# Pup's back legs too long/out of proportion? He "walks stiff" but runs fine.



## counter (Feb 20, 2009)

When I first met Beowulf to inspect him before bringing him home, I noticed that he walked a bit "off" compared to our other dogs. The people who had rescued him and had him up on Craigslist had 4 other little dogs, so I asked if I could see Beowulf run around and play with them before I made my final decision. I watched him run and wrestle and play for an hour and everything looked normal. It's just when he walks, it doesn't look like he is using the full bend of each leg to move fluidly, and his little butt sways from side to side way more than it probably should. 

He's not uncomfortable walking or running, and when I took him to the vet they inspected his legs and checked for signs of potential HD and found nothing wrong with him at all. In fact, they gave him a 100% clean bill of health, and that was the only way he was going to be able to stay with us permanently. There's no way we can afford surgeries or any long term medical conditions that could've been detected/prevented early on, but when the vet found nothing, well, now we're dedicated lifelong companions to him. The CL people were willing to take him back in case our vet found anything at all.

So, it's been a few months now, and each day I'm thinking "one of these days he'll hopefully just grow into those long back legs and everything will be fine." So far that hasn't happened. What happens if it never happens? Will this lead to major problems? HD? Other than joint supplements and exercise to build strong muscles and keep him lean, what can I do as a preventative? Have you ever had a dog that's out of proportion? Obviously this is the work of a terrible BYB who needs to quit breeding dogs (especially under the title of "wolf hybrids"), but I guess mistakes can happen. I know people usually have one arm or leg or foot or hand longer/larger than the other, so how worried should I be? I know Nara has a small head (I've read how some GSD breeders actually breed for this particularly for showing/conformation [not sure why though. haha]) which technically makes her out of proportion, too.

Please help if you can! Thanks so much in advance. 

O, and I plan on taking some video footage of him walking and running so you can see exactly what I'm talking about. It's very obvious and one of the first things people notice when they meet him. My mother just visited from PA and she could see that he walks "different." Sometimes I think I see something WAY off in his running too (like the way his legs move/land or how his back paws can almost touch his front paws as he runs), but then I watch Paw Paw run and he does the same thing, so I'm not really sure what to think.

Help!!!


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## smyke (Sep 24, 2009)

No real advice here but I read on here that some pups go through awkward stages (growth spurts) but then the rest of the body catches up. 
Hopefully that's all it is. 

I would love to see the little wolf on video.


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## Whiteshepherds (Aug 21, 2010)

With any mixed breed you can get a strange combinations of body proportions...sometimes it's not all that obvious and sometimes very obvious. (body of a basset hound, head of a shepherd )

He looks like he's part shepherd so there's always the chance, but the longer legs aren't necessarily an indication of HD. The swivel hips can be but he's a puppy still, sometimes they just walk weird. 

It could be that the he inherited the front from one breed and the back from another...making him lopsided. (no offense, honest) He's going to have to compensate for the difference and that's what you may be seeing. 

Lots of possibilities - Would love to see video's.


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## counter (Feb 20, 2009)

Whiteshepherds said:


> (no offense, honest)


None taken!

Thanks for the help, so far. I hope he'll be OK. I can't even imagine what I'd do if this led to problems later on. We just can't afford to get this fixed, so hopefully he always be "awkward" but never in pain due to these strange proportions. The best thing would be for him to grow into those long legs, but I'm assuming that they are going to grow with the rest of the body, so he might always have them. People (and I'm sure animals) with certain weaknesses/handicaps usually seem to overcome them by strengthening in other areas and bringing back the balance, so that's my wish for Beowulf if his body doesn't catch up to those legs. I don't think Nara's body ever caught up to her ears. She still has "huge wings" for ears! We make fun of her and grab the loose skin on top of her head and scrunch it together to make her ears flap and pretend like she's going to take off. Haha!


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

A friend has English Mastiffs and the pup is about 5 months old. Her rear end is so much higher than her shoulders, I can't imagine what her spine is going thru. They have her sire too, and he looks normal(well as normal as a mastiff can


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