Published in PLoS ONE, this study by J. K. DiMichele, A. Pechette Markley, A. Shoben, and N. Kieves sought to determine whether agility dogs exhibit identifiable, consistent paw placement patterns on the dog walk obstacle. The researchers examined 296 dogs competing at the 2021 UK Agility International (UKI) US Open using publicly available videos.
Data collected from video review included front and rear paw placement across the dog walk as well as time to complete the obstacle. The study hypothesized that dogs would use predictable, classifiable paw placement strategies—especially based on their end-contact performance—but results showed otherwise.
Performance was highly variable. The mean time to complete the obstacle was 2.26 seconds (SD = 1.03), with similar mean and median times across all height classes. A slight majority of dogs—63% (185 dogs)—hit the up ramp with the right foot first, suggesting a preference for running on the left lead, though variability persisted between height categories.
Similarly, 58% of dogs (151/262) hit the down ramp with their right front foot first. Despite these slight trends, the researchers found no clear, consistent paw placement patterns that could classify performance styles or predict behavior across competitors.
The authors note that the high degree of variation underscores the need for more advanced gait analysis methods, along with intentional selection of dogs that represent the full performance spectrum. Such approaches may help future studies better understand locomotion strategies, performance optimization, and injury prevention in canine agility sports.
Source: DiMichele, J. K., Pechette Markley, A., Shoben, A., & Kieves, N. (2024). Evaluation of variability in performance and paw placement patterns by dogs completing the dog walk obstacle in an agility competition. PLoS ONE. Published March 8, 2024. Research conducted within veterinary sports medicine and canine performance science.
