FEET

Standard says; Compact and well knucked, Nails strong.

We have included in this the pastern on the front leg which is a very important part of the working of the dog. It is the shock absorber and aids the ability of the hound to chase over rough highland terrain.

Strong correct feet, compact and strong toes, well bent pastern giving the foot flexability when jumping and landing.

pastern upright with no bend so the dog will probably knuckle over. This fault becomes more evident as the weight of the dog increases and it can be missed in puppies.

This hound has good bend of pastern but has a weakness in the feet with no knuckling. The toe nails will need more clipping as they do not make so much contact with the ground.

good strong rear feet. well knuckled and powerful.

A CONTRIBUTION SEND IN BY SUE PHILLIPS - LADYGROVE

quotes from "The dog in action" by Mcdowell Lyon.

There is only one difference between a hare foot and a cat foot... In the hare foot the 3rd digital bone, the one parallel to the ground, is longer than the same bone in the cat foot. As the length of one bone tends to influence that of another, the second and third digits in the hare foot may be relatively longer but the foot should not loose its compactness. Either one must be compact, stand well up on the first digit and have thick heel pads.
The cat foot requires less power to lift therefore is less fatiguing, the hare foot, with a longer third digital bone makes for longer leverage and more speed but is more fatiguing splay feet have the toes spread often with daylight between them, they lack COMPACTNESS and strength and are more subject to injury afield.

Few things are more important to a dog in the house or a field than good feet.