# "Bunny Hop" - What is it?



## Simpsons Master (Nov 11, 2008)

Hi guys,

I have a 13week old male GR/Lab cross . . . and I just want to clarify exactly what the 'bunny hop' gait is.

I had to have my last GR put down because her back went out after years of (undiagnosed) HD . . I am a lot more informed now, but also a bit paranoid about it happening again!

So . . . the gait. Can someone please explain to me the difference between the bunny hop, and the normal run that a dog does? I always thought that every dog runs by moving its back legs together, and its front legs together. Much like a horse at full speed??

My little Simpson does the following:
* walks normally (with a distinct waddle when walking slowly! I believe that that is quite normal for a GR?)
* trots normally. 
* Then runs. When he runs, he moves both back legs 'almost' together. They do not land at exactly the same time, nor do they land under his body. Is this normal? When I look at youtube all dogs/puppies appear to run this way! What is the difference between a normal healthy run in a dog, and a bunny hop?

Also, over the weekend I noticed 2 times where he appeared to limp on his back leg/s. This only happen for about 2mins at a time (if that), then it seemed to clear and he was back to walking normally again. Should I be concerned about this?

Thanks in Advance,
Wayne


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## Jackson'sMom (Oct 13, 2007)

My Mila has bunny hopped when running since I got her, and she was diagnosed with very bad hips when she was 18 months old. Mila is Lab/beagle. I would suggest that you talk to your vet about your puppy's gait, and others on this forum may have some advice to offer, too.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

the bunny hop is a strange gait not at all like the normal puppy run. They move their back legs more from the back than from the hip, it's really hard to explain, but it gives them a distinct "hopping" motion of both legs moving together in a slight up and down motion rather than the normal gallop of a running dog.
Your vet could check for laxity of the hip joints and watch your puppy run, just to ease your mind.


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## Simpsons Master (Nov 11, 2008)

Ok, thanks for the replies!

The puppies bum does not bounce up and down when he runs, infact I would say that he looks normal . . . however he does move his back legs almost together, which all of the HD information sites say is a bad thing. :no:

When he gets super excited his bum kinda moves up and down and he takes two or three 'pounces', but that is very rare, and it is all 4 feet at once. Very much a pounce rather than a walk/run. The pup is very keen to climb stuff, climb all over us etc. He is currently ripping branches off the Christmas tree and doing laps of the house as we try and stop him!

The vet did do a physical exam at 10 weeks when he got his second round of shots, and he is due back there next week for his final shots. The vet commented that his hips felt nice and tight @ 10 weeks . . . but I still worry a bit lol.

On another note (which I should probably start a new thread on) . . when do people start leaving their puppy outside? I am in Australia so it is summer here, and in winter it never gets below freezing point. I have made a nice house for him, and to be honest it is probably cooler for him outside than it is inside during the day. He does the normal puppy things like eating bark/digging holes etc. I was waiting until he could not get through the pool fence, which he can no longer do. He wont take food unless he gets the codeword . . . so I am thinking it is just about time to let him loose and see how much trouble he can get himself into!

My main concern about leaving him outside is that we have a low retaining wall (about 1 foot). Should I be worried about him jumping up/down from this height onto grass? We have tried to discourage him, but puppies will be puppies!

Any advice would be great 
Cheers
Wayne


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

If you are really concerned about the hips have them x-rayed by the vet. There is a procedure called the Penn-Hip surgery that can help correct dysplastic hips, but it has to be done when the pup is really young. 

I've got a dog with horrible hips who does not bunnyhop but shakes like a leaf on the rear end if standing for too long and another with fabulous hips that does bunnyhop when he runs, but has very strong athletic hips--go figure.


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## Simpsons Master (Nov 11, 2008)

How conclusive is the physical test that the vet does? 

As mentioned above, he did the physical test a few weeks ago, and I will ask him to re-check the hips next week when Simpson goes back for his 3 round of shots.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

Xrays are absolutely definitive because you can actually see the joint in the xray. But I really think from your description of his movement you don't have anything to be worried about, he sounds likea normal puppy.

As for leaving your puppy outside, I assume you mean when you are gone. I would strongly discourage you from ever leaving him outside unsupervised while you are gone. There are way too many things he can get into that could harm him, people who might hurt him or even take him. He can cause damage to your property also by digging or chewing, or even find a way out of the yard. It just is not safe to leave a puppy outside alone, and it isn't really a good idea even when they are adults. IMO.


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## Simpsons Master (Nov 11, 2008)

G'day!

I respect your opinion wrt leaving you dog outside, however in Australia this is seen as the norm - just about all dogs are left outside. Infact it would be almost abnormal to leave a dog inside. In summer, the inside temperature would get well over 40 degrees C . . . we have hot summers!

There is no chance that he can get out (unless someone let him out - which I have not heard of either). There is heaps more room for him to move around outside too.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

Here in Texas we have some 40 degree C days as well! That translates into the 100s for the Fahrenheit people! Of course we have good old Air Conditioning and my guys love the A/C. 

I think the decision on letting your dog outside really depends on the dog's temperment/personality and age and the security of your particular yard. Secured, locked gates and tall fences are a definite requirement. In my case I did not leave my dog outside alone when he was a puppy because first, he would eat anything growing in the ground, or at least pull it out of the ground, and also because I felt he was safer inside in a crate. When he became trustworthy inside, I allowed him use of the doggie doors so he could go in and out while we were away for short periods of time. Our older guy was never an issue with being left outside alone. He did bury a toy or two and get some dirty paws and nose, but he enjoys watching the birds and comes inside when he's had enough. He is totally trustworthy. We have a 10 ft fence, and the dogs are separated from the areas of the fence that border on alleys/public property as we have gated off a good part of our yard from the dogs. We also have a security gate on our driveway to prevent anyone from wondering onto our property and having access to our fence gates or dogs. We probably have more crime here in Dallas than Australia so we took this extra precaution. We also had an incident where a man walking his dogs off leash allowed his dogs to taunt ours from the other side of the fence. I was home, went outside, confronted the man, threatened to call the police because he was in my driveway (private property) at the time and would not leave. The security gate was put up the next week. Our backyard is now secure, unless they want to climb a 10 foot gate/fence! 

Our dogs enjoy access outside via the dog doors (we have two sets they have to go through to get outside as they must go through a secure/gated off passageway in our garage). Our younger guy spends 90% of his time inside, asleep on the sofa, and our older guy spends most of his time inside as well, usually on our bed. When we are home they are usually in the same general area we are. 

They definitely sleep inside with us at night. We have nocturnal creatures (possums, raccoons, bats) we want them to stay clear of. There are also coyotes all around but hopefully they don't jump tall fences!


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## Simpsons Master (Nov 11, 2008)

10 foot high fences??? What exactly are you trying to keep in/out? Are they wooden fences? Can you see your neighbours?

We upgraded our fences all around our yard before bringing a puppy into the family. Our fences are all wooden and about 5 foot high, maybe a bit more because they have a besser brick base (part of a retaining wall between us and our neighbours). 

Our gate is not locked . . . but it would be if we start leaving the puppy outside . . . that makes sense and would give me a bit of peace of mind. Before we built the fence there was no gate at all, so we never bothered putting a lock on it.

We live in a cul-de-sac, so we know all of our neighbours (and their dogs!) therefore we shouldn't have too many strangers/dogs walking up our street.

Little Simpson does love chewing everything and anything outside, but I don’t think there is too much there that can cause him any serious harm. He does NOT eat rocks, which is a huge relief. He does like to chew on bark etc which I know can cause some trouble, but I also understand that it is pretty normal thing for puppies.

By the way, thankyou to everyone who responded to the question about gaiting. The explanation about the legs moving with the back/spine makes SO much sense, as the ball in the hip would move less . . and this action would result in the bottom of the spine ducking down as the legs go forward, then flicking up as the dog brings the legs from under themselves – creating the ‘bunny hop’.

I am relieved to see that Simpson does not do that; his legs appear to move freely in their joint. We also started to teach him how to walk down stairs (we have about 5 stairs leading outside), and he is doing very well, one leg at a time which also indicates that his hips are good


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