Biewer Terrier Standard: The hindquarters are well balanced with the forequarters, and the rear angulation matches the front. The hindquarters are straight and muscular when viewed from behind with well bent stifles. The hocks are short, well let down…
Let’s refer to the Anatomy of the Biewer Terrier once again. As you can see in this diagram, the hindquarters, when viewed from the side, consist of the ischium, the upper thigh, the lower thigh, the stifle, and the hock. The dog’s hindquarters are built for locomotion and power. To break it down a bit further, looking at the bones that form the hindquarters, the pelvic girdle is at the top. Part of the pelvic girdle that is illustrated in the diagram is the ischium, which is the rear-facing bone that forms the point of the buttocks. The upper thigh consists of the femur bone, which forms the ball and socket hip joint at the pelvis, and the stifle joint, which is the knee or patella. The lower thigh includes two bones, the tibia and fibula (tib-fib), which are joined at the hock. The tibia is the main weight-bearing bone, and the fibula provides lateral stability to the ankle joint.
Diagram A is the Correct Set: this diagram shows the correct angulation of the bones and joints of the hindquarters. The pelvis lies approximately at a 30-degree angle to the horizontal. The hip joint forms an angle of about 90 degrees between the pelvis and femur. The rear is properly balanced when a vertical line is dropped from the ischium through the lower third of the lower thigh. This structure provides strong locomotion and reach in the dog’s movement. The hocks, when viewed from the side in this diagram, are well let down.
Diagram B is referred to as a Straight Rear: it shows a vertical line passing through the hock, which is in the middle or behind the dog’s toes, resulting in a lack of angulation. This results in a shorter stride, a more stilted gait, and less shock absorption.
Diagram C shows Over-Angulation: in this example, the vertical line passes through the middle of the lower thigh, sometimes called the second thigh. The dog may appear to be continually crouching. The legs are set too far under the body, which is also called sickle hocks. This results in inefficient movement; the dog cannot fully extend its rear legs, which may cause the dog to tire easily.
Download a copy of Education Corner – Hindquarters from Side