# Pacer and trotter -- pictures



## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I took a bunch of pictures this morning of Milla and Ninja and noticed that Milla trots with both left legs forward, while both right legs are back. Ninja trots with both near legs together and both far legs apart and obviously vice versa. 

One of these are pacing and one is trotting. I am not sure which. 
My questions are:

Which is more correct, or does it matter?

Which covers more ground with the least work? 

Which do most handlers hope to acheive in the ring?

Is it something you can train or is it what it is?

Added the pictures. 

Ninja:


















Milla:









The two of them:




































And even when cornering:


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## Barb E (Jun 6, 2004)

Legs on same side moving together is pacing, opposite sides together is trotting.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

The moving with both legs on one side moving the same way (like both left legs going forward in unison) is pacing. 

My terrier Pooch walked that way (in a pace) all the time. I am not sure if his hip dysplasia may have been partly why he walked that way, or if it was all due to his mix or body structure because he was build kinda oddly.

I know some dogs will pace when they are tired or if they are injured. In most breeds, pacing would be incorrect in conformation showing.


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## Xeph (Jun 19, 2005)

Pacing is an energy saver. In Justin's herding video you can see him pacing a lot. In some instances it was more efficient than trotting.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

In the last pic of the two of them, the blanket black shows a good movement pic. I don't really know which is more efficient or why, but I think in the ring you hope to see something like that, where all four feet are off the ground at once b/c at that moment the front and rear are fully extended and you can see the dog's reach and whether she is balanced. Maybe pacing is more efficient but it doesn't show off the dog's structure.


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## DancingCavy (Feb 19, 2001)

In conformation showing, pacing is not ideal. They're looking for a dog in a trot.


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## Xeph (Jun 19, 2005)

In conformation, if your dog paces, you're buggered (at least in GSDs)


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## Andaka (Jun 29, 2003)

Pacing generally indicates a fault in conformation. If the dog has more length of stifle than the front can handle, he would over reach from the rear and clip the front legs. So the dog seitches to pacing which eliminates the clipping.

Pacing is also a gait used when tired.


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## bergwanderkennels (Mar 26, 2009)

Funny is the amount of GSDs that I see pace over here in Germany is very high percentage almost every GSD I have seen paces alot more then trots.

My (Mom's) GSD is akc and she does not nor has she ever paced.
I thought it was a german thing compaired to an AKC breeding thing. I also noticed that German Boxers pace where as my american Boxer does not have a pace gait. Very interesting


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I was watching them this morning, and it is really hard to tell the difference. It was the pictures that I took yesterday that showed it up. I do not know how anyone could say that the dog has never paced, because you would have to be constantly looking at the dog to notice it. 

I think that with trotting the dog is more likely to single track than with pacing. I noticed from a few rear shots that Ninja is doing that, but I did not have one of Milla to compare with. 

But if pacing actually conserves energy, wouldn't you want a sheep dog to pace so they can drive sheep all day?


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## Andaka (Jun 29, 2003)

> Quote: But if pacing actually conserves energy, wouldn't you want a sheep dog to pace so they can drive sheep all day?


If it were a "good" gait, wouldn't wolves do it? But you see them trotting all of the time in the videos. And horses trot to get around. I think that pacing is mechanically harder to change gaits from -- such as to a gallop when you need the speed -- so it is more uncommon than trotting.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I have seen pictures of wolves pacing, and both trotters and pacers are used in horse racing. Again, unless you train yourself, it is hard to see the difference between pacing and trotting. 

I think that the trotting does show the dog's full reach though, correct movement like single tracking, etc. 

What a dog does off lead in a field is one thing, can you train a pacer to trot?


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