Moving at a pace between walking and running, like a dog's steady trot.
From 'dog trot,' a combination of 'dog' (the animal) and 'trot' (a pace). The term emerged in 19th-century American English to describe this characteristic gait.
Horses have gaits like walk, trot, and canter—and humans borrowed 'trot' from watching animals move. A dogtrot became specifically associated with a slow, easy pace that doesn't tire you out, which is why pioneer homesteads in the American South were designed with open breezeways called 'dog trots' running through the middle.
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