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The interactive dog atlas · Exterior and regions · Neck

Neck collum

The neck links the head to the trunk, between the head and the withers. Inside are the seven vertebrae of the neck and the muscles that raise, lower and turn the head.

Open in the interactive atlas Guide: Exterior Worksheet

Educational material, not a diagnostic tool. Written by the Mantrailing România team from veterinary sources we read. Updated 14.11.2026.

Dog in left lateral view — exterior, muscles, skeleton and organs Vector study after the Ellenberger, Baum and Dittrich plates: a standing dog, head to the left, deep chest and digitigrade limbs. The four layers use the same contour: exterior with body regions, superficial muscles, skeleton and organs.
  1. Neck
  2. Head
  3. Withers
  4. Forechest
Neck on the atlas drawing, "Exterior and regions" layer, with the neighbouring structures. Left lateral view, after the Ellenberger, Baum and Dittrich plates.

Where it is

Between the head and the withers.

System
Body regions
Region
Neck

What it is and what it does

The neck links the head to the trunk. Inside are the seven cervical vertebrae and the muscles that let the dog raise, lower and turn its head. The collar sits on the neck; the length and "arch" of the neck are frequent landmarks in breed standards.

All breeds have the same number of cervical vertebrae, seven; what differs is their length and that of the surrounding muscles.

Worth remembering

All breeds have the same number of vertebrae in the neck, seven; only their length differs.

Names

  • Also called: cervical region.
  • Latin term: collum.
  • In Romanian: Gâtul (Romanian page).

In the atlas lessons

Read the dog's body (5 min):

Signs of acute stress in Beerda's study (1998): body shaking, crouching, lip licking, swallowing, yawning, restlessness, low posture; a very low posture = intense stress.

Questions from the atlas

"Find it on the drawing" questions whose answer is this structure; in the atlas you will find them in the question bank and in the lessons.

Guides it appears in