Weak hind legs - Page 1

Hey guys! Hope you could share some tips on how to strengthen the weak hind legs of a gsd. Some say you have to train them by letting them pull hard, others say you shouldn't do that just let them play and run on their own. Some say you only have until a year to correct it otherwise it becomes a lifetime ordeal, some say even at 2 yrs the hind legs could still be strenthened. Could you help me out here? Appreciate your tips :)

 You have to provide more information about this before anyone can make suggestions. For example, who says your dog has weak legs? And why? What signs does the dog show of weakness in the hind legs? How old is the dog? Have you taken it to a vet? What are the bloodlines? Photos? 

Aye! Whether it be dog or horse, t' aft end be where t' engine is, and where t' power generates. T' fore legs just keep up with t' power generated from t' aft. Leverage and mobility all come from t' aft end. Our GSD's be all aft wheel drives. A good 8 week routine o' hill work, startin' easy and buildin' up a little every few days, will brin' about quite dramatic improvement in dogs with weak aft ends. Before startin' an exercise program, make certain t' dog's aft end be just weak, and not injured or with a medical condition. Aye

sandy hills

best is water swimming. Start off slowly.

If problem persists, may want to have vet look into health conditions.

Such as ligament defects or hip disorders.

i think a combination of  what the guys said above but try trotting him rather than walking, we have just taken one of our pups back who was badly treated and had lost almost all the power in his hind quaters through being crated to much.

as with anything to do with building a dog up start slowly,find a good steep hill and trot him up it then walk him down real slow.

swimming is gr8 for this sort o thing as matthew said.

this sort of routine is for a healthy  gsd if he aint 100% it could do more harm than gud!!!

post some more info on him we might be able to help a bit more

all the best tracie

Thanks guys for the suggestions. For added info, my male gsd is around 12 months and is very healthy. He has a nice head and a wide body. He has the best conformation from among the litter. His littermates have consistently won in the landesgruppen and sieger shows here in the Philippines. His hind legs are wobbly when he walks which lead me to conclude that he has weak hocks. Good thing though is that I'm sure he is not in pain. Much as I want to have him checked, unfortunately there is still no available hip examinations/xrays done by vets here in our country.  He has so much potential and if only i know how to improve/strengthen his hind legs, I'm sure he can do better than his siblings. Someone told me that I should stop feeding him puppy dog food and use adult formula that has lesser protein content. I am afraid that if I let him pull when trotting or walking/running uphill that might considerably weaken his legs. Help again pls. Btw, he is a grandson of Hannibal Stieglerhof and Dux della Valcuvia

at 12 months of age he should be on an adult food.

without an xray you cant rule out hip problems just beacause his littermates are sound dosent mean he is. perhaps talk to your vet and get some xrays done (im shure that they can) and submit the xrays on this forum

even without xrays i can tell you that building up muscle is crutial even in dogs with hip problems , 

pulling will only build muscle but you must start off slowly 

if you are still worried then swim him even in dogs with servere hip dysplasia this is the best form of exercise. 

Your bases have been covered here. Swimming, sand, hills, adult food- all very sound advice.