Introduction
People have studied equine gaits much more intensively than canine gaits. As a result, there is a tendency for veterinarians and rehabilitation professionals to apply knowledge about equine gait to dogs. This is generally inadvisable because the musculoskeletal anatomy of horses is very different from that of dogs, and as a result, there are a number of major differences in the ways that the two species move. Dogs have a much more flexible spine than horses, partly due to the fact that they have just 13 ribs as compared with the horse’s 17 or 18, depending on breed. In addition, dogs have a separate radius and ulna as well as tibia and fibula, allowing them to rotate their limbs on their axes; they also have feet that grip.
There are four main gaits that both dogs and horses use: the walk, trot, canter, and gallop (Elliott, 2001). Dogs and horses use the same movements and order of footfall when walking and trotting, but when cantering and galloping, the gaits that dogs use are substantially different from those of horses.
When evaluating a dog’s gait, it is important to keep in mind the original purpose for which the dog was bred. For example, a racing Greyhound, with its arched lumbar spine, at the trot will look quite different from a Golden Retriever, which has a level topline. The arched spine of the Greyhound allows the dog to reach far forward with the pelvic limbs when the spine is flexed, giving this breed a much longer stride length at the gallop. However, it also reduces the Greyhound’s step length at a trot because the more vertical slant of the pelvis prevents full rearward extension of the pelvic limb unless the spine is in full extension.
Different performance events require dogs to use different gaits. Table 2.1 shows the gaits that dogs most commonly use in various types of canine athletic activities. It is critical for the veterinarian/rehabilitation professional to recognize how dogs use their bodies when performing all of the normal gaits so that they can recognize abnormalities, not just in the clinic but when viewing videos of dogs training or competing that will be sent to them by clients. The value of viewing videos of clients’ dogs moving cannot be overemphasized. Subtle changes in gait such as a slight shortening of stride, not visible to the naked eye, often can be captured with a simple point-and-shoot camera set on video mode, and watched in slow motion.
Table 2.1 Gaits used by performance/working dogs
Normal Gaits
The Walk
The walk is the slowest canine gait. The order of footfall is as follows: left rear foot (LR), left fore foot (LF), right rear foot (RR), right fore foot (RF), repeat. In other words, a pelvic limb always makes the first move, followed by the forelimb on the same side. The dog places the rear foot down on the ground in a spot just ahead of the location where the front foot (which has now been lifted and moved forward) had been located. The footprints of a walking dog appear as diagrammed in Figure 2.1. When a dog is walking, there are alternately two feet then three feet on the ground. The walk is the only gait in which there are moments during which there are three feet on the ground, making this gait easy to identify (Figure 2.2).
Figure 2.1 Footfall of a dog walking. A. Diagram of the footprints of a dog walking. B. Footprints in the sand left by a walking Dingo. Each rear foot is moved forward and placed in a spot just ahead of where the front foot (which has now lifted and moved forward) was.
Figure 2.2 The walk is the only gait in which there are moments during which there are three feet on the ground.
Illustration by Marcia Schlehr.
The Trot
In the trot, the dog moves diagonal front and rear limbs (e.g., RF and LR, then LF and RR) forward, and they strike the ground at the same time. There is a moment of suspension after each pair of diagonal legs lifts off and before the other pair strikes the ground (Elliott, 2001). This is true for most breeds, although breeds with extremely angulated rear legs, such as German Shepherd Dogs, may use a continuous support trot, in which one front leg remains on the ground during the period when other breeds would have a moment of suspension (Lyon, 1968; Brown, 1986).
When a dog is trotting, the pelvic limb that is moving forward steps into the spot where the front foot on the same side left the ground a moment before. This results in footprints as shown in Figure 2.3A. When viewing a trotting dog from the side, the front foot should be seen lifting just before the rear foot lands (Figure 2.3B).
Figure 2.3 A. When a dog is trotting, the pelvic limb that is moving forward steps into the spot where the front limb on the same side just left the ground a moment before. B. When viewed from the side, the front foot can be seen lifting just before the rear foot lands.
Photo by Diane Larsen.
The trot should be an efficient, ground-covering gait. Viewed from the side, a dog that is trotting efficiently will swing the forelimbs forward to touch the ground at a point under the tip of the dog’s nose and kick the pelvic limbs back with full extension of the coxofemoral joints (Figure 2.4). When viewed from the front, the forelimbs and pelvic limbs should be straight and should converge on a center point under the dog’s body for the best biomechanical efficiency (Figure 2.5). This prevents the dog’s weight from shifting from side to side, allowing the dog to use all of its muscular energy to drive the body forward.
Figure 2.4 This dog is moving efficiently at the trot, swinging the front leg well forward and kicking the pelvic limbs back.
Figure 2.5 When viewed from the front or the rear, the limbs should be straight and should converge on a center point under the dog’s body for the best biomechanical efficiency. This prevents the dog’s weight from shifting from side to side, allowing the dog to use all of its muscular energy to drive the body forward.
Illustration by Marcia Schlehr.
There are some breeds, however, that sacrifice efficiency at the trot to excel at other aspects of performance. For example, many herding breeds, and most notably Border Collies, have pelvic limbs with adducted and internally rotated tarsi and abducted/externally rotated paws such that the tarsi are closer together than the feet, sometimes referred to as “cow hocked” (Figure 2.6). This may actually be an adaptation for herding; having this type of rear conformation is thought to provide improved stability for lying down and standing up and to reduce the rear leg motion required in turning. Herding dogs frequently lie down to reduce the pressure on moving sheep and have to turn very sharply to cut off sheep that attempt to bolt from the flock.
Figure 2.6 Some breeds, particularly herding breeds, have pelvic limbs with internally rotated tarsi, sometimes referred to as being “cow hocked.”
Photo by George Brown.
The trot is the gait that is best used to detect lameness, because it is the only gait for which the forelimbs and pelvic limbs are never assisted in bearing weight by the contralateral limb. Thus, when a dog is experiencing pain or lack of stability in one limb, it is more clearly revealed by a head nod (most obvious in forelimb lameness) or asymmetrical motions of the pelvis (pelvic limb lameness). In addition, the trot is a gait that is symmetrical and is slow enough for the experienced human eye to observe stride length and foot placement.
The Canter
The canter is a somewhat complex gait, made more so by the fact that dogs use two different styles of canter, the transverse and the rotary canter. Dogs preferentially use the rotary canter whereas horses should always use the transverse canter.
The order of footfall for the transverse canter is as follows: RR, LR and RF together (the forelimb actually strikes the ground a little after the pelvic limb), LF (Figure 2.7A). When cantering or galloping, the second of the pair of front or rear legs to strike the ground is called the lead leg. This is because the second leg strikes the ground in front of the first. In the case of the transverse canter, the dog uses the same lead leg in both the front and the rear—in the above example, the lead legs are the left pelvic limb and the left forelimb. If the dog were using the right legs as lead, the order of footfall would be LR, RR and LF, RF.
Figure 2.7 The Canter. A. Footprints of a dog using the transverse canter, in which the forelimb and the pelvic limb are both on the same lead (in this case the left). B. Footprints of a dog using the more common rotary canter, in which the dog uses a different lead in the rear (in this case, the left) and the front.
Interestingly, dogs as well as wild canids much more commonly use a rotary canter than a transverse canter. The order of footfall for the rotary canter is: RR, LR and LF (again the forelimb hits the ground just after the pelvic limb), RF (Figure 2.7B). In the rotary canter, the dog uses opposite leads in the rear (in this example, the left lead) and the front (in this example, the right lead). If the dog were using the right lead in the rear and the left lead in the front, the order of footfalls would be LR, RR and RF, LF.
The rotary canter gives the dog a rolling appearance, particularly when the dog is viewed from the rear, as the two ipsilateral legs swing laterally as they move forward together. This motion should not be mistaken for lameness. It provides dogs with a distinct advantage in gaiting, particularly when turning. When a dog is cantering while turning, regardless of whether it is using a transverse or rotary canter, it uses the front leg that is in the direction of the turn as lead. In other words, if a dog is turning to the right, it uses the right forelimb as lead. During the rotary canter, dogs can turn with greater efficiency and accuracy. By using the front lead leg that is in the direction of the turn, the dog is able to abduct that forelimb and pull itself in the direction of the turn. Because there is a point at which both rear limbs are on the ground, by using the opposite rear leg as lead, the dog effectively pushes itself with both pelvic limbs in the direction of the turn (Figure 2.8).
Figure 2.8 A dog that is using the rotary canter can easily abduct the right forelimb to pull itself in the direction to which it is turning, and also can push off in that direction when both pelvic limbs are on the ground.
The Gallop
At the gallop, the dog uses the power of its highly muscular and flexible spine and abdomen producing two moments of suspension, each followed alternately by the forelimbs or the pelvic limbs striking the ground. Starting with the dog in the air after the front limbs have left the ground, the dog flexes the entire spine, bringing the pelvic limbs forward under its body (Figure 2.9). They strike the ground, one foot slightly ahead of the other. The dog then pushes off with the pelvic limbs and extends the spine, reaching forward with the two forelimbs. There is a moment of suspension as the dog is driven through the air with its body in full extension, then the front legs land on the ground, one slightly ahead of the other. The dog then pulls the front legs under the body and pushes off from the ground, experiencing a period of suspension as it again flexes the spine and brings the rear legs forward to initiate the next stride.
Figure 2.9 In the gallop, the dog uses the power of its highly muscular and flexible spine and abdomen, producing two moments of suspension, each followed alternately by the forelimbs or the pelvic limbs striking the ground.
Illustration by Marcia Schlehr.
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