Why does my Border Collie puppy have short legs like a Dachshund?

This is a very lanky breed until they fill out, sometimes after 1 year of age. The best you can do is keep Bryn on a puppy food (following the directions on the food label for how much) and make sure she gets plenty of exercise to build lean muscle.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center to address your concern. Based on your description, I would recommend having a veterinarian examine her and also have x-rays taken of her legs / hips and see if there are any developmental abnormalities. Just the other day, I had a 6 month old dog with such severe hip dysplasia, one hip was dislocated and the other was on the verge due to the severe dysplastic nature of the hip joints. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! While I agree that he may have Corgi in him, I do not think that he is more likely to develop leg issues. At least based on how he looks now, I think he will be ok. He is so handsome! Good luck and have a great day!

I am not aware of a specific name for this, but it is very common in dachshunds. Any dogs that have shorter than normal legs (like Dachshund or Basset Hound) can have a twisting appearance to the front limbs as the bones grow and harden. It can be a heritable condition, so dogs that are affected should not be bred. The twisting bones themselves shouldn't cause problems, but since his anatomy is not completely normal, he may be predisposed to developing arthritis as he gets older. Making sure that he stays a lean body weight and continues to get exercise will help a lot.

It's difficult to say exactly from your description, or even just by looking at any dog. If you're wondering if he has congenital hypothyroidism, which is also called "dwarfism" or "cretinism," there is a relatively simple blood test that can be submitted by your vet to determine his thyroid function. A low functioning thyroid causes dogs not to grow to normal stature.

It is impossible to determine before her permanent cat comes in. Some puppies start shedding their baby coat at around 4-6 months of age, others do not get their permanent coat until they are about 10 to 15 months old. When the adult hair coat comes in you will see whether she will be long or short haired.

I can't really compare the size of the front and back legs from the angle of the picture. The way she is sitting it is also hard to see her conformation or body size. Some dogs can have stunted growth as compared to other dogs in the litter from being the runt, having a congenital disorder (like a liver shunt), intestinal parasites, or from poor nutrition. I recommend that you have Sandie checked out by a vet who will be able to look at her bone size, body weight, body condition, and can perform testing to see if there is something to be done to help her catch up.