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3 legged dogs

4K views 13 replies 11 participants last post by  dpate 
#1 ·
I had a dog dropped off for training about a week ago and she's a three wheeler. Owner wanted me to evaluate her and would like to use her as a gun dog and have her trained.

The dog is great from what I've seen so far and seems to get around surprisingly well. My question is what is the likelihood of her having problems with her one rear leg should they decide to have her trained and hunt her. She is fairly high drive and I see how much pressure she puts on that one leg and it scares me.

Figured there might be a few people on here that have had experience with a 3 legger.
 
#3 · (Edited)
You mean like?



Chris can tell you all about that hunting trip.

There is also a U-Tube clip on here somewhere of a 3 wheeler running a Master stake at the Lee Kay Center SLC Utah
 
#4 ·
that is awesome, my friend had a 3 legged vizula that would hobble around when it would walk but had no problem running, very birdy and it didnt slow him down on retrieves

Chris tell us about the hunting trip... PLEASE
 
#6 ·
Chris tell us about the hunting trip... PLEASE
It's a scary story, but many lessons were learned. Shows how quickly things can happen.
 
#5 ·
Me personally if I wanted to keep up the training, hunting and testing I would give a supplement for joints. All of the wear and tear on her one hip, I would want to help her all I could to reduce wear and tear. Just my 2 cents.
 
#9 ·
http://www.retrievertraining.net/forums/showthread.php?t=63373&highlight=lanny+mossy

There are several threads still around about Luke and other 3 legged dogs. Many of the posts about the hunting accident that cost his leg are lost from the database.

I believe that a rear leg missing is a bit easier on a dog than a front leg missing. They seem to bear more weight on the front and they run and turn easier with two fronts and one rear. Open water swimming is no problem with a missing rear leg. Hopping over sticks and crud, however, with only a pogo stick on the back is problematic. :cool:

Luke died in 2008, I believe. He had a good life and lived about 5 years on three legs. He hunted, hunt tested, etc.

Two rear legs means the dog's got a spare. One rear leg means the dog will be in pretty good shape, but if he looses that one, it's going to be tough. As long as the remaining leg is structurally sound, and the dog is kept in good condition and not allowed to get overweight, the dog may live a normal life, just as long as any 4 legged dog would.

Luke was actually featured in the March 2011 Field and Stream magazine in the Eukanuba ad. I was tickled when I got the call from an old buddy doing the F&S advertising who asked if Luke was a Euk dog. I got really choked up going through old Luke photos to find one that they wanted for the ad.

Luke and his sire Champ pretty much raised me from a punk kid to a middle-aged guy.

Take good care of that back wheel!

Chris
 
#11 ·
3 legs brings memories and tears! Nilaks Cool and Groovy MH aka Austin lost a rear wheel due to cancer. At 5 years old with an amateur win we were coming back from a Shreveport trial when we noticed the limp, rest did not help, it was not an ACL. John Sherman at Vet Hab took over and the NC State research center finally found the bad news. Austin lost the leg at the hip on a Monday. He came home on Tuesday and could not lay down as he just spun around the kitchen, finally marty laid down on the floor with him and he settled. From that night on he was marty's. On that Thursday Austin was resting in the truck as others trained, he made so much noise that finally we got him out. It was clear he wanted to work. A short blind was planted and he made it out there and he asked for another. If you could have seen him run with bone flopping, stiches bleeding. We realized he was a retriever and wanted his ducks.

Soon he was sent back to John and Crystal for rehab- yes we spent money to rehab a 3 legged choclate lab. He was entered in his first hunt test, a master test at that. he went on to become a master hunter and qualified and ran at the 2006 MN in California. In 2007 Austin took a second in a Canadian Amateur, they still talk about the 3 legged dog and not the team that won. That year a double handle in the 8th at the National ended his run. The cancer returned that winter and Austin could not win the second time.

Many of the people in the southeastwill recall the brown dog with the big heart, we see him every day in Powers his offspring that will soon turn 3.

I would do it again and not bat an eye.
Dave and Marty Kress
 
#12 ·
3 legs brings memories and tears! Nilaks Cool and Groovy MH aka Austin lost a rear wheel due to cancer. At 5 years old with an amateur win we were coming back from a Shreveport trial when we noticed the limp, rest did not help, it was not an ACL. John Sherman at Vet Hab took over and the NC State research center finally found the bad news. Austin lost the leg at the hip on a Monday. He came home on Tuesday and could not lay down as he just spun around the kitchen, finally marty laid down on the floor with him and he settled. From that night on he was marty's. On that Thursday Austin was resting in the truck as others trained, he made so much noise that finally we got him out. It was clear he wanted to work. A short blind was planted and he made it out there and he asked for another. If you could have seen him run with bone flopping, stiches bleeding. We realized he was a retriever and wanted his ducks.

Soon he was sent back to John and Crystal for rehab- yes we spent money to rehab a 3 legged choclate lab. He was entered in his first hunt test, a master test at that. he went on to become a master hunter and qualified and ran at the 2006 MN in California. In 2007 Austin took a second in a Canadian Amateur, they still talk about the 3 legged dog and not the team that won. That year a double handle in the 8th at the National ended his run. The cancer returned that winter and Austin could not win the second time.

Many of the people in the southeastwill recall the brown dog with the big heart, we see him every day in Powers his offspring that will soon turn 3.

I would do it again and not bat an eye.
Dave and Marty Kress
I never got to meet Austin, but I'm sure glad I got to meet Powers! (And Marty and Dave too)

Thanks for coming to Pinckneyville and giving up your weekend!

Chris
 
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