Pasten Strengthening?

[Skipy]

This is continuation from puppy front feet angulation issue, well at least in my mind. I think my dogs (12 months old now) pasterns are not strong enough. Is it possible that those tendons need some time to develop and strengthen. Should this occur naturally, does walking on fine sand help (I heard this from someone), or am I just totally off?

Edited September 22, 2006 by Skipy

[nobul]

I have heard of walking on the beach (sand) helps improve weak pasterns.

Bull Terriers and minis are renown for some having soft pasterns, a good diet and correct excersize also plays an important part

[Skipy]

Is there any other way of improving them? I ask because the beach is too far away for us, only option is concrete or grass, but I guess neither one of them really do the same job as sand...... (walking on frontlegs only? maybe he, he, he).

[nobul]

I have heard road work also do the trick. But i really hate hard surface work on young dogs depending on breed .What sort breed are we talking?

Edited September 22, 2006 by nobul

[Skipy]

I have heard road work also do the trick. But i really hate hard surface work on young dogs depending on breed .What sort breed are we talking?

Amstaff. To be quite honest there might be nothing wrong with his pasterns (probably not, except that his feet go just a bit off to the side) but I do have a feeling that that particular area is a bit on the weak side. I am not quite sure when all the developmental changes finish, I know they say its 18-24 months for amstaffs, but I am not quite sure what exactly development occurs between 12 and 24 months. Is it just more toning, or something else, including pasterns and that whole leg area.

[shekhina]

Can you post a photo so we know what we're looking at please? He could be east west

[Skipy]

Can you post a photo so we know what we're looking at please? He could be east west

I will try and find one, but I think it is a bit east west, but I dont know that that's all of it.

Do you know if east/west issue ever gets better?

I adore the way he looks except that area, its very hmmm, not nice......

[shekhina]

From what I've read/heard east west fronts can improve with maturity...as the chest drops it can push the legs out to straighten them up. Daegon was quite east west as a young puppy, but he is also straight in the shoulder, that will never go away altogether.

His front has improved quite a lot since he was young, he only really stands east west now when he's being lazy...which is most of the time But when he self-stacks and has his attention on something he wants he comes perfectly straight.

Daegon still has a lot of maturity to go according to his grandma who has the lines and knows them well, I've been told not to worry about him too much because he *should* come together, but it will be quite late...around 3-4 years old. She has a male very closely related to Daegon and he didn't finish changing until 4 years old. I will live in hope

Edited September 22, 2006 by shekhina

[Skipy]

From what I've read/heard east west fronts can improve with maturity...as the chest drops it can push the legs out to straighten them up. Daegon was quite east west as a young puppy, but he is also straight in the shoulder, that will never go away altogether.

His front has improved quite a lot since he was young, he only really stands east west now when he's being lazy...which is most of the time But when he self-stacks and has his attention on something he wants he comes perfectly straight.

Daegon still has a lot of maturity to go according to his grandma who has the lines and knows them well, I've been told not to worry about him too much because he *should* come together, but it will be quite late...around 3-4 years old. She has a male very closely related to Daegon and he didn't finish changing until 4 years old. I will live in hope

I have come to think that in larger breed dogs there is a lot of variation in when they finish maturing (this is of course from my VERY limited knowledge, but lets say, I might know what I am saying here..). Our dog has no one in his lines that has had east west issue, and as far as I can tell none of his sibs have it either. I have to say, he is now 12 months old, and its only now that I am noticing him changing quite a bit, and the issue with his pasters (east west) whatever you call it is getting better, so hopefully it will sort itself out, but with his sibs they are all straight. However, some of them lack development in other areas (body muscle mass for eg.) that he already has and has had since he was quite young (of course still growing) but different parts take priority in different dogs.

Posibly? Of course with lines that are in him, its hard to tell, as photos that I can see of those dogs are all when they are already fully mature.

So, there is still hope for us.