Where did my dog’s short legs come from?

Most people know that Dachshunds, Corgis, and Basset Hounds have short legs. But did you know that mixed breeds with short legs don’t necessarily have any of these breeds in their recent ancestry?

Breeds such as Cocker Spaniels, Beagles, and Shih Tzus also have the variant for short legs, which can be passed to their puppies. 

Often, short legs are caused by a change in a single gene, called FGF4. There are some other known genes that can also cause short legs, and likely some others that have yet to be discovered. Because this is such a small change in the genetic code, short legs may come from many generations back, even if no identified breed in your dog’s recent ancestry has short legs themselves.