Whether their task is to hunt or to herd, well bred dogs are built to do their job, and that fact is bone deep. Literally.

Flat, or oval bones, are more elliptical and less rounded than “round” bones, and in most most breed, such bones are typically found in the pelvis, shoulder blade and skull. Some breeds, however, call for flat bones in other places, as well.  Why? Because flat bones weigh less, and that’s an advantage to some sighthounds, hunting dogs and herding breeds, so much so, that some breed standards call for it: 

• The Pointer standard calls for “Forelegs straight and with oval bone.”
• The standard of the Belgian Tervuren reads, “Legs straight and parallel, perpendicular to the ground. Bone oval rather than round;“
• Poitevin, a large scenthound from France, has a standard that calls for forelegs to be “straight, muscular, lean and broad, with flat bone.“
• Field Spaniel: “Forequarters: Shoulders blades are oblique and sloping. The upper arm is closed-set; elbows are directly below the withers, and turn neither in nor out. Bone is flat.“

Conversely, round bones resist lateral contact and stress. It’s found on breeds like the Shar-Pei and Basset Hound, and can also be found in certain breed standards:

Under “forequarters,” the Lowchen standard reads, “The bone is more round than oval and of medium size with only a slight decrease in size at the pasterns;”

From the FCI’s Doberman standard with regards to forequarters: “…with round bone in proportion to body structure;”

One wouldn’t build a house without architectural plans, and in the house of good heritage breeders, the breed standard is usually the most dog-eared document in the house.

Image of Belgian Tervuren by Wolf Shadow Photography is available here.