# Crazy sitting Positions... Hip problem??



## rustilldown (Mar 9, 2011)

Our puppy (15 weeks) sits in the craziest positions. Her legs seem to be all over the place. I say she sits like a normal dog maybe 10% of the time. The rest either it like a side sit with one leg underneath and the hips almost with a slight swivel to them. Otherwise either one leg or both are bowed out. I don't mind her sitting like this, but it worries me that it could be a very early hip problem. I don't know much about that so I wondered if anyone had input... Thanks guys!!


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## Mrs.K (Jul 14, 2009)

You mean like that?










It doesn't have to do with the hips. It's what a lot of puppies do, especially that young


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## rustilldown (Mar 9, 2011)

HAHA! Just like that, it is such a silly look, it makes the dog look so happy to me! Thank you for your response and picture.

She also sits with her legs pushed out so you can see her inner leg, probebly like 70 degrees. Again, I don't mind her sitting like that, it looks playful, just wanted to make sure she is ok!


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## Zman (Apr 7, 2011)

Z has been sitting funny over the past 8 months or so. In that same time i've noticed he walks and limps a lot, specifically his right rear leg. I'm trying to learn more about this as the vet says its hip related. Z is @5 yrs old now.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

If you think there may be an issue with the hips, get prelims done by a qualified ortho that can read the films. It will only help your pup in case there is questionable results. You can start supplementing/managing the problem earlier and help development vs hindering it by not knowing.
Zman, I wouldn't hesitate to get Z's hips x-ray'd. Are you giving him any supplements? They do help tremendously(and keeping weight down is key)


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## vat (Jul 23, 2010)

I used to say my gal never sat like a lady, lol! It is just how some are, I found it more in the girls than boys, don't know if that is the case for everyone.


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## GSDGunner (Feb 22, 2011)

Gunner in his puppy sit at 16 weeks. He outgrew it.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Puppy sit=sloppy sit! At 5 yrs a sloppy site means something isn't right, either with the spine alignment or hips.


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## Zman (Apr 7, 2011)

onyx'girl said:


> Zman, I wouldn't hesitate to get Z's hips x-ray'd. Are you giving him any supplements? They do help tremendously(and keeping weight down is key)


Z has been getting Gluco for a few months now via some Glyco Flex liver treats and J/D canned food. The vet suggested adequin(sp) as well so we tried it and I thought it was making worst but it was during the winter so I might have been mistaken. 

Anyone else use adequin(sp)?

Z stays right around 85-87lbs with a pretty good build.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

You can also give vitamin C(EsterC) and salmon oil/vitamin E as anti-inflammatori's. Springtime makes a great supplement that many swear by, and this month they have a buy2 get2 special, worth taking advantage of. Springtime Inc. - All Natural Supplements for Horses, Dogs, and People, Springtime Inc. Supplements, Springtime Inc. for Horses, Springtime Inc. for Dogs, Springtime Inc. for People, Chondroitin sulfate, Glucosamine HCL, MSM, Boswellia, Vitamin C, Bi


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## FG167 (Sep 22, 2010)

My lab sits like that to this day. I was very concerned about his hips as he was my SAR dog, he's 4 now - OFA excellent.


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

Shasta used to sit like that ALL the time. Its only been the last month that she's started doing a perfect clean sit. She's 11 months old. She does sometimes still sit sloppy puppy like but not as often anymore. and she's a flopper. She lays down somewhere, she just flops down (insert cloud of dust around her) lol.


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## rustilldown (Mar 9, 2011)

Thanks fo all the respones, now when I see her sit it is all smiles for how goofy she is and no worries!


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## Whitedog404 (Mar 25, 2010)

Is there a way to train them to sit straight? Dexter has the sloppiest puppy sit, and with one floppy ear, he just looks like a sack of potatoes. Sure, it's cute, sort of, but he's almost 14 months old now and I figure he should sit straighter. No sign of any hip or leg discomfort.


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## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

vat said:


> I used to say my gal never sat like a lady, lol! It is just how some are, I found it more in the girls than boys, don't know if that is the case for everyone.


Really?! I've found it more in my boys! My Logan still had a sloppy sit much of the time until he passed away at 3.5. My current GSD foster Chaos has that sloppy sit, and I was just remarking to my roommate that I notice it more in the boys! But then maybe its because my GSD boys have always been on the younger side. But neither Tessa or Emma ever had a sloppy sit.

To train them to sit straight... As long as they have a solid understanding of the sit command, you can start only reinforcing when they are sitting straight. If they aren't, then ask for a stand and go back into the sit. When they sit correctly make a big deal with a really big reward for it. Eventually they will get the hang of it, that sit on command means sit correctly. Sort of like lazy downs where the dog rolls over on the one hip.


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## Cschmidt88 (Nov 24, 2010)

What everyone else said. 

Dakota's sit as a puppy:









As he matured:


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## krystyne73 (Oct 13, 2010)

My Meika does it and she is 6yrs old. My vet said to not let her sit like that plus my trainer has been telling me to correct her when she does
It. Now after weeks of straightening her up when I catch her lazy sit I only have to say no Meika and she will sit straight or walk away lol


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## krystyne73 (Oct 13, 2010)

Here are some of Meika's bad sit. She has an injury on her hip, which is what I originally thought was the problem, but then I was told she is just getting the lazy sit...no hip problems yet.


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## kiya (May 3, 2010)

Whitedog404 said:


> Is there a way to train them to sit straight?


In class my trainer has us correct the "sloppy sit", if I remember correctly using the treat as a lure to get the correct position and telling them to sit up or what ever you want to say. If you are doing a "sit-stay" and the dog is in a sloppy sit chances are he/she will break the stay.


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## rustilldown (Mar 9, 2011)

Got a pic of her "goofy" sit


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## GSDGunner (Feb 22, 2011)

Yep, totally normal. And CUTE!!!!


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## FreqZ (Sep 2, 2010)

I am a little worried about my girl too. Seems alot of ppl are telling me she's just has the puppy sit, and every now and then someone will tell me there's a problem. The vet does not seem to worried, as I ask every time we go. She just turned a year today, and I plan on having her hips and joint's x-ray'ed. Here's a picture I had taken yesterday.










She does not seem to have any issue's running, walking, or downing, and her sit is about 50/50 to clean or just a "Lazy teen boy" sit.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

Bianca does a goofy sit about half of the time or more, but her hips are OFA Good so :shrug:

The only time I ask he to "straighten up" is if I am putting her in a sit-stay (because she's more likely to flop into a down when she's sitting lazy) or if I'm going to ask her to 'sit up' because she can't sit up if her feet are not properly underneath her.

Some of the goofy sitting positions:


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## FreqZ (Sep 2, 2010)

At times I thought it might be because of the hardwood floor's I have. When she was little and went to sit, she would always slide backwards till she ended up against something.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

A weird sit *can* be a symptom of a problem, but IMO just that alone is not indicative of anything. The first place to start would be to get an x-ray (which is a good idea to do anyway with this breed). Also if there is a problem it's not automatically hip dysplasia. My 2.5 year old dog sits slowly, but straight. His hips are OFA Good but he has a problem with having extra vertebra that connect to his pelvis incorrectly. So he does have a problem, but he sits straight. My 10 month old puppy still sits sloppily but his hips and other anatomy are correct.

What I would be far more concerned about is a dog's reluctance to sit, not necessarily if they shift onto one side. My dog with the problem, sometimes he will show reluctance to sit. He'll start going down and then pop back up, pace around, and try again.


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## stealthq (May 1, 2011)

Whitedog404 said:


> Is there a way to train them to sit straight? Dexter has the sloppiest puppy sit, and with one floppy ear, he just looks like a sack of potatoes. Sure, it's cute, sort of, but he's almost 14 months old now and I figure he should sit straighter. No sign of any hip or leg discomfort.


I've got Winifred Strickland's book on obedience, and she suggests teaching the dog 'sit-up' (what I always thought of as 'beg'), where the dog's sitting just on their haunches and their front paws are in the air. I've not tried it myself, but it seems to make sense. No dog's going to be able to 'sit-up' if they're sitting off-kilter to start.


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## hunterisgreat (Jan 30, 2011)

I've been told over and over again that you can only see the most severe HD


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