Different conformations of the German shepherd dog breed affect its posture and movement.
Authors
Humphries, A
Shaheen, AF
Gómez Álvarez, CB
Publication Date
2020-10-15Journal Title
Sci Rep
ISSN
2045-2322
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Volume
10
Issue
1
Language
en
Type
Article
This Version
VoR
Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Humphries, A., Shaheen, A., & Gómez Álvarez, C. (2020). Different conformations of the German shepherd dog breed affect its posture and movement.. Sci Rep, 10 (1) https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-73550-x
Description
Funder: The Kennel Club Charitable Trust
Abstract
The conformation of the German shepherd dog (GSD) varies considerably within the breed. These differences may result in large variation in the movement and limb loading and undesirable consequences to their musculoskeletal health. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between conformation and biomechanical measures in 60 GSDs. Full body kinematic and kinetic measures were computed from 3D motion capture and pressure data. The dogs were divided into groups based on their back slope and curvature. Correlation analysis and statistical differences between groups showed that GSDs with a greater back slope have a greater contact area in their forelimbs and place them closer together when standing (n = 60). During trot, the dogs with sloped back showed a greater vertical force in the forelimbs and a greater mid-thoracic flexion (n = 60). Unilateral differences were found in the stifle flexion, hock flexion and hock adduction, suggesting greater movement asymmetry with an increase in the back slope (n = 30). In conclusion, several biomechanical parameters are affected by the GSD's slope of the back and not by its curvature. Further studies are required to determine whether the variation in movement, posture and conformation within the breed relates to an increased susceptibility to musculoskeletal disorders.
Keywords
Article, /631/601/1737, /631/601/1332, article
Identifiers
s41598-020-73550-x, 73550
External DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-73550-x
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/329506
Rights
Licence:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Statistics
Total file downloads (since January 2020). For more information on metrics see the
IRUS guide.
Recommended or similar items
The current recommendation prototype on the Apollo Repository will be turned off on 03 February 2023. Although the pilot has been fruitful for both parties, the service provider IKVA is focusing on horizon scanning products and so the recommender service can no longer be supported. We recognise the importance of recommender services in supporting research discovery and are evaluating offerings from other service providers. If you would like to offer feedback on this decision please contact us on: support@repository.cam.ac.uk