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Hips swaying back and forth on walk

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38K views 21 replies 17 participants last post by  wellspjw2  
#1 ·
My dog Champ is almost 7 1/2 months now and although he's done it for as long as I can remember, his hips will noticeably sway side to side when he is on our walks. My husband and I always joke that he has a wide load or junk in the trunk;) However, when he is trotting along out in front of me on the end of the leash, I don't notice it at all, but then it almost seems like I'm not walking fast enough for him and his hips will really sway from side to side as he is slowing down so I can catch up. It also happens at the end of the walk when he is more tired and when walking along side of me or behind me.

I am not super concerned about it...my last dog had hip dysplasia and Champ has no other signs of hip dysplasia, such as bunny hopping, limping or an inability to stand on his hind legs. I looked it up online last night and in my search I found something called "pacing" and although I didn't really understand it, it sounded like it fit Champ. And like I said although I am not really concerned, after what happened with my last dog I am always a little bit concerned and paranoid;)

Anyone notice anything similar with their dogs or know about pacing? Any suggestions or insight would be helpful!
 
#2 ·
Molly paces when she walks at my speed. Some call it a lazy walk. It's really ugly and it has become a habit. I started to work on reversing the habit in obedience (Molly would pace while heeling) and also allowing her to walk at the end of her 4 ft leash on leashed walks. She is learning how to trot nicely at slower speeds and is pacing much less often than she used to. I used to have to really speed walk to keep up with her trot, but now I can walk just a little faster than my normal pace and she can still keep a trot. The majority of her walks on off leash so she can trot freely and not fall into a pace.


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#6 ·
How do you teach them to trot at a slower pace? Since Champ isn't a show dog, it doesn't bother me if he keeps doing it, but it just looks funny. It almost looks like his hips are loose, which is why I was mildly concerned. His brother also had radiographs done because the vet said his hips were a bit loose, but the hips looked fine with the xrays.

Jennifer1 said:
I think pacing is when they move their left front and left hind together at the same time rather than left front/right hind. Kenzie did it when she was a puppy, if I sped up she'd gt into a more normal movement.
My old golden used to have a lot of hip movement when she walked. She was very slinky when she walked. No hip issues. Kenzie is also sort of slinky but not as much as Bear. Maybe it's just the golden walk?
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Oh gotcha thanks for the information! My first thought was that it was just a golden thing too. I swear I have seen other goldens do it too, and Champ is so wide in his behind..and he walks like it too;)

robinrd said:
I notice that with my golden too. He does it when we walk but if we pick up speed he seems fine, I was concerned about hip dysplasia because I found out that his mom has mild hip dysplasia so Ive been keeping an eye on him but there are also no other symptoms of it so hopefully its nothing.
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Oh no sorry to hear about his mom! Ya I was really watching it this morning when I took him out for his walk and he didn't do it at first, because of course he's walking at a faster pace because he's excited, and then when he was trotting at the end of the leash he looks like he prances and like he's a show dog, but then once he slows down to my pace or when he gets tired, you can really notice the butt going back and forth. I was worried since it happens when he gets tired and I was hoping it isn't a sign that he's in pain...maybe it's just the way goldens are though!;)

Davidrob2 said:
It sounds like Champ and Harry were separated at birth they are so similar! Harry does the same thing with the hip swinging. I always thing of Ray Charles' "Shake your Tail Feathers" when we go for walks. My husband says Harry is strutting his stuff because he's so good looking (we're not biased or anything). :) It used to worry me that maybe Harry had hip issues, but the vet didn't seem too concerned when I mentioned it. And, like Champ, there are no other signs of HD.
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That's so funny and so true, especially because the feathered tail goes along with it! It does sort of look like their hips are loose when they are doing it but ya, like Harry, Champ has no other signs of HD. He runs up and down the stairs when he does his zoomies and loves to stand on his hind legs to try and get things off the counters, or to give us a hug. I'm not overly concerned since there is no other symptoms and with my last dog, he was literally walking crooked, and he would bunny hop and he would be the first dog to lay down at the field, even though he was playing with dogs that were a lot older than him. So it was really really obvious with him and if I noticed any symptoms with Champ I wouldn't hesitate to bring him in. Part of me wants to bring him to our orthopedic vet to have her watch him walk but the rational part of me tells me that it's pointless and that I will work myself up for nothing;)
 
#3 ·
I think pacing is when they move their left front and left hind together at the same time rather than left front/right hind. Kenzie did it when she was a puppy, if I sped up she'd gt into a more normal movement.
My old golden used to have a lot of hip movement when she walked. She was very slinky when she walked. No hip issues. Kenzie is also sort of slinky but not as much as Bear. Maybe it's just the golden walk?
 
#5 ·
It sounds like Champ and Harry were separated at birth they are so similar! Harry does the same thing with the hip swinging. I always thing of Ray Charles' "Shake your Tail Feathers" when we go for walks. My husband says Harry is strutting his stuff because he's so good looking (we're not biased or anything). :) It used to worry me that maybe Harry had hip issues, but the vet didn't seem too concerned when I mentioned it. And, like Champ, there are no other signs of HD.
 
#9 ·
Haha the golden swagger...that's a great way to put it!;)

TheZ's said:
I think Zoe does what you're talking about. My daughter says she's trying to attract the boys. I too was worried about it when she was young, thinking she might have hip problems. The vet said some dogs throw their hips more than others. Some time ago we ran into another Golden owner who said she walked just like his former Golden who had lived to 12 or so and never had hip problems.

I'd be interested to hear what any breeders have to say about this. I seem to recall reading that it may be caused by how the dog's rear is structured compared to their front and/or the length of their loin.

As to pacing and trotting, they're different gaits. As dogs get moving faster they naturally move from pacing to trotting. Trotting is a more graceful gait.
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Thanks for the info! I would also be interested to hear what the breeders have to say, and I was thinking about asking our breeder. What I read last night said that show dogs are basically taught not to do it...and I'm not really sure how. I watched a video of Champ's brother who is a show dog and when he is in the ring, he is made to trot, and when he trot's he looks exactly like Champ, so I think they try to not get them to do the hip swinging thing, not sure why though!
 
#8 ·
I think Zoe does what you're talking about. My daughter says she's trying to attract the boys. I too was worried about it when she was young, thinking she might have hip problems. The vet said some dogs throw their hips more than others. Some time ago we ran into another Golden owner who said she walked just like his former Golden who had lived to 12 or so and never had hip problems.

I'd be interested to hear what any breeders have to say about this. I seem to recall reading that it may be caused by how the dog's rear is structured compared to their front and/or the length of their loin.

As to pacing and trotting, they're different gaits. As dogs get moving faster they naturally move from pacing to trotting. Trotting is a more graceful gait.
 
#10 ·
So I just took Champ out for his nightly stroll, and I tried to notice the butt wiggle and as was mentioned in this thread by Jennifer1, I noticed this time that it happens when the left hind leg and left front leg are moving back and forth in unison (or vice versa). If he moved the opposite legs, like the right front and left back in unison, the butt doesn't wiggle.

I wonder if other people notice this too? Thanks Jennifer1 for pointing this out! It was correct!
 
#11 ·
Yes he's definitely pacing when he moves right legs together and left legs together like that. You see it trained in horses. But in dogs it looks a bit odd. I've heard they grow out of it. I've not seen it in a lot of dogs, but I'm no expert. I don't think it's a worry unless he was a show dog.
 
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#12 ·
In competition obedience it's preferable to have your dog trotting rather than pacing while heeling and I've managed to train Zoe to get right into a trot when we start heeling. Can't exactly remember how I did it . . . increasing my pace and making it more energetic I think, as well as marking and praising her shift into the trot. Even when they're alongside you, you can recognize a trot by the slight bounce they make when they're doing it.

To get back to the original question though, I don't think all Goldens swing their hips when they're pacing. Would love to have someone who knows about conformation comment on what causes it.
 
#15 ·
Thank you for this post. I have noticed Murphy's swagger, sway, swishing for a while now... I talked to my Vet who didn't seemed concerned, but I was silently obsessing about his hips. Now when I watch him walk, I'm going to hear the Bee Gee's "Stayin' Alive." LOL
 
#16 ·
There may be some conformation issue behind it, but most Goldens will pace when going at a slow speed and the pacing is what causes the swagger. The one year I went to Goldstock, they had a "Sassy Walk" contest to judge who had the best swagger. My Dexy came in second place!
 
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#17 ·
I have an 11 month old goldendoodle. Recently I have noticed pacing while he is walking. This is easily corrected if I stop and start walking again he will start to trot again until he gets distracted by another dog or person. It is like he forgets how to walk. I have also noticed cow hooked (his back toes are pointed outward). He does not seem to be in any pain and shows no other symptoms of Hip dysplasia. He does not bunny hop, frog sit and is fine going up stairs. I have noticed a change in his personality, he is a lot calmer now but this could be related to the hot weather. I am worried about hip dysplasia. Any thoughts?
 
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#18 ·
A year 1/2 pure bred golden retriever , female , has an obvious ‘ swayed ‘ back , like an old horse ; like it is not straight . Is this normal .. will she grow out of this ? Looks weird , and she has an interesting swayed way of walking too . She is crazy active and very clever in all areas .
Also , how much / often should I be feeding her ? She acts starved continuously !!
 
#20 ·
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#19 ·
A sway back isn't normal- can you post a video filmed from her height? A wiggle from pacing is different than an incorrect structure. it's unlikely she will ever have a normally level topline if she doesn't have one now.

Assuming you mean 18 mo old, depends on the dog's size, exercise , etc- but start @ 3C a day if she's active, and add or subtract when you revisit her bodily changes every week.
 
#21 ·
Maggie must be the laziest puppy! Am I the only one who has to wait for their dog to catch up? I am 5' 11", and I know I walk fast, but I feel like I am always encouraging her to catch up with me. I remember early on thinking I was going to have trouble with pulling. It is nice that was such a short phase with her :)
 
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