[jlgoinggreen]

I'm a little worried about my Cocoa. She is a 6 months old toy poodle. I noticed when she stands, she sort of stands like a ballerina; meaning with her toes pointing out. Not completely out, her feet sort of look like a V. Should I be worried?

 

[Raindrops]

I'm a little worried about my Cocoa. She is a 6 months old toy poodle. I noticed when she stands, she sort of stands like a ballerina; meaning with her toes pointing out. Not completely out, her feet sort of look like a V. Should I be worried?

Whether you should be worried is a bit of difficult question to answer without pictures of her, her parents, info on her diet, and what her background is. Many puppies have feet that turn out a bit, and this usually corrects as they age. But a severe turnout can be indicative of a structural fault. Even if it is a structural fault, it is not necessarily something that will impact her if it isn't severe. In some circumstances it can be related to diet.

 

[Dechi]

I will say many, maybe even most toy poodles have front feet that turn outwards. And I don’t agree they usually fix themselves. It’s just something that will stay. It’s no big deal, unless they’re really in an awkward position. Talk to the vet about it.

I believe in toy poodles there is not enough attention on correct front and feet in the show ring, which contributes to this.

Look at toy poodles on this forum. Most have feet like this. My Beckie (blue) does and Merlin (apricot) doesn’t.

 

[Vita]

A lot of dogs like a lot of people favor standing with their feet turned out a little. In a conformation show ring, it's considered one of many faults that the judges consider when determining if the poodle has perfect body structure.

Here's a pdf of the Poodle Breed Standard Illustration, best viewed on a laptop or desktop. It's pretty fascinating and incredibly detailed. There are a lot of these illustrations on the Internet for all the breeds, just do a image google search for those words with the type of the dog and you'll find more.

 

[Charmed]

Pups who have front feet that are pointed out to the sides will often self-correct as their chest gets bigger, moving their elbows out. The problem is that a six month old Toy may be finished with much of its growing, while a Miniature or Standard would still have some growing that might straighten out the position of the front feet. I do not see a bit of "easty-westy" to be of much concern, unless you plan to show in conformation.