There are clearly differences in the way our dog walks down the hallway compared with the way they run after a bird. Aside from the speed with which they move, there is an obvious difference in their limb movements. How can we use this knowledge of how our dogs move as a gauge of their musculoskeletal health?

What is a gait?

Gait is defined as a “regularly repeated sequence of limb movements”. Dogs employ a variety of gaits to move in different circumstances and some gaits are unique to certain breeds. When dogs change gaits, the rhythm and frequency of limb movements change as do the pattern with which the fore and hind limbs touch the ground.

Canine gaits can be categorised into two types: symmetrical and asymmetrical.

Symmetrical canine gaits

Symmetrical gaits include the walk, trot and pace. These gaits are considered symmetrical because the movement of the limbs on one side of the body do the same as those on the opposite side, albeit not at the same time.

• Walk – During the walking gait, the dog’s centre of mass remains relatively stable. The dog alternates between phases of two legged support to three legged support.

• Trot – During this gait, the centre of mass remains on the support line formed by the two limbs with contact with the ground. When trotting, the dog supports their body with one diagonal limb pair at a time. That is, during the stance phase the right fore limb and left hind limb support the body and this alternates with the left forelimb and right hind limb.

• Pace – At a pace, the dog’s centre of mass shifts from one side to the other giving a slightly “rolling” appearance. When pacing, the dog’s body is supported by the fore and hind limb on the same side of the body. The pace gait is a very energy efficient gait for dogs and one that is adopted when dogs tire.

Asymmetrical canine gaits

Asymmetrical gaits are characterised by the limb pairs i.e. two fore limbs and two hind limbs, touching down (paw making contact with the ground), one after the other.

The gallop is the typical asymmetrical gait. The term “gallop” is used to describe a slow gallop or canter.

• Canter or slow gallop – This gait is characterised by one leg support being replaced by three legged support. At a slow gallop, the flight phase (no ground contact) is short or does not occur at all.

The term “gallop” also describes two rapid galloping gaits: diagonal gallop and rotary gallop. These two gaits are characterised by at least one flight phase. Some breeds of dogs adopt a rapid gallop with two flight phases which is termed a “racing gallop”. Breeds that adopt a racing gallop include some sighthounds, Dobermann, Basenji, some pointers, Corgi and Dachshund.

• Diagonal gallop – During the diagonal gallop the touchdown of the leading hind limb is followed by the touchdown of the diagonal fore limb.

• Rotary gallop – The rotary gallop is characterised by the limbs touching the ground in either a clockwise or anti-clockwise pattern.

How can you tell if a dog’s gait is abnormal?

For dog owners, it is important to have a clear picture of what your dog’s “normal” gaits look like.

For instance:

• Does your dog normally trot or pace when moving out of a walk?

• When galloping in different scenarios (think chasing a bird or doing a fast recall), do they typically have a diagonal or rotary gallop?

• At a rotary gallop, is your dog’s footfall pattern clockwise or anti-clockwise?

With a clear picture of your dog’s “normal” gaits in your mind, you can observe them and identify changes in the following:

• “Choice” of gait – if your dog normally trots, have they start pacing and under what circumstances? Is your dog trotting more than walking?

• Time in stance phase – is your dog keeping one limb on the ground for a longer or shorter period than normal?

• Stride length – is your dog “short stepping” or not extending a limb as far as normal?

• Foot fall position – is the dog placing their foot closer to their mid line or further away, are they “rolling” their paw inward or outward on touchdown?

What can changes in your dog’s gait mean?

Gait analysis provides information about the function of the dog’s musculoskeletal system and combined with other diagnostic tools can contribute to diagnosing disease and injury.

From a massage (myofunctional) therapy perspective, analysing the dog’s gait is a useful input to formulate a treatment plan. It can identify the following:

• Joints that are not flexing or extending within “normal” ranges for the individual dog at various stages of each gait. Joint range of motion can be affected by impaired soft tissue function (muscle strain, ligament injury, tendinitis), changes in neuromuscular control or skeletal conditions such osteoarthritis.

• Imbalances in muscle activity between limb pairs ie. Hind limb pair and fore limb pair, fore limb and hind limb on same side of the body, and fore limb and hind limb on opposite side of the body. Imbalances in muscle activity may be caused by muscle injury, loss of muscle tone and strength for any number of reasons, loss of neuromuscular function or other health conditions.

• Inappropriate adaptations to the dog’s centre of mass at various gaits. Changes in the dog’s foot fall pattern, tail or head carriage may indicate weight shifting at various phases in a gait cycle. Weight shifting may occur as a compensatory strategy to avoid pain from loading a painful joint or body part.

As you can see, having a clear picture of the way a dog moves under a range of normal circumstances gives dog owners a baseline for quickly recognising gait changes and addressing them early.

Full Stride works with dog owners to keep dogs pain free and exercising regularly. Massage treatments are offered in the dog’s home or at a north Brisbane treatment room.

Until next time, enjoy your dogs.

Source:

Fischer, M.S & Lilje, K. E, 2014 Dogs in motion, 2nd edition, VDH Service GmbH, Dortmund, Germany