# Weak rear leg muscules



## napstah (Aug 20, 2016)

My vet told me today that he have weak rear muscules so i wanted to ask what should i do, swimming is not an option. My vet told me that i should let him pull on a hard surfaces ( sorry for my bad english ) 
Thanks


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## Mary Beth (Apr 17, 2010)

This article has some suggestions:
https://www.cuteness.com/blog/content/dog-exercises-for-hind-legs


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## zetti (May 11, 2014)

I think I would see another vet. There is a reason the dog has weak rear leg muscles. What tests did the vet do? Did he give you a reason for the weakness?


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## napstah (Aug 20, 2016)

Well no tests at all he just said that by touching. he said his hips and joints are fine and that he have weak muscles. The reason he said is that he grew too fast


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## MineAreWorkingline (May 2, 2015)

How old is your dog?


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## napstah (Aug 20, 2016)

MineAreWorkingline said:


> How old is your dog?


He is 4 months old


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

can you post a picture?

that would show overall muscle type and body build .

a picture would show the angulation . The dog may be extreme ,
cow hocked , loose ligament, sickle hocked .

pulling weights on unforgiving hard surface might create damage .
you need to know how to distribute the load with a proper harness .

how old is the dog?


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

There is a picture posted Carmen - it just needed moderator approval since the poster is new.


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## k9trainersj (Jul 15, 2016)

Dog looks great to me. Maybe the vet isn't as familiar with the breed? How's the dogs gate? Walk abnormally to you? Before I did anything I would get a second opinion.


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## Moriah (May 20, 2014)

Handsome boy


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## Julian G (Apr 4, 2016)

I had this problem before, what helped was frequent walks. Short, but frequent walks.


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## napstah (Aug 20, 2016)

k9trainersj said:


> Dog looks great to me. Maybe the vet isn't as familiar with the breed? How's the dogs gate? Walk abnormally to you? Before I did anything I would get a second opinion.


I keep the dog inside on a hardwood floor if that's what you asking by dogs gate  , He kinda walks funny when we do really slow walks and he walks like he should when we do normal speed walks


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## napstah (Aug 20, 2016)

carmspack said:


> can you post a picture?
> 
> that would show overall muscle type and body build .
> 
> ...


I posted a picture of his body, He does seem cow hocked to me. Here's another one of his rear legs


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

I don't see much wrong with the legs.

power of transmission comes from the back .

the dog's croup is where I would be looking to help give that strength.

on a flat surface 100% of the time the same set of muscles are used in an unchallenged way

if you were to take your dog out to the fields which are not level, having ruts , where the dog has to
change the stride , or to the beach or area with soft sand , the dog has to dig in to move forward, those
muscles will be called in to use . Variation . Non of this is jarring .

the muscles over the back will improve , you will have tone.


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## Dunkirk (May 7, 2015)

Walking and stair climbing build muscles, but as he's a baby, be careful not to overdo it.


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

walking isn't enough . This dog needs to use a different set of muscles which would be accomplished by walking on uneven ground . 

A dogs center of balance (gravity) is closer to the front - behind the shoulders . The rear needs to be challenged not pulled along by the fore quarters. When the rear has nothing to do those muscles will atrophy. 
You want to get started sooner rather than later because , since it is natural for a dog to use its front more , with AGE
the weaker (atrophied) rear muscles can lead to problems and risk of injury.

Repetitive sits and stand, sits and stands build rear end muscle. 
(covered in book Structure in Action - the making of a durable dog 

Where is our super agility guy ? I am sure he has some exercises up his sleeve to prepare his dog .

I kept my 13 year old fit and co-ordinated by taking him to the back of the property where he had to step over fallen logs, negotiate a rocky area , cross a stream , and go through "pot holes" in the soil. Each side of his body was at a different level which activated the muscles . There is a constant shifting of this centre of gravity from front to rear depending on the elevation. 
On a flat surface this would not happen.
If you can't find some natural area you make a course to run your dog through. Get some patio slabs and have alternating 3 or 4 inch (one or two slabs) variance in height . You can do this in a longer kennel run .

stair climbing puts stress on other joints so not recommended for the desired goal.


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## napstah (Aug 20, 2016)

Well i am walking him on uneven grounds, we go for a walk uphill and i let him run on a soil field.
Thanks for all the replays guys it means a lot to me


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