This article is an addendum to “Inside the Outline”. Following is a collection of referenced sources that refer to the “swimming dip”. It is another part of the topline. Not much has been written about the swimming dip, but I felt it should be included. The “swimming dip” is not something that breeders or judges should be intense about. It is not necessary to examine a dog looking for the swimming dip. If a dog is in excellent coat, you may not notice the dip in the outline. The dip is not caused by a soft back when a dog is not in working condition. The “dip” is just there and the quotations below describe it in several different ways. The “swimming dip” has been written about in several books on conformation, describing part of the topline. Below are quotes from some judges and movement and breed experts.
Dr. Quentin La Ham, The Anatomy of Movement: The Vertebral Column – Ch. 2
https://nationalpurebreddogday.com/slipping-hocks-with-caveats/ August 22, 2021
I was privileged to attend a seminar given by Dr. La Ham on Suffolk, Long Island in 1977. It was the first structure and movement seminar that I attended, and it was excellent. Dr. La Ham (all breed Canadian and AKC judge) gave seminars on canine structure, movement and function in the 1970’s/1990’s. He actually coined the word: kinnick” – “physical landmark on a dog’s topline to help evaluate couplings and the length of the loin.” The kinnick can be used interchangeably with the concept of the swimming dip. The loin is described as the coupling that is part of the spine between the end of the ribcage and the place on the topline where the hip joins the spine.
Eloise Heller Cherry. (1983)The Complete Chesapeake Bay Retriever – p. 67 Howell House
Guest writer Mrs. James Edward (Anne Rogers) Clark wrote that “…the swimming dip is found in some retrievers and also in the Poodle that started life as a retriever in Germany. This is a slight but perceptible hollow just behind the shoulders.”
Another reference to the Swimming Dip is presented below.
Judges Education Committee for the Poodle Club of America. (2013 & 2007). The Poodle: Breed Standard Presentation p. 4.
“Check Structure: slight depression just behind the shoulder at the top of the back (the swimming dip)”
This is part of a list of nine suggestions on how to judge a Poodle.
Edward M. Gilbert, Jr. & Patricia H. Gilbert (2013) Encyclopedia of K9 Terminology Dogwise
“Swimming dip: A slight but perceptible hollow just behind the shoulders that is found in some retrievers and in the Standard Poodle.:” (It is likely that the Gilberts are using the information from the writings of Mrs. Clark.)
Chris Zink & Marcia Schlehr (Oct 2020) Working Dog Structure, Evaluation and Relationship to Function. Frontiers in Veterinary Science.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2020.559055/full
“Note that all dogs have a normal, small dip in their topline at T11…(the anticlinal vertebra) is very short to accommodate this change in the direction of the spinous processes, creating a slight depression.”
Robert J. Berndt. (2001) The Science and Techniques of Judging Dogs: p. 35 Alpine Publications
What is the physical reason that the “swimming dip” exists?
“The thoracic spine consists of thirteen vertebrae. There is a great increase in the length of the spinous process starting with the first thoracic vertebra. The first four are the longest and point almost straight up. This is the area of top attachment for the scapula and forms the withers of the dog. The spinous process of next five vertebrae decrease in size and begin to slant toward the rear. This is what causes the slight dip in the topline behind the withers. The spinous process on the remaining four vertebrae is shorter and thicker. On the lower side of each thoracic vertebrae is attached one of the pairs of the ribs. The back of the dog begins at about the fifth vertebra and runs to the lumbar spine.”
Patricia V. Craige (1997) Born To Win p. 18 Doral Publishing
“The spine acts as the foundation does for the house. The accompanying bones of motion become the wheels of the vehicle. The spinal column is the support system for the dog, and it functions somewhat like a suspension bridge in that it connects the front to the rear in much the same way as the Golden Gate Bridge connects San Francisco to Marin County. Because the law of gravity acts on this suspended weight, the spine has to have some curves to accommodate the force. Thus the spine has a gentle curve behind the withers – first nine thoracic vertebrae – at the mid-back area of the last four thoracic vertebrae. This is the dog’s bodily divide with the center of those vertebrae carrying most of the suspended weight.”
“The question of why so many breeds ask for a straight topline – distancing between withers and tail – when it is obvious that the actual spine curves is answered by conditioning and muscling of the dog. If you have a well-conditioned animal, the muscles will fill in the crevices of the skeleton to give a smooth outward look to the back. Without curves to absorb the stress, the back would be too rigid to do its job….”
Claudia Waller Orlandi, Ph.D. (2005) ABC’s of Dog Breeding p. 235
(Reprinted with permission from Teton New Media, Inc., Jackson, Wyoming, from Dog Anatomy: A Coloring Atlas by Robert A. Kainer, DVM,MS and Thomas O. McCracken, MS. Copyright 2003.)
In conclusion I have received additional information by contacting judges who had attended Dr. LaHam’s seminars in the past. When you look at the accompanying diagram of the Vertebral Column, it is easier to understand the concept of the “knick”. It is pronounced “kuh-nick” – the first “k” is pronounced as a syllable. It is another word for hinge or connection. The knick is the shortest spine that points straight up, known technically
as the anticlinal vertebra. It is where the vertebra change direction which
creates the dip behind the withers. Although the spelling appeared as “kinnick” in several publications – the correct word is “knick”.
Betsy Horn Humer, American Chesapeake Club
February 2022
