Background: Tissue Doppler Imaging (TDI) or strain (St) imaging could provide sensitive indices for early detection and treatment follow-up of canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Analysis of TDI and St features in dogs with overt DCM is a prerequisite before using these new criteria in prospective screenings of predisposed families or in clinical trials. Hypothesis: Radial and longitudinal right and left myocardial motion, assessed by TDI and St variables, is altered in dogs with DCM. Animals: Case records for 26 dogs; 14 with DCM and 12 healthy controls of comparable age and weight were reviewed. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted of conventional echocardiography, 2-dimensional color TDI, and St imaging data. Results: The DCM group was characterized by decreases in radial and longitudinal systolic velocity gradients of the left ventricular free wall (LVFW), radial and longitudinal absolute values of peak systolic St of the LVFW, and longitudinal systolic right ventricular (RV) velocities (all P<.001 versus control) associated with longitudinal postsystolic contraction waves in 7/14 dogs. Early diastolic LVFW velocities also were decreased for longitudinal (P<.01) and radial (P<.05) motions. All radial LVFW, longitudinal basal LVFW, and RV systolic velocities were negatively correlated with heart rate (P<.01). Conclusions and Clinical Importance: LV contractility along both the short and long axes is impaired in dogs with spontaneous DCM, as is systolic RV and diastolic LVFW function. These myocardial alterations are associated with an inverse force-frequency relationship. Studies now are needed to determine the comparative sensitivity of TDI and St variables for the early detection of canine DCM.