6mth puppy walks sideways
My dog definitely scampers to the left when walking on the leash and when running off it. He goes perfectly straight but it looks a bit wonky. This is nothing to do with the usual sheepdog wiggle at the rear, which he does like they all do. He is 6 months old and weighs 33 kilos / 73lbs. The veterinarian said he is fine and that lots of big dogs walk a bit off centre. The breeder said that they do sometimes walk a bit like a crab and the way to straighten them out is walk them on the other side when on the leash. Does this sound familiar to anyone? Many thanks and best wishes, Lee |
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| Honestly, no.
I know some dogs sidewind - i.e. "crab" - because they have more angulation in the rear than in the front. How to explain this? Think of the trot - easy gait to evaluate. A dog drives from the rear and reaches with the front. If they don't have a lot of reach, but they have a lot of drive (rear legs cover more ground than front legs) their rear legs have to go somewhere when their front legs can't get out of the way. There are a variety of ways to compensate for this, one of them is side-winding. They would do it equally on either side of you though. Try him on your right, perhaps, and see if he scampers to the right? Dogs do tend to be left or right pawed (one side is stronger/favored), kind of like people. Mind you, at six months old he could still just be a gangly baby who is too busy gawking to pay attention to where his body is 
Kristine |
| I agree, right now he's still growing and may be a little out of proportion. When he matures, you'll have a better idea if this is his normal gait. It it is, he will compensate, but obviously not be good for the show ring.
I remember my "crabbers": Irish Wolf Clancy would crab......coming out of sedation. In her case she was just "drunk." Basil was blind in one eye so tended to "drift." |
| Thanks very much for your replies! Much appreciated. |
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