cow hocked puppy - Page 2

My Am-bred GSD was cow hocked as a pup and is still severely cow hocked. Everyone thinks he has HD because of the way he walks, but it's because he's extremely cow hocked. Take a look... http://www.beckerfoto.photosite.com/roman/ Take care, Melanie

thx all for the reply , if u guys got to see melanie's pics at the site she posted , thats some what like my pup , but my pup has a lesser degree of it . melanie ( GSD FAN ) , can i ask wat was ur vet's openion ? and since when did u start noticing that ur dog is cow hocked ? does it affect his activity ? how old is he now ? can anybody provide me with some sites and articles to read about cow hocks . thx all

He is 5 years old now (will be 6 in May). He was my first GSD, I had no clue about the breed and ended up with a AKC American Bred showline. I did not really know enough about structure and conformation when he was a pup to really notice, his gangly stage was REALLY gangly and I thought he'd just grow out of it. He is a loved pet, but he's the reason why I have strong feelings against Am-breds. He's horribly put together all over (low pasterns/rabbit feet/fem. head/undershot jaw etc, etc). One of the things Am-breds are notorious for (other than overangulation) is loose hocks that are too long, thats why IMO he is so cow hocked. I personally have not seen hocks this bad in German showlines, but feel breeders should breed carefully to keep this from getting as bad as the AM-breds. Cow hocks, in Am-breds, from what I've seen are not much frowned upon, last year I saw a dog just as cowhocked as mine win his class at an AKC specialty, I was shocked. Anyway...my vet really didn't have much to say (although vets are definitely not a good source of info for GSD structure), he was neutered, at the time, because he only had one testicle (cryptorchid) and has been just a pet ever since. As for his activity I can't say its soley because of his cowhocking but he's very low drive and runs out of gas quickly. His movement/gait is very poor appearing uncoordinated. When trotting his hocks sometimes hit eachother. When he walks there is alot of lateral movement (twisting) in his hocks. Sorry I can't give any info on how to help, just trying to share my experience, I've since gotten involved with workinglines and not had to deal with it again. Hopefully your pup will grow out of it if its mild. Regards, Melanie

hi there all , this is the site at which u can see pics of my dog i hope u guys get to see it and tell me wat u think especially u GSD FAN , i'd like to know what u think just to remind u hes almost 5 months here , and is still teething . i do feel hes a bit lazy and doesnt run quickly , does it have to do with him being cow hocked ? thx all

sorry forgot to add the site ! here it is http://www.slide.com/mscd?pxcid=fdBgNtPqHNKdytWylwGiMqZYk7pjTcuFihWCv8xEjfx6oMayFUdIEx1UsQqxB7b0¬ifyfans=1&bnc=bnc tell me wat u think

Sorry, I can't pull up any pics with that web address.

i'm sorry GSD fan plz do check this site i made it exclusively for him plz do get back to me . thx http://blacky-gsd.hi5.com

First off, he's a gorgeous pup, beautiful head, nice dark face & excellent pigment! Its hard to tell from the angle of the pics, but the one where he's standing next to the car, he looks pretty normal. When my boy is just standing with his back legs parallel his hocks nearly touch. His look pretty straight there. The one where he's stacked I'd like to see a shot from behind him rather than the side. The one at the top of the stairs looks like he's moving while you took the picutre, that can make it look a little worse than it is. Remember he's also at that awkward gangly period with body parts growing at different rates. Perhaps someone with more experience in raising/showing German Showline pups can give you a better idea of whats normal at his age, like I said I've since had workinglines and I am far from an expert on showline conformation. Do you plan on showing him or are just trying to learn more about structure? Did you see his parents, did you notice if they're cowhocked or not? I'd get a good look at the parents to get a better idea of how he'll turn out. As for excersise, if anything is loose back there my best advice is to find a place to swim him. It's great low impact excersise for a pup, it'll build muscle tighten ligaments without damaging bones and joints. Good luck with him he's beautiful

well thx alot gsd fan no i dont want him as a show dog , i bought him only as a pet . but i see that he doesnt run at full speed and i feel that his gait sometimes isnt much cordinated and he keeps twisting his rear feet out while walking , i just want him to grow as a healthy dog and be a normal active pet and for him to be happy as any other dog . do u think that most of his problem is due to that hes somewhat big and still young ?

If he's just a pet I wouldn't worry at all. My boy has no clue he's cowhocked, lol. It doesn't cause pain or lameness, thats all I worry about. Yes your boy is still young some uncoordination is to be expected. If he is and remains very cowhocked he will not be considered structually sound by definition. Meaning his body will not run efficiently, therefore he'll "run out gas" quicker than normal GSD's, so that is to be expected, but it will not affect him at all in a pet home and it should not affect his "happienss" or overall health provided his hips are healthy. Keep him active mentally and physically (swimming is best for a pup, no excessive amounts of running and no jumping till he physically matures) and in good condition/body weight, he'll be just fine IMO.