I read on here about someone who thought their dogs movement looked really peculiar and someone described gaiting. Well my GSD occasionally looks really odd, and since then I've checked, and yes she is gaiting when that happens. My question is why do they gait sometimes?

Kat

Do you mean pacing?

Gaiting is a term used to describe moving a dog showing it's gait.

Yes i think you do mean pacing, where on the same side legs front and back are going together instead of diagonial legs falling in the print of the fore leg leading.

Doh:rolleyes: Yes I mean pacing!

And so curious as to why they sometimes do it. When she does it she looks like a 3 legged camel, her normal movement is so graceful.

Kat

It is comfortable and lazy.

With mine I tend to find it starts when your speed is too slow for a trot for the puppy so they slow down and pave.  Your walking speed is probably too fast for a dogs walking speed, but to slow to get into a trot.  This then becomes a lazy habit, and they can then do this faster nad faster.

You need to break their stride.  I usually give a tug up and forwards as we head off, also if they pace, then I go back to the start and say trot.  They soon learn that if they drop back into pacing they will not get very far.  Moving at a fast enough speed once the stride is broken out of the pace is important.