My Dog Is Walking Sideways

We are not comfortable when we see a dog doing something that doesn’t look normal or ordinary. My dog is walking sideways is probably one of those things that will shock you and even scare you. Why do dogs do this? There are a few reasons. We can divide these into non-medical and medical reasons so you can easily understand why your pet does this.

Why Is My Dog Walking Sideways? Non-medical reasons

First, these reasons are more common. They are not problematic and we can even say that they are normal. My dog is walking sideways is normal in certain cases. If your pet is doing this for one of these reasons, you shouldn’t worry about it.

• Your pet is still small

If you have a pet that is a ‘’teenager’’ and you see him walking sideways, don’t worry. His legs are still growing. Long legs and a short body will make this a harder skill because the legs will interfere. A dog will walk sideways because he needs time to adapt to the leg size that is constantly changing due to growing. Eventually, he will learn and adjust to the length of the legs and he will walk normally. Teenagers have the same issue and this is not a big deal. 

• Sleeping foot

When you sleep on your hand or leg and you wake up, you can’t control it properly. Well, dogs can experience that also. They will walk sideways because they don’t have control over one or two legs. You can see that a dog will walk like this after he wakes up. The rest of the time, he will walk normally. The nerves need time to start working again. 

• He is excited

This is a rather common thing. When a dog is excited, he will run very fast. For example, he wants to catch a ball as soon as possible. Due to all the excitement and a lot of energy present, he will run or walk sideways.

No, you don’t have to react. Once he calms down, he will walk normally again. Small dogs, happy dogs, and all who are full of energy are more prone to this walking/running style. The funny thing here is that you can even see a dog falling on the ground, rolling, and continuing to run in this scenario. They can really become excited within a second. 

• Due to harness

Dogs have long and thick fur. But they also have sensitive skin. The collar or the harness can irritate the skin. As a result, a dog will walk sideways. Basically, he will try to remove the cause of irritation. Sadly, this doesn’t work. Always pay attention to when your pet does this.

If he walks sideways only when he wears a collar or harness, now you know why. You will have to replace the collar and find a better one. It is possible that the harness you are using has compounds that cause irritation of the skin. Perhaps the skin is already in the pain and has injuries. 

• Dog learned to walk this way

This is common in dogs who have short bodies. They will walk sideways because their legs will interfere (front with rear legs). Usually, a puppy will see this from an older dog and he will start walking in the same way. Keep in mind that some dog breeds are more prone to this walking style. The best examples are German shepherds, boxers, border collies, vizslas, and cocker spaniel. It is normal and you don’t have to take your pet to a vet.

• Due to dominant side control

Humans have dominant arms and legs. Dogs have dominant 2 legs. When they walk or even run, dominant legs will push harder. This will cause imbalance or sideways walking. It is normal and you don’t have to take any action. If this is the case, your pet will probably run like this most of the time. 

Medical Reasons

In many situations, dogs will walk sideways because of the reasons above. Those are not problems and they are normal. But, in some cases side walking can be a sign of a medical issue. Below we have the most common causes of side walking. 

• Nutritional deficiencies
• Hip dysplasia
• Orthopedic issues
• Anal gland issues
• Pain
• Vestibular disease (in older dogs) 
• Ear infection

All of these are not extremely common but they can happen. In a nutshell, your pet will be in pain or discomfort. Side walking is easier for him. Some dogs may even do this in order to try to eliminate the pain. 

Determining which issue your pet has can be tricky. You will have to look at other symptoms. If a dog walks sideways occasionally but behaves normally, it is one of the non-medical reasons. If he walks sideways and has other symptoms such as whining, rubbing the ear, lethargy, losing his fur, or something else, take him to a vet. There are a lot of treatments your pet can start with and most of them are very effective and need a few days. 

One of the best tips we can give to you is to look when your pet does this. If he has been doing this for years, you don’t have to worry. This is normal. If he suddenly starts walking sideways, it means that there is some problem. There is no need to tell you that you have to take him to a vet as soon as you can. You can deduce that when an old dog starts doing this, odds are higher that he has a problem. With them, hip dysplasia and vestibular disease are the most common causes. 

The Final Word 

Why my dog is walking sideways? He does this due to non-medical and medical reasons. Non-medical reasons are not dangerous and he is fine. Medical reasons mean that there is a disease or condition that makes your pet walk sideways. If this is the case, he will need help from a vet and treatment. Luckily, in 90% of cases the cause is non-medical so you don’t have to treat this issue as a problem.