How Dogs Move
It’s a sunny morning and you’re taking your four-legged friend for a lovely walk in the park. Happily sniffing here and there, trotting around, and seemingly full of energy — but what actually lies behind these movements, and where does all that stamina come from? In this article, our veterinarian Dr. Julia Vietmeier explains how our furry friends’ locomotion works and gives you an insight into their biomechanics.
Welche Gangarten gibt es beim Hund?
What gaits do dogs have?
Every dog can move using different gaits. Within each gait, a dog can move more slowly or more quickly, but the rhythm of paw placement remains the same. When a dog changes its gait, the footfall pattern changes as well.
Researchers distinguish between two types of movement patterns in dogs:
- Symmetrical gaits in dogs:
Walk, trot, and pace are symmetrical gaits in which the legs on one side of the body perform the same movements as those on the other side, offset in time. - Asymmetrical gaits in dogs:
The gallop is considered an asymmetrical gait. In this case, the legs of one side do not touch the ground one after the other; instead, both front legs and both hind legs land as pairs. This type of footfall allows the back to be more actively involved in the movement, enabling the dog to achieve greater speed.
Walk in Dogs:
The walk is a four-beat gait without a suspension phase (i.e., all four paws leaving the ground at the same time) — ideal for relaxed strolling and sniffing. In this gait, the legs tend to remain relatively stiff.
Trot in Dogs:
Unlike the walk, in the trot the legs make ground contact offset by half a stride cycle (in the walk, it is a quarter), and there is a suspension phase. The dog’s center of gravity remains relatively stable, the pace is faster, and the body is supported only by diagonal pairs of legs. It is therefore a two-beat gait. From the trot onward, the limbs become increasingly flexible and elastic, and the dog shows greater compression in movement.
Pace in Dogs:
In this gait, the limbs on one side of the body move simultaneously. It appears slightly swaying, as the dog’s center of gravity shifts from one side to the other. Some dogs move in a pace more frequently due to their conformation. However, if a dog shifts from its usual trot to pacing, this may indicate fatigue or a health issue.
Gallop in Dogs:
Gallop is actually a general term for several types of galloping gaits. The hind legs and front legs touch down in pairs, offset in time. It is a three-beat gait; distinctions are made between the collected (canter-like) gallop, the canter, and the full racing gallop. They differ in speed and in the number of suspension phases.
How Do Dogs Move?
Since the ancestors of our companions — wolves — specialized in endurance hunting, it is hardly surprising that our dogs also tend to be energetic and persistent on long walks.
The reasons for this lie, on the one hand, in specialized muscle fibers that fatigue more slowly and, on the other hand, in a sophisticated movement pattern designed to conserve energy.
Did you know? As a rule, dogs use only about 10% of their daily energy requirements for locomotion — in rare cases up to 20% (Source: D. Koch, M. Fischer, Lameness Examination in Dogs).
When standing still, a dog distributes its body weight unevenly:
- Around 60% of the weight is borne by the front legs,
- and only about 40% by the hind legs.
For this reason, the front paws are usually larger than the hind paws. This weight distribution shifts repeatedly depending on the gait. A dog’s center of gravity is located approximately at the level of the ninth rib.
The faster our four-legged friends move, the more pronounced the compression of their legs becomes (due to increased elasticity). This allows the dog to store potential energy with each step and move forward in a spring-like manner without expending much effort.
In this way, wolves are able to cover very long distances each month while patrolling their territory and searching for food. That is why our dogs are generally not particularly exhausted after a long walk and still have plenty of energy left.
Veterinarian Dr. Julia Vietmeier:
“It is therefore all the more important to provide dogs with adequate periods of rest, as too much activity and too many stimuli throughout the day can lead to the release of stress hormones and, over time, may pose a risk to their health.”
The Jenaer Study on Canine Locomotion
To date, the most comprehensive study on canine movement was conducted in 2011 under the direction of researcher, zoologist, and evolutionary biologist Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Martin S. Fischer and his team of scientists at the University of Jenaer.
The study lasted four years and included a total of 327 dogs from 32 different breeds. It led to spectacular new perspectives in canine biomechanics and generated numerous findings that have revolutionized our understanding of how dogs move.
The Jenaer Study: Analysis of Movement Patterns
The researchers used three different measurement systems:
- an infrared motion capture system,
- two high-speed video cameras, and
- a high-speed X-ray camera (500 X-ray images per second, but with significantly reduced radiation exposure thanks to modern technology).
This combination of measurement systems enabled an unprecedented, comprehensive visualization of the canine musculoskeletal system and created a three-dimensional coordinate system of the dog’s body in motion.
Anatomical details such as joint angles and structures like the shoulder blade could thus be made visible.
This innovative approach demonstrated that some previous representations of the canine skeleton and canine movement are outdated and do not accurately reflect reality.
Key Findings of the Jenaer Study
What exactly do these surprising findings mean? And how do they influence everyday life with our dogs (for example, in relation to different types of dog harnesses)?
Here are the most exciting results:
- The pivot point of the forelimb is located in the upper part of the shoulder blade — not in the shoulder joint. The shoulder blade rotates by about 35 degrees, while the shoulder joint itself shows very little movement.
- The hip joint and the upper edge of the shoulder blade (the respective pivot points of the hind and forelimbs) are positioned at the same height when standing and moving — although most anatomical skeletal models depict this differently.
- During movement, the shoulder blade and the forearm function in coordinated synchronization. The same applies to the thigh and the metatarsus in the hind limb.
- A dog’s locomotion depends significantly on the proportions of the upper arm. The study found that in all dogs, the upper arm accounts for exactly 27% of the total length of the forelimb. This leads to the conclusion that all dogs — regardless of size and weight — move in roughly the same way.
Veterinarian Dr. Julia Vietmeier:
“Veterinarians, too, can draw many practical conclusions from this study for everyday life with our four-legged friends. For example, questions such as: How should a harness fit, and where might it restrict a dog’s movement? The new perspective on biomechanics also enables veterinarians to gain valuable insights for their clinical practice and for the assessment and treatment of lameness.”
Dog Harnesses from a Scientific Perspective
We took these findings as an opportunity to examine our harnesses from a scientific point of view. Discussions surrounding collars, harnesses, and different harness types are often highly emotional, and many opinions circulate on the subject.
However, there are relatively few scientific analyses and studies available; most debates are based on subjective observations and personal experience.
Here are some examples of scientific studies:
- Effect of harness design on the biomechanics of domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris)
- Ellen Williams, Violet Hunton, Jacqueline Boyd & Anne Carter (Journal of applied animal welfare science, 2023)
- A Systematic Review of the Biomechanical Effects of Harness and Head-Collar use in Dogs, Scott Blake, Rhian Williams, Roberta Blake, 2019
- Effects of restrictive and non-restrictive harnesses on shoulder extension in dogs at walk and trot, Lafuente et al., Vet Record 2019
Do Dog Harnesses Restrict a Dog’s Movement?
All studies conducted to date (see above) agree that wearing a harness will always result in some degree of movement restriction. We, too, tested various harnesses on different dogs and breeds using a treadmill (GanidGait® der Firma Zebris) to determine whether and how they restrict movement.
Based on scientific data — such as stride length, joint angles, shifts in the center of gravity, and more — generated by the treadmill’s measurement systems, we at HUNTER ensure that our dog harnesses meet the latest scientific standards and are therefore as comfortable as possible for your dog.
Tip: In our article “A Scientific consideration of dog Harnesses”, you can learn more.
Conclusion: The biomechanics of our dogs is a fascinating subject! By better understanding the movements of our four-legged friends, we can actively support their well-being and enjoy our shared adventures even more. Have you ever taken a closer look at your furry companion’s movements?
Veterinarian Dr. Julia Vietmeier
is a board-certified veterinary specialist with a doctoral degree and incorporates chiropractic care and acupuncture into her practice.
She places great importance on the holistic treatment of her four-legged patients.