Canine Gaits – The Key to Your Dog’s Success and Health

Most horses are trained to walk, trot, canter, and gallop before they are ever entered in a competition event. However, most dogs are just left to figure out how to gait on their own, and this can lead them to develop abnormal and/or less than optimal gaits.

While many of us know how horses gait, those principles should not always be applied to canine gaits. After all, why would a prey animal with a minimally flexible spine, limbs that have limited rotation on their axes, and hooves move in the same way as a predator, which has a more flexible spine, limbs that rotate 270 degrees on their axes, and feet with separate toes?

Dogs use four gaits: the walk, trot, canter, and gallop. Horses use these same four gaits, but there are important ways in which the canter and gallop of dogs differ from those of horses. In addition, dogs have a transitional gait between the walk and the trot called the amble. Frequent use of the amble often leads to the development of an abnormal gait in dogs called the pace, which is a normal gait for some breeds of horses.

With the increasing numbers of dogs participating in many different sports competitions, it is critical to thoroughly understand canine locomotion and gait. While most performance events require dogs to use a primary gait, such as the trot for conformation dogs, dogs use most or all of the gaits at some point in other events and they need to know how to transition smoothly and safely between those gaits.

Table 1 provides examples of the primary, secondary, and other gaits that dogs use in different performance events.

With the increasing numbers of dogs participating in many different sports competitions, it is critical to thoroughly understand canine locomotion and gait. While most performance events require dogs to use a primary gait, such as the trot for conformation dogs, dogs use most or all of the gaits at some point in other events and they need to know how to transition smoothly and safely between those gaits.

The Four Canine Gaits

The Walk

When a dog walks, it first moves one rear leg forward, then the front leg on that same side. It next moves the other rear leg forward and then the front leg on that side. So, the pattern of footfall for the walk is RR, RF, LR, LF. When a dog is walking, there are either two or three feet on the ground at any given time. The walk is the only dog gait in which there are ever three feet on the ground, so if you ever see a photo or video showing a dog with three feet on the ground, you know it is walking.

The Trot

This is the most efficient gait for many breeds. Wolves have been known to cover 100 miles a day, mainly using the trot. When trotting, first two diagonally opposite front and rear legs swing forward (e.g., RF & LR). This is followed by a moment of suspension in the air, during which the other diagonally opposite front and rear legs swing forward and then bear the dog’s weight (e.g., LF & RR). That is followed by another moment of suspension, and the cycle repeats.

The Canter

The canter and gallop are the two gaits where the dog’s pattern of footfall is very different from that of horses. When dogs canter, first, one rear leg moves forward and bears the dog’s weight. Then the other rear leg and the front leg on that same side move forward and strike the ground almost together. This is followed by the remaining front leg. Therefore, the order of footfall is either RR, LR-LF, RF or LR, RR-RF, LF. This order of footfall results in a rotary canter.

Of the two rear or the two front legs, the second one to strike the ground is called the lead leg, because it lands on the ground physically ahead of the opposite leg. So, in the first example above, the dog is using the left lead in the rear and the right lead in the front. (Note: lead legs only occur in the canter and gallop, not in the walk or trot.)

In contrast to dogs, horses use a transverse canter in which they use the same lead in the front and the rear. Dogs use the transverse canter only about five percent of the time, usually when they are transitioning between gaits. The rotary canter allows dogs to turn very sharply and with greater power and drive from the rear. It is likely that horses’ relatively inflexible spines prevent them from taking advantage of the rotary canter.

The Gallop

The gallop starts with the dog’s spine flexed and the two rear feet on the ground, one foot (the lead foot) slightly ahead of the other. The rear limbs and spine extend, creating a moment of suspension during which the front legs swing forward. The front feet then hit the ground, with one leg (the lead leg) slightly ahead of the other. As the front legs push against the ground, powering the dog forward, the dog experiences another moment of suspension while it flexes the spine and swings the rear legs forward to start the cycle again.

The Amble – A Transitional Gait

As a walking dog speeds up, each rear leg that swings forward is quickly followed by the front leg on the same side. Eventually, the two legs on the same side of the body are moving forward almost together. However, if you look closely or view with a slow-motion video, you will see that there still are moments with three feet on the ground. Thus, this gait is still a form of the walk—just a fast walk.

Ambling dogs look very ungainly. The rear end sways from side to side, wasting energy that could be used to power the dog forward. In addition, the dog doesn’t lift the feet very high, often scuffling them along the ground. Further, an ambling dog often moves at the same speed as it could at an easy trot. The wasted horizontal energy of the amble is one reason why the amble is not a preferred gait and should be used only for short periods when transitioning from a walk to a trot or when a tired dog wants to rest its trotting muscles.

The Pace – An Abnormal Gait

Another reason why the amble is not a preferred gait is because it frequently evolves into a pace, which is an abnormal gait for all breeds of dogs. When an ambling dog gradually speeds up, eventually those two legs on the same side of the body that are moving forward together end up bearing all of the dog’s weight. The two legs on the other side of the body then swing forward and, after a brief moment of suspension, they in turn bear the dog’s weight. The pacing dog has only two feet on the ground at any given time, either both right or both left feet.

The pace is an inefficient gait because the dog’s center of gravity keeps shifting from side to side and the dog has to use energy to keep recentering its weight. That energy could be used to drive the dog’s body forward instead. In addition, pacing dogs cannot readily change speed and they do not have a wide range of speeds at which they can move without having to slow down to an amble or speed up to a trot.

Training Dogs to Gait

With more dogs participating in a variety of different sports events, it is essential for owners to understand what normal and abnormal gaits look like and how to train dogs to gait optimally. Gait training should start with training dogs to trot, which is the foundation gait for dogs. It is important to train dogs to trot because:

• The trot is the primary or secondary gait for many performance events, and the only gait used in conformation.
• The trot is the best gait for aerobic conditioning. This is because each front leg and each rear leg have to bear all of the dog’s weight without any help from the opposite limb.
• The trot is the best way to detect musculoskeletal or neurological injuries. Early signs of lameness may be seen as an elevated head or pelvis during the moment when the
  painful leg is bearing weight.
• The trot is the best way to monitor progress during treatment of the injured dog and to determine when the dog has achieved full recovery and can return to the games they love.

For much more detailed information, with lots of images and videos demonstrating normal and abnormal canine gaits and information on how to train the walk, trot, canter, and gallop to optimize your dog’s performance and to help prevent injuries, click here.

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With more dogs participating in a variety of different sports events, it is essential for owners to understand what normal and abnormal gaits look like and how to train dogs to gait optimally. Gait training should start with training dogs to trot, which is the foundation gait for dogs.