Assessment of Dog-Leash Pulling Force and the Impact of Dog-Walking on Gait Kinematics.

PURPOSE: 1) Characterize the magnitude and consistency of dog-leash tension during routine walks in an at-home setting and 2) determine the effects of walking with a dog on-leash on gait intensity and variability.

METHODS

A wireless system was designed to simultaneously measure dog-leash tension and gait kinematics. Twenty human subjects took their dog for one routine walk in their home environment and repeated the same walk without their dog for comparison. Peak force and peak loading rate were computed during periods of non-gait and during each stride and characterized using standard statistical metrics. Gait intensity and variability metrics were compared between trials (walking with a dog versus walking alone) using paired samples t-tests.

RESULTS

The largest pulling event recorded was during a period of non-gait, with a force of 412.5 N and loading rate of 2868.7 N/s. Half of our participants experienced leash tension of 125 N or greater when walking their dog. Participants had increased stride time variability (p = 0.035) and decreased power spectral density amplitude in the vertical (p = 0.016) and anteroposterior directions (p = 0.003) when walking with a dog compared to walking alone. Gait intensity metrics were not different between walking conditions.

CONCLUSION

Some dog owners routinely experience dog-pulling forces that pose a risk of injury to musculoskeletal tissue directly and indirectly through accidental falls. There is a large amount of between- and within-subject variability in leash pulling metrics. Walking a dog on-leash challenges dynamic balance, as reflected through increased gait variability.