Strive K9

06/22/2022

"Puppies with no confidence are pleasant to raise.

06/22/2022

If you like to stay active with your dog this stuff is IMPORTANT. Without having the proper structure your dog won't be able to physically do the things they love to do with you.

Dog fanciers (people who show and/or responsibly breed their purebred dogs) tend to talk a lot about "angulation," but pet owners should know what "angulation" means too because it can impact, for example, their decision to jog with their dog, for how long and on what kind of surface.

Simplistically put, "angulation" refers to the angles formed when a dog's bones meet when standing up. Angles form in a dog's shoulders, hip joints, pelvic area, rear assembly, and other places we'll discuss over time. For now, however, we're talking about a dog's rear angulation.

"Proper" angulation for a dog's breed enables the dog to do the job for which it was originally bred. Generally speaking, too much angulation (the diagram at the left) can lead to joint, nerve and muscle damage. Too little (seen at the right) is called being "straight in the rear." Too little AND too much angulation results in a dog with reduced endurance. A dog's loyalty and big heart will compel it to keep up with its jogging owner for miles, but if the dog is built incorrectly, it will suffer. Over time, the dog may become arthritic and it's owner will never know that all that jogging wasn't helpful because they didn't know the importance of structure. Don't be that person.

There are many books on the subject, but we prefer books that are easy to understand and well illustrated. The first would have to be the classic by Rachel Page Elliot, "Dogsteps, Illustrated Gait at a Glance." Another book is "What's Your Angle: Understanding Angulation and Structure for the Performance Dog Paperback" by Helen Grinnell King. We also came across a web page you may want to review to learn a bit more: http://www.worldwideboxer.com/movement3.html

06/22/2022

06/18/2022

05/23/2022

05/19/2022

Great news!

WE DID IT!! Genetic testing for risk of cruciate ligament rupture in the Labrador Retriever is here.

Cruciate ligament rupture is a common problem in several popular breeds including the Labrador Retriever, Rottweiler, and Newfoundland, equivalent to anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture in human beings. We have been working on this study for many years and are now exceptionally pleased to announce the availability of a genetic screening test for risk of cruciate ligament rupture in Labradors. This is a marker-based risk test because cruciate ligament rupture is influenced by changes in many different genes and is different from most genetic testing in dogs. For more information about this test, it’s value and information about this disease, please visit:

https://www.vetmed.wisc.edu/lab/corl/canine-genetic-testing/

We are extremely grateful to the community that we work with for supporting this endeavor. Please look out for future updates on progress with this program, as we are now focusing effort on extending this cruciate ligament rupture genetic testing to other high-risk breeds including the Rottweiler and the Newfoundland.

Availability of genetic testing.
We are currently setting up this genetic testing service at the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison. We anticipate the cost of the marker-based risk test will be ~$250. We welcome expressions of interest or questions about this important development in the Comparative Genetics and Orthopaedic Research Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Please email us if you are interested in getting your Labrador Retriever tested.

[email protected]

05/06/2022