Boxers have them. So do Greyhounds, Black and Tan Coonhounds and Bloodhounds. The Japanese Akita has them too, and its breed standard calls for them: “Feet [that] are cat-like, thickly padded, round, well-knuckled and tight with a firm grip.”
Well-knuckled feet? What on earth does that mean? The simplistic answer is that in a dog, it’s a foot that is the opposite of “flat footed.” The longer answer is that when the joints of the toes between the first and second, and the second and third bones (called phalange bones) are formed correctly, there’s a “bump,” or more properly, a protuberance that results in high, or well arched toes (as seen in the picture). Its evidence of good angulation in those phalanges (nearly 90 degrees).
Feet move a dog, of course, but they are also essentially “shock absorbers.” During movement (as the weight of the dog shifts forward), the ball of her foot becomes a fulcrum and her pasterns and toes become a lever. Poorly knuckled toes (or flat feet) lessen the angle of the fulcrum resulting in less lift. Flat feet will impact the dog’s efficiency and reduce her stamina. Feet matter!