Hi

I have an 18 month old black Lab from hipscored parents (2:1) (1:3), she loves to swim but I have noticed that she sits very low in the water (almost crocodile like) and appears to have lazy back legs, is this normal or could it be indicative of something more serious. She was not over exercised as a pup but now receives at least 2 hours exercise per day, which includes short lead work, playing and romping around the fields, in addition to swimming. She doesn't appear to have any stiffness in her joints, no problem getting up after lying down for lengthy periods, but she does tend to sway a little when walking, but it certainly isn't a bunny hop. She doesn't get tired easily and is happy to walk for miles.

Does she sound normal or could this be the beginning of hip problems.

Incidentally, she's always swayed when walking and as a pup I thought it maybe because she wagged her tail so much, it's almost like whole body wagging greeting you often see but not as pronounced.

Any insight and advice greatly appreciated.

Thank you

Sarah

Hi,
Why not get her hip-scored to find out one way or the other? If you are UK she's old enough.
Good luck.
:)

I don't think the swaying is a problem. Thistle sways alot and so do most of the other labs I know. Also I think if she had joint problems it would be more likely to show up on dry land than in the water as swimming puts less pressure on their joints. She's probably just got a funny swimming style. :-)

Got to agree with Thistle there. Swimming uses a new set of muscles which need building up just like any other muscle. Labradors should swim low in the water. Anna retrieving will swim literally with some of her mouth under water!

One problem with young Labradors learning to swim is trying to hold the head too high. They can literally "Sink by the stern" Once the head has risen and the behind has sunk the swimming action is really only pushing the dog up in the water, not moving it forward. An experienced dog can use that. I've seen Anna in deep water standing straight up with half of her body out of the water looking for a fallen bird.

If you are worried about the hips then the only "Proof" is to get them x-rayed. Good scores from parents give a better than average chance that your dog’s hips are ok but the only real proof is to get them scored.

Regards, John