THE HOUND'S HIND-QUARTERS 



to the ribs in front of them, and the last pair are 

 floating. The latter end in the abdominal wall, 

 from which point the lumbar region begins. 

 Below this again there is the diaphragm, which 

 separates the chest from the abdomen. If 

 therefore there is undue lengthening in the 

 lumbar region, the power of the diaphragm is 

 weakened, and the increased strain is inimical to 

 the weight carrying capacity of the other organs. 



Modern hounds, bred with an eye to pace, often 

 show considerable reduction in spring of rib. 

 As the ribs contain heart and lungs, any tendency 

 to flat-sidedness means unequal expansion of these 

 organs. Well sprung ribs on the other hand 

 aUow of free expansion without liability to 

 strain. If heart and lungs are at all cramped, 

 they quickly become unhealthy, and so reduce 

 the working life of the hound. 



The longer the body, the greater is the call upon 

 certain muscles such as the broad dorsal muscle, 

 which begins below the shoulder and spreads 

 over the back and sides of the chest, until it 

 tapers towards the loin. With increased length 

 of loin, the hound is unable to get his hind legs 

 well under his body, and the internal organs being 

 spread over greater length, the strain in a down- 

 ward direction is likewise increased. Thus, 

 unless the muscles of the big hound are ab- 

 normally developed, he suffers from loss of power 

 and endurance. The muscles of the loin are 

 connected with those of the hind legs, so if there 

 is any weakening of the former, the hound is 

 unable to use his leg muscles properly. 



When we consider that driving power and 

 jumping ability are derived entirely from the 

 hind-quarters, any weakness in this direction must 

 prove a serious drawback to a hound when he is 



155 



