# Back legs problem.



## photoweborama (Dec 6, 2007)

My friends gave me Brooke a few months ago when they moved. She was a breeding dog, until 2020. 

The problem is, she won’t use her hind legs. She walks fine, she can bounce when I’m feeding her, but I have to pick her up to get in the car, or anything that requires she use her hind legs to jump.

Is she still recovering from puppies, or psycho somatic, or something physically wrong. 

Maybe there’s some sort of exercise I can work with her?










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## Brave (Oct 26, 2012)

Could be arthritis. Have you had her checked out by the vets? My girl is 3 years old (well almost) and she prefers being lifted into the back seat and she doesn't have arthritis or HD to contend with. Does she jump if she is going at a trot or faster? Is it a certain height she won't jump over? That might narrow does if it's a back thing or a hips thing or a leg thing. 

If you can, I'd recommend having your PCP vet take a look, maybe do x-rays and then also take her to a holistic vet who can do chiropractic adjustments and acupuncture. Bear (who had problems with his knees and had an autoimmune disorder that gave him really bad arthritis) always walked better (more spry) after an adjustment and some acupuncture.


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## Howler (Feb 4, 2021)

photoweborama said:


> The problem is, she won’t use her hind legs. She walks fine, she can bounce when I’m feeding her, but I have to pick her up to get in the car, or anything that requires she use her hind legs to jump.


I am led to believe that is perfectly normal for a well bred show dog because they are trained to behave that way.

My breeder informed me to never let my puppy learn how to jump in/out of a car, or furniture, or stairs, etc. The reason is that Golden Retrievers are prone to permanently injuring their shoulders and elbows. If that injury happens to a show dog then it can be the end of their career, including breeding.

These cared for and pampered show dogs learn to expect to be lifted in/out of a car, or expect to be carried up stairs, etc.

I carry Murphy as instructed, but lack of effort is not in his DNA as I discovered when Murphy scaled baby barriers from his 9th week; in his 10th week he was jumping over furniture, over the barrier and up the stairs... but he does stop suddenly if he passes me on the stairs because he has learned that I will pick him up and carry him, and that is what I suspect has happened with your dog.

She looks like a show dog btw, fantastic coat!


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Howler said:


> I am led to believe that is perfectly normal for a well bred show dog because they are trained to behave that way.


😲 No it's not..... and no, they are not prone to injuring their shoulders and elbows more than other breeds. Only if they have poor elbows, OCD in the shoulders, or structural issues.

An example of a structural issue would be if a dog has very short legs and a deep chest.....

Well bred goldens from show breeders or performance breeders alike, the highest compliment is somebody saying that dog jumps like he has springs on his feet and sails out there. Problem jumpers for both worlds is a dog who is not a confident jumper and who is barely scraping over the top of the jumps or is prone to going around rather than take a jump.

If a dog is balking about jumping or using his/her rear, first thought is either spinal or hip issue. DJD/spondylitis.

I would get the hips looked at as a starter.


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## photoweborama (Dec 6, 2007)

Ok, I’ll take her in.. it could be just burned into her brain. Even after months of her being here, when I let her out, she still won’t come into the house. I could leave the door open for an hour, and she’ll just stand there till I invite her in. 

She’s been well trained not to jump on people, she just won’t do it.

Come to think of it, when I take her to the off road park to brush her out, she jumps on the picnic table just fine... 










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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

You're making the birds happy and the clean up crew angry... I'd guess it is that she was trained NOT to jump into the car or enter the house without permission.


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## Ontariodogsitter (Feb 23, 2020)

Funny or perhaps not  we trained our Great Dane not to go down the steep basement steps, so living in a bungalow he had no experience of steps, accept of not to go down there.
When he was being neutered at 1.5 years, the vet called in panic, there were 4 steps down to the holding kennel and he simply refused to go down them.

Our girl Addy (GR) at 10 month will get in to the truck , as if there are springs in her back legs, with room to spare, she seems to be very athletic, too bad we are on a lock down in Ontario, would love to do Agility with her.


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## photoweborama (Dec 6, 2007)

Prism Goldens said:


> You're making the birds happy and the clean up crew angry... I'd guess it is that she was trained NOT to jump into the car or enter the house without permission.


Birds happy, cleaning crew doesn’t clean way up there anymore. That’s why I carry a leaf blower, I scatter the fur, and then clean the picnic area and the walk ways. It’s just a bit irritating because everyone thinks they have to spin out on clean cement...


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## Howler (Feb 4, 2021)

Megora said:


> 😲 No it's not..... and no, they are not prone to injuring their shoulders and elbows more than other breeds. Only if they have poor elbows, OCD in the shoulders, or structural issues.


The UK's leading vet charity claims are more consistent with the claims of the breeder who sold me my GR:

"_Elbow dysplasia is most common in medium to large breed dogs, including: Labradors, Golden Retrievers ... It’s important to keep them fit, but too much of the wrong exercise can make elbow dysplasia more likely._"









Elbow dysplasia in dogs


Elbow dysplasia is a painful condition of the elbow joint that most commonly affects large breed dogs. It causes swelling, pain and eventually arthritis.




www.pdsa.org.uk





To be clear the breeder highlighted that the risk of issues are reduced by the quality of the breeding stock, but emphasised that there is no guarantee, and that as owners we must dissuade our puppy from landing heavily on his front legs - they explicitly highlighted no jumping in/out of cars; we must always lift him. There is of course the other major risk that jumping in/out of a car without the knowledge of all drivers could result in a car accident.

Any dog will carry its early lessons (or expectations) into adult life, hence the breeder's dogs do not know how to go up stairs or jump in/out of car. Agility is an entirely different context, and no dog should be learning agility until they are at least 12 months old due to the risks of a young puppy injuring themselves, which means every dog would ideally wait to be lifted in/out of a car.



Ontariodogsitter said:


> Funny or perhaps not  we trained our Great Dane not to go down the steep basement steps, so living in a bungalow he had no experience of steps, accept of not to go down there.
> When he was being neutered at 1.5 years, the vet called in panic, there were 4 steps down to the holding kennel and he simply refused to go down them.


Exactly, and I suspect this Great Danes does not know how to jump in/out of his car:


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## photoweborama (Dec 6, 2007)

She’s conning me. This weekend at a motel, she jumped all over the beds... the rear legs work! I just have to work with her.

She does not have hip problems. She was a breeding dog, and my friends would never had bred her if they were bad. 

How do I know this to be true, you ask? Because they gave me my first Golden. He was to be a stud dog. He didn’t pass hip certification, so they gave him to me.


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## Howler (Feb 4, 2021)

photoweborama said:


> This weekend at a motel, she jumped all over the beds... the rear legs work!


Ahh... that is a great test! She must be well trained to have not jumped on the couches


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