puppy "rolling" hips when walking....

[Reeder]

I have a 6 mo old female Rottie pup, Scoutie, and she has me a little worried...

When I take her for walks, after about 5 min. she starts kind of rolling her hips, it does not look painful, but it looks a bit stiff and strange to me. Otherwise she is fine, she runs beautifully, does not otherwise appear stiff or in pain at all. The thing that worries me is that I have 3 other dogs (smaller than her) and they play pretty much all day, and I am worried that Scoutie moves too much and too wildly all the time...I give them time-outs and put them on a stay frequently but there is really nothing else I can do...But then again the "rolling" thing only appears when she walks, not in any other kind of movement.

Could it be just growing pains?

I am going to have her hips x-rayed, but I thought that I would ask you also since you have the experience of Rotties.

Thank you in advance,

Sincerely,

Larissa

[Wendya]

hi - puppies are sort of unco-ordinated at times and mine do sort of get into a cross between a walk and trot that looks like a cripple loosing control on a downhill. They seem to do this when they want to rush but are too lazy. I can't really advise because one really needs to see the movement. The only way to be reassured is to get the X-rays.
Hope she is fine.
Cheers
Wendy

[CarolineS]

Your dog might be pacing. It's a little hard to catch if you're not used to seeing it, but try to watch when her feet hit the ground.

When a dog is doing a true walk, each foot hits the ground separately, this is called a four beat gait.

When a dog is trotting, there are two beats, with the front foot on one side and the hind foot on the opposite side hitting the ground at the same time.

When a dog is pacing, it can look like he's doing a fast walk, but it produces a very "rolling", side to side, motion through the back. If you look carefully, you'll notice it is a two-beat gait, with the front and back foot on the same side hitting the ground at the same time.

You will quite often see a dog pace if it is nervous or if it is tired. I hope this explanation isn't too technical for you. If you watch closely, it shouldn't be too hard to figure out if this is what you're seeing.

If this is what is going on it is a perfectly normal way of moving and absolutely nothing to worry about. It even appears in the breed standard, and is referred to as "ambling".

[This message has been edited by CarolineS (edited August 06, 1999).]

[Reeder]

THATS IT!!

Thank you!!!

She IS pacing, moving the legs on one side at the same time!!!!

Pheeeew, I am so relieved to know that she is OK....!!

I find it VERY strange though that I did not see this before I really looked. Live and learn huh?

THANK YOU THANK YOU!!

Larissa

[Reeder]

And Wendy...I loved your description of how a Rottie pup walks...it is not very PC, but oh so accurate...LOL!!!

LArissa

[CarolineS]

Wendy,

Looking at how a dog places his feet is not something most people do, so don't feel bad. I only notice because I rode for years and I had to tell my coach (a very stern German gentleman) which hoof was striking the ground and when, all this while I was on top of the horse! You can bet I spent a lot of time on the ground staring at that horse, trying to figure out what was happening when. It's something that just comes second nature to me now, staring at animals' feet. LOL

Glad I solved your mystery.

Caroline

[This message has been edited by CarolineS (edited August 06, 1999).]

[Reeder]

Caroline,

This is why these kind of discussion forums are GENIUS!! You saved me a lot of money and worry...!

I am so grateful...And yes, I too have now become an expert at looking at animals feet...I check out every dog I meet in the street to see what they are doing..LOL.

So far I have not seen another dog do this. Is it only Rotties or all large breeds that do it?

Larissa

[CarolineS]

I honestly don't know if other dogs do it. I haven't noticed it on any other breeds, but usually I only see them en mass at dog shows and this is not a gait that dogs are shown in (as you've seen it doesn't produce graceful movement!).

In the German standard, under gait, it says that the Rottweiler is a trotter (this means it is most comfortable at this gait). Any animal that trots will probably at some time or another fall into a pace.

When I first got my Rott, she was 2 years old and had been brought up at the kennel. She wasn't used to being taken for a walk and there were lots of things out there she'd never seen. In the first year I had her, she paced a lot. I noticed she fall into a pace if she was unsure about something she saw on the walk. She'd also pace at the end of the walk, probably because she was tired. She'd pace back and forth through the house when I was getting ready to take her for a walk. You can see why I know so much about pacing!

As she got in better shape and used to things in the big, bad world, the pacing disappeared. I probably haven't seen her pace in a year and a half now.

[Nancy Estes]

There was a bit of a squabble on another list about pacing. It is a normal gait; sometimes considered a *lazy* gait, energy saving for the dog. I have seen Bassets pace, yes, Bassets with their little short legs. I've seen short backed dogs pace, long backed dogs pace, etc., etc. I believe all dogs can pace. The problem, as far as conformation showing, is a dog that prefers to pace or that uses the pace as its normal gait. Actually, I like the term *amble* since it really is more descriptive of the sort of la-de-da, easy-going, laid-back movement you usually see when an animal is pacing. This is also very typical of the Old English Sheepdog. In fact the standard, though calling for a trot at faster speeds, stipulates: "May amble or pace at slower speeds." The movement of both legs on one side either forward or backward at the same time is what gives the *roll* to the body.

Nancy

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von Dorow Rottweilers
doggo1@apex2000.net

[BigBear]

I too had a dog that did the same thing and at the time was so worried that there was hip problems. At times he even "bunny hopped" alot where he just bounced around. I seemed that when he got older he started to do it less but so I began to wonder if it was just growing spurts. I sent in his OFA x-rays when he was two and they rated an Excellent, so I guess some dogs just do this and it has nothing really to do with the actual hip structure. Actually I didnt know what to call it but now that it has been explained in this thread I see and understand why. Thanks, even though it was not my question, I have had a question answered anyhow.

[CarolineS]

Nancy,

The picture I get of a Basset Hound "ambling" along is pretty funny.

Caroline

[Nancy Estes]

It IS funny - I'm so used to it I hardly notice anymore but a lot of people can't imagine a short-legged, long-backed dog pacing. But they're funny dogs anyway.

On the *bunny-hopping* - a lot of times that is just a puppy trying to figure out what to do with those long back legs, especially if they have a lot of rear angulation. These are the same ones that when they give up and pace instead, have the floppy, bouncy topline. If they're basically put together right, everything eventually comes together when they get older.

Nancy

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von Dorow Rottweilers
doggo1@apex2000.net

[Reeder]

Well, It has been a couple of days now since I posted the question and I have had som time to observe Scouties pacing-habits...

She does it if we walk slowly or if she is tired, but ONLY when she is on a leash walking with me, never in the house, so it might be nervousness of new surroundings (I just moved)

Sometimes though when she starts speeding up from a pace she still keeps the pace as she is going a bit faster and BOY does that look akward, but as soon as she falls in to a run she is like a graceful panther again. (She does look and move like a panther sometimes)

She bunny hops sometimes too and I thought for a while that she was copying my Bichons as this is a normal thing for them.

Scoutie is very long in the body but not abnormally long and she will probably grow out of that akward stage soon, she kind of looks like those gangly teenagers, all limbs and no clue how to use them..

Stll looking for other dogs to do the pacing but no luck so far!

Larissa