Do dogs change their gait?

[tritonx]

I don't mean from walking to trotting etc., but the way their legs move. Most of the time Fraser trots with opposite legs--hmm, it's hard to describe, but it's the usual way all four legged animals move. However, sometimes he looks as though the legs on the same side move. As far as I know it's only giraffes? camels? that move that way. It might be an optical illusion and I've stared at his legs trying to spot what they're doing, but there's one way of walking he does that kind of looks like it's same side legs. It's so hard to describe, but I hope you can see what I'm trying to say and whether I'm just seeing things.

[MidwifeTori]

Hi ! I don't know the answer but Im going to pay extra attention to the dogs legs !!
I'm guessing its an optical illusion

[Clover]

Willow definetely does as you describe. Left front leg moves with back left and vice versa.  This is usually when she's walking at a slow pace and when we walk normal speed she changes gait to thecorrect way.  Haven't noticed it with working type Katie but my previous show type did exactly the same.

[elaine.e]

It's not an optical illusion. Louis sometimes moves like this and for him it's usually a sign of tiredness or anxiety. A lot of dogs will move like that sometimes, a few all the time. Here's a short Youtube video I managed to find that illustrates it perfectly http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=af6QV0Rt1os

Walking is a 4 time movement where the paws touch the ground one at a time, say left front, then right hind, then right front, then left hind. Trotting is a 2 time diagonal movement, where the dog will have 2 diagonally opposite paws (left front and right hind, or right front and left hind) on the ground at the same time. Pacing is where the dog has the front and back paw on the same side (left front and left back, or right front and right back) on the ground at the same time.

Edited to add, pacing can occur when walking or trotting.

[Jane S]

Here's a useful little page which summarises the different canine gaits:

http://www.weim.net/emberweims/Gait.html

[elaine.e]

This is a really good video to watch to illustrate movement. It's a horse, so the movement is the same as a dog, and this is in slow motion and it's a grey horse with the horse's skeleton painted on it so you can see exactly how horses and dogs shold move in trot, canter and walk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MAw61kegd8

Sorry Fraser's mum, slightly off topic, but for anyone out there not used to watching how their dog/horse moves this illustrates it beautifully.

[jasper_boy]

When a dog walks with both legs on the same side moving at the same time, it is called pacing. Jacob did it for over a year continuously after his first hip replacement. He has only recently stopped after the introduction of accupunture, so we have put it down to a pain thing (his pelvis is slightly turned so it would have been more comfortable for him to pace rather than walk with a normal gait)   

[praia]

Pacing is usually done once a dog has reached a level of exhaustion or pain.  Some probably fall into this particular gait out of pure laziness.

I had never seen this gait before as my older spaniel is always at a continuous trot at the same speed no matter the distance and no matter how long he's been out. Ever after hours of retrieving he's still at a firm trot. My young show girl, on the other hand, paces all the time when she's casually lumbering about in the garden or when she's been running for a very long time.  I thought there was something wrong with her at first until I learned more about the different gaits.  She moves well when keeping pace with my other dogs and moves well in the ring, so I think her constant use of this particular gait is more out of laziness.  She's strange as she tends to only keep two speeds: a shuffling pace or a furious sprint.  Perhaps she paces all the time to conserve energy for whenever she's racing about?

[MidwifeTori]

Low and behold I have watched our 1 yo boxer Elvis do this today !!!

[Lovely]

What an interesting question and what knowledgeable people are on here to know the answer! I didn't know anything about this, i too will be watching the dogs with interest as Spud my terrier definitely moves differently from Lovely but i'd never looked at their actual pattern of movement before.

[airyfairy76]

This has been fascinating! I'm used to looking at horse gaits, but never thought of canine gaits before!

Although after visiting six week old puppies and lots of adult cockers today, is there officially a zebedee "gait"?

 

[elaine.e]

This has been fascinating! I'm used to looking at horse gaits, but never thought of canine gaits before!

Although after visiting six week old puppies and lots of adult cockers today, is there officially a zebedee "gait"?

 

Yes, and it's almost unique to Cockers

[tritonx]

I got pulled away on an expected trip, but I see there are lots of interesting observations on the question. The slomo horse action shows the regular gait really clearly. I'm usually posting when all of the UK members (most of you) are sleeping, but on the night I posted the question I did a bit of googling. Apparently it's a normal gait, mostly called pacing but in one vid, called ambling. Fraser does it when I have him slowed down and walking ahead of me, but with a shortened leash. It always looks like a 'controlled' walk. He'd like to go faster, but is holding his pace down to mine. When he's just rambling around, but on a long leash, he does the usual diagonal gait in a walk or a trot. I love his task trot when he's bringing something to me or doing a find. Then he does a very rapid, 'all business' trot. So cute.

[dal55]

I'm pleased that this thread has been posted  For ages I've been saying that something looked wrong with the way Cass walked.I watched her a lot today on our walks and she definitely does the "pace" quite a lot. It doesn't seem to be just when she's tired but she did it most on lead coming back home.
Is it normal or should I be worried ??

[Sarah.H]

Millie has paced since I got her at 18 months. She pretty much always does it when pulling on the lead then reverts to the normal walk or trot when on a loose lead. I should try to video it. Some horses do it, particularly ones bred to race in harness at a trot.