Sunday, July 21, 2013

FIRM AND STEADY:      This dog has almost never been taken out for a walk.  All exercise has been in the trotting gait; easy and groundcovering on rough tracks or outside tracks; on snowcovered - or a summer- ground. This day was an exception and I was very happy with my observations of him in his way of walking.  During his first year he seemed clumsy and heavy and frequently preferred to pace rather than to trot while in the transition speed between a walk and a faster speed.   More than 2 years of running 4 - 5 days a week, exclusively on  uneven ground,  has changed his clumsiness into a springy and graceful trot.  It is particularlily observed in the pelvic region of the dog.  The sideway swinging movement often seen in dogs during a walk, is all gone and has become a strong, steady and straight gait.  The muscles developed in that region can now provide a springy trot even at a slower speed. The dog has very large paws and the muscles and tendons around the wrists are also very important for a natural gait.  I am convinced that this type of dogs, large and of a natural build, need to run as part of their daily activity.  It is a challange to train them properly because they are lazy by nature and cannot usually run free everywhere.