{"id":9540,"date":"2022-03-21T17:33:46","date_gmt":"2022-03-21T15:33:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dogsolutions.co.za\/course\/how-angles-impact-our-dogs\/"},"modified":"2022-04-01T13:26:38","modified_gmt":"2022-04-01T11:26:38","slug":"how-angles-impact-our-dogs","status":"publish","type":"tva_lesson","link":"https:\/\/dogsolutions.co.za\/biokinetic-k9\/course\/how-angles-impact-our-dogs\/","title":{"rendered":"How angles impact our dogs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Structure and Angulation<\/h3>\n

The structure of your dog has a large effect on your dog’s ability to perform certain functions in movement.<\/p>\n

In the resources section there is a super article by Christine Zink and Marcia Schler that looks at all aspects of structure in relation to function.<\/p>\n

The article shows that there are many components of structure affecting the ability of a Working Dog to achieve its best abilities with the goal of a long, injury-free career.<\/p>\n

These components are important to consider when selecting an adult dog for a career as a Working Dog but many handlers that I know enter into sports with a dog that they already have, and they consider doing the sport “for fun”. <\/p>\n

Only afterwards, when going deeper into the sport do novice handlers realize how much more thought and consideration must go into training and competing in their designated “for fun” sport.<\/p>\n

When exercising certain muscles or areas of your dog’s body, it is important to understand how your dog’s structure influences his body, creating weaker and stronger areas.<\/p>\n

It is important that you look at the dog in front of you and determine how their structure impacts your decisions when implementing a conditioning program to help protect the body they were born with.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is just as important for breeders of future Working Dogs to give strong consideration when selecting for the functional, structural characteristics along with temperament, which will allow these dogs to excel in their careers and live long and productive lives.<\/p>\n

It is important to remember that conditioning cannot change your dog’s skeletal structure or angulation BUT it can improve the strength in the parts of the body that may have structural weaknesses thereby decreasing the risks for injuries in those areas.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

\n

What does angulation mean?<\/h3>\n

Angulation is the angle at which long bones meet one another. Angulation, whether overly angled or straighter angled dogs, provide differing strengths and weaknesses to dogs.  Understanding how angles affect strengths and weaknesses will help you understand where there are areas that pose a higher risk for injury and how you can minimize this risk. <\/p>\n

**To follow is a brief overview of front and rear end angulation as it pertains to strength training. There are many more detailed references to angulation available. We are only touching on the main points**<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Shoulder Angulation<\/h3>\n

The ideal: <\/strong> The measurement between the top of the scapula (1) and the shoulder joint (2) should be equal in length to the upper arm which is the length from the shoulder joint (2) to the elbow joint (3)<\/p>\n