[ SHOWGSD-L ] Stifles, hocks and muscles
- From: "Nancy Harper" <nancy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 18 Dec 2005 21:32:04 -0500
What about muscles? Long muscles like on Greyhounds and short muscles like on
Bulldogs are very different from the (for lack of a better word) medium length
muscles found on correct Shepherds. One of the main muscles contributing to
rear drive is the gastrocnemius muscle (sp) It is attached to the tip of the
hock through the Achilles tendon. This muscle is there to open the lower angle
of the rear leg. If the dog has a very long, or over angulated stifle then the
stifle is usually longer then the femur and they should be of equal length. To
open up the angle the muscle must use greater strength and force and this can
cause a lot of stress on the tendons. A stifle that is not in balance with the
femur changes the center of gravity pushing it backwards and placing more
stress on the lubar area which is not built for that kind of stress. The
Achilles tendon is lengthened and this reduces the power of the muscle. I
wonder if dragging toes and lack of powerful under drive and follow through is
not also related to a muscle problem caused by a stifle being too long. As a
great mentor once said "Angulation means the relative position of bones to each
other during phases of movement". The position of bones is important because it
directly influences muscle action. I believe short, strong, thick hocks
contribute to the power of the drive. One of my bitches hocks are too long and
I can tell the effect it has on her after working for a while. Others of mind
have different things I would change.
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