front feet - Page 2

Gorgeous @ 8w, still very nice.  She is east-west, however.

Sometimes the feet get better when the chest gets wider (pushes out the elbows, pushing in the feet). This is more natural to 10m males than females, who get much wider after that age.

If you are committed to keeping her, you may try training her to a better front.  This would involve chest building workouts, which would involve weight pulling, among other things.

I don't think she will ever have a perfect front, however.

At 8 weeks old her feet look perfectly normal and most breeder could not envisage that those feet would change, that is unless she knew that the problem was in her line. Did you see your puppies parents? How did their feet look?

What kind of diet have you been feeding / exercise what have you been doing / did you give her any supplements / what kind of surface is she on  and at what age did you first notice her east / west feet?

I would say these questions need an answer before we go blaming the breeder.

Good Morning,
Ok I got ahold of the breeder and he is blaming it on my laminated floor.First of all I have 2 other shepherds bought them @9 wks old and now 1 is 22 months old and the other is 16 months old and both perfect feet.
and to answer your questions dogshome
I've always feed my dogs canidea all live stages
the get salmon oil tabs daily.
they have kennels they spend  about  2 hours aday in
and they have own room in house 
walk my dogs every night  about 1 1/2  mile on tar and some gravel.
I live at a lake and when weather permitting they spend time swimming.
And the laminate floors  are only in kitchen  and living room but you
can see have scatter rugs everywhere and they are taped down so not sliding everywheres.
Oh and the breeder did say he has a female from same litter and he sees an other litter mate  and straight feet some  beverly's should be straight .
Thanks
Steve

I

I found these pics of beverly
the first one she was 11 wks old
2nd pic she was 4 1/2 months old.

Breeders are just people.  Some go overboard to take responsibility.  Some only take responsibility when they must.  Some never take it. 

If she sold you a pup at a show quality price, she should either rebate you the difference between her show and pet price (and have you give up breeding rights), or she should offer to take back the dog (although if you give her up at this point, that would be odd).

She is not any more liable than the difference in show and pet price IMO.  No additional lambasting is appropriate unless she swore this puppy could be shown successfully -- which you should not have believed in any case, as one never knows.

I'm not saying that the breeder does or doesn't need to give a new pup or refund.  I just find it funny that working line breeders and buyers know that puppies are a crap-shoot.  If a breeder could always breed the perfect dog that didn't have faults, who would win the show?  No dog is perfect, so where is the line drawn? 

Got ahold of breeder and he says not genetic <laminated floors> And he says she still could be used for breeding.And says she can't be shown.
Steve

This is just my honest opinion.....nothing more.....I don't know who your breeder is, and it's irrelavant to me... I don't bash other breeders.

Anydog can enter a "show ring"  in hopes of receiving a show rating.  However; in "my" opinion, that does not make them "show quality"...
I have seen dogs with the same problem with their fronts, enter the show rings.......most judges will place them accordingly in the class, as their fault is apparent.
Having just said that........let me express my personal opinion.  SHOW QUALITY, means structurally sound to me.
If the dog, coming from "conformation bloodlines" , has apparent "structural faults" that would prohibit  it from being " show quality"......why is it then permissable to be "breed quality"???
I do not believe that the "turning" of front leg bones are from any floor surfaces......I believe that  it is totally a "genetic structure fault".... BUT, I have seen different "surfaces" cause some  "pastern" problems.......
As a breeder of "conformation bloodlines".....if the dog isn't "structurally sound" enough for me to "show".....why would I think it's permissable to "breed" from it?

Again......this topic is in regards to a "structural" fault.......not temperment, working ability...etc...etc......and my opinion & comment  is purely based on that.

Robin

I'm not sure it's correctable at this age, but I tend to think that there is a large element of environment in that amount of turning in the front legs. I've seen in most often in lanky puppies who don't have much muscle development--try getting her more regular exercise (not just chasing a ball) and see if she improves.

She was certainly straight at 8 weeks. Breeders are not fortune-tellers--they have to go off what they see and what they know of their bloodlines and breed.

I'd read your contract carefully and see what the guarantee specifically covers.