Movement Markers™

What is That?

                                    Copyright 2020 Ozuna

            Movement Markers™are a vast array of postural, conformational and movement pieces of information and concepts that provide indicia of a dog’s physical and behavioral health and attitude, reactivity, drives and overall mental and temperamental balance. The following components and their potential behavioral implications are just a few of the Movement Markers™we look at.

— Symmetry and parity side to side

            What obstacles are there to learning and retaining learning?

— Conjunctive and dysjunctive aspects to the body

            What mixed signals are being sent to other dogs?

— Point of balance

            Where are the balance points of arousal, impulsion, collection?

— Integration of body front to back

            Literally is the brain connected to the body?

— Whether the movement is “through” from front to back

            How quickly and well will new information be integrated?

— The flight pattern of the legs

            Is the dog in balance or shifted towards physical instability and perhaps behavioral instability?

— The integrity of the foot falls

            How much tension is there in the body?  How much stability or instability?

— The flexion or lack thereof in the body

            What ability does the dog have to handle pressure or integrate stimuli?

— Areas of stiffness in the body

            How much resistance to learning will there be?

— Areas of dysfunction in the body

            What impediments to learning, physical or behavioral stability are there?

— Angulation and rotation of the shoulders

            How much stress is the dog exhibiting?

— Lift and fall of the chest       

            Where is the dog on an aggression scale from 1 to 10?

— Suppleness or lack thereof in the hindquarters

            Where is the dog on an aggression scale from 1 to 10?

— Integration of the forequarters

            Is impulsion grounded in stability?

— Smoothness or lack thereof in the coupling between forequarters, neck, and head

            How easily can this dog come back in balance after stimuli?

— Proportions of topline to underline

            What is the natal balance point and natal temperament of the dog?

— Proportions of topline to leg length

            How much has that natal balance been supported or distorted by nutrition, development, and training or lack thereof?

            These are just some of the pieces of the Movement Markers™puzzle we look at, and all of these pieces can act together or separately to impact the behavioral profile.

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Maryna Ozuna
http://www.dog-trainer-arizona.com
http://www.dogbodycare.com
movementmarkers@gmail.com