A retriever is a dog bred specifically to retrieve birds or other small game.They are usually sent to the scene where a shot animal has fallen, or to search a field for wounded but still alive game to return it to the hunter as quickly as possible. Examples of game animals are pheasants, mallards and hares. Dummies of different weights are used in training to simulate the retrieval of different game species. The aim of this non-randomised prospective study was to determine whether peak vertical force, vertical impulse and paw-forelimb contact area increase when different weights are carried and whether the symmetrical weight distribution between contralateral limb pairs is disturbed. Ten actively working Labrador retrievers walked on a pressure plate with or without dummies weighing 0.5, 2.0, and 4.0 kg. The aim of this study was to determine whether vertical ground reaction forces and paw-pad contact area increase in the thoracic limbs when carrying different loads and whether the symmetrical load distribution between the contralateral limbs and the thoracic limbs is disrupted.
ResultsA: Peak vertical force and vertical impulse were significantly increased in the thoracic limbs and decreased in the pelvic limbs in all cases of load bearing.
ConclusionsA: These results demonstrate a significant effect of weight bearing in the dog's mouth on ground reaction forces, which likely cause additional stress on the joints of the thoracic limbs. Carrying game or a dummy is likely to change the load distribution of the thoracic limbs.
Bockstahler B, Tichy A, Aigner P. Compensatory load redistribution in Labrador retrievers when carrying different weights-a non-randomized prospective trial. BMC Vet Res. 2016 Jun 7;12:92. doi: 10.1186/s12917-016-0715-7. PMID: 27268096; PMCID: PMC4897959
