Gait (dog)

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This is an article on canine gaits, for other meanings see: gait (disambiguation).

A dog's gait is its quality of movement. It is given a great deal of importance in the breed standard of some breeds, of lesser importance in other standards, and in some breeds gait is not described in the standard at all.

A dog judge must know the gait requirements in the Standard of the breed he or she is judging. The Miniature Pinscher, for example, must have what is called a hackney gait, reminiscent of the gait of a horse. In working small breeds such as the Miniature Fox Terrier, a hackney gait is a serious or disqualifying fault. The gait is very important in sled dogs and research by Matt Moore, DVM, shows that the diet of a dog will influence their gait.