Hi
Just wondered if anyone has any idea of how I can stop my 9 month old puppy from "crabbing" when he trots.  Have tried practising up against a wall but once in the ring he tends to "crab" quite badly.
Any help or advice would be appreciated.
Lisa

Is he leaning on you asif a horse would when riding? Treat his lead like reins and guide him out

If he's crabbing, try moving him in the other hand until he learns to move straight. :)

I don't actually see how bad it is until someone else takes him.  His back end curves round so he can look like two dogs:-)
I've tried knudging his back end out whilst trotting but this can put me off and I'm worried about tripping over.  Sorry I don't ride so not sure what you mean about a horse leaning on you when riding.  Do you mean putting two leads on him and standing behind him when trotting (sorry if that sounds thick!!).

If he crabs away from you then walk with him close to a wall, it towards you use the other hand and walk close to a wall - another thing I have found works if to walk the dog along a low narrow wall if you can find one, if it tries to crab it falls off.

You could also try with someone trotting the other side of the dog with tit bit in hand.

If hes on your left and hes coming towards you, hold your arm outwards, across his shoulder and guide him back towards the wall.  Try trotting him without a wall so he learns where to place his feet instead of having a guide and have a chalk mark for you to stick to.

Are you sure it is just crabbing in habit and not a conformation reason?  I see a young dog in the ring in my breed who crabs incredibly badly, in fact in 40 yrs I have never seen one so bad and it is down to a combination of faults in topline and limb construction.

Yep you can only try to train.  If they're build wrong then they'll move wrong. :(

Are you sure it is just crabbing in habit and not a conformation reason?  I see a young dog in the ring in my breed who crabs incredibly badly, in fact in 40 yrs I have never seen one so bad and it is down to a combination of faults in topline and limb construction.

I agree. Years ago, my saluki used to crab in obedience heelwork; TTouch completely resolved the issue as it losened tension on muscles etc and he walked balanced again. In fact, he has started crabbing again and it's time for TTouch to work its magic again.
Other types of massage or a chiropractor could possibly achieve similar results if it's due to wrong posture.

Vera

Does he crab when off lead?
My 1st GSD used to do an 'oval' retrieve and recall, would always run curving to left of 'straight line' yet he would go straight when walking, only showed up at faster paces
Took him to chiropracter who sorted out a couple of vertabrae at end of spine/root of his tail. Once his 'rudder' was fixed he then went straight at all speeds.
Chris

Hi
When running off lead he runs perfectly straight - and I've not noticed him doing it when walking normally.  The only other thing he does do which may be related is he tends to lean alot against you if you stand next to him so I'm not sure if it is bad habit.
I will get in touch with some chiropractors to see what they think - as it could be that something needs a little adjusting - and at least they should be able to see if there is something wrong.
If he's not meant for showing then so be it afterall he is first and foremost a much loved pet - but I hope so as we both love going to the shows, it's a fun day out:-)

Can't find the post now but I'm sure someone a while back suggested practice with dog on your right instead of your left, as another idea to try

If he's crabbing, try moving him in the other hand until he learns to move straight. :-)

Yes tatty-ead.  Definitely worth trying training before going down the Osteopath/Chiropractic road.........

I have found that moving at different paces off lead and alternate sides helps as the dog needs to concentrate more on you and is less likely to crab.

Try different paces. If he has more drive behind than reach in front and you move him too quick he will have to shift his backend over so he doesnt step on his front legs with his back legs.

Can also be they dont like the position of the lead eg stringing up causes clingyness to the leg so a loose low down lead may have an effect.

As he is 9 months old could he still be settling into his legs? In other words, has he finished growing? Could he be a bit bum high still, and waiting for the front legs to finish catching up?

I agree that changing him from one side to the other, and trying different speeds might help. Do you have someone with a camcorder who could film you moving hm and then you can look and see his problem, and see if a different speed helps.

Agree with lindylou. It may just be a growing thing. I had a bitch that crabbed something chronic at 9months. I was sure I'd never get her in the ring. But I had older bitrches I was campaigning at  the time so I left her for a while. When I went back to her several months later it had completely resolved itself and I hadn't had to do a thing.

Thank you so much for all your replies.  Will keep practising and see how he gets on.  We went to class last night and I tried a looser lead and held lower down, he definitely seemed much better and much less crabbing.  So will keep at it - really appreciate all your help.
Lisa