Canine gait

The gait of a dog 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's gait is similar to a horse's.
A dog judge must know the gait requirements in the Standard of the breed they are 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.
Types of gait.
Evaluation of musculoskeletal and neurologic conditions requires canine gait analysis. This involves visual observation from several angles and may require use of new objective technologies for gait analysis including kinematic gait analysis, kinetic gait analysis (force plate analysis), and temporospatial gait analysis (pressure sensing walkways). These may be especially important for dogs competing in sporting events and in working dogs.