Maybe you’ve noticed that your dog sits a little lopsided. Maybe he always sits on one hip, puts all of his weight on the front and totally rotates the body and lays down? Or maybe he can’t get his butt all the way to the ground? Or maybe she sits down normal and immediately plops on one hip? There are a lot of variations of an imperfect sit and you are right to notice.
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The perfect sit is square. The weight should be evenly distributed between all 4 feet. They should form a little box.
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It doesn’t matter if your dog plants the front feet and jumps the back feet forward or if your dog puts her rump down and backs the front feet towards the rump. As long as the sit is square. That’s perfect.
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And we call it sit pretty. And there’s a reason we have a name for it. Stay tuned. Let me describe a little bit about biomechanics here and then we will talk about physical training using the “sit pretty“.
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Any of the above listed crooked examples are indications that your dogs’ body is out of alignment. Using my favorite analogy, the car is due for an alignment. What makes a car go out of alignment? Gravity. Potholes. Speed bumps. Taking a curb too tight. Oh. You were asking about your dog. Well strangely enough, it’s the same thing. Dogs = cars.
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Dogs have so much fun! They are exuberant when they run around. And they hit a pothole and their rear end goes out of alignment and they compensate. For a while.If they hit that pothole too hard or the rear end stays out of alignment for too long, accompanied with eating a mediocre diet of kibble, it’s common that they damage a cruciate ligament in one of their back legs.
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But sitting crooked doesn’t mean a torn cruciate ligament! I’m not trying to imply that at all.
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What I’m trying to suggest is that if you look at your precious pooch and notice that she or he is sitting a little sloppy- then the car is out of alignment and we absolutely do not want to end up with a torn cruciate ligament.
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So- first step is to find a doggy Chiropractor (such as myself or any of my amazing colleagues).
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And then we need physical rehabilitation – which takes us back to that “sit pretty“.
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Here is the “sit pretty” explained: if you notice your pup sitting sloppy, either use a treat or gently with your hands position her body so that she’s sitting straight. Then say. Good! And give a reward. You know a little snack. And you will teach him or her to “sit pretty.”
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By sitting pretty, your pup is using the body correctly; in a balanced manner. So basically trying really hard to drive the car straight.
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What does chiropractic do? It lines the joints back up, helps all of the joints move freely and properly, and helps the signals from the brain go to all of the parts of the body to drive the car in the best, most efficient manner possible.
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Consultations available in Tampa, Clearwater and virtually for pet owners seeking natural wellness solutions.