Summary
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of starting distance on the peak
vertical force (PVF) and associated vertical impulses (VI) of normal dogs. Five dogs
of similar weight and body type were trotted at a velocity of 1.6–2.2 m/s from each
of three starting distances; 2, 4, and 6 m, from the first plate in a two plate test
field. A total of ten trials were recorded from each starting distance, five left
first contacts and five right first contacts. Each ground reaction force (GRF) of
interest was evaluated both within and between the three starting distances using
a complete block ANOVA. There was not any significant effect of distance found on
peak vertical forces in our study. However, distance did affect VI. Forelimb VI generated
at a 2 m trot was significantly less than VI generated at a 6 m trot. Neither extreme
distance was found to be significantly different than the 4 m VI. The VI of the hind
limb was not significantly affected.
Keywords
Kinetics - gait analysis - vertical ground reaction forces - starting distance
