TOP 10 Dog Breeds With Short Legs

We all know Dachshunds, Basset Hounds and Corgis. These lovable dogs share one main distinctive characteristic, and that is their long body and short legs. Such dogs are also known as Chondrodystrophic dog breeds. Today, i will show you a list of 10 different short-legged dog breeds.

1) Welsh Corgi (Cardigan and Pembroke)
Lets start with possibly the most famous shortlegged breed, the Welsh Corgi. It is important to say, that it is not only a one breed, as there is the Cardigan Welsh Corgi and Pembroke Welsh Corgi. Even though they both share the same cute body type, there are slight differences between them, mainly in their size, tail and temperament.

2) Swedish Vallhund
A close relative to the Corgi, and most likely one of its ancestors, is the Swedish Vallhund. This breed looks extremely similar to Corgi, but it most often comes in wolf grey color, which is why they are sometimes nicknamed as „Wolf Corgi“.

3) Lancashire Heeler
Another Corgi relative, the Lancashire Heeler, is believed to be a descendant of the Welsh Corgi and Manchester Terrier and you can see some similarities with the Corgi on the first sight. Originally it was a versatile farmdog capabale of ratting and herding the cattle. It is a very lively, playful and curious breed.

4) Shortlegged terriers (Scottish, Dandie Dinmont, Skye, West Highland White, Cairn)
Many terriers were also bred to have short legs, which would make it easier for them to go under the ground when they are chasing the prey. Especially the terriers from Scotland are known to have relatively long body and short legs. The list include the Scottish, Dandie Dinmont, Skye, West Highland White and Cairn Terrier.

5) Dachshund
Not surprisingly, the Dachshund also makes it to our list of short legged breeds. It is superb hunting dogs and next to their excellent hound personality traits, it is the low body, long back and short legs that makes them superb hunters.

6) Alpine Dachsbracke
Most likely the rarest of all dogs you will see today is the Alpine Dachsbracke. These medium sized dogs have a slight resemblance to a Dachshund, which is not a coincidence. The Alpine Dachsbracke was most likely developed in 19th century by downsizing larger hunting dog breeds by crossing them with the Dachshund.

7) Basset Hound
The Basset Hound is a dog breed with extremely large ears, super small legs and extraordinary sense of smell. Definitely one of the best scenthounds in the world. They were originally bred to hunt hare, but today, they are most often living the life of spoiled companion pets. Their name, Basset, is derived from French and it is literally meaning „low“, reffering to their short legs and low body.

8) Basset Griffon Vendéen
And the Basset Hound is not the only Basset we have. There are 6 different Basset breeds and here you can see the Petit and Grand Basset Griffon Vendéen. They share similar body type with the Basset Hound, even though they are little bit more athletic and they have the distinctive shaggy and rough coat.

9) Entlebucher Mountain dog
The smallest of the four Swiss Mountain Dogs is the Entlebucher Mountain dog and even though still relatively large dog, they have on the first sight pretty short legs and long torso. Especially the front legs are short. It is a versatile working dog breed, most often used as livestock guardian.

10) Tibetan Spaniel
The last dog in our list is the Tibetan Spaniel. It is a small companion dog with fluffy coat, curled tail and, well, short legs. Many other companion dogs, such as Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, or French Bulldog have short legs as well.

​Most of the short legged dog breeds get their distinctive appearance due to a cartilage development abnormality called chondrodysplasia and it is important to mention, that the short legs and long spine can be a cause to some specific and serious health issues, such as Intervertebral disc disease and Limb deformities.
The best way how to prevent these problems is to buy the puppy from reputable breeder and keep the dog in healthy shape. Slim body will be much lesser load on their back and limbs and it will help prevent these problems. ​