Pacing Vs Trotting

[Staranais]

Wasn't sure quite where to post this, so I thought general was as good as any.

Have just started my girl (malinois) on some slow road work as part of her rehabilitation after shoulder surgery. I've never biked with her before, and it was a good chance to watch her pace as I rode beside her. Anyway, turns out she paces, not trots.

Does anyone know why a dog would pace rather than trot? Is it a conformation thing? A speed thing? Is it a variation on normal, or abnormal?

She's been to the chiropractor, got the all clear, and shouldn't be in any pain after the surgery.

[persephone]

My guess is it's easier, and she gets more speed for less effort?

[Bullbreedlover]

dogs can pace when walking and pace when moving faster.

For a few breeds in the show ring it is very acceptable.

Pacing is the most easiest form of movement as told to me

there are ways to move them out of a pace and that is to start off at a burst of speed when first moving them. And then controlling that speed to a trot.

[Remarkabull]

When I was a kid I remember that both our Dobes started doing that as they got older. One of them had had surgery on one of his back legs but the other dog did it as well and she had never had any surgery. We thought it was just a 'getting old' thing. Maybe less painful to move the legs that way?

[Tiggy]

My big dog sometimes paces at a walk

[OSoSwift]

PAcing is easier and when we walk them (If they are bigger) a trot is quite often a bit fast and a walk too slow, so they pace.

They cannot pace as fast as they can trot so generally if you move them out faster they will trot, then you can slow it down a little and they should trot, sometimes they will go back into a pace.

Mine do it when they are just strolling around, if they are moving with purpose they trot.

When I am doing obedience training I train for the trot and do not click/treat for pacing. As I like my dogs to lift their fronts and lighten the forequarter, they cannot physically do this when pacing.

Edited August 16, 2010 by Rommi n Lewis

[Dogsfevr]

Pacing is often referred to as the lazy mans walk.

Whilst acceptable in some breeds it isn't desired & can be a pain to get a dog out of that movement.

I bike my guys because they will pace unless i do a jog due to there gait & found when i walked them & they paced & they actually ended up very muscle sore compared to when there biked & in a nice balanced gait.

You see alot of dogs at shows pacing but many owners have no clue there doing it so a habit forms,it is easy to feel it down the lead .

I wouldn,t be encouraging it

[Lucy's mama]

Could someone please give me a quick description of a pace verses a trot? Just curious...

[angelsun]

I've also thought of pacing as the lazy gait and don't encourage it even at a walk. Pacing works different muscle groups than trotting (coming from a standard bred race horse background where I had both gaiters in my stable) so to build up a dog correctly, you must get them into the right gait.

Pace is when both sides move forward together, that is the right front leg and right back leg reach forward at the same time, whilst the left front leg and left back leg are out back. It is a side to side motion which makes the back roll. The feet never risk touching as they move side to side at the same time.

The trot however is a diagonal sequence with left front and right rear reaching forward whilst the right front and left rear are extended back. Although there are slightly different forms of a trotting gait (two beat and three beat and flying trot and double suspensions) that's basically the motion and leg action you want to see.

[Lucy's mama]

Thanks Angelsun

[Starkehre]

Added to this, a pace at the walk is know as an "amble"

Yes, I have also always viewed it as the animal trying to get away with the easiest form of movement. I do not allow it.

[poodlefan]

If a dog doesn't have even front and rear drive, pacing is one way of avoiding the front and rear legs striking at the trot. Crabbing is the other.

The two gaits (pace and trot) are explained below using horses. In a pace, the animal moves both the legs on one side together. In a trot, the legs are moved diagonally on opposite sides of the body.

Edited August 16, 2010 by poodlefan

[FHRP]

I have a dog who paces a lot. It used to bother me and I'd encourage him to change into a trot, but now I live with it and let him do what he wants. It looks gawd awful IMO, especially when he's going a decent rate (he can manage quite a speed doing it!). He was checked out by a vet I trust with movement issues and she even discussed it with vets in the USA when she was doing a chiropracter course. We couldn't find a definitive reason why he does it more than other dogs, I even had him thoroughly x-rayed when having his hips scored. My concern was that there was something wrong and as he is a sports competition dog I wanted to be aware of any issues. At 8 years old now, he is still running in agility very competitively and appears to remain very sound. I did show him and found it easy to get him out of it and into a proper gait on the lead.

Edited August 16, 2010 by FHRP

[Staranais]

Thanks everyone for your comments!

She doesn't pace at a walk, it is only when I ask her to go a little faster that she breaks into a pace not a trot. I'll try speeding her up for short periods & see if she trots. Not for long periods though since I am deliberately keeping it slow, this is rehabilitation not exercise per se, & I don't want to over-stress her shoulder before the cartilage is ready for it.

Poodlefan, can you please explain about having insufficient rear or foreleg drive? What are the causes of this, the other symptoms, & the ramifications? She never crabs, BTW.

I suppose she must trot when we heel since she prances beautifully - I've just never watched her since I'm concentrating on all the other heeling criteria. Perhaps I'll videotape her & see what she's doing with her legs when she heels.

I don't actually care if she's doing it so long as it doesn't reflect a conformation flaw or injury, as I have no intention to show her, & am happy for her to assume whatever gait she finds most comfortable. I've done a google search (not the most accurate information I know!) and apparently some sled dogs prefer to pace for long distances?

[OSoSwift]

That is what I am after in obedience PF

Weight back, front elevated and centre of gravity shifted back. Perfect illustration

[poodlefan]

Poodlefan, can you please explain about having insufficient rear or foreleg drive? What are the causes of this, the other symptoms, & the ramifications? She never crabs, BTW.

It's not so much a matter of "insufficient" as unbalanced drive. If a dog is straighter in the front than the rear (caused by angulation of shoulder and stifle/hock) then the rear legs will drive further than the front.. if the dog is trotting, the rear leg is in some danger of striking the front leg at the trot. In horses this is called "striking" or "overreaching" is quite common and can be heard as the rear hoof 'clicks' striking the front one.

A dog (or horse) that is straighter in the rear will not step properly under itself at the trot.. the rear leg will not come up to where the front leg left from. An animal trotting evenly steps with the rear leg into the spot the front leg left.

A dog with uneven front and rear angulatiion is not uncommon. A 'courtesy turn'.. (turning the dog in a circle around you) is a common way to get a dog trotting before gaiting out into the show ring. Pacing in a tight circle is not an easy thing to do.

Edited August 16, 2010 by poodlefan

[Staranais]

Thanks! That makes perfect sense. If I were to take video of her at a walk, pace, & trot, is it possible to analyse if her gait is due to unbalanced angulation? Or do I really need a very experienced person to look at her in the flesh?

Also, if unbalanced drive is the cause, would she still break out of a pace at faster speeds (as she would if she is just using the pace as a lazy transition between walk & trot?)

[poodlefan]

Thanks! That makes perfect sense. If I were to take video of her at a walk, pace, & trot, is it possible to analyse if her gait is due to unbalanced angulation? Or do I really need a very experienced person to look at her in the flesh?

Also, if unbalanced drive is the cause, would she still break out of a pace at faster speeds (as she would if she is just using the pace as a lazy transition between walk & trot?)

I would take a side photo of her stacked up and then video a slow walk and a trot.. that will show all you need to see.

There's no question a lot of balanced dogs do find pacing comfortable. One of my poodles paces when on lead but rarely at other times. It must be that particular speed he prefers to pace at.

[Erny]

That is what I am after in obedience PF

Weight back, front elevated and centre of gravity shifted back. Perfect illustration

Driving from behind. Loved getting that from my horse - the feeling of sooooo much controlled power.

Staranais - I think it would be something akin to use walking using our butts and keeping our pelvic muscles engaged (as we're sort of supposed to). Do that and it helps our upper bodies to straighten/lift and improve posture. Not exactly like this for dogs/horses, I guess, because we're built so differently, but I suspect similar.

[poodlefan]

That is what I am after in obedience PF

Weight back, front elevated and centre of gravity shifted back. Perfect illustration

Driving from behind. Loved getting that from my horse - the feeling of sooooo much controlled power.

And the extended trot is the ultimate expression of that controlled power engaged.

Edited August 16, 2010 by poodlefan