Stance refers to the direction of the limbs with respect to a horizontal surface. A dog's stance greatly influences its topline, and therefore its general appearance, as well as its sporting ability. The stance provides a good base and the proper distribution of weight on the joints and feet. For correct limb position, the limb's main axis usually must be vertical. Positions other than vertical overload the joints and the sole of the foot (on the side where the departure from vertical occurs). This leads to premature fatigue in the joints, tendons and various ligaments (a particularly severe handicap for working dogs). Stance is thus of more than purely theoretical and aesthetic interest. STANCES IN DOGS - SIDE VIEW 1 - Normal Stance 2 - Back at Knee 3 - Down in Pastern 4 - Knuckled Over 5 - Receding Wrist 6 - Long in Pastern 7 - Upright Pastern 8 - Camped Forward 9 - Camped Out 10 - Hyperextended Hock 11 - Stands Under STANCES IN DOGS - FRONT VIEW 1 - Normal stance 2 - Turned-out feet 3 - Turned-in feet 4 - Base narrow 5 - Base wide 6 - Spread knees, pigeon toes 7 - East-West front 8 - Pigeon-toed 9 - East-West feet
STANCES IN DOGS - REAR VIEW 1 - Normal Stance 2 - Base Narrow 3 - Base Wide 4 - Turned-out Feet 5 - Pigeon-toed 6 - Cow-hocked 7 - Barrel-hocked, Spread HocksWhen a dog is camped, the dorso-lumbar topline sags and the back slants. If the forelimbs also sag, the dog is said to be saddle-backed. In a collected dog, the loins dip and the back curves upwards. Turned-out feet are frequently seen on the hind legs, which is a natural tendency. Pigeon toes are more of a problem, however.
Stance: Forequarters
- Side view: A vertical line through the center of the arm passes through the center of the foot and forms a tangent with the wrist (the anterior side of the carpus). If the vertical line is in front of the center of the foot, the dog is back at the knee; if it is to the rear of the center, the dog is camped. If the wrist is in front of the line, it is said to be knuckled over and the dog has a fetlock deformity; if it is behind the line, the wrist is receding. If the vertical line falls distant from the footpads, the dog is long in the pastern, and if it nearly touches them, the dog has an upright pastern.- Front view: A vertical line dropped from the point of the shoulder should evenly divide the forearm, wrist, cannon bone, and foot. The two limbs should lie within parallel planes.- Pigeon-toed: The wrists and elbows are turned outwards; the cannon bones and feet are turned inwards.- Turned-out (east-west) feet: The elbows are too close to the body, the cannon bones and feet are outside the vertical. Pigeon toes and turned-out feet can begin at any point on the leg.- Base narrow or base wide in front: The front limbs are slanted and their extremities converge or diverge. This is not to be confused with a narrow or wide front, where the legs are parallel. If only the wrists are inside the vertical, the dog is knock-kneed. If the wrists are curved in but lie outside the vertical, the dog is said to be bandy-legged. A stance called the Chippendale front or fiddle front also exists, where the legs curve outward.
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