Hocks.

What’s a hock, and if you’re a dog owner who doesn’t show their dog or participate in performance events, why should you care?

First things first: Simplistically put, the hock is a joint that corresponds to our own ankles. The dog’s shin bone connects to his hock joint, and that joins one of the bones in the dog’s paw (the talus bone). Ligaments on the inner and outer part of the hock joint hold the bones together. Even if your dog never sets foot in a dog show ring, knowing about her hocks still matters because it will help you know better what your dog is able to do physically when you ask yourself: Can my dog comfortably jog with me over hills for a couple of miles?  Can he jump onto a couch free of pain?  Is catching a frisbee okay for her?

The old expression, “”hocks well let down” means the point of the dog’s hock joint (where the arrow in the picture is pointing) is close to the ground, or that the hocks are short, not long. Generally speaking, low hocks, short hocks, or hocks that are “well let down” suggest a breed that needs to have endurance. Sledge breeds and cart dogs need endurance and power, and thus have hocks that are well let down (from the Alaskan Malamute AKC standard: “Hindquarters: …hock joints are moderately bent and well let down.”)

Conversely, high, or long hocks appear in animals that need a short burst of speed, like, say, jackrabbits.

That said, the length of a puppy’s hock is relative to its end size as an adult. Some feel that shorter hocks are more desirable in most breeds as they often go with better turn of stifle (the knee) and a better transmission of drive.

Tonight as you’re petting your dog, feel his or her hock joint and become familiar with it. As you watch other dogs in the future, compare their hocks joints and see if you can tell which are “long” and which are “short.”