new dog refusing to walk

[paddythepooch]

We have recently adopted a lovely lurcher (a week ago) He's doing great and I'm really proud of him. Only one thing - sometimes he just sits down and refuses to walk or sometimes just won't come out on a walk at all.

I'm off to the vets tomorrow and will get him checked over but I think he's always done this. We saw him at a fundraising event just before we adopted him and he was refusing to walk then. I just thought he was a bit overwhelmed by it all.

He was fine walking with us for the first few days but in the last 3 days has been reluctant to leave the house to the point of just refusing to walk. Tonight he was walking up the road and then just refused to go any further. He had to be carried.

I've checked his paws and all fine. He runs around the garden without any problem.

any ideas? He could just be bone idle! Long - sorry

[purplepansy]

Was he abandoned on a walk? And so doesn't want to leave home again? I don't know, I am not a behaviourist, but just wondering. Not wanting to walk doesn't sound like a lurcher!

[purplepansy]

Sorry, just reread your post and saw that he was fine walking for the first few days, so probably nothing to do with what I was saying. How bizarre. Hope your vet can help.

[RedwingWinter]

This is where you start hopping and waving your arms about to make you seem like a fun person to walk with. Or offering treats and entreaties to get them to walk again.

Don't start yanking on the lead because that's no fun for anyone.

Some dogs do this when they are tired and don't want to walk further, or when they want to go the other way. My Dog2 had a phase of this but soon stopped. My friends Cav does this when he is tired.

[Scuttlebutter]

One possibility, especially if he was previously used for working etc is that he may not have been taken for many "walks" and is genuinely puzzled/confused by what is going on. If you take him to a secure off lead area, does he enjoy zooming around? Lurcher Link run regular lure coursing events and these are also often held around the country - if you check out his fitness and he's OK, then these sorts of activities might help him get into the groove, or having a go at agility/chasing things etc. When we were staying at Little Dumpledale, one of the other sighthound owners had converted a lunging whip by tying a little furry toy on the end and used this as a way of playing with her lurchers - a bit like a giant cat toy - brilliant!

[D0oinMeCleanin]

One of my Dad's won't walk on a lead. We don't think he's ever been on a lead. He was dumped from a car on the local beach and followed my Dad home. Since then he goes from house to car to beach to car to house. No lead. I put one on him once and he sat staring at me and would not budge.

I'd get a training lead (they're usually around 6ft long) Walk to the end of the lead and wave a treat at him until he catches up. Once he's walking straight upto you walk backwards with the treat getting him to follow. That's how I leashed trained Whippy as a tiny pup. I had help though, I had the dc scurrying along the floor feeding her treats while she was walking.

[paddythepooch]

Thanks all. I suspect you may be right about the never been on a lead bit. He loves zooming around the garden (and tries to at the park on a long lead) so I don't think it's anything physical.

It feels behavioural in that he just freezes. Am trying treats - throwing some ahead and he runs forward to get them. Love the idea of a cat toy - we have one and I'll try that tomorrow.

We're in S London so limited access to secure fenced areas but will try and find some agility opportunities.