# Walks/Runs Sideways



## Dakota09 (Mar 25, 2009)

Dakota seems to walk sideways and run sideways at time. Is this something I should be concerned about at 5months or will he most likely grow out of it.


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

My Rex did that until he was about 18 months. My vet said it was a lack of coordination - if the dog tried to run straight, he tripped over his own 4 feet.


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

Yeah, lucy did that for a while too when she was younger. She's be running straight but it would look like she'd be running sideways up along a hill or something.


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## foader (Dec 19, 2008)

Chewy did that when we first got him. For a while there i thought his backend was gonna pass his front. But around 9 months he kicked the habit and is running fine now.


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## GSD4LIFE21 (Mar 8, 2007)

my almost 5 month old still doesnt know where his big ol feet are. He runs like a goof..


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## sabrosa1000 (Feb 4, 2015)

My eleven month old full German Shepherd Hanna does the same thing. All of my part Shepherds have. 

THIS IS ONLY A LOGICAL GUESS........it needs to be researched.

All dogs have descended from wild canines. A single canine hunting would logically want to make it appear that he/she was not alone but as a pair if being tracked by a larger carnivore. Go figure....

I don't think this is anything to be worried about. It usually only happens when trotting (hunting) or in playing mode.

Hanna is a purebred German Shepherd and it is much more pronounced in her than my mixed Shepherds. She is not as far removed from the wild wolf as the others.


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## peppsmom (Oct 4, 2014)

Mine did it too, from the moment we got her at 7 weeks. Around 5 ish months it stopped looking sideways and looked more like a bunny hop, like the two hind legs touch down to closely together in time (but not at the exact same time) it gives a little bunny hop quality to her run. She is 7 months old, and I mostly expect her to grow out if it... But it isn't super noticeable anymore


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## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

I believe some GSDs with excessive overreach of the hinds may result in what might be this "sideways" gait description.....however I would think it would only be displayed at certain gaits...not all.


From the GSD standard..."The overreach of the hindquarter usually necessitates one hind foot passing outside and the other hind foot passing inside the track of the forefeet, and such action is not faulty unless the locomotion is * crabwise* with the dogs body* sideways* out of the normal straight line."

Unless a vet is knowledgeable about the specific breed and their particular body designs and gaits, I wonder if their opinion has much merit.

I'd wager many of the conformation participants and breeders would be up to speed on this "sideways" condition....as this is just a guess on my behalf regarding this "sideways" gait situation.

SuperG


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