Racing Greyhounds and Field Trial Retrievers
A study was performed to compile the kinematic parameters of the Field Trial Labrador Retrievers as they performed a 114-meter outrun towards a thrown retrieving bumper. Statistics were then run on these parameters to determine which, if any, would correlate with the dog’s velocity. These parameters were then compared to data previously collected and published on the kinematic parameters of the Racing Greyhound. The authors gave this as a Scientific Abstract oral presentation at the 2024 American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation Symposium recently held in Naples FL.
The difference between the correlative factors were very interesting as the two groups had different parameters correlating with velocity. The Racing Greyhounds (RGH) had a much higher mean racing velocity (16.93 m/s, 37.87 mph, max 42.50 mph) than the Field Trail Labrador Retrievers (FTLR) mean running velocity (14.11 m/s, 31.54 mph, max 37.18 mph). These parameters were taken at a running distance where fatigue should not have been a factor. Although the FTLR velocity was not as high as the RGH, the FTLR did run at a much higher velocity then might be expected, especially the “Max” velocity. There are many sources for dog running speeds listed on the internet, but a scientific literature search using the terms “dog”, “running”, “velocity” & “speeds” did not list sprinting velocities of any breeds other than the racing greyhound. So, our findings were some of the first to describe the sprinting velocities of the Field Trial Labrador Retriever in published scientific literature.
There are two major kinematic factors that can be used to evaluate the factors correlated with velocity. The dog’s velocity is determined by taking a known distance that a dog runs over the time it took to run that distance. A dog’s stride length is the distance that the dog will travel during one stride. The stride frequency can be determined from the stride time. The stride time is the time it takes for a dog to run one full stride. The stride frequency is then determined by how many strides a dog takes in a second. The stride length and stride frequency can then be correlated to the dog’s velocity to determine if any of these factors play a role on the dog’s velocity or speed. In the RGH, stride frequency had a significant role in velocity. The did have a significantly longer stride length (5.21 m) than the FTLR (3.22 m). In the FTLR, stride frequency played a significant role in their velocity. Although their stride length was not as long as the RGH, their stride frequency (4.4 str/s) was greater than the RGH (3 str/s).
These values provide interesting information for those individuals who work and train with these dogs. To best understand the role they play, further studies should be performed to look at the stride factors in greater detail and to assess how fatigue plays a role their activities. Below are the slides from the presentation given at the Symposium. I provide them as information to those who might find them useful in their thirst for knowledge of how dogs run and to introduce new questions related to dog performance. I am very grateful to the research team that worked on this project, Dr. Sarah Shull, Dr. Jane Manfredi and DL Max Gillette.
Citation: Gillette, RL, Shull, SA, Manfredi, JM, Gillette, DLM (2024). Kinematic descriptors of the running gait of the field trial Labrador Retriever compared to Racing Greyhound, Scientific Abstract oral presentation, American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation Symposium, Naples Fl
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