year & a half male leaning could it be the hips??????

[dakotaandhearts]

Hello, I have a male GS who is a year and a half the past few days he has been leaning on me a lot which he has never done before. Could it be a hip issue?? He's eating and playing normally and is having normal bowl movements but the leaning is strange... I'm worried he's in pain... can anyone help me out with some opinions...


Thanks

[N Smith]

The only way to know if its hips is to do xrays, if you are really worried, I would call and make an appt. Now is the perfect time for pre-lims anyway, that way you can have some piece of mind, or know what you are dealing with.

Dogs lean on people for a variety of reasons (Usually behavioral or attention seeking behavior), I have never heard of the leaning being related to hips, but I don't think its impossible for it to be.

Let us know if you decide to go ahead with xrays, I am very interested in hearing the results.

[carmspack]

look at your avatar - you are hugging the dog -- the dog leans on you - some just like to make physical contact.

[dakotaandhearts]

I thought it was just an attention thing but then I was discussing it with some coworkers and someone mentioned the hips and my heart stopped for a second... so I figured I would see what the GS people had to say before I took him in for poking, prodding and x-rays... thanks for your feedback I will definitely be keeping an eye on this new behavior and come back with any updates

much appreciated

[Freestep]

Usually leaning is an attention-seeking behavior, a lot of big dogs do it just to feel close to their humans. I never thought hips would have anything to do with it, but I'm sure that dysplastic dogs lean on people too.

Has your dog had a hard time getting up or down lately? Does he balk at stairs or steps? Do walks and exercise really wear him out? How is his gait? Does he look atheletic or clumsy when he runs?

How much does your dog weigh? It seems the bigger and heavier they are, the more they lean!

Edited to add: now is a good time to do hip and elbow x-rays anyway, just so you know one way or the other.

[dakotaandhearts]

@ carmspack - in the photo I'm hugging him yes. However, this new behavior is me standing at the sink or in front of the mirror and he just comes up and leans. He's putting his weight on me. I realize this is dog behavior as I've seen it in other dogs but it's not typical for him. I just wanted to get some opinions on this.

[Marnie]

I wouldn't consider leaning a sign of anything but the desire for contact. Xrays require anesthesia so I personally wouldn't go there unless you see a clear need. But as Freestep said, if you xray the hips and elbows now, you will know what to expect in the future and you can either stop worrying or start worrying with good cause.

[Sunflowers]

You never heard of the famous GSD lean?

[dakotaandhearts]

@ freestep - he weighs about 105 right now. Everything else about his behavior has been normal. He cuddles with me on the couch or in bed so I know he does love that physical contact element this leaning however just started at first I thought it was cute but as soon as I heard the word hips it just set off a red flag.. He has no trouble getting up or down or jumping. He skips the last 3 steps on the stairs but he's always done that, the stairs are steep so he just jumps. We exercise a lot! I suppose I could tone it down a bit, maybe I am over working him….

Thanks everyone, I do appreciate it!

[Sunflowers]

No jumping the last three steps is what I was told.