Some of you may have seen this on FB....I have/had been getting a lot of comments lately on Limit in agility. I mostly blew them off because he's so young and sometimes puppies are ugly...Everything from he has bad hips, to he holds his back funny, to knees etc etc. The consensus was that structurally, he may not be good for agility.
So, I recently had him more officially evaluated by a close friend who has done very well in the agility world and also is familiar with working line Australian Kelpies (in Australia), who do agility. His structure is not so good Rear end assembly is not conducive to continued training in agility. He doesn't push off his rear, or use his rear to land, or stop - he depends solely on his front. I thought he was lazy, but she (and now I), could see his left knee specifically, give out at random on turns and hard pushes while running. She equated it to the way that some badly bred show line GSDs look - sort of loose, and unsupported in the rear, without the angulation of course. He also has little to no muscle low on his back legs (stifle area) - which for the amount of exercise he gets, is sort of odd. He also has very thin, sort of stringy muscle in his upper back legs. Once the weather is nice, hoping a lot of swimming will help that without causing issues.
I do not believe him to be in pain (which is where x-rays come in), but I am not one to train my dog in a sport that may or may not later cause serious physical damage. Luckily (or not), he doesn't care. He is a happy boy and is not one that "needs" to train every day or even every other day. He's very content rough housing with the other dogs, racing around the yard, and chewing on his toys in the living room, in the evenings. I am, of course, super sad that he is not going to be able to continue forward as my next performance dog.
I have been asked about rehoming him and...I do not know. In the past, when I've rehomed a dog, I've known beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this was best for the dog. Currently, this is so fresh, and I adore this dog so much, his issues are not "dangerous" to others (I've placed aggressive dogs in the past), or difficult to deal with myself (or dogs miserable in the multi-dog household), I am not able to objectively consider it at this time. I can't honestly say if he'd be better in an active pet home, because my heart is screaming "no, he's mine!". So, for the forseeable future, unless the perfect home is begging for him, or I can say clearly that he would be happier elsewhere, I am not listing him anywhere and he will continue to be my silly, spazzy, crazy little Kelpie.
He turned 10 months old on Saturday and we went for a romp at a friend's field. He's not grown much since about 6 months so I think his growth plates are probably about closed. I am going to neuter him soon, and have his hips, elbows, knees x-rayed.
Weirdest little dog - he can always make me laugh
If you read all of that, thanks He's my special little guy <3
So, I recently had him more officially evaluated by a close friend who has done very well in the agility world and also is familiar with working line Australian Kelpies (in Australia), who do agility. His structure is not so good Rear end assembly is not conducive to continued training in agility. He doesn't push off his rear, or use his rear to land, or stop - he depends solely on his front. I thought he was lazy, but she (and now I), could see his left knee specifically, give out at random on turns and hard pushes while running. She equated it to the way that some badly bred show line GSDs look - sort of loose, and unsupported in the rear, without the angulation of course. He also has little to no muscle low on his back legs (stifle area) - which for the amount of exercise he gets, is sort of odd. He also has very thin, sort of stringy muscle in his upper back legs. Once the weather is nice, hoping a lot of swimming will help that without causing issues.
I do not believe him to be in pain (which is where x-rays come in), but I am not one to train my dog in a sport that may or may not later cause serious physical damage. Luckily (or not), he doesn't care. He is a happy boy and is not one that "needs" to train every day or even every other day. He's very content rough housing with the other dogs, racing around the yard, and chewing on his toys in the living room, in the evenings. I am, of course, super sad that he is not going to be able to continue forward as my next performance dog.
I have been asked about rehoming him and...I do not know. In the past, when I've rehomed a dog, I've known beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this was best for the dog. Currently, this is so fresh, and I adore this dog so much, his issues are not "dangerous" to others (I've placed aggressive dogs in the past), or difficult to deal with myself (or dogs miserable in the multi-dog household), I am not able to objectively consider it at this time. I can't honestly say if he'd be better in an active pet home, because my heart is screaming "no, he's mine!". So, for the forseeable future, unless the perfect home is begging for him, or I can say clearly that he would be happier elsewhere, I am not listing him anywhere and he will continue to be my silly, spazzy, crazy little Kelpie.
He turned 10 months old on Saturday and we went for a romp at a friend's field. He's not grown much since about 6 months so I think his growth plates are probably about closed. I am going to neuter him soon, and have his hips, elbows, knees x-rayed.
Weirdest little dog - he can always make me laugh
If you read all of that, thanks He's my special little guy <3