Walk This Way

Identifying your dog’s gait patterns, and how to spot problems

by Jason Smith 

As is often said about the aging process, it ain’t the years, it’s the mileage. Our dogs are the ultimate in four-wheel drive, but like any system, the terrain we ask them to cover can result in plenty of dings to the chassis. As owners and partners with our dogs, we must be active stewards of their health and fitness, refusing to brush off a gimp or a limp with an, “Ah, he’s just sore; he’ll be fine.” We of the bigger-brained species have to help him “be fine.”  

In many cases, however, we can’t help him be fine until we know what “fine” actually looks like.  

A handful of years ago, I attended an in-depth seminar – the Purina Sporting Dog Summit – at Purina Farms in St. Louis, where a whole lot of really smart people with all sorts of letters after their names discussed issues facing the sporting dog community. Many of the topics were aimed at not only maximizing performance, but at keeping our dogs off of their operating tables. One of those speakers – Dr. Jennell Appel, a veterinarian, canine rehabilitation therapist, and founder of the SportVet Canine Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine Mobile Clinic, a veritable vet’s office on wheels – explained how to really see something we see every day: our dog’s gait. 

“Understanding the normal gait patterns of a dog is essential when it comes to recognition of injury and/or compensation,” said Dr. Appel. “As with any diagnosis, the only way we can determine what is abnormal is to know and appreciate what is truly normal.  

“Gait analysis is not an easy task, and even veterinarians trained to understand it can be stumped at times,” Dr. Appel continued. “The most important point to take away is that you are with your dog more than anyone else and therefore have the best opportunity to observe their ‘normal.’ The more normal you witness and appreciate, the easier it will be to identify discrepancies.”  

It takes practice, and we’ll likely be quick to sound the caution alarm when we really start paying attention to our dog’s gait. But, of course, better to err on that side, as an abnormal gait pattern can mean numerous different things – relating to both hard and soft tissue problems, and which need extra evaluation by a professional. According to Dr. Appel, some of the problems that can lead to an abnormal gait include: “fractures, ligamentous instability or hyperextension, cruciate deficiency, meniscal pathology, degenerative joint disease, tendinopathies, muscle tears.”  

I know. A mouthful of very scientific words, but all of them meaning pain.  

What we need to be careful about, though, is assuming that a slight gait abnormality equals a slight medical issue. Not necessarily. “It is important to recognize that the degree of lameness does not always coincide with the severity of injury,” Dr. Appel said. “This is why every lameness should be considered significant and properly assessed.”  

Gait analysis begins with some very simple movements. “I start with the dog in a standing position, looking for off-loading of a limb,” said Dr. Appel. “I then assess them in a sitting position, during the transition from a sit to a stand, and back into a sit.” You might notice something right off the bat, the dog favoring one side over the other.  

With perhaps a clue that something might be amiss – or maybe things are looking great – Dr. Appel suggested having the dog walk directly away from you, and then back toward you; this is followed by walking right-to-left, then left-to-right in front of you. Obviously, having a partner who can guide the dog on a leash will make this abundantly easier. This process is then repeated with the dog trotting instead of walking because, according to Dr. Appel, an injury may reveal itself in one gait but not the other. (She did mention that “the gait most often used to identify lameness is the trot, due to its symmetrical pattern.”)  

After moving in straight directions, Dr. Appel transitions into a circle, first right-to-left, then left-to-right. “[I want] to make sure I can see both sides of the body on the inside of the circle, which are the limbs that are taking most of the stress. The app ‘SloPro’ is an excellent tool for capturing slow-motion video of your dog’s gait.” 

Types of Gait

The following are the four types of gait patterns Dr. Appel recommended we pay close attention to. I’ve presented it in a table format so that you can easily compare; please analyze the accompanying photos, too. As I said earlier, it will take some practice, but I’ll bet you can recognize some of these patterns immediately.  

 

Gait: Walk 

Appearance: slow, casual; hind paw placement is one paw-length in front of the previous front paw footfall 

Number of paws on the ground at once: 3 

Sequence of paws striking the ground: In a rotation of RR, RF, LR, LF 

Notes: 

 

 

 

Gait: Trot 

Appearance: steady, a “fast walk” 

Number of paws on the ground at once: 2 

Sequence of paws striking the ground: RF and LR together; LF and RR together 

Notes: most efficient; best gait for detecting lameness 

 

 

Gait: Canter (transverse and rotary) 

Appearance: Rotary = a rolling appearance; Transverse = a choppier appearance  

Number of paws on the ground at once: 1 (there are brief times when the two hind limbs are on the ground at once) 

Sequence of paws striking the ground: Transverse: RR, LR and RF; Rotary: RR, LR and LF (this is the order of the paws hitting the ground, not which paws are in the air) 

Notes: Transverse canter is easily mistaken for lameness; Rotary is the most common canter, but dogs can transition back and forth between Transverse and Rotary depending on the speed of their canter and the terrain they are traversing 

 

 

Gait: Gallop 

Appearance: flat-out run, like a rabbit run 

Number of paws on the ground at once: 2 

Sequence of paws striking the ground: Front limbs leave the ground, spine flexes, the hind limbs push off, spine extends, moment of complete body suspension off the ground, front feet hit the ground one ahead of the other.  

Notes: Propulsion using both spinal and abdominal muscles  

 

RF=right front; LF=left front; RR=right rear; LR=left rear 

 

Hitches in the Giddyups 

While we probably won’t be able to identify the exact cause of a gait abnormality, not without a professional’s medical evaluation, we should at least be able to identify the abnormality. Here are some “hitches” Dr. Appel said to be on the lookout for; this is where slow-motion video capture can come in handy.  

If you think you spot an abnormality, Dr. Appel said, “The first thing to do would be to try to take video of the dog in both a walk and trot, moving away from you and then toward you, as well as back and forth in front of you. Secondly, consult a certified rehabilitation therapist, canine sports medicine specialist, or board-certified orthopedic surgeon.” 

 

Walking: Decreased “swing” phase of a limb – the extension or “reach” of a limb as it moves forward in comparison to the opposite side. When the swing phase of one limb is shorter than the other, this can indicate discomfort and restricted range of motion. 

Trotting: “Head-bobbing.” For a forelimb lameness, we see the head of the dog come down toward the ground when the sound leg touches the ground, and away from the ground when the affected leg touches the ground. “Pacing.” Trotting with the forelimb and hindlimb of the same side touching the ground simultaneously. May indicate discomfort, as it is an easier gait pattern to achieve and requires less effort than a normal trot.  

Cantering: “Low tail carriage.” Tucking of the tail and decreased lift of the hind limbs off of the ground. 

Galloping: Decreased flexion and extension of spine. Dog will typically not tuck hind limbs completely underneath their body, or may resist full extension of hind limbs.  

 

 

I asked Dr. Appel about the potential for any false positives in analyzing gait based on the dog’s age. You know, that “puppy awkwardness” stage when they’re all paws, and perhaps uncoordinated paws at that. “Puppy ‘laxity,’ as we vets like to call it, can certainly be misleading when evaluating juvenile gaits. However, puppies of all ages can exhibit gait abnormalities, and therefore, no age is too young to begin observing gait, if for no other reason than to assess the puppy’s ‘normal.’ The fundamentals of gait analysis apply to all ages, such as tail tucking, decreased stride length, and head-bobbing.” 

All of the aspects that comprise a dog’s ability to perform at peak levels – mental acuity, genetics, training, mastery of skills, physical conditioning, nutrition, socialization – drop off drastically when a dog is nursing an injury, even a subtle one. In the amount of time we spend on all of those things, it can be easy to overlook something as simple as observing how the dog walks. Yet really seeing how our dogs move can help us pounce on a developing injury before it leads to an operating table.