For dog lovers, the Westminster Kennel Club Annual Dog Show is like the Super Bowl. The best dogs in the world come together to compete for Best in Breed and Best in Show. Last year’s show drew 2,662 champion dogs.
The average dog walker, however, might feel a pang of envy at the way the dogs move when trotted around the show floor in front of the judges. How come our dogs don’t look like that on your daily strolls? Sure, they don’t have quite the same bloodlines, but could they do that cool, bouncy strut like the dogs in the Westminster show?
Well, yes. A lot of them could. Show dogs are trained to walk—or, rather, trot—that way. Handlers, such as those you see at the Westminster Kennel Club show, spend time perfecting the dog’s gait for maximum beauty and performance. It takes a certain amount of patience to hone the unique gait, which is called an “extended trot.”
The “extended” part is not a matter of speed or distance. It refers to the dog taking longer steps with its front paws, creating that graceful, gliding movement, the slight bounce, as if it’s walking on air. The dog’s head must be high, gaze straight ahead, the stride long and purposeful. Together, these factors create an air of confidence—a pooch bursting with pride.
According to show-dog websites, the reason for the trot is that it displays the dog’s strengths, as well as its weaknesses, to the judges. While in the extended trot, the dog’s movement is ideally balanced, revealing to an expert eye anything that’s slightly out of the norm.
Handlers usually use a clicker to teach this trot to their dogs. When the dog extends its legs a bit longer than normal, the clicker sounds, dog and handler stop, and the dog is rewarded with treats and praise. It quickly associates this movement with the click-treat-praise and begins to move this way.
This training process is a two-person job. The handler, trotting along next to but slightly behind the dog, isn’t in a good position to see when the dog is extending its front legs. A spotter stands at a short distance away and waits for the ideal stride and then sounds the clicker. After much repetition, the dog adopts this trot, lifting its legs and holding its head high.
A short-legged dog, of course, isn’t going to manage this type of gait. A big, thick dog—such as a Newfoundland or St. Bernard—might lack the natural grace to really make it work. But most other longer-legged breeds should be able to be taught.
If you’re not entering your dog in competitions, mastering the extended gait may not be worth the trouble, though surely you and your dog will attract some ooh’s and ahh’s on your next stroll around the neighborhood.
Whether your dog masters this trot or not, be sure to check out the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show Monday, February 13th at 8p.m.EST on the USA Network and CNBC.
