk on people's front lawn, so it's only the strips along the road or small parks/open areas.
Our groomer too complimented on how great he looks comparing to one of the guys' pup who works there, his she said still looks wobbly and almost the same age as mine.
I'm kind of convinced that walking for them is more beneficial than running, just like for humans, because there is less impact on the joints, especially as they are growing.
Here is a short video of my goof that I took this morning as he was looking for that sweet sweet pee spot  (hopefully the video works, first time trying this)


Actually here is the link, hopefully it works

https://onedrive.live.com/redir?res...103&authkey=!APwf_QVB5Ryny0Y&ithint=video,mp4


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## Henricus (Jan 9, 2016)

@car2ner
Thank you, I do my best. Think I inherited the over protectiveness from my mother.. 
I got mine from a reputable breeder and turned down another just because of this, but obviously mine can still get HD. Mine unfortunately jumps off the couch, not that high though, the impact doesn't seem to be that much. But I know it would be better if I hadn't let him on the couch on the first place.. 
@HappyGoLucky
The video worked fine on my mobile and on the computer. Thank you for uploading that.  Beautiful coat!

Ok, so you started those long distances when he was around 8 months? Or did you start 4 times a week 10-15 minutes when he was 8 months? Couldn't see which you meant.  
I walked (walking, stop, walking, stop) about 1-1.5 hour yesterday with my pup, mostly on grass/dirt. He did fine. Was tired when we came home, but still energetic enough to go look for his rawhide bone and chew on it for a while. 
I really enjoy walking, so I can't wait for the moment that I can take him for much longer walks (real walks).


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

Henricus said:


> [MENTION=246593]
> 
> Ok, so you started those long distances when he was around 8 months? Or did you start 4 times a week 10-15 minutes when he was 8 months? Couldn't see which you meant.
> I walked (walking, stop, walking, stop) about 1-1.5 hour yesterday with my pup, mostly on grass/dirt. He did fine. Was tired when we came home, but still energetic enough to go look for his rawhide bone and chew on it for a while.
> I really enjoy walking, so I can't wait for the moment that I can take him for much longer walks (real walks).



I know what you mean about wanting to take those nice long walks. There was a New Year's Day walk in the National Forest near our home and it was about three miles. I brought our two year old and the pup. I expected to have to carry the pup part of the way but since we went at a leisurely pace, the pup not only finished the walk on her own but wanted to play afterwards.

As far as stairs and couches, my dogs started on those when they could go up and down gracefully and confidently. 

I don't know if you facebook but there is a group there that is very helpful when it comes to body condition..in fact, sometimes a bit finatical (not like any of us get that way :wink2: )

https://www.facebook.com/groups/CanineConditioning.BodyAwareness/


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## HappyGoLucky (Apr 7, 2016)

Henricus said:


> @car2ner
> Thank you, I do my best. Think I inherited the over protectiveness from my mother..
> I got mine from a reputable breeder and turned down another just because of this, but obviously mine can still get HD. Mine unfortunately jumps off the couch, not that high though, the impact doesn't seem to be that much. But I know it would be better if I hadn't let him on the couch on the first place..
> @HappyGoLucky
> ...



Thanks for complimenting on the coat! I call him a christmass tree sometimes - he has a white spot on the chest, silver is coming out in the but/rear legs area, rears of the legs are a mix of silver and brown with a defined mostly brown with a bit of silver between his toes. lol! I'll try to catch some good lighting and upload here.

Yeah, long walks we started around 8 months of age. I wanted to condition his pads so he enjoys the walks and not be uncomfortable. 

Ah, no no! 4 times a day, not a week 0 Now our schedule is like this:
- we get up at 5:15 am and walk for about 20 minutes.
- at lunch time we walk for about 45-60 minutes (depending on how fast we walk and we change our routes every day, alternate, so that he doesn't get too bored)
- another 1h-1.5h walk at 4:30pm
- last walk before bed time for about 30-40 min.
- once a week he is at a doggy daycare for the whole day when I have to go into the office, and I have no idea how much he runs there, but they crate them to rest for a few hours throughout the day.

- On weekends we add 2-3 hours of walk in the river park or go deeper into neighboring areas for the same amount of time.

And every day throughout the day we randomly train obedience and some play time (just a few minutes here and there), and train obedience outside during walks - distractions. Slowly making progress

And yes, just like yours, he still wants to play when we get back. He runs straight for his fav ball and runs around inviting me to play. lol. All I can say is "dude, aren't you even a little bit tired?" with a big smile on my face. He throws the ball around for another few minutes and lays down to sleep. He seems to enjoy the routine


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## Henricus (Jan 9, 2016)

@car2ner
Mine doesn't like to go up and rushes to go down, so I still lift him up everyday. Although that has to end in a couple of weeks because of his size. Still have to figure out how I'm going to do that. 

Thank you for that link. I do not have a Facebook profile myself, I did in the past. But I'll ask my sister to use hers to look it up. 
@HappyGoLucky
Did you manage to take the picture?

Haha, my mistake, I meant 4 times a day, very strange typo. 
Thanks for your schedule, really helps. I've always been a night owl, so I'm slowly trying to go earlier to bed, I also plan on waking up around 5:15/30 in the near future. I do have a question if you don't mind; do you feed your pup before taking him out for a walk?
Also, did you encounter any resistance during the walks in the beginning? Mine jumps on me, bites, pulls, stops walking, runs (while on leash), pulls and barks at almost any dog he sees, etc. Can be quite frustrating sometimes. 
I'm starting a new class with him next Monday, hopefully they'll be able to recognize the issue and show me what I'm doing wrong.


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## HappyGoLucky (Apr 7, 2016)

Henricus said:


> @car2ner
> Mine doesn't like to go up and rushes to go down, so I still lift him up everyday. Although that has to end in a couple of weeks because of his size. Still have to figure out how I'm going to do that.
> 
> Thank you for that link. I do not have a Facebook profile myself, I did in the past. But I'll ask my sister to use hers to look it up.
> ...


Yeah, just like you I was never a morning person stay up late and sleep in till midday. But for my precious fur baby I get up even after 4 hours of sleep.
Yes, I feed him always after walks and usually it's anywhere from 30 min to 1h between the walk and the food. I don't think we really need to as it's not running around, just walk, but it's all part of the big plan - when we do start agility training and off-leash play time with him getting the heartbeat up, he will be used to by then to relax before food. Also keep in mind that I'm feeding raw (commercial) and it's much easier on his tummy. For example, on Tuesdays I bring him to the day care, and in the morning he eats about 10 minutes after the walk to give him 1h to settle before the car ride. He handles it well and doesn't throw up. It takes about 20-30min to get to the place.
Here are some pictures


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## Henricus (Jan 9, 2016)

@HappyGoLucky
Again, thanks! Excellent information for me. I feed him immediately after we stand up, that off course means he always eats at different times in the morning, because I don't get up steadily at the same time. But I have to, then walk a bit, then wait and feed him. Much more 'organized', something that has yet to be understood by my primitive brain. 
I don't know much about raw food, yet, but my pups kibble is giving him a soft stool (going to open a thread about that). I'll be looking into raw food the next couple of weeks, just to educate myself. 
Thank you for the photos, really beautiful. That fur is quite majestical!


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## gsdluvr (Jun 26, 2012)

I wish I could post videos of my WGSL male. Then you would see what a terrible rear looks like! He could not do stairs until he was 1 year old. His back legs have "S" shaped tibias, he had bone shavings in his hips at 1.5 years of age, and he is severely roached! Plus, he is very large.

When he walks, he wears the center 2 back toenails down to bleeding because his feet pivot to drastically, so I have to make sure I walk him on grass. He has to use a ramp to get in he car unless he can pull himself up with his front legs. Still yet he loves his ball and will beat feet after it. I was told he would improve by the person who bred him! HA!

Couldn't do OB with him too many sits, too slow. Sweet dog he's only 4.

Got a WL female who is delightful to train and very athletic.:smile2:


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## Henricus (Jan 9, 2016)

gsdluvr said:


> I wish I could post videos of my WGSL male. Then you would see what a terrible rear looks like! He could not do stairs until he was 1 year old. His back legs have "S" shaped tibias, he had bone shavings in his hips at 1.5 years of age, and he is severely roached! Plus, he is very large.
> 
> When he walks, he wears the center 2 back toenails down to bleeding because his feet pivot to drastically, so I have to make sure I walk him on grass. He has to use a ramp to get in he car unless he can pull himself up with his front legs. Still yet he loves his ball and will beat feet after it. I was told he would improve by the person who bred him! HA!
> 
> ...


I'm sure you didn't mean it that way, but that's quite a sad read. Hopefully he's not in much pain because of it. 
I have seen some photographs and videos of cow hocked GSD's and I know my pup is not that bad, I do hope he will improve more. He does fall quite easily when playing with other dogs. But never seems to be too bothered about it, has not walked difficult yet.


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## gsdluvr (Jun 26, 2012)

Oh No! I posted that because I WISH my male looked that good at your pup's age! Believe me, if you saw mine, you would know what problematic looked like.:frown2:

I don't see that you have anything to worry about.:smile2: They can be loosey, goosey, while growing and tighten up as they mature.


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## Louise lo (Sep 26, 2020)

Picked my pup up last night she don't run Round alot but one thing I'm worried about is her hips they way she sits something don't look right I'm hoping it's just me being paranoid tbh she goes vet Monday for Jana health check and mi crochip


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## drparker151 (Apr 10, 2020)

How old is your pup? Remember she just got pulled from mom and her litter mates. She’s probably a little freaked out and it could take a couple of days for her to get used to her new normal and thus for normal puppy behavior. Mine sits like that or to one side or the other. Enjoy the weekend and this time to bond, the vet will let you know.


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## drparker151 (Apr 10, 2020)

Oh and cute girl. Take plenty of pic you’ll be amazed at fast they grow.


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## Louise lo (Sep 26, 2020)

She's 7weeks 5 days old she a character eats when lying down just concerned thay her back legs might not seem right I've spoken to breeder were getting her checked over monday


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## Catrinka (Aug 6, 2020)

She's a cutie. Probably nothing (my 9 week old sits in funny ways sometimes), but it's good to have a vet check her out.


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## Louise lo (Sep 26, 2020)

We've spoken to a vet they think she's got hip problems her back legs when she runs it's like a bunny hop she's struggling peeing properly and when she lies down she peeing on floor we've contacted breeder with alot of harrasment from th so we know that they knew something weren't right hopefully it will get sorted


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