Hi
my younger elkie has a strange habit of flicking his back leg out for no obvious reason.He will be standing and then flick his leg out almost to the point of being horizontal if you know what I mean....any one elses dog do this?? and any suggestions as to why he does it?
Archer

Does it happen when he's done a poo?  It's probably scent marking - dogs have scent glands in their paws.

no its when hes indoors ...
Archer

i dont know the elkie breed that well but do they have knee problems like some toy breeds do? a ckcs that i know her knee popped out of place and she kept her leg horizontal and when it had popped back in to place her leg would go back to normal.
not meaning to worry you of course but just a thought
tanya

does he have straight stifles? one possible reason could be a luxating patella ( dislocating kneecap). may be worth a trip to the vets for a check up?

Hi again, well I did not try as hard as a vet will but your boys knees felt ok to me and I did check. Unless he suddenly starts to hop for a few paces when he is exercising I would just think it is a habit or a marking thing. Don't worry too much sure he is all right.

having had Archer with a luxating patella I'm sure its not that .He's never hopped when moving and has always been as sound as a bell.He has good angulation (not too straight or over done) so I've been told and I must say ,in my limited experience, I agree.
It seems to be a flick rather than a stretch and he shows no discomfort.Its as if hes kicking 'like a horse' at something irritating behind him
I'm curious rather than worried about it...never seen it before
Archer

Still sounds like scent marking to me..........

Seeing you describe it again I realise I have had at least one hound do it. It is a sort of twitch almost as if it is out of the control of the dog and is only one or two kicks and is just like a horse being troubled by flies. Could be that it is just that, a left over from the Artic flies and if the dog has a slight sensation on his coat the quick movement is the way to dislodge flies walking on the coat. May be fanciful but it could be something like that.

Good morning
you have described it exactly Jackie...it is almost like a twitch rather than a deliberate movement.Will have to ask a few more elkie people since no one else apart from you and me seem to have witnessed it...maybe its another one of those elkie things!!
Nikki

Nothing would surprise me ;)