Dog Anatomy

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Ear: The auditory organ consisting of three regions: inner ear, middle ear, and the pinna (or leather).

Skull: The bony structure of the head.

Stop: The indentation between the eyes.

Muzzle: The head in front of the eyes – nasal bones, nostrils and jaws; foreface.

Nose: Organ of olfaction.

Cheek: The fleshy regions at the sides of the head.

Neck: The part of body which distinguishes the head and the torso (trunk).

Shoulder: The formation of the shoulder blade and the upper arm.

Upper Arm: The bone of the foreleg, between the shoulder blade and the forearm.

Forearm: The portion of the forelimb between the upper arm and the wrist.

Wrist: The joint between forearm and pastern on the front legs.

Pastern: The metacarpal bones of the front leg between the carpus and the foot and the metatarsal bones and the hind leg between the hock and the foot.

Toes: The digits of the foot.

Stopper Pad: The fleshy cushion on the front legs situated at the back of the wrist.

Elbow: The joint in the front leg where the upper arm meets the forearm.

Brisket: Usually refers to the sternum, but in some standards it refers to the entire thorax.

Pad: Tough, shock-absorbing projections on the underside of the feet; soles.

Hock: The collection of bones of the hind leg forming the joint between the second thigh and the metatarsus. (This is the ankle in man).

Hock Joint: The joint on the hind limb located between the lower thigh and the rear pastern.

Stifle: The joint of the hind leg between the thigh and the second thigh; the dog’s knee.

Upper Thigh: The area between the hip joint above and the stifle below.

Croup (Rump): The region of the pelvic girdle.

Loin: The region of the body associated with the lumbar portion of the vertebrae (behind the ribs and before the pelvic girdle).

Tail: The section at the rear end of the body.

Ribs: The long curved bones which form the ribcage.

Back: The dorsal surface (topline) of the dog, usually extending from the withers.

Withers: The region defined by the dorsal portions of the spinous processes of the first two thoracic vertebrae and flanked by the dorsal portion of the scapulae.

Occiput: The dorsal, posterior point of the skull.