# Does my dog's behind sway a bit too much as he walks? Should I be concerned?



## Theone

This is Boone, my 4-year old male Golden Retriever.



Here are videos of him walking: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yEeQgon--Y and https://vimeo.com/115754816

As you can see his butt/hips sway sideways as he is walking. It's probably just because he has less fur on him, but I am sometimes worried if he sways too much.

I am worried if it'd cause any problems in the future due to bad posture. I also read that "a swaying behind" is one of the symptoms of hip dysplasia. Should I be concerned or is it normal?

He has no health or physical problems whatsoever and he runs very fast too. We weighs under 32 kg. I don't know much about his parents.

_*(I want your honest opinion no matter how uncomforting/alarming.)*_

And hello everyone! :wave:

*PS:* I also asked this question elsewhere to grab more opinions: http://pets.stackexchange.com/q/7184/2699


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## CAROLINA MOM

Hi, welcome to you and Boone!
He's a very handsome boy. 

I'm no expert by any means, but his walk looks normal to me. 

If you have any concerns about Hip Dysplasia, you can have your Vet X-ray his hips.
You said he was in good health, if you should see him having any problems walking, if he seems to be having any pain or discomfort, I would have your Vet check him and definitely x-ray his hips. 

Glad you've joined us, hope you enjoy it here.


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## GoldenRetrieversAlberta

Hello!

Like said above,I am no expert, but his walks looks fairly normal. My dog Skoki, had way more of a swagger than that and we never discovered any hip problems with him. That may of been because he was so light though due to his condition-- megaesophagus.
I wouldn't worry too much, but if it were to really increase ( the swaying) and he were to show any signs of pain when walking or getting up, then I would recommend speaking to your veterinarian.
Welcome to the forum, and happy new year!


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## Eclipse

My girl has a wiggle butt when she walks too. I think it's just the way she naturally walks.


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## Anon-2130948gsoni

My Boomer also had a bit of a shimmy all of his life and like your boy, also seemed to have a little longer spine, which may have had something to do with the mechanics. 

My sheltie mix, who did have severe HD, was first diagnosed at seven months because she started walking diagonally and then I noticed that she had started to bunny hop going up the stairs.

For peace of mind you could certainly have your vet check him over, but with no symptoms I wouldn't be overly concerned.

He's such a cutie...


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## Willow52

Welcome! His walk looks normal to me.


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## TheZ's

If you put "swinging hips" into the search function you'll find a number of threads discussing this. One of the threads is_ http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...sion/202642-hips-swaying-back-forth-walk.html_ My conclusion after investigating the question is that it doesn't indicate hip dysplasia and is a function of the way the particular dog is put together . . . length of loin, front vs. rear angulation etc.


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## GoldenCamper

Looks fine to me also. My boy had a wiggle butt swagger. 

The last x-ray before he passed at 13+ years of age the vet tried to lighten my mood saying he had the most perfect spine for a 13yr old dog they had ever seen. He never had a problem with his hips either.


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## Theone

Ah, thank you, all of you! I was so worried; I feel relieved now. We don't have fully equipped pet clinics in my place. I plan to move to a metro soon (Bangalore, India) with Boone, and will make sure that someone with good eyes has a look, just to be cautious.

Again, I really cannot thank you all enough!


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## flatcoated

Dogs have two gaits between a walk and a trot -- the amble (this is what your dog is using in the first video) and the pace. In the latter two gaits, legs on the same side move forward or back together, which leads to swaggery butt action. Some people believe that ambling/pacing is indicative of less than ideal conformation, while others believe that they are just lazy and/or energy-saving and/or in-between speed gaits. I'm inclined to believe it is the latter, having seen many beautifully constructed Golden and Flat-Coated Retrievers (including many Ch and GCh dogs with beautiful movement in the show ring) who pace from time to time. Whether or not it is correct for a dog to move this way, nearly all of these dogs have passed OFA clearances with flying colors.

I do know one dysplastic Golden whose hips were first x-rayed when her owners realized that she literally could not gait properly, so if your dog never trots normally, you may want to have him checked out, but I don't think ambling or pacing is in and of itself indicative of a problem.


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## Theone

Boone is next to me right now and thanks you all too!


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