08/25/2026
What can your dog’s sit tell you?
Your dog’s sit isn’t just about whether their bottom reaches the floor.
For me, a dog’s sit can tell us quite a lot about how they are using their body.
Most Canine Therapist, will use a sit to look at things like spinal alignment, pelvic control, limb loading, strength and overall body awareness.
When a dog sits, they have to control themselves through the spine, pelvis, core and forelimbs. So if we notice something unusual in another position, it can be really useful to see whether the same thing happens when they sit.
So, what are we actually looking for?
🟢 Spine and pelvis
Ideally, we want to see a relatively straight and controlled spine from the head through to the tail.
We don’t want to see excessive rounding through the lumbar or thoracic spine, or the pelvis being tucked excessively underneath the dog.
A tucked pelvis and rounded lower back can alter how the hindlimbs are loaded. You might also notice the dog sitting heavily on the back of the pelvis or tucking their tail underneath them.
But it’s important not to simply label this as a “bad sit”.
There could be a reason why the dog is choosing that position, and that’s what we need to consider.
🟢 Hindlimb position
When a dog sits well, we want to see the hindlimbs flexing through the hip, stifle and hock while staying underneath the body.
Things I look for include:
• No obvious side-sitting
• No hindlimbs drifting or being pushed out to one side
• Hindlimbs staying underneath the dog
• Relatively even weight-bearing
• Good functional movement through the whole hindlimb
I also like to look at the relationship between the stifle and the toes.
Ideally, the stifle should sit in front of the toes rather than the dog simply dropping backwards into the sit.
If we see a lot of stifle flexion but the hip and hock remain relatively open, this may be part of a compensation. Some dogs will also externally rotate the hip to reduce the load on certain structures.
🟢 What are the forelimbs doing?
It’s very easy to focus on the back end and forget about the front.
The thoracic sling and shoulder girdle are working during a sit too, so the position of the forelimbs can give us some useful information.
If the dog shifts their weight backwards, you may notice the front paws moving forwards and the elbows sitting behind them.
Ideally, we want the forepaws to remain relatively underneath the elbows, helping the dog maintain a more balanced distribution of weight and better engagement through the thoracic sling.
🟢 This is where the sit gets really interesting
A sit can give us information about strength, control, proprioception and the ways a dog may be compensating.
But I don’t think the answer is always to simply practise more sits.
For some dogs, particularly those with spinal pain, spinal pathology or suspected spinal dysfunction, repeatedly asking for a sit may not be appropriate. It could be too demanding or potentially reinforce the way they are already compensating.
Sometimes the sit itself is giving us the information we need.
If a dog consistently sits crooked, collapses through the lumbar spine, shifts their weight onto one side, struggles to bring the hindlimbs underneath them or avoids loading one limb, I’d want to know why.
What are they struggling to control?
Where are they choosing to take the weight off?
And what happens when we change the task?
These little details can tell us a surprising amount about how a dog is using their body and whether further assessment might be useful.
🟢 A note on posture exercises
Postural exercises, including the Posture Sit and Posture Down, have been described as useful for developing core stability, proprioception and awareness of alignment (Farr, Ramos & Otto, 2020).
But for me, it’s always quality over quantity.
We’re not simply teaching a dog to “sit”.
We’re looking at how they sit.
And sometimes, the way a dog sits can tell us much more than the sit itself.
🟢 Next time your dog sits, have a proper look.
Don’t just look at whether their bottom is on the floor.
Look at the spine.
The pelvis.
The hindlimbs.
The stifles and hocks.
The forelimbs.
And where they’re actually putting their weight.
Are they stacking themselves nicely?
Or are they compensating somewhere?
Because sometimes, that’s where the really interesting information is.
🟢 Before we assess the sit
There are a few simple things we need to check first.
Make sure your dog is sitting on an even, non-slip surface and has enough space around them.
We also want your dog looking straight ahead.
If you’re using treats as a reward, try to stand directly in front of your dog and offer the treat straight in front of their nose.
If you stand to the side or make your dog reach or turn their head towards the treat, you can change their posture and weight distribution without realising it.
The same applies to distractions. If your dog is looking off to one side, sitting next to furniture, or reacting to something around them, their sit may naturally look uneven.
So before deciding that a dog has a crooked or unusual sit, make sure we’ve controlled the things around them that could influence their position.
We’re trying to see how the dog chooses to sit, rather than accidentally creating a different posture for them.
And remember, one unusual sit doesn’t necessarily mean there’s a problem. It’s the patterns we see repeatedly, and the changes between different positions, that can give us the most useful information.
Can you spot the good and bad sits in the photos? 👀
