How does his gait look?

[phgsd]

He does look like he's limping slightly in the first treadmill video. In the fetch video, he looks REALLY sore/stiff when he's coming back to you

[Sunflowers]

Ok, took this of him just having a good time a few minutes ago:

Hans pool - YouTube

Hans pool - YouTube

[carmspack]

you can see the dip in his back . from the blue collar backward make a line backwards and you would see an M shape. Just as I thought , short in the upper arm , scapula (flat whithered) needs (ideally) more stifle to thigh - he is too short , too straight . Great explanation here , thanks to Linda Shaw and an article in the German Shepherd Schutzhund Club of Canada's magazine Movement of the Working Dog

sunflowers your dog falls into the 'square type'

now one other thing , movement becomes hardwired , which is why you and I and any other person has a distinct foot print . You do not want him to remain in pace . I would take him off the treadmill and walk him more - slow speed , and each time he rests into the pace I would give him a little nudge , just to unbalance him and get him into a trot .

Co-ordination can be seen in the first steps that the dog takes in the whelping pen ! Weight distribution right from the start .

[carmspack]

some good points here Signs That Your Dog is Suffering From Spinal Problems - Whole Dog Journal Article

but don't panic - think the worst

[Sunflowers]

Well, I worry because whenI posted his pedigree, I was warned to watch for DM.
Yes, he is built like a bread truck, and that is what we wanted, a level top line.
Now I need to find out what to avoid doing-- I am already limiting jumping as much as possible.
I am going to look for an acupuncturist.
Sheesh... I got a working line to avoid physical problems...

[carmspack]

I distinctly said "don't panic " !!! lol

keep your dog on a good clean diet , including anti inflammatory omega 3 , and anti oxidant . I have a good friend with MS , who has made major strides in fighting his disease with exactly that , anti inflammatory, omega 3 and big push with coconut oil -- , which I am proud to say he adopted after listening to my visitors to the "market" telling stories of changes in their dogs --- including a dachshund who had two options , get a set of "wheels" or put down -- the dog made a 180 degree turnaround and was an example on the owners dachshund forum -- "Paul" was one of the speakers at the recent Toronto WholeLiving show

[Sunflowers]

I looked through a bunch of puppy pictures and he had perfectly straight feet.
Could this be a growth stage? I have been reading things about this straightening out when he fills out and the "chest drops." I do not know what that means,
and I would like to know what sort of exercise would be appropriate if we can't do treadmill.
Was 30 to 40 minutes of treadmill in a session too much?
I actually thought gentle walking on the treadmill was less taxing than walking on concrete or playing fetch.

[Liesje]

Personally I can't see a whole lot in the videos so I don't want to start suggesting that there's all these things wrong with your dog. Does he need lots of fetch or treadmill time? He might just be a lower drive dog that doesn't have high energy. Nikon loves to go jogging or biking and will comfortably go 6 miles or so at a time but with the weather what it is now that rarely happens. Other than flyball on Tuesdays he really hasn't gotten any focused exercise in the past week and a half, we've been so busy, and he doesn't really care. Not all GSDs *have* to have tons of daily exercise. I'd say if Hans gets tired, just quit then. I don't think Nikon would play fetch for 20 minutes straight (I'd say after 10 minutes or so he'd get bored or tired and when that happens he will take the ball and lie down away from me rather than running it back to me) but he will do Schutzhund on and off all weekend or flyball 12 times a day at a tournament just fine.

If YOU see a limp or think there's a problem, I'd start with a vet. But if the only problem is he seems to get tired or just doesn't enjoy it after a certain length of time, I wouldn't really push it.

[phgsd]

Do you have any beaches near you? Kessy went through a phase where her pasterns were ugly, I was told that running her on sand would help to tighten up the ligaments. Unfortunately I'm about 3 hours away from any beaches! LOL

They did straighten out on their own as she got older.

I don't think I'd put a dog under a year old (or even under 18 months old) on a treadmill. Fetch is fine...he can slow down when he gets tired.

[carmspack]

do you have any pictures that you can post of him as a pup?
I don't think this is something that he will grow out of -- but you can exaggerate it by straining him in this repetitive motion. 30 to 40 minutes is too long . Do 5 minutes slow walk several times a day . In between do some stretching excercises like yoga - lengthening the muscles, or warmups that a ballerina would do - also lengthening the muscles . The dog at sit - or comfortable stand , take that front leg, cupping the elbow with your palm and push gently , slowly up , slightly rocking so stretch, release (a bit) stretch more, release a bit - two inches forward , one inch back just to give you an idea of the degrees at which you are moving back and forth . Do this till you feel tightness, just go back to the just before , hold , and then rock that arm forward in little stretches. Then you are going to reverse . Instead of that front leg extending out you are going to slowly draw it backwards trying to get that elbow as high (back) as it will go. Do this all the way around, including the rear.
For muscular tension over the back , have dog stand, take index of right and left and feel the muscular band just under the spine , press in lightly , both sides simultaneously , go down entire body moving along in 4 inch progressions . You will feel the tension , when it relaxes, and will see a flick response elsewhere in the body. There is a neurological test if you press on one foot another foot will respond with movement -- this indicates a faulty wiring - is it DM this test is for ???