Biomechanic characteristics of gait of four breeds of dogs with different conformations at walk on a treadmill

Abstract

Principle of ‘dynamic similarity’ is frequently applied in biomechanic research as a tool to extrapolate data between animals from the same species, but, in dogs, different breeds entail different conformations. For that reason, comparison of dynamic parameters among dogs of different breeds should not be only based in weight and relative velocity. By means of the use of force platform and high-speed videography in 12 dogs corresponding with four breeds of different conformations, we showed how most of kinetic and kinematic variables are highly independent of weight or relative velocity and other factors as morphometric values and ratios are determinant.