My dog does not like going for a walk - any ideas why?

blue_monkey_2

I'll try and answer everything.

Yes, she has always been like this, it was a bit funny at first, thought it was her puppy stage but she has never grown out of it. We had her a week then she had her 2nd jab and she has been going out since then.

I cannot let her off because although we live somewhere rural there are roads around each field and the cars drive pretty fast through the lanes, if she saw a rabbit I am sure she would be off and the road is a worry. Likewise if she saw another dog she would want to play with it.

No, she does not play with the neighbours dog but we are lucky and do have a very big garden and she is out there pretty much all day running around - sometimes very fast up and down. if next doors down is barking she just tears up and down the garden. I never thought that she might be tired out but I cannot stop her running around so not sure what the answer would be to that.

If I throw something for her she does not bring it back and she is not interested in toys when we are out. At home she loves her squeaky ball but no interest when we are out. I have a long training lead (10m) and I have a retractable lead (5m) so we will occasionally go up the field but she will suddenly take off and I've wrenched my arms too many times and last week she hurt my arm so I have not used it this week.

I've asked a couple of my friends if they want to bring their dogs round and I'll walk them but they haven't/won't.

No, she is not chasing the neighbours dog all day but if the dog next door barks she runs up and down the fence.

I do keep on taking her but I thought I would ask to see if it was a common problem, that some dogs do not like walking. My husband said he has never seen a dog like it and usually they are fighting to get out for a walk. She is my first dog so all of this are new to me.

Lobell

Bit of a long shot, but I'd have her eyes checked. I know of a dog that hated to go for walks but all other behaviour was normal. It turns out his eyesight was failing (young dog with a hereditary eye problem known in his breed) which made him unsettled in the outside world. At home and on familiar territory, he was absolutely fine.

Like I say, it's a long shot and she may just be one of those rare dogs that isn't that fussed on walks. The fact that she's never been keen on walks suggests that it's just how she is but Staffies are affected by a number of genetic eye conditions that cause progressive blindness (and this is why the testing of parents BEFORE breeding is so important) so, if she were my dog, I'd certainly want to rule this out. Known conditions are HC (hereditary cateracts), PHPV (persistent hyperplastic primary vitreous) and PPSC (posterior polar subcapsular cataract).

By the way, a regular vet may not be able to detect the types of eye conditions in question under normal examination conditions. However, if a genetic eye condition is suspected, your vet should be able to refer you to an opthamic specialist vet who will be accustomed to testing for these conditions.

blue_monkey_2

Lobell,

Interesting thanks. I've got to go to the vets in a few weeks so I'll ask them while there.

It used to be funny that she goes back to bed but I'd like her to get excited just the once. Trust me, when looking for a dog so I could get out for walks, to get the only dog that would rather be sitting on the sofa doing sod all except cleaning herself!! I'll post here when I've been. Thanks for everyones advice.

POSSETTE

I dont think my middle cavalier likes walks either but he will go begrudgingly.
He goes as far as nextdoors drive then comes to a stop,i stand still for a few seconds then he starts to walk again. He always has to walk against the wall or fence when on a pavement so nobody can get him from that side! He will whimper when he has a poo in the field because he feels vulnerable when pooing..and he is always looking around him on the field as though someone is going to get him.
I have had him from 7 weeks and he has never been hurt,i have always protected him when he felt scared,prob a bit too much!..some dogs are prob agoraphobic..i swear sweep is.

foreign_correspondent

I wonder what both these pups experienced as little 'uns? It sounds to me like they have a reason to be scared, either becuase of a negative early experience, or because they have never built their confidence up. I have never had a dog that hasnt been gagging to get out for a walk and I would be a little concerned to be honest.

I would be concerned to rule out health problems first, but if there are none, I think you need to start making going out for a walk a really positive experience.. tempting the dog out of the house with some especially tasty treats, and loads of praise, and starting off with perhaps just going out the front door and back in, then to the end of the garden path and back in, then onto the street and back, then 50 yards down the road and back and so on... treating and praising all the way on the way out!

hethmar

Good thought about the eyes though as both staffies and shar pei have problems with genetics in that area.

devildog, shar peis are turning up in the pounds every week now

LOL, love that "Id like to get her excited just once" - ours knock you over when they hear the "w" word, even when its spelt out.

blue_monkey_2

I've been on a nice long walk this morning - I got lost so it was longer than intended, LOL but she tried to hide upstairs while I was getting ready to go out.

I've had her since her first walking experience and nothing at all has happened that I can think of, she has just never been excited about getting out of the house. She has no interest in food whatsoever when we are out of the house and our house goes into the drive and then into the road so cannot do the thing to the gate as we do not have one. She does not go out the front of the house without being on the lead because of the traffic.

I know she needs walking but it feel so pointless to walk with her pulling me round knowing that she just wants to get home.

I've asked the vets before to check her over and also she was in being spayed a few months back and was checked then but she has her annual check up coming shortly so I am going to ask them for a very thorough once over again and make sure there is nothing else.

Oh, one more thing, my friend and I was talking yesterday and she said that it used to be that you fed dogs once a day then it went to 2 and that her old dog (who was bigger than mine) used to have half a can in the morning and half at night with mixer. Now the back of the can says to have 3-4 cans a day for my dog and I give her a can in the morning with mixer and the same at night. She does not eat it half the time and I've been chucking it away. I mentioned this to the vet and he said it was probably because it was summer and she had gone off her food because it was hot. So I am wondering if she is just too full so I've cut it down to half a can this morning with mixer and I'll give another half tonight. She did not eat it all this morning either so I wonder if I have been giving her too much food and she just feel urgh. She is not fat at all and she has recently been weighed and there has been not hint or suggestion she is overweight for her size and breed but I figure I can give it a try.

hethmar

May be change her food?

foreign_correspondent

bluemonkey - you say she has no interest in food once she is out of the house - perhaps because she is nervous... tbh I would start by tempting her just over the doorstep with a tasty morsel of cheese or something really good when she is hungry - eg. before breakfast...

At the moment, once you have got her out, nerves are perhaps kicking in - so rather than dragging her round, and treating her at the same time (which wont make much sense to the dog) get her to start off by seeing just getting out of the house as a positive - never force her, just keep occasionally practicing the idea of out the front door for a treat, a praise, then back indoors...

...so, you pop over the step, let her smell the treat in your hand, call her over the step to you, as soon as she is out of the house, give her the treat and a fuss, then both of you go back in and get on with what you were doing, then repeat again later.. and so on.

Soon she will associate going through the front door with getting a treat and it will start to be something she wants to do..then gradually move further away from the front door before she gets her treat.. down the path, then onto the street, then down the street a few yards etc etc.

blue_monkey_2

OK, will give that a try. So can I not take her for a proper walk, just little bit further every day?