Page 156 - ShowSight - December 2019

Form Follows
FUNCTION
PART 13
Evaluation of Movement—Coming BY STEPHANIE HEDGEPATH
Hopefully, those of you who have read the previous articles will now have a basic understanding of the structure of the dog. Without some idea of how the various body parts of the dog are connected, understanding how they move is a much more difficult task.
A dog’s structure dictates how that dog will move. Correct movement varies from breed to breed and is dependent upon the purpose for which the breed was developed. Some breeds need to be swift and agile, while others depend more upon stability and strength to perform their daily tasks. It is up to you, the breeder, to know your own breed. This includes the history if its development, the purpose for which it was formed and even the climate and terrain over which it was expected to work. All of this has a bearing on the variances in movement from breed to breed. If we, as breeders, do not understand the breed characteristics which make our breed unique, how can we possibly accomplish the task of preserving it for future generations?
Since every breed has its own unique way of going, it is impossible to describe move- ment in each breed within the scope of this series of articles. I will speak to structure and movement, using the ‘average’ dog—square or slightly off square dog with well laid back shoulders and a rear end that matches the front. In the majority of breeds the legs are expected to move back and forth in the direction of travel, in a straight column of support with or without convergence (single plane motion). With this in mind, a dog cannot be paddling, padding, crossing over (weaving), be out at the elbows or have an east/west turn of the feet.
I will now attempt to describe movement: what is normal and what is a deviation from normal, as much as we can do with only illustrations and without video.
A dog’s movement is assessed by watching the dog move toward you (coming), move away from you (going) and from the side (side gait).
COMING
Since the forequarter of the dog is held to the body with only muscles and ligaments, it does not have the stability of the rear assembly which is attached by means of a ball and socket joint at the hip and the hip is fused to the spinal column at the sacrum, thus form- ing a more rigid connection with the spine than in the fore assembly. The ball and socket joint where the shoulder articulates with the upper arm can move in all directions and even though most of the movement is forward and back there is still more lateral move- ment possible in the front and somewhat less in the rear. Because of these differences, the front assembly of the dog allows for more lateral movement of legs and feet than does the rear assembly causing such faults as being out at the elbows, weaving, paddling, etc.
When viewing a dog ‘coming’ one should first concentrate on the action of the feet. The average dog should move with legs inclining underneath the dog toward the center line of the body. See Line A-B on Figure 1. In most breeds, the longitudinal working >
154 • ShowSight Magazine, DeceMber 2019