Is it bad for your dog to land on his back legs after a jump?

I noticed that in some of the pictures in the photo album it looks like when Bailey jumps up and down he lands on his back two legs first, as opposed to all four at the same time. My black lab also does this and I've noticed that is it common in Labs. I've heard this is very bad for their hips and knees. Has Bailey had any problems? I'm just trying to get as much information about this as possible.

- Signed a concerned Lab owner

BaileySports Answer:

Its true that you don't want your pup jumping up and coming down with all the force on the hind legs. Especially where labs are concerened as they have tendancies towards hip and knee issues. So when you work with your dog in frisbee, you really have to hone your skills, as well as yur pup's, so that you can place that disc where you want it and where your dog can make a proper attempt at it.

There are really two normal leaping standards that your dog should be making when going for the disc.

1. The first one is where he is jumping straight up to catch a disc that has been thrown just above his head from directly in front of him. I call this leap a back flip even though it's not technically a full back flip. Your dog will launch straight up as if he's about to do a backflip, but at the apex of the leap, where he is hopfully catching the disc, he will roll his body over and land on his front paws now facing to the side or away from you. Dogs pretty much instinctively do this on their own without much training, but it is VERY important that you place the disc in the proper spot, especially early on. You should get with an experienced Disc Dogger that can assist you in person before trying this on your own. There are other issues to consider as well before you start this type of training, such as th AGE of your pup. You don't want to start until at least past 18 months.


2. The second standard is exactly that, the STANDARD run and jump to catch the frisbee. Here it's not as important that they not land on their back legs, as long as they have forward momentum. It's of course best to have your pooch launch and land on all fours after a catch, but most dogs, when moving forward to catch a frisbee, will jump up to catch the disc then their their trailing hind legs will touch down first, but their forward momentum distributes the force to all four legs as the front paws touch down because the force is more horizontal.

So while in some of the photos where Bailey is jumping straight up it may look like he is going to land on his back paws, he actually spins and rolls in the air to land on his front paws or all four after the catch.

Bailey does land on his back legs when going forward to retrieve the disc. That is why I try to always lead him to the frisbee with my throws.

There is always danger in ANY activity we do that involves heavy physical activity. But Bailey loves chasing the disc and I wouldn't take it away from him for the world. I just make sure that I practice and keep my skills at a high enough level to minimize any dangerous positions for my frisbee chomping machine.

It's a personal choice, and you have to decided if the risk is worth the reward for you and your dog. If you do want to get into Disc Dogging with your lab I highly suggest that you work on two things that will minimize the chances of injury (this goes for ANY heavy physical activity you want to take up with your four-legger):

1. Proper diet and weight maintenance is KEY to keeping your friend injury free. Bailey's food intake is strictly monitored, and his weight is maintained at a constant 67 pounds. The lighter your dog, the less weight he has to manage while flying through the air.


2. Exercise! Exercise! Exercise! The more fit your pup is, again, the less likely that there will be any injuries. I run (play ball, frisbee or ride the bike with him at my side) Bailey at minimum about 1:30 hours everyday. I like to get him 2 hours if I can. You need to work up to the longer intense workouts, Bailey is in very good shape. But at minimum you should be walking your dog for at least 1 hour a day in general.

Well, I hope this wasn't too long and rambling. And I hope I answered your question.

Good luck with your lab, and I hope to meet you and your lab someday. I love seeing the labbies chomping spinning pastic! At the last competition I was at 1st and 2nd place were labs! Here they come!

Jz and Da Bailey