Front Matter

Chapter 2 Locomotion and Athletic Performance 31

and has been accepted as correct for this breed.

A second way that dogs adapt is by paddling or

flipping the front feet at the extreme end of

forward extension. Again, this keeps the tho-

racic limbs in the air longer to allow for the

pelvic limbs to finish the swing phase. Another

accommodation is for the dogs to abduct the

thoracic limbs on the swing phase of the trot,

again keeping the thoracic limbs in the air for a

longer period of time.

But by far the most common adaptation is for

the dog to keep the thoracic limb on the ground

longer during the stance phase of gait. Because

the dog keeps the thoracic limb on the ground

at the end of the stance phase, the ipsilateral

pelvic limb swings forward and strikes the tho-

racic limb, which has remained on the ground.

To avoid this, dogs will move the pelvic limbs

to one side or the other of the ipsilateral thoracic

limb—hence, crabbing or side‐winding. When

viewing the dog gaiting from the side, the pel-

vic limbs can be seen bypassing the thoracic

limbs under the dog’s abdomen (Figure  2.13).

This gait causes the spinal musculature on one

side of the dog’s body to move differently from

the musculature on the other side, creating an

imbalance. Surprisingly, this gait abnormality

is largely accepted in the conformation ring,

possibly because many breed judges admire the

image of a dog with abundant rear angulation

and a straighter front with the head held high,

which makes the dog appear to be alert.

A recent observation of dogs at the

Westminster Dog Show, the premier conforma-

tion event in the United States, revealed that

Case Study 2.1 Gait retraining

Signalment: 4 y.o. M/I Shetland Sheepdog that is
training and competing in obedience and agility.

History: Twice in the last 18 months, the patient
has had surgery to remove interdigital cysts, first
between P4 and P5, then between P3 and P4
on the left thoracic limb. Pathology reports
indicate that both cysts consist of granulomatous
inflammation secondary to keratin and hairs that
had been driven through the interdigital epidermis.
Client notes that she is losing points in obedience
competition because patient is lagging during
heeling exercise, especially when client is doing an
about turn. Client wonders whether this is related
to pain or discomfort in the left forefoot after the
two surgeries.

Examination: Patient is a large Sheltie (18′′ at the
withers; breed standard indicates maximum height
should be 16′′) and is moderately overweight, but
otherwise, all body systems are normal. Surgical
sites are completely healed and other than small
scars, there is no evidence of the previous
interdigital cysts. No evidence of lameness or
pain/discomfort on examination. However, when
moving at a trotting speed, patient paces. When
client moves faster or pulls on patient’s collar to
off‐balance him, he trots for two to three strides
then drifts back into a pace.

Diagnosis: Gait abnormality—pacing.

Recommendation: A gait retraining and
reconditioning program was developed. Patient
trotted daily through  ground poles elevated
approximately 3′′ off the ground and placed parallel
to each other approximately 18′′ apart. After
3 weeks of daily short training sessions, patient was
weaned off ground poles over a period of another
3  weeks. In addition, client started placing the
poles on hills, facing both up and down and
sideways on the hill. Approximately a week after
initiating the program, patient stopped pacing
while heeling in obedience, and after approximately
4  weeks on the retraining program he stopped
pacing whenever he was moving. Scores for the
obedience heeling exercise improved by 50%.

Comments: Many obedience dogs are inadvertently
trained to pace because their client starts off
walking slowly during training and gradually
speeds up. When pacing, a dog’s center of gravity
shifts from side to side, making the dog less able to
adapt to the client’s gait changes. This also can
put abnormal stress on the feet and might have
contributed to the interdigital cysts that developed
in this dog.

Figure 2.13 When viewed from the side, the distal

thoracic and pelvic limbs of a dog that is crabbing can be

seen bypassing each other. Source: Illustration by Marcia

Schlehr.