My Dog´s Moving Differently: What Should I Look For?
You know your dog’s normal routines, movements and habits better than anyone. That means you are often the first person to notice when something changes.
Perhaps your dog pauses before getting into the car, takes longer to settle, sits differently or no longer wants to walk as far.
The difficult part is often explaining exactly what has changed — or remembering whether something happened once or has gradually become a pattern.
Good observation isn’t about trying to work out what is “wrong” yourself. It’s about recording clear, specific information that can help you decide on an appropriate next step and communicate more effectively with your vet or canine bodywork professional.
Start with what has actually changed
Try to describe what you can see rather than immediately interpreting what it means.
For example, instead of:
- “She seems stiff.”
- “He’s slowing down.”
- “She looks uncomfortable.”
You might record:
- “She takes several attempts to settle into her usual sleeping position.”
- “He walks at his usual pace for the first ten minutes, then begins to lag behind.”
- “She now sits with one hind leg positioned differently.”
None of these observations tells us why the change is happening. They simply create a clearer picture of what you are seeing.
Five areas worth observing
Changes don’t always appear as an obvious limp. Sometimes they first show up in the way a dog moves, rests or manages familiar activities.
1. Movement
Watch your dog during their normal activities rather than repeatedly asking them to perform a movement.
You might notice:
- shorter or less even steps
- a change in pace during a walk
- hesitation when turning
- different movement after getting up from rest
- slowing as a walk progresses
- less willingness to run at their usual speed
If you can see the change more clearly from a particular direction, make a note of that too.
2. Posture
One unusual position doesn’t necessarily mean there’s a problem. What’s more useful is noticing a repeated change from your dog’s normal posture.
This might include:
- standing with their weight positioned differently
- repeatedly sitting in a new or uneven way
- frequently changing position while resting
- choosing a different sleeping position
If it happens naturally, a quick photograph can be useful. There’s no need to position your dog artificially to take one.
3. Activity
A dog can still complete their normal walk while the way they manage that activity has changed.
Rather than simply recording “30-minute walk”, consider what happened during and afterwards.
Did they slow down halfway through? Were they reluctant to continue? Did they sleep for much longer afterwards? Were they different the following morning?
That context can be more useful than the length of the walk alone.
4. Behaviour
Behaviour is another piece of the overall picture.
You might notice your dog:
- moving away from touch they previously accepted
- struggling to settle
- becoming quieter in familiar situations
- showing less enthusiasm for an activity they normally enjoy
- responding differently before or after exercise
A single occurrence may mean very little. A repeated change in the same situation is more useful to record.
5. Everyday tasks
Familiar activities can provide some of the clearest comparisons because you already know how your dog normally approaches them.
Pay attention to things such as:
- getting into or out of the car
- using stairs
- getting onto or off a familiar surface
- standing up after rest
- settling down to sleep
- turning in a small space
- bending towards food or water
Again, record what happened, rather than what you think it means.
“She put her front feet into the car but waited for help with the rest of her body” gives much more information than “she didn’t want to get in.”
Context matters
When you notice a change, think about what was happening around it.
Was it after rest or activity? At the beginning or end of a walk? On a particular surface? At a certain time of day?
For example:
“On Monday morning, after sleeping overnight, she took longer than usual to stand. By the time she reached the garden, she was moving at her normal pace.”
That gives much more useful information than simply writing “slow getting up.”
Look for patterns over time
Memory isn’t always very reliable when changes happen gradually.
A few short notes can help you see whether something:
- happened only once
- occurs during a particular activity
- appears mainly after rest
- becomes more noticeable after exercise
- is becoming more frequent
- comes and goes
You don’t need to constantly monitor your dog. A quick note when you notice something is usually enough.
It’s also useful to record when the problem isn’t present. This creates a much more balanced picture.
Short videos can be useful too
If the change involves movement, a short video may capture something that’s difficult to describe.
You could film your dog naturally:
- walking from the side, front or behind
- standing
- getting up after rest
- approaching a familiar everyday task
There’s no need to repeatedly recreate something your dog appears to find difficult.
Add the date and a little context to the video. “After usual morning walk” is much more useful several weeks later than an undated clip you can no longer remember.
Observation isn’t the same as hands-on assessment
There’s no need to press, prod or repeatedly test areas of your dog’s body to try to find a painful spot.
Professional assessment looks at much more than whether a dog reacts when an area is pressed.
During a K9 Bodywork session, I consider what the owner has noticed alongside how the dog moves and stands, what I find through hands-on soft-tissue assessment, and how the individual dog responds to touch.
That information helps guide where and how I work, rather than following the same massage routine with every dog.
Your observations can provide extremely useful context. They don’t need to replace professional assessment.
A simple way to record what you notice
When something changes, try recording four things:
What changed?
What did you actually see?
What was happening at the time?
What had your dog been doing before, during and afterwards?
How often has it happened?
Was it once, twice this week or every day?
Is there a pattern?
Does it happen after rest, during longer walks or in a particular situation?
For example:
Change: Paused before getting into the car and placed only her front feet inside.
Context: After her normal 20-minute walk.
Frequency: Twice this week.
Pattern: Both occasions were after the walk; no hesitation before leaving home.
That’s something you can actually compare over time — and something useful to share with a professional.
When should you get professional advice?
Tracking changes doesn’t replace veterinary care. A new, sudden, significant or worsening change should be discussed with your vet.
For more gradual changes in movement, posture and everyday function, the information you’ve recorded can also be useful when discussing whether canine massage or bodywork may be appropriate for your dog.
K9 Bodywork provides in-home canine massage and bodywork across the Costa del Sol, allowing me to work with your dog in their familiar environment.
Make it easier to track changes
I’ve created a free Dog Pain & Symptoms Tracker to make this process easier.
It gives you somewhere to record changes in your dog’s movement, posture, behaviour and everyda
y activities, alongside a body map, symptom scales, space for notes and questions you may want to discuss with your vet.
Download the free Dog Pain & Symptoms Tracker
Already noticing changes you’d like to discuss?