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THE LEGS .
"The LEGS should be big-boned but not to the point of coarseness; the forelegs should be of moderate length, perfectly straight, and the dog must stand firmly upon them.
The ELBOWS must turn neither in nor out, and the pasterns should be strong and upright.
The HIND LEGS should be parallel viewed from behind. The thighs very muscular with hocks well let down. Hind pasterns short and upright. The stifle joint should be well bent with a well-developed second thigh.
The FEET round and compact with well-arched toes like a cat."
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Discussion
The Standard calls for straight front legs with elbows pointing straight back and the middle toes straight forward. Most deviations from this ideal are characteristics stemming from the bulldog ancestry; out at the elbows, curved or bowed front legs, feet pointing "east and west:.
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A correct front showing a broad chest and straight forelegs properly attached to the shoulders, feet pointing straight ahead. |
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A bulldog front, with curved forelegs and elbows pointing outward, wrists and feet pointing "east and west".
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Discussion
The hind legs can reflect the bulldog ancestry by being straight in stifle, lacking a muscular second thigh, and bowing out at the stifle or in at the hocks. Faulty conformation of the hindquarters can be not only an unsightly weakness in a muscular, agile dog, but can be a harbinger of arthritis or joint disease, whereas straight shoulders and crooked front legs are not so pathological.
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A muscular hind leg with a well developed second thigh, nicely angulated at the stifle. The bone between the hock and the foot is short and strong in this excellent example.
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| Correct hindquarters from the rear. The legs are muscular, straight and parallel with the front legs. |
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Incorrect hindquarters with "cow hocks". The hocks are closer together than the feet, which point outwards. |
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Bowed stifles viewed from the rear. This is a weak, unsound construction usually inadequately muscled and characterized by short, choppy hind action. |
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A straight hind leg lacking over- all muscling and showing very little angulation at the stifle joint. |
This stifle joint is overbent and while seemingly desirable is actually a weak construction often associated with "cow hocks"
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A weak hind leg bowed laterally at the stifle joint. |
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