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All material contained herein is
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ILLUSTRATED STANDARD
AKC Standard GAIT Free, balanced, and vigorous, with good reach in the forequarters
and good driving power in the hindquarters. When trotting, there is strong
rear-action drive. Each rear leg moves in line with the foreleg on the same
side. Rear and front legs are thrown neither in nor out. Back remains strong and
firm. When moving at a fast trot, a properly built dog will single-track. The
most efficient gait is one in which the dog moves in a straight line while using
the fewest steps and keeping the feet close to the ground.
Using the fewest steps for a given distance requires the longest natural
stride. Anything
other than as described above such as up-and-down motion, rolling or
crabbing should be faulted to the extent of the deviation. There
are four requirements for the side gait to be correct:
Correct
topline — The head carriage is slightly forward, the neck blends smoothly into
the shoulders, the topline from withers
to croup is almost level, and the tailset is carried slightly above the
horizontal. Correct
reach and extension — The front feet should hit the ground in line with the
nose. The rear leg should extend to a distance that is equal to the distance of
the front reach. Rear extension should include the rear pastern, which extends
by a properly opening hock joint.
Correct
foot placement under the body — The rear foot should step into the approximate
area vacated by the front foot. Over-reaching
or short-stepping in the rear should be penalized to the extent of the
deviation. Feet
close to the ground -- The
feet should lift only slightly above the ground when moving, rising no farther
than required for the feet to move smoothly.
This manner of travel uses the least amount of energy and results in the
most efficient movement.. Any
wasted motion in the front or rear action should be considered a deviation from
the desired Doberman gait Three important elements are required for correct movement when viewed from the front or rear: 
Columnar support — The dog’s joints are intended to absorb the impact of force in a straight-line manner. When impact travels straight through the joint, it remains stable and it works efficiently. If impact does not travel through the joint in a straight line, a lateral force occurs, which causes the joint to bend in a direction that it is not designed to bend. This is both inefficient and potentially damaging.
Convergence — The
standard states that a well-built dog will single-track at a fast trot.
Convergence is an element of balance and energy conservation. Since the legs are
on the corners of the dog’s body, failure to converge will result in a rolling
gait. This occurs because only one leg of a pair (front or rear) is on the
ground at the same time. When only the left leg is supporting the dog, there
will be a tendency for the dog to roll to the right. When only the right leg is
supporting the dog, there will be a tendency to roll to the left. This rolling
gait is well illustrated on wide-set breeds. A rolling gait is inefficient for a
working dog,
Foot
placement — To
verify that a dog is moving in a straight line, observe where the feet fall when
the dog is coming and going. If the front feet are nearly blocked from view by
the rear feet when moving away, or the rear feet are obstructed when coming
toward, then the dog is truly moving in a straight line. Moving from side to
side, side winding (crabbing), rolling, or bouncing take away from the desired
straight line necessary for efficient gait.
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