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The interactive dog atlas · Muscles · Hind limb

Calcaneal tendon (Achilles) tendo calcaneus communis

The calcaneal tendon, or Achilles tendon, lies above the point of the hock, on the back of the lower leg. It is not a single tendon but a bundle of the tendons of several muscles.

Open in the interactive atlas Guide: Muscles 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.
Calcaneal tendon (Achilles) on the atlas drawing, "Muscles" layer. Left lateral view, after the Ellenberger, Baum and Dittrich plates.

Where it is

Above the point of the hock, on the back of the lower leg.

Layer
Muscles
System
Muscles
Region
Hind limb

What it is and what it does

It is not a single tendon: its core is formed by the tendons of the gastrocnemius and the superficial digital flexor, with contributions from the biceps femoris, semitendinosus and gracilis. That is why a dog could still stand even if the gastrocnemius and the superficial digital flexor were paralyzed.

Worth remembering

Because of this makeup, a dog could still stand even if some of these muscles stopped working.

Names

  • Latin term: tendo calcaneus communis.
  • In Romanian: Tendonul calcanean (Ahile) (Romanian page).

Guides it appears in

From the same region: Hind limb

All structures, in the atlas · Flashcards: muscles