Summary
We studied the familiarisation time required to obtain reliable sagittal plane kinematics
for the elbow and stifle joints in eleven treadmill-naïve greyhounds trotting on a
treadmill. Motion analysis software was used to measure sagittal elbow and stifle
joint movements and to calculate joint angular velocities. After a twominute walking
initiation period, the dogs trotted for two and a half minutes. Three trials of three
seconds (27 to 30, 72 to 75 and 117 to 120 seconds) trotting, each comprising four
complete strides, were analysed. The angle versus time and angular velocity versus
time graphs were plotted. For each stride, angular velocity and angular velocity data
at key points during the gait cycle were recorded. These angles corresponded with
the flexion and extension angles and the peak angular velocities of the elbow and
stifle joints during stance and swing phase. Reliable elbow and stifle joint kinematics
were obtained within 30 seconds of trotting, which did not differ significantly over
the twominute test period indicating that the dogs had familiarised to the treadmill.
Keywords
Kinematics - treadmill - gait analysis - greyhound