Pacing is often considered a compensatory gait pattern or a sign that musculoskeletal dysfunction is present in a dog. While pacing can certainly occur in painful dogs, it is far from the only explanation. Conformation, inadvertent training, terrain, breed, and even walking speed can all influence whether a dog chooses to pace, with no connection to pain or pathology.
So how do we determine if pacing is normal for an individual, when it might be a learnt behaviour, and when it might indicate the presence of pain or pathology?
In a two-part webinar series, Carmen Heritier addresses this exact question. Let’s explore a few of the key take-home points from her webinars, and what the research tells us.
Understanding the gait patterns in canines
Before we discuss pacing, it’s important to understand the different symmetrical gait patterns dogs use.
Trot
The trot is a two-beat diagonal gait, where the left forelimb and right hindlimb travel weight-bearing together, followed by a brief moment of suspension before the opposite diagonal pair lands.
This is a comfortable and efficient gait for dogs to adopt when travelling at moderate speeds over longer distances.
Amble
The amble is a lateral gait where the left forelimb and hindlimb move through the stride almost together, followed by the right forelimb and hindlimb. There is usually a slight dissociation between the forelimb and hindlimb on landing, making the amble a four-beat gait. This dissociation can be too quick to appreciate with the naked eye, which is one of the reasons ambling and pacing are often grouped together.
Ambling is generally slower than a trot and faster than a walk, and commonly occurs as a transition between the two.
Pace
Pacing is a two-beat lateral gait, where the forelimb and hindlimb on the same side move together through the gait cycle. During the stance phase, these two limbs support the body together before the opposite side takes over.
One point Carmen highlights is that some languages use the same word for both ambling and pacing, which can make interpreting the literature a little confusing. While the two gaits are similar, they are mechanically distinct.
Observe the gait, question the context
Many rehabilitation professionals are taught that pacing is a sign of compensation, pain, or weakness in the body – and sometimes it is. But making that assumption based on the gait pattern alone can be misleading. We need to consider the bigger picture before drawing conclusions.
One of the biggest perspective shifts I took away from Carmen’s webinars was learning to ask a few more questions whenever pacing is present.
Ask yourself:
- When does the pacing occur?
- Does it only happen on lead?
- How long is the lead?
- Is the owner walking at a speed that matches the dog’s preferred speed?
- Does the dog pace when travelling freely over long distances?
- Has the dog always paced, or is this a recent change?
The answers to these questions often provide more useful information than the gait itself.
Let’s look at what the research tells us.
What can we draw from the literature?
Pacing occurs in healthy dogs too.
A study by Theresa et al. (2016) set out to answer the question of whether pacing is associated with musculoskeletal pathology in dogs. Thirty-nine dogs underwent comprehensive musculoskeletal examinations before their gait was assessed on lead, off lead, and on a treadmill at a range of different speeds.
Their findings were interesting. Pacing occurred in both healthy dogs and dogs with musculoskeletal dysfunction.
The strongest predictors of pacing were being on lead and travelling at speeds between a walk and a trot. Simply observing a dog pacing was therefore not enough to conclude that pain or pathology was present.
Dogs naturally synchronise with us.
Duranton et al. (2018) demonstrated that dogs naturally synchronise their walking speed with that of their owners, even in familiar environments.
This may help explain why pacing is so commonly observed during leash walks. If an owner’s preferred walking speed falls somewhere between the dog’s comfortable walking speed and comfortable trotting speed, pacing may simply be the most efficient way for the dog to stay alongside them.
Conformation influences gait.
Body shape also influences gait selection.
Hildebrand (1968), who evaluated the symmetrical gaits of 37 breeds of dogs, found that pacing at intermediate speeds was primarily seen in dogs with relatively long limbs. As limb length increases, the diagonal limb pairs are more likely to interfere with one another during a trot, making a lateral gait mechanically more comfortable for some dogs.
This helps explain why some breeds appear to pace more readily than others.
Terrain impacts gait.
The environment also plays a role in determining which gait a dog selects.
Wilshin et al. (2017) demonstrated that trotting provides greater stability over rough terrain. On flatter surfaces, however, pacing may become a more energy-efficient strategy during prolonged travel.
Once again, context matters.
Pacing can be inadvertently trained
One of the more interesting discussions in Carmen’s webinars centres around how easily pacing can be reinforced during leash or heel training.
Because pacing commonly occurs when a dog is travelling at human walking speed, it is possible to unintentionally reward the gait while reinforcing the desired behaviour of walking neatly beside the owner. Over time, the dog may learn that pacing is the preferred way to maintain that position.
The encouraging news is that, if pacing has become a learnt behaviour rather than a comfortable gait preference, it can also be modified through thoughtful training.
When should we be concerned about pacing?
As with any clinical finding, our reasoning is what helps us determine whether pacing is significant in an individual dog.
A dog that has paced throughout its life – particularly during leash walking or long-distance travel – may simply be expressing a normal gait preference.
On the other hand, we should investigate further if pacing develops suddenly, if it is accompanied by lameness or changes in behaviour, or if a dog becomes reluctant to trot when it previously moved comfortably in that gait.
In other words, a sudden change in gait is often more clinically significant than the gait itself.
Changing the Gait
In the second webinar of this series, Carmen explores practical ways to encourage dogs to trot instead of pace when appropriate.
These include modifying speed, changing terrain, using different movement patterns, adjusting lead handling, and applying thoughtful training techniques.
The goal is not to eliminate pacing altogether, but to ensure that dogs have access to a full repertoire of comfortable, efficient gait patterns.
Conclusion
Pacing is neither inherently normal nor inherently pathological.
It is one of several gait strategies available to dogs, influenced by conformation, speed, terrain, learning, and sometimes disease.
As rehabilitation professionals, our role is not simply to identify the gait, but to understand why that gait has been selected.
When we shift our focus from what we see to why we see it, pacing becomes another valuable piece of the clinical puzzle rather than a diagnosis in itself.
References and Resources
- Theresa, M. & Kyle, W. & Duncan, Colleen & Marolf, Angela & Duerr, Felix. (2016). Evaluation of pacing as an indicator of musculoskeletal pathology in dogs. Journal of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Health. 8. 207-213. 10.5897/JVMAH2016.0512.
- Duranton C, Bedossa T, Gaunet F. Pet dogs synchronize their walking pace with that of their owners in open outdoor areas. Anim Cogn. 2018 Mar;21(2):219-226. doi: 10.1007/s10071-017-1155-x. Epub 2017 Dec 18. PMID: 29256142.
- Hildebrand M. Symmetrical gaits of dogs in relation to body build. J Morphol. 1968 Mar;124(3):353-60. doi: 10.1002/jmor.1051240308. PMID: 5657937.
- Wilshin S, Reeve MA, Haynes GC, Revzen S, Koditschek DE, Spence AJ. Longitudinal quasi-static stability predicts changes in dog gait on rough terrain. J Exp Biol. 2017 May 15;220(Pt 10):1864-1874. doi: 10.1242/jeb.149112. Epub 2017 Mar 6. PMID: 28264903; PMCID: PMC5450805.
Pacing in Dogs: Pathology, Performance, or Training? Part 1, Carmen Heritier
From Pacing to Performance: Teaching a Relaxed, Functional Trot: Part 2, Carmen Heritier
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