Sometimes, owners inadvertently train their dogs to pace by cuing the dog to gradually speed up, thus moving naturally from a walk to an amble to a pace. If this happens frequently, the pace can become the dog’s habitual gait. Another reason some dogs pace is because they have more angulation in the rear legs than in the front, causing those angulated rear legs to strike the front legs when the dog is trotting. To avoid this, some dogs will pace, moving the front and rear legs on the same side forward together, thus avoiding interference.