The search for stability on narrow supports: an experimental study in cats and dogs.

Kinematic and coordination variables were studied in two carnivorans, one with known locomotor capabilities in arboreal substrates (cat), and the other a completely terrestrial species (dog). Two horizontal substrates were used: a flat trackway on the ground (overground locomotion) and an elevated and narrow runway (narrow-support locomotion). Despite their different degree of familiarity with the 'arboreal' situation, both species developed a strategy to adapt to narrow supports.

Steady locomotion in dogs: temporal and associated spatial coordination patterns and the effect of speed.

Only a few studies on quadrupedal locomotion have investigated symmetrical and asymmetrical gaits in the same framework because the mechanisms underlying these two types of gait seem to be different and it took a long time to identify a common set of parameters for their simultaneous study. Moreover, despite the clear importance of the spatial dimension in animal locomotion, the relationship between temporal and spatial limb coordination has never been quantified before. We used anteroposterior sequence (APS) analysis to analyse 486 sequences from five malinois (Belgian shepherd) dogs moving at a large range of speeds (from 0.