28/08/2026
What Can a Dog’s Standing Posture Tell Us?
I’ll be completely honest: I’m not a big fan of asking dogs to stand on command.
Most of us have taught our dogs that “stand” means something specific, and often we have to entice them into position with a treat. That can make the posture somewhat artificial. We’re asking the dog to do something rather than simply observing how they naturally choose to stand.
But that doesn’t mean standing isn’t useful as an assessment tool. In fact, a dog’s standing posture can tell us quite a lot.
🟢 What I Look For When Assessing a Dog Standing
When I assess a dog standing, I like to look at them from both sides, from behind, from the front and, where possible, from above. I’m looking at the whole dog rather than focusing on one particular area.
I’m looking at the position of the limbs and whether there is any obvious asymmetry. I’m looking at the pelvis and whether it appears stable and reasonably balanced, and I’m considering how the dog is distributing themselves through all four limbs.
Is one limb appearing to take less weight than another? Is the dog standing squarely, or have they adopted a particular position that might be helping them feel more comfortable?
🟢Looking at the Spine and Pelvis
I spend a lot of time looking at spinal alignment too.
I’m looking at the overall shape and alignment of the spine from the neck, through the thoracic and lumbar regions, into the pelvis and sacrum.
Does the spine appear relatively straight and balanced, or are there obvious changes in the way the dog is holding themselves? Is there a shift or curve that wasn’t there previously? How is the pelvis sitting in relation to the spine, and what is the position of the sacrum?
I’m also interested in how the spine looks from above.
Is the dog symmetrical through the trunk and pelvis, or does one side appear different from the other? Sometimes these subtle changes in alignment can give us useful information about how a dog is choosing to hold and support their body.
🟢 Head and Tail Carriage
Then there’s head and tail carriage.
Is the head being carried neutrally, or is it consistently held low? Is the dog extending or flexing their neck in a way that seems unusual for them?
What is the tail doing? Is it relaxed and symmetrical, or is it being held to one side or in a different position from what we would normally expect?
None of these things, on their own, tells us what is wrong. But together, they can give us clues about how a dog is feeling and how they are choosing to position themselves.
🟢 Looking at Muscle Symmetry
I’m also looking closely at muscle symmetry and muscle mass, particularly through the hindquarters.
Is there a noticeable difference between the muscles on the left and right hindlimb? Is there general muscle wastage through the back end? Does one hindlimb appear smaller than the other?
Sometimes muscle loss can be quite subtle, particularly when you are looking at photographs, but when you see a dog regularly, changes in muscle mass can become much more obvious.
Muscle atrophy can have many different causes, so again, it isn’t diagnostic in itself. But it can be another important piece of information when we consider everything else we are seeing.
🟢 And, Most Importantly, How Comfortable Do They Look?
Does the dog happily stand there, or are they constantly shifting their weight? Do they seem reluctant to stand for any length of time? Do they look more comfortable sitting or lying down?
Are they adopting a wide stance or changing their position frequently?
Sometimes the overall picture is more telling than any individual part.
🟢 Photographs Below: What Can You See?
All of the dogs in these photographs have been seen in my clinic over the last few years and have subsequently been diagnosed by their vets with an orthopaedic/musculoskeletal condition. A few have been diagnosed with hip dysplasia, and several with spinal conditions.
So, as you look through the photographs, have a look at the details.
Can you see how some of the dogs are carrying their heads low?
Can you see differences in their tail carriage?
Do some have a noticeably wider stance?
Does one appear to have shifted their weight more through certain limbs?
Are they perhaps using a broader base of support to help them feel more stable or to redistribute weight?
And, perhaps most importantly, do some of them simply look less comfortable than others?
🟢My Dog Is the One in the Middle
At first glance, you might think she has a lovely, stable stand. But look a little more closely.
Can you see how wide her stance is at the back end and how much of her weight appears to be being taken through her forelimbs?
By positioning herself this way, she can alter how she loads her body and potentially offload some of the weight from her back. She has a known spinal issue, so what might initially look like a nice, solid stance is actually giving us a clue about how she is compensating.
This is why I find standing posture so interesting.
🟢 But Standing Posture Isn’t Diagnostic
I really want to emphasise that none of these observations are diagnostic.
A wide stance doesn’t automatically mean a dog has a spinal problem.
A low head carriage doesn’t automatically mean pain.
Muscle wastage doesn’t tell us exactly what is causing it, and a particular pelvic or spinal position cannot, by itself, diagnose hip dysplasia or any other condition.
As therapists, we have to look at the whole picture — the dog’s history, gait, movement, posture, muscle development, palpation findings and, where appropriate, veterinary investigations and imaging.
Standing posture is simply one small piece of that puzzle.
🟢 What I Find Most Useful: Change
And perhaps one of the most useful things you can observe is change.
If your dog has always stood in a particular way and you suddenly notice a wider stance, a lowered head, a change in tail carriage, altered weight distribution, muscle loss or simply that they no longer look as comfortable standing as they once did, it’s worth paying attention to.
It doesn’t necessarily tell you what is wrong.
But it may be telling you that something has changed and to go for a Veterinary check.
