Oldranger, it certainly seems to be a design flaw. The buckle is attached on that side to the bottom part of the pack, so it can't be moved. It doesn't seem to bother her on short hikes, it has just been on our recent two overnighters that I started to notice it causing a problem.

I remember now that we did try the Kelty Chuckwagon before I bought the Mountainsmith and my dog seemed to be in between sizes so it didn't fit very well. For her weight, she is pretty compact. I suppose it will likely be a try on and see thing. I am just having trouble justifying spending more on her pack than I spent on mine!

Edit: And thanks for the link, OM. Lots of good info there. The pack by Wolf Packs looks good because it doesn't even have the strap behind the elbows, just one bottom strap that goes behind the ribs. I wonder if it would still be stable enough like that on a short-haired dog..