Recognizing Pain Signals During Movement in Dogs

Around half of dog owners—52.6% in one survey—can recognize that their dog’s behavior has changed in a way that might signal pain. That also means nearly half can’t reliably see it at all, especially early on.[4] And when pain shows up first as a slightly shorter stride, a stiffer turn, or a tail that no longer swings freely, even experienced veterinarians sometimes miss it without careful observation or technology.

Movement is often where pain speaks first in dogs—but it rarely shouts. It whispers.

This article is about learning to hear those whispers in how your dog walks, jumps, turns, lies down, and even how they use space around them. Not so you can diagnose them yourself, but so you can walk into the vet’s office with clearer observations, less self-blame, and a better sense of what might be going on.

Why dogs hide pain (and why movement matters so much)

Dogs are biologically wired to mask pain. In the wild, obvious weakness could invite attack or exclusion from the group. That evolutionary habit didn’t vanish when they moved onto our sofas.[3][6]

So instead of crying out, many dogs:

• Move a bit less

• Change how they lie down or get up

• Avoid certain activities (stairs, jumping into the car)

• Shift weight off a painful limb

• Become quieter…or more irritable

These changes are often most visible when the dog is moving—or trying not to.

Movement-related pain is especially important in:

• Musculoskeletal problems – osteoarthritis, hip/elbow dysplasia, cruciate ligament tears, spinal issues[2][5]

• Post-surgical recovery – orthopedic or soft tissue surgeries[1]

• Chronic maladaptive pain – where pain processing in the brain and spinal cord has changed and pain persists beyond the original injury[2]

You won’t always see a dramatic limp. More often, you’ll see a pattern: “He doesn’t jump on the couch anymore.” “She used to spin and bounce before walks; now she just stands there.” These are movement stories, and they matter.

Acute pain vs. chronic (maladaptive) pain: why they look different

Before diving into specific movement signals, it helps to know what kind of pain you might be looking at.

Acute pain

• Appears suddenly: injury, surgery, sudden trauma

• Has a protective purpose: “Don’t use this leg; it’s injured.”

• Often more obvious: yelping, not bearing weight, guarding a body part, sudden reluctance to move

Maladaptive (chronic) pain

• Persists beyond normal healing time, or arises from ongoing conditions like osteoarthritis[^2][^5]

• The nervous system itself becomes more sensitive (central sensitization)

• Pain can spread, become disproportionate to the original injury, and affect mood, sleep, and behavior

In chronic pain, the body stops sending clear, dramatic alarms. Instead, you get a slow rearrangement of how your dog moves through the world:

• Shorter walks, then shorter again

• Less jumping, then no jumping

• Slight stiffness, then difficulty getting up

• Subtle gait oddities, then clear lameness

By the time the limp is obvious, the pain has often been there for a while.

The body in motion: where pain shows up first

Below are common movement-related pain signals. None of them proves pain on its own—but patterns and changes over time are powerful clues.

1. Gait: how your dog walks and runs

You don’t need a biomechanics degree to notice when your dog’s walk has changed. You do need to know what to look for.

Key gait changes that can suggest pain include[2][3][5]:

• Shortened strideOne or more legs takes smaller steps. The walk may look “choppy” or rushed.

• Head bobbingOften seen in front limb pain:

  • “Head up on the bad leg, down on the good leg” as the dog tries to unload the painful side.

• Hip hike or “bunny hopping”  

  • Hip or lower back pain can make dogs push off with both hind legs together when running, rather than using them alternately.

• Uneven weight-bearing  

  • Subtle: the dog spends a fraction more time on one leg than the other.

  • More obvious: one limb barely touches the ground.

• Stiff, robotic movement  

  • Particularly after rest; improves slightly as they “warm up.”

• Reduced speed or reluctance to move  

  • Not just “slowing down with age” but a noticeable change in pace or enthusiasm.

In research settings, tools like gait analysis systems and video tracking can measure these changes in stride length, speed, and weight distribution with impressive precision.[^1][^3] At home, your eyes and memory are the tools—but they are still valuable.

A useful habit: occasionally film your dog walking and trotting in a straight line, from the side and from behind, when they seem well. That gives you a baseline to compare against later.

2. Transitions: getting up, lying down, and using stairs

Pain often shows itself not in being up or down, but in the change between the two.

Watch for changes in how your dog:

• Lies down

  • Slower, more cautious descent

  • Circling excessively to find a “workable” position

  • Dropping the body stiffly instead of folding smoothly

• Gets up

  • Pushing up with front legs first and struggling with the hind end (often hind limb or lower back pain)

  • Using furniture or walls for leverage

  • Pausing, bracing, or vocalizing during the motion

• Uses stairs

  • Hesitation at the top or bottom

  • Going one step at a time instead of in a fluid pattern

  • Preferring to go up but resisting coming down (or vice versa)

  • Stopping halfway and waiting

• Jumps

  • Refusing to jump into the car or onto the sofa when they used to

  • Needing a running start

  • Scrambling or slipping on landing

Owners often describe these as “getting old” or “stubborn.” Research on chronic pain tells a different story: altered transitions and reduced activity are classic early signs of maladaptive pain, especially from osteoarthritis.[2][5]

3. Posture: standing, sitting, and lying positions

Pain doesn’t only change motion; it changes how the body holds itself.

Standing posture

Look at your dog from the side and from above. Signs that can suggest discomfort include[3][4]:

• Weight shifted forward or backward  

  • Hind limb pain: weight shifted forward; front legs more under the body

  • Front limb pain: weight shifted backward

• Arched back or “tucked up” abdomen  

  • Can signal spinal or abdominal discomfort.

• Guarding a limb  

  • One paw held slightly off the ground

  • Toes splayed or rotated outward to avoid pressure

Sitting posture

• “Sloppy sit” or “puppy sit” in an adult dog  

  • One hip rolled out to the side; legs not tucked symmetrically under the body

  • Can be linked to hip, stifle (knee), or lower back discomfort.

• Avoiding the sit altogether  

  • Prefers to stand or lie down instead.

Lying positions and sleep

Chronic pain often disrupts rest.[3][5] You might see:

• Frequent position changes at night

• Avoiding curled positions that were once typical

• Choosing cooler floors or specific surfaces (softer or firmer than before)

• Lying with limbs extended stiffly instead of comfortably folded

These details can feel small in the moment. In aggregate, they tell a story about how comfortable your dog is in their own body.

4. Tail, ears, and overall body tension

Tail and ear position are often discussed in the context of emotion, but they’re also part of the pain picture.

Research and clinical observation highlight that trained observers can pick up pain from combinations of body language: ear set, tail carriage, facial tension, and overall posture.[^4]

What to watch for:

• Tail

  • Lower carriage than usual, even at rest

  • Reduced wagging amplitude or asymmetrical wag

  • Tail held stiffly rather than flowing with movement

  • Avoidance of touch near the tail base or lower back

    
    

• Ears

  • Held slightly back or out to the sides more often

  • Less reactive to sounds they normally care about

  • Paired with a “worried” brow or narrowed eyes

    
    

• Body tension

  • Muscles look tight or “hard”

  • Movements lack their usual fluidity

  • Dog seems to “brace” when turning, jumping, or being touched

    
    

These signs overlap with anxiety and stress. That overlap is not accidental: chronic pain and emotional distress feed into each other.[2][5] A dog who moves like they’re made of glass is often a dog whose nervous system is working very hard.

5. Activity patterns and space use: when movement quietly shrinks

One of the most striking findings in pain research isn’t a specific limp; it’s how dogs change their use of space and time.

In a pilot study of 18 healthy beagles undergoing anesthesia and surgery, video tracking over 24 hours showed clear changes in:[1]

• How much they moved

• Where they spent time in their enclosure

• How long they remained in one position

Even without obvious limping, their “movement map” changed in a way that reflected pain and post-operative discomfort.

At home, similar patterns might look like:

• Shorter walks, or stopping and turning back earlier

• Spending more time in one resting spot than before

• Avoiding certain rooms, floors, or furniture (e.g., slick surfaces, steep stairs)

• Less spontaneous movement—no more random zoomies, fewer self-initiated games

Owners often interpret this as “settling down” or “maturing.” Sometimes that’s true. Sometimes it’s pain quietly shrinking your dog’s world.

Pain, behavior, and mood: when movement changes look like “attitude”

One of the more ethically tricky areas in dog care is the overlap between pain and behavior.

Research on maladaptive pain in dogs referred for behavioral issues found that about 70% had pain confirmed by imaging.[2] When their pain was treated with multimodal approaches (medication, physical therapy, environmental changes), most showed behavioral improvement.

In other words: what looks like “grumpiness” or “sudden aggression” may be an animal trying to protect a painful body.

Signs where pain and behavior blur[2][5][6]:

• Growling or snapping when:

  • Being lifted into a car

  • Having harnesses, coats, or collars put on

  • Being brushed in certain areas

• Avoiding play with other dogs they previously enjoyed

• Reluctance to be touched, especially over joints, back, or hips

• Increased clinginess or, conversely, withdrawal

• Seeming more fearful or anxious in general

Chronic pain is linked with changes in socioemotional functioning: increased anxiety, slower recovery from stress, reduced play, and altered social behavior.[2][5] These are brain-level changes, not “bad manners.”

This is where guilt often kicks in for owners: “Was my dog in pain all this time and I thought he was just being difficult?” The answer, for many people, is: possibly, yes. And also: you were working with incomplete information. Blame is not useful; learning is.

Why subtle signs are so often missed (by everyone)

Several forces work against early recognition of movement-related pain:

• Dogs mask pain instinctivelyThey keep moving until they really can’t.[3][6]

• Breed and individual differencesSome breeds are described as “stoic” or “dramatic,” but research shows that pain expression varies widely and is influenced by learning, environment, and human responses.[6] A quiet dog may be in severe pain; a vocal dog may be in moderate pain but expresses it more.

• Owner bias and normalization  

  • “He’s just slowing down” instead of “His hips may hurt.”

  • “She’s always been a bit stiff in the morning” instead of “That stiffness is data.”

• Time pressure in vet visitsVets have limited time and often see only a snapshot of movement in a strange environment, which may mask or exaggerate certain behaviors.[2][6]

This is exactly why your observations at home—over days, weeks, months—are so valuable. You see the patterns technology is now trying to quantify.

How veterinarians and technology are getting better at “listening” to movement

Your vet is not relying on guesswork, even if it sometimes feels that way. Pain assessment in dogs has become a serious scientific field.

Tools and approaches include:

1. Objective movement analysis

• Video tracking and activity monitorsUsed in research and sometimes in clinical settings to measure:

  • How often dogs move

  • How fast they move

  • How much time they spend lying, sitting, or standing[1][3]

    
    

• Gait analysis systems (e.g., pressure-sensitive walkways, kinematic systems like LupoGait®)These can quantify:

  • Weight distribution across limbs

  • Stride length and timing

  • Asymmetries that are hard to see with the naked eye[1][3]

    
    

These methods don’t replace clinical judgment; they support it—especially for tracking progress over time.

2. Facial “grimace” scales and AI

Animals, including dogs, show pain in their faces: ear position, eye tightening, muzzle tension.[7] Traditionally, trained observers scored these changes; now:

• AI systems trained on 3000+ animal images have reached up to 88% accuracy in detecting pain-related facial expressions—sometimes outperforming human experts.[7]

This technology is still emerging in everyday veterinary practice, but it points to a future where your dog’s face and movement could be analyzed in real time to flag possible pain.

3. Structured welfare and pain assessment tools

Tools like the Animal Welfare Assessment Grid (AWAG) help vets systematically record:

• Physical signs (gait, posture, activity)

• Behavioral changes

• Emotional state indicators[2][5]

These frameworks create a shared language for you and your vet to talk about what you’re seeing at home and what they’re seeing in the clinic.

Your role: becoming a calm, observant “movement historian”

You are not expected to diagnose pain. But you can become very good at noticing and describing it.

Here’s a practical way to think about your role.

1. Watch for change, not perfection

Instead of memorizing a list of signs and mentally checking them off, ask:

• “What’s different from six months ago?”

• “What activities has my dog quietly stopped doing?”

• “Does my dog move differently at the park vs. at home?”

Even small shifts—like no longer stretching after naps, or hesitating before jumping down—are worth noting.

2. Keep a simple movement journal

For a week or two before a vet visit, you might jot down:

• Walk distance and pace (“Stopped twice, turned back early”)

• Stairs (“Hesitated at top, came down slowly”)

• Play (“Chased ball 3 times then lay down; used to go 10–15 rounds”)

• Rest (“Changed positions frequently overnight; seemed restless”)

You don’t need perfect data, just honest impressions. This is exactly the kind of information vets find most helpful but rarely get in detail.

3. Use video as your ally

Short clips (10–20 seconds) of:

• Walking and trotting in a straight line

• Getting up from rest

• Climbing stairs

• Jumping into the car (or refusing to)

can be invaluable. Dogs often move differently in the clinic; your videos show their “real life” gait and behavior.

Talking with your vet: questions that open better conversations

Because pain is subjective, the conversation around it can feel fuzzy. It becomes clearer when you bring concrete observations and ask specific questions. For example:

• “I’ve noticed her stride seems shorter on the right hind when she trots. Could that indicate pain?”

• “He used to jump into the car easily; now he stops and looks at me. What kinds of pain might cause that?”

• “His sleep is more restless, and he changes positions a lot. Could chronic pain be affecting his rest?”

• “If this is early arthritis, what should I watch for in his movement over the next few months?”

• “Are there any objective tools—gait analysis, activity monitors, structured pain scales—that might help us track his progress?”

You’re not second-guessing your vet; you’re partnering with them. Most clinicians welcome that.

What we know for sure—and what we’re still learning

Research on canine pain has grown rapidly, but there are still gaps. A simple way to hold both certainty and uncertainty in mind:

Aspect	Well-established	Still uncertain / emerging
Behavioral signs of pain	Changes in gait, posture, activity, and rest can reliably indicate pain[2][3][5]	How specific some subtle signs are for pain vs. other issues, especially across breeds
Objective movement analysis	Video tracking and gait analysis effectively quantify movement-related pain[1][3]	Best ways to integrate AI and sensors into everyday clinical practice
Owner recognition	Owners often detect major changes but miss early or subtle signs[4]	Most effective methods to improve owner accuracy and reduce bias
Emotional impact	Chronic pain alters dogs’ emotional and cognitive state[2][5]	Long-term neurological changes and reversibility with treatment
Pain masking & stoicism	Dogs frequently conceal pain, complicating detection[3][6]	Exact influence of breed and individual temperament on pain expression

Knowing that the science itself is evolving can be strangely comforting: if experts are still refining their tools, it makes sense that you’ve struggled to interpret your dog’s quieter signals.

When you realize you may have missed pain

Many caregivers have a moment—sometimes years into a dog’s arthritis journey—when they look back and think, “That’s what that was. He was hurting.”

This realization can land with a mix of sadness, guilt, and relief. It’s tempting to replay old scenes and wish you’d done more, sooner.

Here’s the thing: your dog did not need you to be perfect. They needed you to keep learning, to keep paying attention, and to respond when new information appeared. You are doing that right now.

Pain in dogs is not just a medical problem; it’s a shared experience in a relationship. Movement is one of the clearest ways that experience shows up in daily life:

• A hesitation at the stairs

• A tail that doesn’t quite lift as high

• A walk that used to be joyful and is now careful

Those are not failures on your part. They are invitations to look closer, ask better questions, and adjust the world around your dog so it fits their body as it is today.

If you come away from this article with one practical shift, let it be this:

When your dog’s movement changes—even a little—treat it as information, not as “just getting older.” Write it down, film it if you can, and bring it to your vet. You don’t have to know what it means. You only have to notice that it’s there.

The science will keep improving. Technology will keep getting smarter. But the most powerful early-warning system your dog has is still the person who watches them walk across the room every day—and cares enough to wonder what that movement is trying to say.

References

1. Assessment of Pain in Dogs: Veterinary Clinical Studies. ILAR Journal.

2. Detection of maladaptive pain in dogs referred for behavioral problems. National Institutes of Health / PubMed Central.

3. Pain and Behaviour in Dogs: Hidden Signals Explained. orthoVET.

4. Clinical interpretation of body language and behavioral signs in dogs. Frontiers in Veterinary Science.

5. How does chronic pain impact the lives of dogs? PubMed Central.

6. Understanding the link between canine pain and problem behaviours. Veterinary Ireland Journal.

7. Can AI read pain and other emotions in your dog's face? Science Magazine.