I have a 11 month springer dog who was given to us free as he was the last one in the litter and the owners couldnt keep him, we had already bought one so were happy to have him to keep his brother company. The thing is he seems to do some very odd things, when he jumps up things he sometimes leans to far back and topples over he cant seem to hold his balance, he is also very tiny and very timid. Am I worrying to much . He is a very good dog and will do anything asked of him, he is so eager to please which is good in a springer, the thing is I think I compare him with his brother who is the total opposite.

Sandie,

You are worrying too much. If he was last in his litter to leave it's quite possible he did not have as much socialization and "real world" exposure as his littermates. If he was also the smallest, he might also have been picked on a lot and so is timid. He may be more timid because of it or it may just be his temperament.

Have you had him checked by your vet with regard to falling over backwards? If he only does this when he's jumping up and does not seem to have any balance problems otherwise it could be a number of things. He may be a bit awkward, there are dogs like that just like there are humans who are not very graceful. He may not be ideally structured in terms of balance front and rear or skeletal structure, although dogs are not meant to jump up and spend time on their hind legs.

Have him checked by your vet, give him lots of attention and socialization to build his confidence, and enjoy him. He sounds lovely.

Stacey