# Why do we say the poodle trot is a beautiful breed trait? I made a slow motion video to demonstrate.



## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Love it!! Thank you for sharing.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Wow, love it ! Misha is such a gorgeous dog ! 

If you ever do another video, it would be interesting if you showed a frozen frame of Misha’s feet off the ground for every movement. So we can see it better.


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## Vee (Mar 2, 2018)

I love this! Such beautiful dogs! Thanks for sharing. What a great way to view the gait. I recorded diva but didn’t think of slowing it down. 🤦🏼‍♀️ How do you slow vids down like that, is there an app?


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

Dechi said:


> Wow, love it ! Misha is such a gorgeous dog !
> 
> If you ever do another video, it would be interesting if you showed a frozen frame of Misha’s feet off the ground for every movement. So we can see it better.


Yes, this is a good idea and I considered this and would like to do it at some point. But I was just too tired of working on it to add any more. I might do a separate trot video showing it. But I did put one of the "hover" shots as the thumbnail.


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

Vee said:


> I love this! Such beautiful dogs! Thanks for sharing. What a great way to view the gait. I recorded diva but didn’t think of slowing it down. 🤦🏼‍♀️ How do you slow vids down like that, is there an app?


Thank you! I am a total newbie at editing videos and I just use Windows Movie Maker. It lets you slow them down and is fairly simple to use. I would guess there are phone apps that can do it as well. But I typically just edit on my pc.

I got the idea for this after watching the old documentary "Dog Steps" which is available for viewing on youtube. It's ancient but still a really wonderful way to learn about gait comparison. Though it will drive you mad because you'll start analyzing the gait of every dog you see!


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Another dog who has a great gait is the doberman. A well bred doberman is an amazing animal to watch.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

That was lovely to watch and very informative - thank you! I had not realised poodles use the flying trot, but it certainly explains why they seem to float.


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## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

Great video! I really appreciated the comparison with Jack, and seeing a Dobie (or other breeds) would be very informative. But I realize that you're not producing a series, lol! Great job! (PS - I've been admiring the picture in your signature.)


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

Dechi said:


> Another dog who has a great gait is the doberman. A well bred doberman is an amazing animal to watch.


I would love to see a doberman with proper movement in person. It's funny... I know many dobermans as they are popular here but I don't think any have great movement. I know two of them that I often see crabwalk very obviously. So they mostly pace.


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## Mufar42 (Jan 1, 2017)

Great video, thanks for taking the time to film it and share. It really demonstrates how our poodles walk.


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

fjm said:


> That was lovely to watch and very informative - thank you! I had not realised poodles use the flying trot, but it certainly explains why they seem to float.


I don't know for sure if it is super common. Even Misha's normal trot is kind of springy. It's hard to get him to trot like Jack is trotting though. Maybe Johanna could answer. From what I've read the flying trot requires either fast speed or very strong rear drive. Misha's breeder saw the stills I took and said that he has perfect movement so maybe the flying trot is ideal... not sure. He also may be a bit unique with the double suspension gallop. Not all dogs do it, though for sure it is more than just sighthounds (that's a myth).


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

Liz said:


> Great video! I really appreciated the comparison with Jack, and seeing a Dobie (or other breeds) would be very informative. But I realize that you're not producing a series, lol! Great job! (PS - I've been admiring the picture in your signature.)


Thank you! It was chance that the gallop lined up so perfectly like that. I had to make a compilation haha. I love how it turned out. I would also be happy to do a series if I could get dogs to do it, but I would need dogs with correct movement which can be hard to find. Jack actually just ran in by accident. I was trying to film away from other dogs! But it turned out nice. He looks to have a balanced trot but he is still a puppy and probably not pure lab. Filming dogs with movement faults might be fun too but I'm not sure how to ask owners tactfully! I do occasionally see some show quality dogs so I'll think about getting permission to film them.


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## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

I bet these would be helpful to folks who show -- including judges! Maybe your local dog club would be interested? I'm sure the owners would!


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

Liz said:


> I bet these would be helpful to folks who show -- including judges! Maybe your local dog club would be interested? I'm sure the owners would!


Yeah that's a good idea! I might try reaching out to them when I have time.


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## Toffee the toy poodle (Jul 14, 2020)

Raindrops said:


> I wanted to get some photographs of Misha trotting in profile and some slow motion footage to analyze his gait. I loved the video so much that I have edited it into an educational form. We're always telling people that poodles have a special beautiful way of walking and I wanted a way to show it. They seem to float in an effortless prance. I think Misha demonstrates this very well. You can see that his natural gait is the flying trot. And he also shows a gallop and a double suspension gallop. Enjoy!





Raindrops said:


> I wanted to get some photographs of Misha trotting in profile and some slow motion footage to analyze his gait. I loved the video so much that I have edited it into an educational form. We're always telling people that poodles have a special beautiful way of walking and I wanted a way to show it. They seem to float in an effortless prance. I think Misha demonstrates this very well. You can see that his natural gait is the flying trot. And he also shows a gallop and a double suspension gallop. Enjoy!


This is amazing! Thank you. 

Though my toy is not as graceful as Misha, when toffee trots around my apartment I really sit up and notice. It makes me smile and call her queen Toffee!

Thanks for the great video


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## For Want of Poodle (Feb 25, 2019)

Thank you for making this video!!! Just last week I was trying to figure out what Annie's gaits are. I figured out pacing, but her trot looked "different" and yes, I couldnt figure out what it was called when she went airborne while running. Brilliant idea to slow it down. 

Flying trot and double suspension gallop. Good to know! 

Misha is an absolutely gorgeous dog.


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

For Want of Poodle said:


> Thank you for making this video!!! Just last week I was trying to figure out what Annie's gaits are. I figured out pacing, but her trot looked "different" and yes, I couldnt figure out what it was called when she went airborne while running. Brilliant idea to slow it down.
> 
> Flying trot and double suspension gallop. Good to know!
> 
> Misha is an absolutely gorgeous dog.


Yes I also didn't realize Misha had a flying trot until I took video. I knew he was exceptionally springy though. It is very fun to slow them down. Misha does pace when he is tired but it's hard to induce it. Trotting is much more natural to him. To film this I just used my phone set up on a mini tripod next to the road. I'd love to see a spoo in slow motion.


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## For Want of Poodle (Feb 25, 2019)

Annie paces on our walks because I am slow and her legs are long. Its honestly not a pretty gait for her. But if she is off leash or I am walking faster she trots naturally, or gallops. I sometimes think gallop is her preferred gait. I get a lot of "look at that dog! How did you train her to walk like that" or "she moves like a thoroughbred horse" comments.


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

For Want of Poodle said:


> Annie paces on our walks because I am slow and her legs are long. Its honestly not a pretty gait for her. But if she is off leash or I am walking faster she trots naturally, or gallops. I sometimes think gallop is her preferred gait. I get a lot of "look at that dog! How did you train her to walk like that" or "she moves like a thoroughbred horse" comments.


Yes, it is funny that people always comment on how beautiful their walk is. They always ask me if Misha is a show dog. I could see how leash walking a standard could be tough to train. Their natural pace is so fast!


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Raindrops said:


> would love to see a doberman with proper movement in person. It's funny... I know many dobermans as they are popular here but I don't think any have great movement. I know two of them that I often see crabwalk very obviously. So they mostly pace.


If you haven’t seen any nice ones at a dog show, there is something wrong. Most dobermans you see on the street have poor to very poor conformation.

Check here at 2:30. They’re not as prancy as a poodle. They remind me more of a beautiful horse.


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

Dechi said:


> If you haven’t seen any nice ones at a dog show, there is something wrong. Most dobermans you see on the street have poor to very poor conformation.
> 
> Check here at 2:30. They’re not as prancy as a poodle. They remind me more of a beautiful horse.


Ah yes very pretty! I have seen them on film before for sure. I only meant I have never seen one in person as in real life. But I would like to meet one. I've only been to a show once when I was young.


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## Vee (Mar 2, 2018)

Raindrops said:


> Thank you! I am a total newbie at editing videos and I just use Windows Movie Maker. It lets you slow them down and is fairly simple to use. I would guess there are phone apps that can do it as well. But I typically just edit on my pc.
> 
> I got the idea for this after watching the old documentary "Dog Steps" which is available for viewing on youtube. It's ancient but still a really wonderful way to learn about gait comparison. Though it will drive you mad because you'll start analyzing the gait of every dog you see!


 I’ll have a look for an app ive got to try the slow motion vid, it’s such a good idea! I’ll have a watch of the doc too, thanks for sharing


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

Vee said:


> I’ll have a look for an app ive got to try the slow motion vid, it’s such a good idea! I’ll have a watch of the doc too, thanks for sharing


I highly recommend it! Rachel Page Elliot was a pioneer in understanding dog movement.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Thank you, this was beautifully done and a joy to watch.


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## Asta's Mom (Aug 20, 2014)

Very informative. I had a sneaky feeling that Asta flies too in the trot, but sadly he is very camera sky so the odds of getting a photos are next to none.


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

Asta's Mom said:


> Very informative. I had a sneaky feeling that Asta flies too in the trot, but sadly he is very camera sky so the odds of getting a photo are next one.


Then this method would work for you! I set it up on tripod and then just let him walk past it. You can take stills from video. They look like this... very nice.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

That was really nice to watch. I was wondering about your new siggy pic and now I get it. They do move very fluidly and it is super pretty. Javelin moves the way Misha does. Very light on his feet, airborne as needed for the pace. He gallops at me on recalls. I have been working really hard for him to collect himself when he gets in close. If that doesn't happen I end up with his head jammed between my legs, which is a slight improvement from crashing into me so hard he puts me off balance.


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## 3MiniPoodles (Jul 14, 2020)

Thank you! I´ve never noticed this before


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## 3MiniPoodles (Jul 14, 2020)

And I will subscribe to Misha´s Youtube channel!


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

3MiniPoodles said:


> And I will subscribe to Misha´s Youtube channel!


Lol, I just created it but I will try to post some other things. He is very entertaining.


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## Dianaleez (Dec 14, 2019)

That's delightful!

It reminded me of Manet studying racehorses. He'd have loved slow motion.


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

lily cd re said:


> That was really nice to watch. I was wondering about your new siggy pic and now I get it. They do move very fluidly and it is super pretty. Javelin moves the way Misha does. Very light on his feet, airborne as needed for the pace. He gallops at me on recalls. I have been working really hard for him to collect himself when he gets in close. If that doesn't happen I end up with his head jammed between my legs, which is a slight improvement from crashing into me so hard he puts me off balance.


That must be very impressive on a spoo! Good to know this is typical for poodles.


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## Porkchop (Sep 2, 2019)

This is such a good video! Misha is such a good boy showing us all these graceful gaits he can do. Lacey has recently developed a graceful, springy trot that I love. But she can’t do it on command like Misha.
I highly doubt she has proper movement and I’d totally let you use her as an example in your video if I lived nearby.


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

Porkchop said:


> This is such a good video! Misha is such a good boy showing us all these graceful gaits he can do. Lacey has recently developed a graceful, springy trot that I love. But she can’t do it on command like Misha.
> I highly doubt she has proper movement and I’d totally let you use her as an example in your video if I lived nearby.


Haha he doesn't do it on command either. I just made it look that way because it's cute. I just got a bunch of different speeds and picked what I wanted. I'd love to record Lacey. I'm sure her gait is nicer than any other poodles in my area!


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## FloofyPoodle (May 12, 2020)

Misha is so pretty! I’ve always wondered what the Poodle Trot looked like slowed down, but couldn’t ever get a good video... Thanks, Raindrops! 



Dechi said:


> If you haven’t seen any nice ones at a dog show, there is something wrong. Most dobermans you see on the street have poor to very poor conformation.
> 
> Check here at 2:30. They’re not as prancy as a poodle. They remind me more of a beautiful horse.


Dobies, to me, are the living definition of confidence when you see a good one walk. A horse is a good comparison.


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## Porkchop (Sep 2, 2019)

Misha is definitely cute, and the perfect size. I have such a soft spot for inky black mini poodles.
I think Jack accidentally coming into your video was a cool accident since we got a side by side comparison of two different trot styles.



Raindrops said:


> I'd love to record Lacey. I'm sure her gait is nicer than any other poodles in my area!


Aw, thank you!


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## Fenris-wolf (Apr 17, 2018)

This is so cool!! Thank you for sharing. I hope you make more videos soon. I would love to see them. Sisko's gait is like Jack's.....


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

Fenris-wolf said:


> This is so cool!! Thank you for sharing. I hope you make more videos soon. I would love to see them. Sisko's gait is like Jack's.....


Thank you! And there is nothing wrong with that! I think Jack has a balanced gait. He probably has less rear drive, but nothing wrong with that way of trotting.


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## Fenris-wolf (Apr 17, 2018)

Okay😁!!


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## daabor (Jan 31, 2019)

Misha is amazing! How did you teach him to display different gaits on command? 
I've always loved the "poodle strut" and my Sammy definately struts like a poodle. He has been asked to join agility competition, but that was put on hold due to covid.

Misha has such confidence! And is stunning in all ways. If I could ever afford another poodle, I'm going to ask you for Misha"s breeder info!


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

daabor said:


> Misha is amazing! How did you teach him to display different gaits on command?
> I've always loved the "poodle strut" and my Sammy definately struts like a poodle. He has been asked to join agility competition, but that was put on hold due to covid.
> 
> Misha has such confidence! And is stunning in all ways. If I could ever afford another poodle, I'm going to ask you for Misha"s breeder info!


Thank you! I will forward the compliments to him! It was actually a bit of a joke that he does them on command. He doesn't... it's just edited to look that way so it's cute. My first attempts were to ask him to come to me and have him trot down the road, but he insisted on galloping so I had to let him follow me instead. But it turned out to be nice!


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## vanydog (Aug 23, 2019)

Since I saw someone mention the doberman's trot, please check out the miniature pincher! They have a hackney gait which makes them look like little horses, it's adorable


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

vanydog said:


> Since I saw someone mention the doberman's trot, please check out the miniature pincher! They have a hackney gait which makes them look like little horses, it's adorable


Very cute! Yes I like to see them, that's a nice video. It's a unique gait variation! It's a nice thing to see in a breed that's supposed to have it. Unfortunately you also see it in poodles sometimes 😕


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## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

Raindrops, this is excellent work from you and Misha (and Jack)! I'd wanted to compliment you on your new sig pic also and now I see how it sprang up


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

Rose n Poos said:


> Raindrops, this is excellent work from you and Misha (and Jack)! I'd wanted to compliment you on your new sig pic also and now I see how it sprang up


Thank you! I hope it will be a good resource for people.


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## Moonlight Bay (Dec 21, 2019)

Gorgeous dogs! this video has a lot of good information, thank you!


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## Vita (Sep 23, 2017)

I'm late to this party, and wow! Raindrops that's a fabulous video. I already emailed it to a couple of friends. 😄


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

Vita said:


> I'm late to this party, and wow! Raindrops that's a fabulous video. I already emailed it to a couple of friends. 😄


Haha that's cool! Glad you like it!


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## Jojobe (Jul 22, 2018)

That was an excellent video explaining why I love watching my toy Mojo move.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Carolinek (Apr 2, 2014)

What an excellent video, and Misha is drop dead gorgeous! 
Gracie is very light and springy in gait, I’m going to enlist my husband’s help to get a slo mo video of her.


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

Carolinek said:


> What an excellent video, and Misha is drop dead gorgeous!
> Gracie is very light and springy in gait, I’m going to enlist my husband’s help to get a slo mo video of her.


Thank you! I'd love to see Gracie in slo mo! It's fun to compare different dogs. Slight conformation differences can result in unique movement and there's still so much I don't know.


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## BrooklynBonnie (Jan 16, 2015)

For Want of Poodle said:


> Annie paces on our walks because I am slow and her legs are long. Its honestly not a pretty gait for her. But if she is off leash or I am walking faster she trots naturally, or gallops. I sometimes think gallop is her preferred gait. I get a lot of "look at that dog! How did you train her to walk like that" or "she moves like a thoroughbred horse" comments.


I think Chuui is in the same boat as Annie. She has always had clunky looking walk compared to Mochi, who I now realize has a flying trot and is just all around springy. Chuui's walk is stiff, and her trot just looks like a fast stiff-legged walk. She does have very long legs and looks much better when running super fast though. This always surprised us since Chuui came from a show breeder and Mochi was from a backyard breeder and has faults in her conformation . This was a very informative thread.


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

BrooklynBonnie said:


> I think Chuui is in the same boat as Annie. She has always had clunky looking walk compared to Mochi, who I now realize has a flying trot and is just all around springy. Chuui's walk is stiff, and her trot just looks like a fast stiff-legged walk. She does have very long legs and looks much better when running super fast though. This always surprised us since Chuui came from a show breeder and Mochi was from a backyard breeder and has faults in her conformation . This was a very informative thread.


Interesting to know! Little things can throw off gait so not all dogs from show breedings will necessarily have the same movement. I think the biggest thing is balance of angulation. Some dogs are more angulated in front or rear and this throws off the gait. Another common thing is that the front and rear feet can collide when trotting which means the dog prefers to pace or trots at an angle. You can have other things like specific bones being too long or short. When you watch show poodles they don't all have perfect gait either. I've seen some that were quite poor. I know one other local mini from supposedly show lines and his gait is not so nice either. For pets it is just a curiosity. Misha has his own conformation faults... no dog is perfect!


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## Finn's mum (Mar 11, 2019)

Thank you for making this video, it was beautiful to watch. I love to watch beautiful Poodles in motion, it’s a joy to behold.


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