Is it normal for a coton to run with the front and back legs together

by laura
(washington dc)

My 9 month old coton puppy loves to run - she chases other dogs, balls, bikes , joggers- anything she can try to beat - and she is very fast. Since she likes to run so much, i have taken her jogging with me, off leash on dirt paths (though we stop and walk periodically - so it is more of a run/power walk session).

In any case, i have noticed that when she runs (particularly when she runs at her fastest - chasing a bike, for example), she tends to put both front paws forward at the same time, and then bring both back paws forward at the same time - maybe like a canter in a horse. it looks natural when she does it, in fact it looks beautiful, and i have never thought anything of it other than to be amazed how fast and sleek she looks. But recently someone warned me that it can be harmful to let a puppy run until its growth plates are formed (though they couldnt really tell me what the potential danger was. But i got concerned about it and so i tried to do some research on what can happen if a dog runs too much too soon.

I couldnt find anything specific / helpful (and advice on where to read about this would be appreciated), but i stumbled across an article about hip dysplasia, and it indicated that one sign of hip dysplasia would be to run with the back legs moving in unison (which the article called "bunny hopping") ... i know cotons are not particularly prone to hip dysplasia, but the description made me worry that perhaps my dogs running pattern, which i previously considered normal for a coton, and which indeed can resemble a bunny hop, is actually the sign of a problem.

Does anyone know if it is normal for cotons to run like this? i notice large dogs like labs dont run like this - but truthfully there arent many little dogs around in the dog park that i can watch to see whether they run like my dog or like the labs...

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!