i had always assumed that dogs just had the same basic gaits as a typical non-gaited horse. You know, walk trot canter. But then my neighbor and walking buddy got a (not well bred) golden, that tended do a pace instead of a trot. A few years later I gotta new GSD and noticed that he occasionally does a running walk type gait between his walk and trot.
Are there any dog breeds that are “gaited” the way some horse breeds are gaited. I assume it would be a fault in the show ring for many breeds.
When dogs pace it usually means that they are structurally unbalanced. A dog with a straight shoulder/front end and an angulated rear/hind leg will pace in order to avoid hitting itself when it moves.
Yes could be imbalance but is also an in-between gait - e.g. when leashed and going faster than a walk but not as fast as the dog’s natural trot a dog may pace. If you try running with a fast dog and can’t run as fast as they would naturally, you might find the dog chooses to pace to stay with your speed.
There are a couple of breeds that have atypical gaits - the Old English Sheepdog is known for its “bear-like” gait, and the breed standard says “May amble or pace at slower speeds.”
The Bulldog also has a distinctive and unusual gait - the breed standard says "The style and carriage are peculiar, his gait being a loose-jointed, shuffling, sidewise motion, giving the characteristic “roll.”
My breed, the Brittany, is known for over-reaching at the trot - the correct dog will trot so that the “hind foot should step into or beyond the print left by the front foot.” For a lot of other breeds - this would be a fault. The Brittany is supposed to be square (legs as long as the body) so a dog at a full trot has to overreach.
There are probably a few others that are known for unusual gaits. Most are because of an unusual proportion in some way. Those are the only ones I know off the top of my head…but most breeds will pace sometimes.
A dog that never trots - that’s usually an imbalance somewhere.
A pace can also be a lameness or fatigue gait. A dog can start out trotting but start pacing when tired. A sore dog may pace instead of trot.
speaking of not trotting- My rescue shepherd mix did not trot for 6 mo. when I first got her. Like she didn’t know how.
but as she became stronger and fitter and less likely to race around out of habit, she figured out the trot and now has
several trot speeds.
Funny how we horse people notice these things.
Very informative @S1969 that’s what I was wondering about.
Yes, horse people do learn to notice gaits and gait quality in more than just horses.
Some breeds allow for additional gaits. Like an old English sheepdog can amble or pace when moving slower and that is included in the breed standard.
I see it exclusively in old dogs or ouchy dogs. I’m referencing dogs I see on the street being walked.
How do you know they are old or ouchy?
Lots of dogs pace at dog shows; it’s a handling mistake you learn to recognize quickly and fix when you’re in the ring. And it’s almost always caused by moving off with the dog at the wrong speed. A dog on a leash is likely to pace because its walk is too slow and its trot is too fast for the human handler.
I thought dogs using a pacing gait was a means of conserving energy?
Like hunting breeds,
Both my Beagles did it, as did the JRT
We had a lab who paced. She had bad hips and blew out both cruciates. She was also very tall and leggy for a lab - not a well built or well bred example of the breed!
Pretty much any dog will pace if walking with a human that’s walking faster than the dog walks and slower than the dog trots. With dogs over “small” size, that’s pretty much a comfortable walking tempo for your average person, so you often see a lot of dogs out pacing with their people when walked on a leash. That doesn’t mean they’re old or ouchy. Just that their person isn’t jogging.
I think a lot of coonhounds will pace. I have had a black and tan and a bloodhound that will go into that extra gear. When the bloodhound paces, we call it her business walk, because she means business:) She is perfectly balanced and relaxed, but she means to get somewhere.
Lately I have seen a lot of pacing GSDs. On walks, at parks, etc.
Whether it is unbalance or soundness related I can’t say. My old GSD never paced. A family member owns a distant relative of his, who paces with some frequency especially during chores. It is a very smooth, fast gait - not the flying trot. It’s lateral, and quick.
I would say that in most dogs it’s speed related. My dog paced when she was younger, now she isn’t in such a hurry all the time so she’s happier to trot/walk as needed.
My sister has a well bred lab, very nice conformation. Tracks straight, etc. She’s from hunting lines though and is go go go. She has a quick walk, a pace, and her trot doesn’t show until she’s really moving (my dog would be “cantering” at that speed). Now, when she has her nose to the ground she changes from the pace to a trot, I imagine she finds it easier to balance like that.
If you have owned one you should be able to understand why lots of them pace on walks or at a park. The speed of their trot is very fast due to their conformation. The average person wouldn’t be able to keep up with their trot for very long, but a walk is a very slow gait for most dogs.
If your GSD wasn’t as heavily angulated as most (specifically those that are being breed to the breed standard) - it is no surprise that it might not have paced as often.
Fast trots as compared to what…a human walking?
My GSD was my running partner, he had a trot that was easy to keep up with. Flying trot and canter, no…
The dogs I am seeing do it on leash are doing it at quite a slow pace, same speed even as walk.
Re: angulation and GSD breed standard…
Who knows. I love the breed and hate the way it has gone. I am usually the first to roll my eyes at nostalgic and/or old die-hard breed purists that wring their hands and lament bygone days… but his type is so different from the type now.
These days I don’t see much resemblance between them. I don’t like the type. My other breed of choice, Malinois, seems much better built in terms of breed type and longevity, and thankfully has yet to adopt some of the conformation flaws it seems GSD breeders embrace.
My point is that a GSD might pace more frequently than any other breed because their trot would be uncomfortably fast for someone walking their dog.
Lots of dogs will pace slowly - as I said about dog shows - in the show ring it’s a handler error by starting off at the wrong speed. Most dogs can pace comfortably enough; especially when going slowly. They won’t often change their pace until it becomes too slow or inefficient for what they want to do.
As for GSDs and breed types - did you ever show them? I don’t know how much the standard has actually changed versus the perception of the breed by people who don’t show dogs - especially in the television/internet era of dog shows. The standard on their website says it was approved in 1978. I understand that doesn’t mean what wins doesn’t change to some degree, but in essence the parent club’s job is to keep the breed from changing despite what “wins.”
(And I say this as an active member of a breed parent club, so I’m not just saying it to say it. My club has a breed standards committee and you can’t get things changed without a veritable act of god. We have a few things in our standard we would like addressed but it probably won’t happen.)
Yes… In HS, worked for a kennel that did agility with the corgis & working/schutzhund with the GSDs…it’s how I got my start with the breed and where I found my breeder of my first GSD. The dogs then are completely different than now, no dispute.
“Standards” by definition, are not as rigid as you think. The standards may be the same or unchanging, but breeds as a whole tend to ‘evolve’ for a lack of better word. One need to only look at the Holsteiner, which has very onerous standards… and the registry is completely different in terms of type/quality today than it was 20 years ago… Casall and Laurie’s Crusader, for instance, could not be more different – and both were and are considered the type to breed in their day.
This is so reassuring. My Galgo (Spanish Greyhound) almost exclusively paces on leash. I was always somewhat concerned, but gave up trying to influence him, as that is what he seems most comfortable with. We don’t compete in anything, he’s strictly a pet, so I gave up worrying about it. But I did always take note of it.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
