Is Dog Trotting a Sign of Health Issues?
A naturally trotting dog that suddenly begins pacing could be a symptom of skeletal maladies like hip dysplasia. Likewise, dogs that move with unbalanced or skewed gaits usually suffer from an underlying issue.
Sickle hocks (bone connections in the hind legs) cause the legs to remain in a bent position and can result in a gait that resembles prancing or high stepping. It can also make the hind quarter (withers and hip) of the dog sit lower than the front shoulder area.
One could get into several more specific types of dog movement when looking at fast gaits and incorrect gaits, but trotting and pacing provide a foundation of understanding that is very important. Learning about dog gaits is obviously very useful in knowing when a dog is suffering or has deformities.
What Makes a Dog Gait So Unique?
Did you know that dogs can actually display six different gaits? These canine gaits include walking, pacing, ambling, trotting, cantering, and galloping. From here, the dog gait is then divided into two categories: symmetrical and asymmetrical movements. Symmetrical movements mirror each other, while asymmetrical movements of the sides are not the same.
Dogs have flexible backs because they only have 13 ribs and a shorter digestive system, making the canine gait unique. This is especially true compared to the horse, who has limited spinal movements and more ribs. Dog feet also have more feeling and can grip, making the canine gait more unique.
Normal dog locomotion when using one of the four main gaits: walk, trot, canter, and gallop. Additionally, dogs also have two different ways of cantering and two different ways of galloping and are all considered normal and locomotor cycle movements.
Pacing can be a tricky subject because it’s not always a bad thing. Puppies, especially large breed pups, can pace to cope with uneven growth, a way of compensating during a gangly stretch. In adults, pacing is often used as a transition gait (though its frowned upon in a show ring). It’s characteristic of a few large breeds, and at least one breed’s standard mentions it: (From the Old English Sheepdog standard: “May amble or pace at slower speeds.” Judges can ask a handler to move their OES at a walk to see that the dog’s body doesn’t bow during the pace). Many maintain that herding dogs of all kinds tend to pace.
First, learn to spot pacing. Sometimes, just watching your dog’s back as you gait can provide a clue that your dog is doing it since a pace produces a flat rocking movement. If your dog does pace, pay attention to when s/he does it. There’s a big difference between a dog who has always paced, one who paces at the end of an energetic exercise, and one who just begun pacing out of the blue.
It’s a scourge to the handler with a pacing show dog. Trainers sometimes say that a handler can “break” pacing by either speeding up their own gait, or with a discreet “snap” of the leash clueing the dog that it’s time to move out, but it’s not always as easy as that.
Pacing can also be a sign of a dog that’s out of shape, but it can also suggest discomfort or even pain in the muscles through the middle of the dog’s back. When a dog is trotting, there’s a lot of rotational movement through this area, and if the muscles are sore, the dog will pace to avoid that rotational movement. Many canine chiropractors look at a dog’s sudden preference to pace as a warning sign.
We’re using Subaru’s otherwise wonderful commercial seen below (what would it have hurt if both “mom” and “dad” were the same breed?) to segue into a brief discussion of a particular dog gait.