# Front legs & Back Legs - size difference



## Bigbark (Jan 9, 2021)

semdxb said:


> Hello everyone,
> 
> My minipoo, Luna , is now 6 months old. She previously had troubles with roundworms, and now currently with Giardia, plus she was always super picky and as you may guess, she is smaller than her minipoo friends as she always ate minimal (11,8 inches at shoulder and 7,5pounds @6th month). And now she is in a good premade (balanced) raw diet and eating even more than suggested ( touch wood!  )
> 
> ...


My silver mini boy is just under 6 months old and I noticed that he is less square than he used to be. It seems like his body got longer and his legs now seem a bit too short. (It’s more visible in a full side view). I’m wondering if in both our cases it could just be some wonky adolescent growth that will right itself as they grow.


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

They can surely still be growing at that age, but the general conformation of your poodle suggests to me that she may not be proportionate to standard. Do you have photos of her parents? Were they shown in conformation?

Even if she is off standard, it is unlikely to affect her health. There may an elevated risk for IVDD as the gene that increases risk also causes shorter legs. But she is most likely to live a perfectly normal happy life.

Here's a photo of mine when he was a wonky 6 month old. He was a little high in the rear as is normal for growing puppies.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

At your dog’s age, I don’t think her proportions will change. She might gain a little more height and fill up, but her shape will remain. Conformation depends on the parents and mostly, on the breeding program. Show breeders do care about being true to the poodle standard but the occasional or backyard breeder does not care about it much or even know about it.

Nevertheless, your dog is a cutie and will give you great companionship !


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

At that age, Peggy’s legs often looked unbalanced, but spoos take longer to mature.


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## semdxb (Nov 26, 2020)

Thank you all for the answers.

I can notice that she is not the only one having this unbalanced growth stage, this gives me some hope that she may be in a better shape in some time. I agree that mine will still have high rear as the difference is a little much. I live in Dubai and there are no reputable breeders here. So I had to use a local breeder(since prices are insane for imported ones, around 5-6K $). 
Both mom and dad didn't have this problem as I could see from their photos (they were both on smaller side of minipoo I can say). Also when I got her, I did not observe anything like this. even I visited a vet for general checks in the day I had her.

I think 7th-8th month will be the better time to say how her shape may end up.

Do you think I should visit a vet for this? on my last vet visit a month ago, I did not particularly ask this but also vet said everything seemed normal for her in general

I have one more guess about the reason, which may be irrelevant. From day one (16th week) she always jump to/from sofa and bed, had many runs at home and since my floor is wooden, she was always slipping/spinning around. I was ( and still am) worried she could injure herself while playing. maybe this jumps and spins put her front legs some stress and so on. I don't really know dogs' physiology, I am just thinking out loud.

Thank you again!


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

semdxb said:


> Thank you all for the answers.
> 
> I can notice that she is not the only one having this unbalanced growth stage, this gives me some hope that she may be in a better shape in some time. I agree that mine will still have high rear as the difference is a little much. I live in Dubai and there are no reputable breeders here. So I had to use a local breeder(since prices are insane for imported ones, around 5-6K $).
> Both mom and dad didn't have this problem as I could see from their photos (they were both on smaller side of minipoo I can say). Also when I got her, I did not observe anything like this. even I visited a vet for general checks in the day I had her.
> ...


Your little girl is lovely and I would not be so worried about this. No reason to see the vet about it as you might as well wait until she matures to make any judgements. I don't think there is anything a vet can do to encourage bones to grow differently. She will probably end up looking similar to her parents.

Regarding the slippery floors, you are right to be concerned. A growing puppy develops best when raised on a surface that gives them a good grip. And jumping off of furniture should be discouraged until she is older. At a minimum, I would put a soft rug next to furniture she will jump on and off of, so that she is not impacting her joints so much when she jumps. Rugs and mats are good for reducing the slippery surfaces that puppies play on. That said, I do not think it will have an effect on her conformation. It is more of a concern for joint health so you can ensure she remains a physically healthy dog as she ages.


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## Poodlesandbeagles (Oct 23, 2020)

I agree with everything Raindrops said. I personally would not worry about it. You can also hide some conformational flaws with grooming. You could leave the body hair a little longer and scissor the topline to look level. I also think the groom is making the back legs look longer than they really are. I would suggest taking the hair on the hip a little shorter and blending more into the leg. Your dog is adorable!


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## semdxb (Nov 26, 2020)

Thank you for replies.

I will keep your advices in mind about slippery floors. I've already started to search for a nice rug 

You guys are right that I should wait a little more before any judgement about conformational flaw. (I think till 9th month at least)
After some research on this forum, I already realized that mini poodles can still grow till their first bday, with less growth rate but still. There are some examples that, some parents observed 1,5-2 inches increase in height between 6th-10th months, which is perfect to hear because she may have chance to eliminate the unbalanced parts if this can be the case for us as well.

As you all mentioned, as long as she is healthy and happy, I am not much concerned about her size. Of course I will hope for a square shape for her, but let's see.

And I will keep you posted monthly basis for couple of months under this topic, this may be helpful for other mini poodle parents with same concerns.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

I have wood floors and I bought bath mats to place in front of couches and beds. Bath mats are inexpensive, easy to machine wash and have a rubber slightly sticky backing on them so they don’t slide.

If you have a long hallway, a hall way rug is handy for playing fetch safely.


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