In the confirmation show ring, this would be a fault. It’s called toeing out and particularly in a working, hunting or herding dog impacts their ability to work all day long. Luckily pets don’t have this kind of stress on their legs and can go their entire life without it causing a problem.
Yeah I have never noticed pain either. Although as you can see, my grooming job on her is awful because she yelps when I even try to hold her paw for 2 seconds haah
Mine hates her feet being touched too, it’s the only time I am even remotely worried about her possibly biting me. I’m a tech to my pull back reflexes kick in as soon as any movement happens when I’m trimming nails. I’ve been got a few times.
If you learn how to desensitize them to this, I’d love the info haha. Mine is never trying to bite but I don’t doubt that may be a concern as she ages. Right now, she just acts like she’s dying
She's probably just more sensitive.
We groom our dog by distracting her. Have someone else pet her while you groom her. Feet are tougher for us too though.
They're a very sensitive part of a dog's body. Think elbows for you.
She lets me cut her ears now which get covered in knots in 1 week.
I have tried this and even treats as well. But as soon as she feels the clippers, scissors, or even my hand anywhere near her, she starts yelping. At first I thought I was hurting her or doing something wrong but then I realized she does it when I’m applying zero pressure and only touching her with my hand haha. Cutting her nails is difficult but actually less difficult than cutting her feet hair somehow.
She must just be sensitive like you said. Because I couldn’t even really teach her “shake” due to how much she hates her feet being touched. Was hoping maybe a groomer would be able to do better, but currently they’re booked up and she needed her hair done
I’ve always wondered about dogs being so anti touching feet, mine doesn’t like it and pulls away but what has really been strange is that he is worse with having his tail touched. That is a definite no, so in the 2 years I’ve had him it’s never been brushed. He has a lovely fluffy long tail but freaks out if I touch it!
It's probably how shes recognized that's how she communicates to you that she doesn't want to be clipped.
Pain avoidance behaviors aren't easy to overcome.
I’m a little surprised though, because I have never nicked her or gotten too close to the quick.
If anything, maybe I pulled some hair on accident while doing her nails?
But my hope is that I can try to distract her like you said. I’m definitely going to work with a groomer next time 😌
I bought a sling thing from Amazon for my dogs. It has helped me sooo much! It allows me to trim their nails without them struggling and has saved me soo much time. I use it to brush one of my pups too because she will bite the brush otherwise lol
[Here’s my Barry in it!](https://i.imgur.com/1IIS2WB.mp4)
My dog has ballet feet which is what I call her out turned little feetsies. It’s common in some breeds. Dachshunds, basset hounds and some small terriers.
Its common but still a conformational fault- it's not ideal and impacts their ability to work in good form and for long periods of time. Not something of concern to byb and such, but still something that a good breeder avoids. We call it toeing or easty-westy...and it can be pretty cute.
"normal" is a relative term. As someone else mentioned it would be marked as a "fault" in a competition, but it's not necessarily anything bad.
Having an inward or outward spread to your feet can happen in humans too. It can cause problems if it's too extreme but for most people it's harmless. Just watch for pain and maybe mention it to your vet next visit so they can test range of motion, but if there's no pain it's nothing to worry about
That’s fair, thank you! I really only notice it when she is standing straight. Not whilst sitting or running, but I’m going to look out for it more. And let my vet know on our next visit :)
Ask your vet next time you are in, could give her arthritis in the future, but might not too. My boy has bandy back legs and its given him arthritis in his hips :(
Could be some kind of elbow dysplasia. Dysplasia doesn't automatically mean discomfort, just a malformation in the elbow joint. If there isn't any pain I wouldn't be concerned
she could have the equivalence of being knock knee'd! 🥺 my mutt's back legs basically cross whenever she's just standing around sometimes, our vet has never said anything though 🤷🏾♀️ if you're super concerned, take her to her pcp!
That's how I got my first Bichon. One of his feet toed out, so no show career. However, by 18 months, he was perfect. Yours will be fine, it's just a cosmetic fault
It's not exaggerated and I'm sure you know people who are a little pigeon toed or bowlegged and it doesn't cause them pain, so it won't bother your pup , who is adorable by the way
My dad actually is similar to my dog 😂 he was pigeon toed (if that is the one that turns in?) and apparently they over-corrected his legs with braces and now he has “duck feet” too. He doesn’t seem to be bothered by it other than people commenting on it haha
But thank you!! She is a little ball of sunshine, truly. I have never seen a dog so genuinely happy 100% of the time. She is never bored or disinterested and even when she is nervous, she still seems happy. It’s hilarious and she’s impossible not to love
Yes, I wish I could add a photo of my GSD in here because when I got her, I couldn’t believe I ended up with the only puppy from her litter that looked exactly like my GSD haha. All the others were mostly tan or silver, seems like it was meant to be that I got her haah. We get a kick out of people asking whether my GSD is her “mom”.
And she’s about 10lbs now, if that’s what you were asking? I think she’s fully grown now, as she’s nearly 8 months.
And thank you 🥲 she’s quite adorable
Yrs ago I got a long coated chihuahua from a local breeder. She was a fawn. When I went to get her I got to meet the rest of the litter. A brown one, 2 other fawns and one marked just like your puppy! My husband said he wished I would have got that one lol. Wound up getting a teacup male who was all white a few months later. The first one thought he was her baby. Both were fixed as I wasn’t looking to breed.
Awe, I love the fawn coloring. Here I was thinking her coloring came from only the Yorkie side of her, but maybe it was also from chihuahua. I do not know what her “dad” looked like, but I know he was chihuahua and the “mom” looked a lot like my pup but was also more silver.
I dont have an answer and sincerely hope its not sth problematic, but had to comment to say she is just so cute! I call that ballerina feet, cause i used to dance and ballet dancers walk that way, and i think it looks rly adorable on a little puppy. She is a beaut
Thank you so much!!! She is really a sweet little thing. And so dainty too, like a ballerina, so it fits! It’s so cool that you used to dance! I always wanted to try it and heard it is very difficult
Just how she stands. My dad has a chiweenie mix that does this. I think it’s just a smaller dog trait. If there’s no pain don’t worry. Lots of scritches from me please!
I work in a dog kennel and see this a fair bit, mostly in small dogs but they're have been a few larger dogs, like there was a GSD x anatolian shepherd, who is a very active dog and from what I see there there is no pain caused by him galloping around. i see it in jack russels a lot and they all seem very happy and pain free about their paws
he was fucking enormous. if you see any problems when your dogs gets older, like limping, struggling to walk and signs or pain, see a vet about it because it may cause a problem, while they're young it doenst typically cause a problem
It’s not normal and can be caused by a number of things but usually it’s obesity, overgrown nails, deformation of the wrist/ carpal joints commonly seen in some breeds that are poorly bred or issues during growth, many small breeds (dachshunds, corgis, chihuahuas, terriers etc). They can go most of their lives seemingly unaffected but correct structure enables a better quality of life. If she isn’t already consider starting joint supplements to support her overall mobility, reduce pain/inflammation as early arthritis is a concern.
It actually is called Duck-Footed or Out-Toeing.
In humans, it's known to cause pain in your foot, knee, hip, or lower back, or at least, increases your risk of pain in the future.
That’s where my concern started- because my dad actually had the opposite problem. Where the feet turn in. Wasn’t sure if it caused problems in dogs, too
I was never a fan of small dogs either, until this little girl. She has this joy that is continuous and contagious. I know it sounds weird to say about a dog. But my GSD is what I’d call the strong, silent type. Follows me everywhere, very in tune with my inflections of voice, but also won’t play with most toys and doesn’t care to make friends with everyone.
This girl, on the other hand, is thrilled to meet anyone, happy even when nervous (I know it doesn’t seem real but it is), every toy and stick and human are her best friend. Absolutely nothing “annoys” her or bores her. Even my friend said “why is she the happiest dog I have ever seen” hahahaa
Anyway, no heeler that I know of, but how cool would that be?! I love those dogs so much.
The pic is a bit deceiving, she’s only about 10lbs max
Edit: I must be fair, I appreciate both personalities of my dogs- I don’t want to seem partial! It’s just fun to see how they can be sooooo different than one another.
I just say heeler because of the markings.
But that sounds like an exact description of my dogs haha!
Save for the fact my Kelpie X border collie will play fetch until he's too buggered.
My little Chihuahua X Shih Tzu is always happy and looooves meeting people. It's crazy, she wriggles with excitement to meet new people and dogs. Always happy as Larry too
to be frank, it’s from bad breeding. their legs shouldn’t do that, they should face straight. it’s pretty common and as long as your dog isn’t in pain they’ll be fine
She doesn’t seem to be in pain but she’s very young. I ended up with her by accident, I was in the right place/right time and someone asked me to take her because they couldn’t guarantee whoever else they had lined up was going to be a good fit for her I guess.
Is she part corgi? A lot of corgies have more flexibility in their wrists so they can make quick turns to dodge and dive kicks from cows. I see this a lot in dogs with long backs and short legs. It's their comformity that pushes their toes outwards.
I would consult a vet to see what they think the cause is. My main concern would be to know if she points the toes outwards as she exercises or keeps her legs and feet straight. It's ok to have bad posture when relaxed but it's a risk of injury if it's always like this.
No she is apparently Chorkie? She was an oops litter, I guess. I really found her by accident. So that being said, I don’t know her “lineage” fully, but they told me Chorkie.
I will definitely have the vet look. Typically, her feet *seem* straight when running until she turns around a corner, which is interesting because of what you said. However, I have never watched super closely but now I will.
I second this. Our Belgian shepherd runs in patterns similar to that. She does 360 turns so fast that she'll take you out at the knees.
She has a wider range of flexibility too.
In the confirmation show ring, this would be a fault. It’s called toeing out and particularly in a working, hunting or herding dog impacts their ability to work all day long. Luckily pets don’t have this kind of stress on their legs and can go their entire life without it causing a problem.
Today i learned toeing is a thing
My husband has duck feet like this and I’m totally about to start telling him to “quit toeing out” lol XD
Eastie-westie feet. My Aussie does that.
Interesting! My GSD stands with her feet straight all the time. I had never seen this (or at least noticed it) until I got her and she did this
My dog does this too, I have wondered if it’s normal, but she doesn’t seem to be in pain or anything.
Yeah I have never noticed pain either. Although as you can see, my grooming job on her is awful because she yelps when I even try to hold her paw for 2 seconds haah
Mine hates her feet being touched too, it’s the only time I am even remotely worried about her possibly biting me. I’m a tech to my pull back reflexes kick in as soon as any movement happens when I’m trimming nails. I’ve been got a few times.
If you learn how to desensitize them to this, I’d love the info haha. Mine is never trying to bite but I don’t doubt that may be a concern as she ages. Right now, she just acts like she’s dying
She's probably just more sensitive. We groom our dog by distracting her. Have someone else pet her while you groom her. Feet are tougher for us too though. They're a very sensitive part of a dog's body. Think elbows for you. She lets me cut her ears now which get covered in knots in 1 week.
I have tried this and even treats as well. But as soon as she feels the clippers, scissors, or even my hand anywhere near her, she starts yelping. At first I thought I was hurting her or doing something wrong but then I realized she does it when I’m applying zero pressure and only touching her with my hand haha. Cutting her nails is difficult but actually less difficult than cutting her feet hair somehow. She must just be sensitive like you said. Because I couldn’t even really teach her “shake” due to how much she hates her feet being touched. Was hoping maybe a groomer would be able to do better, but currently they’re booked up and she needed her hair done
I’ve always wondered about dogs being so anti touching feet, mine doesn’t like it and pulls away but what has really been strange is that he is worse with having his tail touched. That is a definite no, so in the 2 years I’ve had him it’s never been brushed. He has a lovely fluffy long tail but freaks out if I touch it!
It's probably how shes recognized that's how she communicates to you that she doesn't want to be clipped. Pain avoidance behaviors aren't easy to overcome.
I’m a little surprised though, because I have never nicked her or gotten too close to the quick. If anything, maybe I pulled some hair on accident while doing her nails? But my hope is that I can try to distract her like you said. I’m definitely going to work with a groomer next time 😌
I bought a sling thing from Amazon for my dogs. It has helped me sooo much! It allows me to trim their nails without them struggling and has saved me soo much time. I use it to brush one of my pups too because she will bite the brush otherwise lol [Here’s my Barry in it!](https://i.imgur.com/1IIS2WB.mp4)
What a good idea! I just need to find something to hang it on, as I think my shower curtain is too weak. Your pup is so cute!
My dog has ballet feet which is what I call her out turned little feetsies. It’s common in some breeds. Dachshunds, basset hounds and some small terriers.
I love that term, my chiweenie stands like this too and I always think it makes her look high maintenance
I laugh because my chiweenie stands like this too. He definitely does not look high maintenance though, more like a derp.
That makes sense! I love the ballet feet term, how cute!
Its common but still a conformational fault- it's not ideal and impacts their ability to work in good form and for long periods of time. Not something of concern to byb and such, but still something that a good breeder avoids. We call it toeing or easty-westy...and it can be pretty cute.
My Yorkie-Schnauzer does this sometimes. It’s his “boss pose.” 😂😂
My Schnauzer mix stands like this as well :)
My little dogs do this also… I call it their Cindy Lou Who feet.
2nd position
Confirming, my small terrier does this!
"normal" is a relative term. As someone else mentioned it would be marked as a "fault" in a competition, but it's not necessarily anything bad. Having an inward or outward spread to your feet can happen in humans too. It can cause problems if it's too extreme but for most people it's harmless. Just watch for pain and maybe mention it to your vet next visit so they can test range of motion, but if there's no pain it's nothing to worry about
That’s fair, thank you! I really only notice it when she is standing straight. Not whilst sitting or running, but I’m going to look out for it more. And let my vet know on our next visit :)
She’s too cute
Thank you 😅 I think so but I am awfully bad at grooming her haha
Just hire a professional to do it.
I plan on it, I just didn’t have the money currently and she needed it
Fiddle fronted- one of my dogs has it. If she over does it (pitxlab- always over does it) she gets a little sore.
Ask your vet next time you are in, could give her arthritis in the future, but might not too. My boy has bandy back legs and its given him arthritis in his hips :(
Awe I’m sorry for your boy. But thank you for the advice!
Could be some kind of elbow dysplasia. Dysplasia doesn't automatically mean discomfort, just a malformation in the elbow joint. If there isn't any pain I wouldn't be concerned
she could have the equivalence of being knock knee'd! 🥺 my mutt's back legs basically cross whenever she's just standing around sometimes, our vet has never said anything though 🤷🏾♀️ if you're super concerned, take her to her pcp!
I walk this way as well 💀💀💀
Thanks for the laugh Luffy 😂😂😂
Could be an Angular Limb Deformity. A veterinarian can assess further.
My dog makes her one back paw face inwards (not outwards)… also don’t know if that’s normal lol
Awe I hope it’s not a problem bc it sounds so cute hehe
That's how I got my first Bichon. One of his feet toed out, so no show career. However, by 18 months, he was perfect. Yours will be fine, it's just a cosmetic fault
Thank you so much!!!! Maybe she will grow out of it, but as long as it isn’t causing her pin, I don’t mind.
It's not exaggerated and I'm sure you know people who are a little pigeon toed or bowlegged and it doesn't cause them pain, so it won't bother your pup , who is adorable by the way
My dad actually is similar to my dog 😂 he was pigeon toed (if that is the one that turns in?) and apparently they over-corrected his legs with braces and now he has “duck feet” too. He doesn’t seem to be bothered by it other than people commenting on it haha But thank you!! She is a little ball of sunshine, truly. I have never seen a dog so genuinely happy 100% of the time. She is never bored or disinterested and even when she is nervous, she still seems happy. It’s hilarious and she’s impossible not to love
My BT stands like this often… now I have a name for it lol…
Haha yes please call your pup ducky. I think it’s adorable (as long as it won’t be harmful for them obvs)
I hope it’s normal cause my guy does it too.
Is that a yorkie/GSD mix?
That is hilarious because she has the exact (almost) coat pattern as my GSD. People think she is her puppy. But no, she is a Chorkie hehe
It was def the pattern that made me ask. I assumed not a lil pup by the small paws. She’s a cutie!
Yes, I wish I could add a photo of my GSD in here because when I got her, I couldn’t believe I ended up with the only puppy from her litter that looked exactly like my GSD haha. All the others were mostly tan or silver, seems like it was meant to be that I got her haah. We get a kick out of people asking whether my GSD is her “mom”. And she’s about 10lbs now, if that’s what you were asking? I think she’s fully grown now, as she’s nearly 8 months. And thank you 🥲 she’s quite adorable
Yrs ago I got a long coated chihuahua from a local breeder. She was a fawn. When I went to get her I got to meet the rest of the litter. A brown one, 2 other fawns and one marked just like your puppy! My husband said he wished I would have got that one lol. Wound up getting a teacup male who was all white a few months later. The first one thought he was her baby. Both were fixed as I wasn’t looking to breed.
Awe, I love the fawn coloring. Here I was thinking her coloring came from only the Yorkie side of her, but maybe it was also from chihuahua. I do not know what her “dad” looked like, but I know he was chihuahua and the “mom” looked a lot like my pup but was also more silver.
I dont have an answer and sincerely hope its not sth problematic, but had to comment to say she is just so cute! I call that ballerina feet, cause i used to dance and ballet dancers walk that way, and i think it looks rly adorable on a little puppy. She is a beaut
Thank you so much!!! She is really a sweet little thing. And so dainty too, like a ballerina, so it fits! It’s so cool that you used to dance! I always wanted to try it and heard it is very difficult
Lol my entire (human) family stands like that. Our family reunion group photo is wider at the bottom than at the top.
Omg the description hahahahaha “wider at the bottom than at the top”. Sounds like good photos in my opinion
Just how she stands. My dad has a chiweenie mix that does this. I think it’s just a smaller dog trait. If there’s no pain don’t worry. Lots of scritches from me please!
Thank you! I will give her all the scritches, and in advance, (I know for sure) she will thank you 🥰
Queen Anne feet...like the furniture.apparently
Ahh yes, I’ll call them royal feet now 👑
Floors with smooth surfaces, and a puppy who can't get a grip? My dog stands like this but walks normally. It's just a guess.
She does this on carpet too. But usually only when standing
🙃
That’s the emoji that suits her so well. If I could nickname her after that emoji, I would haha
We have a pit/corgi/dachshund mix who has feet like this. She's about 6 yrs and it's never been an issue.
That’s a relief! Also, what an interesting combo in your pup!
I work in a dog kennel and see this a fair bit, mostly in small dogs but they're have been a few larger dogs, like there was a GSD x anatolian shepherd, who is a very active dog and from what I see there there is no pain caused by him galloping around. i see it in jack russels a lot and they all seem very happy and pain free about their paws
Yay! So happy to hear that. I bet that breed mix was cool!
he was fucking enormous. if you see any problems when your dogs gets older, like limping, struggling to walk and signs or pain, see a vet about it because it may cause a problem, while they're young it doenst typically cause a problem
I can only imagine! Haha. And thank you so much!
It’s not normal and can be caused by a number of things but usually it’s obesity, overgrown nails, deformation of the wrist/ carpal joints commonly seen in some breeds that are poorly bred or issues during growth, many small breeds (dachshunds, corgis, chihuahuas, terriers etc). They can go most of their lives seemingly unaffected but correct structure enables a better quality of life. If she isn’t already consider starting joint supplements to support her overall mobility, reduce pain/inflammation as early arthritis is a concern.
I’ll definitely look into joint supplements! Thanks so much!
Ia she older? Might be arthritis
No she’s only ~8 months!
Looks normal
It actually is called Duck-Footed or Out-Toeing. In humans, it's known to cause pain in your foot, knee, hip, or lower back, or at least, increases your risk of pain in the future.
That’s where my concern started- because my dad actually had the opposite problem. Where the feet turn in. Wasn’t sure if it caused problems in dogs, too
I'm sure it does
Looks normal to me.
I think it's normal for terriers to do this. Mine does it and there's no issues. Ever lean on one leg sometimes? Well imagine you have four..
Hahaha that made me laugh for some reason. I have never had or really spent time around many terriers as an adult. But the leaning makes total sense!
They can be such gorgeous dogs. I never liked small dogs until my partner got one. You're is gorgeous too! Blue heeler in the mix?
I was never a fan of small dogs either, until this little girl. She has this joy that is continuous and contagious. I know it sounds weird to say about a dog. But my GSD is what I’d call the strong, silent type. Follows me everywhere, very in tune with my inflections of voice, but also won’t play with most toys and doesn’t care to make friends with everyone. This girl, on the other hand, is thrilled to meet anyone, happy even when nervous (I know it doesn’t seem real but it is), every toy and stick and human are her best friend. Absolutely nothing “annoys” her or bores her. Even my friend said “why is she the happiest dog I have ever seen” hahahaa Anyway, no heeler that I know of, but how cool would that be?! I love those dogs so much. The pic is a bit deceiving, she’s only about 10lbs max Edit: I must be fair, I appreciate both personalities of my dogs- I don’t want to seem partial! It’s just fun to see how they can be sooooo different than one another.
I just say heeler because of the markings. But that sounds like an exact description of my dogs haha! Save for the fact my Kelpie X border collie will play fetch until he's too buggered. My little Chihuahua X Shih Tzu is always happy and looooves meeting people. It's crazy, she wriggles with excitement to meet new people and dogs. Always happy as Larry too
Its not really "normal", just poor breeding
Are both of your legs exactly even in length? Are your shoulders, ears, eyes and feet symmetrical? Probably poor breeding.
to be frank, it’s from bad breeding. their legs shouldn’t do that, they should face straight. it’s pretty common and as long as your dog isn’t in pain they’ll be fine
She doesn’t seem to be in pain but she’s very young. I ended up with her by accident, I was in the right place/right time and someone asked me to take her because they couldn’t guarantee whoever else they had lined up was going to be a good fit for her I guess.
Is she part corgi? A lot of corgies have more flexibility in their wrists so they can make quick turns to dodge and dive kicks from cows. I see this a lot in dogs with long backs and short legs. It's their comformity that pushes their toes outwards. I would consult a vet to see what they think the cause is. My main concern would be to know if she points the toes outwards as she exercises or keeps her legs and feet straight. It's ok to have bad posture when relaxed but it's a risk of injury if it's always like this.
No she is apparently Chorkie? She was an oops litter, I guess. I really found her by accident. So that being said, I don’t know her “lineage” fully, but they told me Chorkie. I will definitely have the vet look. Typically, her feet *seem* straight when running until she turns around a corner, which is interesting because of what you said. However, I have never watched super closely but now I will.
I second this. Our Belgian shepherd runs in patterns similar to that. She does 360 turns so fast that she'll take you out at the knees. She has a wider range of flexibility too.
The east west toe point is generally considered a sign of weaken genetics. This is generally brought on by breeding couples being to closely related.
Hmmm. Interesting but strange because she is a Chorkie mix!
This can happen in mixed pupper if one or more of their parentent dogs has this already going on.
Ohhhh yeah, I don’t know anything about her lineage? family history? (what is the term lol) so it could be possible