CANINE ANATOMY - UNCOVERING REAR ANGULATION

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CANINE ANATOMY

UNCOVERING REAR ANGULATION

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This is the UNCOVERING REAR ANGULATION workbook within the JULIE HARRIS EDUCATION, CANINE ANATOMY MODULE. It is designed as a teaching aid to accompany the webinar of the same name.

ANATOMY explains the internal bodily structure including bones and their movement on and around a dog's skeleton. By understanding this you will be better prepared for handling all types of breeds on your grooming table.

Manipulation for positioning and comfort will be clearer and you will have a greater chance of success with your doggy client by working within their physical constraints and create trust between you.

REAR ANGULATION At the end of this unit you will be able to: 1: Name the BONES and JOINTS that make up the REAR ANGULATION 2: Understand how the BONE STRUCTURE within REAR ANGULATION can vary by BREED 3: Understand how that BONE STRUCTURE influences BEHAVIOUR ON the GROOMING TABLE 4: How to TRIM in a way that's COMPLIMENTARY to DIFFERENT BREED TYPES

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REAR ANGULATION (C) 2020 Harris & Hargraves Limited. All Rights Reserved

WHAT IS ANGULATION? Angulation is the meeting of 2 BONES in the formation of a JOINT that produces ANGULATION and MOVEMENT Knowing where the JOINTS are and an understanding of their type will allow you to manipulate them correctly and enable you to create ANGULATION in your grooming.

FACTS Dog's rear legs have got larger muscles than their front legs, BUT only carry 1/3 of the dog's weight The rear legs contain the heaviest bone in the canine body - the FEMUR This creates STABILITY and allows PROPULSION so a dog can push itself forward

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BONES in the REAR ANGULATION PELVIS - is a FLAT BONE with a SPUR or a PROCESS through the middle. This is an area of LARGE MUSCLE ATTACHMENT FEMUR - is the LONGEST and HEAVIEST BONE in a dog's body TIBIA & FIBULA - are also LONG BONES PATELLA (Knee-cap) - is the LARGEST SESAMOID BONE TARSUS or HOCK - is made up of SESAMOID BONES FOOT BONES - are a mixture of SHORT and SESAMOID BONES which are embedded in TENDONS and allow for EXTENSION and FLEXATION

There can be around 25 BONES in the FOOT and HOCK area, depending on whether a dog has a DEW CLAW or not Infection travels really quickly up through a dog's foot by jumping the joints in the fluid between them. It is really important to check dogs pads, cut their nails properly and report any infections or cuts back to their owners so they can get them treated to prevent infection.

Dew Claw

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Relax a dog's hip by tracing a figure of 8 on it with your finger. It will help with leg extension.

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THE PELVIS AND ITS POINTS The ILIUM is also called the HIP BONE The SACROILIAC JOINT needs to ROTATE and FLEX so that it distributes the force of any impact between the hind limbs and the spine The ISCHIUM is an area of HUGE MUSCLE attachment next to the bottom for the LEG and gives SUPPORT when SITTING The SACRUM is a LARGE TRIANGULAR BONE at the end of the SPINE that sits between the 2 HIP BONES. It consists of 3 FUSED VERTEBRAE and is the last part of the LUMBER SPINE before becoming the TAIL The ANGLE of the PELVIS coupled with the ANGLE of the SACRUM play a huge part in building angulation - see page 6

Bones are PASSIVE and need muscles and tendons to help them MOVE

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JOINTS in the REAR ANGULATION JOINTS must move through an angle to produce movement

They should be able to FLEX and CONTRACT; SWING FORWARD and PUSH BACK - the 2 actions that produce movement The LEG goes FORWARD by MUSCLES SHORTENING and COMES BACK with MUSCLES LENGTHENING

Manipulation of these joints to clip: 1: EXTEND the HINGE joint forward, support the leg and then 2: ROTATE the BALL & SOCKET joint to allow easier access.

The HIP - is a BALL & SOCKET JOINT The STIFLE - is a COMPLEX HINGE JOINT, connecting 4 BONES - the FEMUR, TIBIA, FIBULA & PATELLA The STIFLE ANGLE or TURN OF STIFLE gives FLEXIBILITY to the leg and influences the REACH and PUSH The HOCK or TARSUS - is a LEVER JOINT and creates SPEED for a dog SHORT HOCKS give a dog more ENDURANCE and STABILITY and ability to ABSORB SHOCK - THINK BULL DOG LONGER HOCKS have QUICK INITIAL SPEED because the HOCK can come under the body more, but are not built for endurance - THINK GREYHOUND

The HOCK, STIFLE & HIP take all the dog's weight Understanding this will give you an indication of how comfortable the dog is on the table

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When a dog runs at speed the BALL & SOCKET JOINT rotates out slightly so the back legs don't hit the front (C) 2020 Harris & Hargraves Limited. All Rights Reserved

COMMON PROBLEMS in the weight bearing back end Legg-CalvĂŠ-Perthes DIsease (LCPD) Degeneration of the FEMORAL HEAD leading to ARTHRITIS. Bones can normally regenerate but this disease prevents the blood that is needed to rebuild the bone to reach it. A dog with this disease is not going to want to stand for a long time

Hip Dysplasia The ABNORMAL FORMATION of the HIP SOCKET leading to ARTHRITIS

Luxating Patella Is the DISLOCATION of the KNEE-CAP. The LEVER joint no longer fits

Sickle Hock Where the HOCK has started to come underneath the dog to compensate for balance.

Common in elderly dogs.

Keep records of a dog's appearance to see whether it changes over time

How a dog STANDS and their STABILITY can be affected by problems in their rear This dog's top line is straight. He is dipping his head to relieve the pressure on his neck.

There should be a straight line from the top of the SCAPULA down to the back of the elbow and this dog is no where near it. He has brought his front legs back to give himself more stability and relieve the pressure on his back end.

Look at his HOCK. The front of his foot should be in line with his bottom so the HOCK is behind, but he has brought his foot forward for balance.

This dog is a rectangular shape and he has tried to make himself a square shape to help his balance.

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LANDMARKS in the REAR ANGULATION Can you match the name to the letter?

ILIUM ISCHIUM STIFLE HOCK Look at the tilt of the PELVIS BONE and the angle of the SACRUM which denotes the tail carriage. In a terrier we talk about this breed having 'a lot behind the tail' On the grooming table we can learn that moving the leg backwards for this dog is comfortable but moving too far forward won't be and will encourage the dog to sit down

A B

D

C

In the RETRIEVER the PELVIS is has less of a tilt and the SACRUM is more PROMINENT to support the LONGER FLAT TAIL. Avoid lifting tail, it will pinch the SACRUM. Move it to the side.

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GROOMING We want to create SHAPE and ELEGANCE when grooming. Ideally when a dog returns after 8 weeks you can still see the shape you created.

GETTING BALANCE RIGHT The width of a dog's leg should be the same all the way down. Use your comb to visualise that line and the skeleton underneath. Avoid creating 'Lollipop Legs'.

BEFORE

Most MUSCLES come in PAIRS of EQUAL LENGTH

AFTER

Scoop out the back of the leg to create more bottom behind the tail. This was done using a 7F blade from the ISCHIUM BONE down to the STIFLE. Start close at the top and leave hair longer behind the HOCK to bring the leg back.

This is useful for dog's that have a tail that goes up like POODLES, DOODLES, TERRIERS.

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GROOMING If a dog has a LOW TAIL CARRIAGE, you can create the illusion of it being higher and give a dog more bottom by scooping out around the tail base.

A SICKLE HOCK can be corrected by taking the hair very close on the HOCK and leaving it longer at the bottom. Also leave hair on the front to help create the illusion of angulation.

BEFORE

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AFTER

Be careful of BRUSH BURN on the FIBULA (C) 2020 Harris & Hargraves Limited. All Rights Reserved Â

COMPARE & IMPROVE How can understanding FRONT ANGULATION influence your grooming?

Compare these grooms:

A

B With your new knowledge of REAR ANGULATION, think about what you would do differently on the 'A' dogs to make them look more like the 'B' dogs.

Dog's lacking REAR ANGULATION like the one below will have limited movement. Bring them to the edge of the table to clip their nails and feet from below so you don't make them uncomfortable.

B

With this knowledge you can understand:

A

Can you see on the Apricot Poodle how the tail carriage is dipping down and the legs are placed more underneath compared to the Black? Although they look very similar you can now see how dog 'A' will have less movement and can be shaped to improve the look of their angulation.

We've circled some key areas to guide you.

1: When a dog has more limited movement which will make your table handling more sympathetic 2: How your grooming can create the illusion of good REAR ANGULATION and therefore the appearance of the dog

B

A

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OVER TO YOU: 1: Can you name the BONES that make up the REAR ANGULATION? Write them on the skeleton picture below 2: Which main JOINT is a BALL & SOCKET JOINT ? ________________________________________________________________ 3: Underneath this amazing skirt there is a body! What hair would you remove from this dog to show it's REAR ANGULATION? Draw the trim line on the picture.

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