MuzzleThe head ahead of the eyes. The nose, the nostrils and the jaws.
WithersThe highest point of the shoulders.
ElbowThe joint between the upper arm and the forearm. It is at the back of the front leg.
StifleThe joint between the thigh and the lower thigh. It is the dog's knee.
HockThe joint between the lower thigh and the rear pastern. It is the dog's true heel.
StopThe dip between the eyes. The step up from the muzzle to the skull.
OcciputThe point at the back of the top of the skull.
ForearmThe part of the front leg between the elbow and the wrist.
DewclawA spare claw on the leg's inner side: a small fifth toe that does not reach the ground.
BrisketThe underside of the chest, over the breastbone.
LoinThe back from the ribs to the hips.
FlankThe body's side from last rib to hip.
CroupThe back over the hips, in front of the tail. It is also called the rump.
Rear pasternThe part of the hind leg between the hock and the foot.
Organs 10
LungsThe two organs that fill most of the chest. Oxygen passes into the blood in them.
HeartThe muscular pump that drives the blood round the body. It lies low in the chest, between the lungs.
StomachA single bag where food is mixed with acid. It is large for the size of the dog.
LiverA large organ that lies against the diaphragm. It makes bile.
TracheaThe windpipe, which carries air from the throat to the lungs. It runs down the neck.
DiaphragmThe sheet of muscle that divides the chest from the belly. It draws air into the lungs.
Small intestineThe long narrow gut, in coils behind the stomach. Most nutrients are taken up here.
ColonThe large intestine, running back under the spine to the rectum. It takes up water on the way.
KidneyOne of the two kidneys, which filter the blood and make urine. They lie high in the belly, under the loin.
BladderThe bag that stores urine until it is passed.
How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-09-30 in two sources. Outside: a national kennel club's glossary, for what each word means, https://www.akc.org/about/glossary/; Wikipedia, Dog anatomy and Canine terminology, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_anatomy; W. A. Bruette, The Complete Dog Book (1921, public domain), https://archive.org/details/completedogbook00brue. Organs: S. Sisson, The Anatomy of the Domestic Animals (1914, public domain), https://archive.org/details/anatomyofdomesti00siss; the Merck Veterinary Manual's pages for dog owners (normal anatomy only), https://www.merckvetmanual.com/dog-owners; Wikipedia, Respiratory system. Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; nothing traced. Licence: own work
How it works
This dog anatomy quiz has two views of the same standing dog. The first has the body parts of a dog that breeders and vets name on the outside. The second has the organs of the chest and belly.
Read the full guide
Outside
The words come from the way dog people describe a dog. The stop is the step between the eyes and the occiput is the back of the skull. The withers are the top of the shoulders. On the hind leg, the stifle is the knee and the hock is the heel.
Organs
Switch to Organs. The lungs and the heart fill the chest, in front of the diaphragm. Behind it come the liver, the stomach and the intestines, with the kidney high under the loin. Press Quiz me for a canine anatomy quiz on each view.
Stifle and hock are easy to mix up: the stifle is the knee, up by the belly; the hock is the heel, halfway down.
Questions and answers
What is the stifle on a dog?
The stifle is the dog's knee: the hind-leg joint where thigh meets lower thigh. It sits high, up by the belly.
What is the hock on a dog?
The hock is the joint halfway down the hind leg that points backward. It is the dog's true heel, so a dog stands on its toes.
Where are the withers on a dog?
At the top of the shoulders, where the neck meets the back. They are the highest point of the shoulders.
What is a dewclaw?
A spare claw on the leg's inner side. It is a small fifth toe that sits above the paw and does not reach the ground.