His hind paws remain separated.
Then comes another.
For a moment, his body stays centered.
Two steps.
Nothing more.
There is no need to keep going until the familiar crossing appears.
Benny has already practiced the movement with better control.
Stopping while the quality remains acceptable can be more valuable than finding his limit every time.
He settles.
Later, another attempt may be harder.
That does not diminish these two steps.
He Still Needs Room to Go Down Safely
Even as his control improves, the rehabilitation area has to assume that Benny may lose his balance again.
He needs space.
He needs traction.
He should not be backing toward a hard obstacle.
He should not be positioned somewhere that turns a sideways lean into a dangerous fall.
And support should be available when his rehabilitation professionals determine it is appropriate.
This is not excessive caution.
Benny has already shown what happens when the hind legs cross.
His environment should be built around what his body actually does, not what everyone hopes it will do next.
Progress May Eventually Look Almost Boring
If Benny continues improving, the most meaningful changes may become less visually dramatic.
One hind paw stays on its own side.
Then the other.
His stance remains slightly wider.
The sideways lean becomes smaller.
He takes one backward step and pauses without collapsing.
Later, perhaps two.
Maybe the movement still looks awkward.
Maybe he still needs support.
Maybe fatigue brings the crossing back.
Those are realistic possibilities.
The important change would be reliability.
Not a spectacular recovery video.
Just fewer moments when Benny's own feet take away the base he needs to remain upright.
Forward Is Still Easier
Benny stands again.
When he moves forward, his body finds the familiar pattern more easily.
One paw.
Another.
His hind legs follow.
Then comes the harder request.
Backward.
The first rear paw moves.
The second starts to follow.
Everyone watches the space between them.
That space matters.
If the legs stay separated, Benny has a better base beneath him.
If they cross, the familiar sideways lean can return.
So nobody needs five steps.
Nobody needs to see how long he can stay upright after his coordination begins to fail.
One controlled step is enough to practice.
And if Benny has to lie down, the exercise can wait.
Benny can already move forward again; the harder part of his recovery is teaching those hind legs to stay out of each other's way when the world asks him to move backward.