Dog refusing to walk

[AuntyJackiesBrothersSistersBoy]

I have a golden retriever bitch who’s 3 1/2 years old. She has a good walk in the morning of about and hour (runs, plays, swims, chases stuff). I want to give her a walk in the afternoon and she refuses to more, I put her lead in and 20 paces from the front door, she freezes and will not budge. The trainer told me to use treats/be firm/drag her if needs must. None of this works.

Any ideas? Is she just lazy?

I don't know but if she's happy to go to the toilet in the garden then I'd leave it for now.
My dog gets a good walk off lead every day in the morning plus a couple of school run walks but not a "proper walk" in the afternoon especially if I take the car to school.

Have you had her vet checked? What's her weight like?

If she's had a good walk in the morning she could be sore/stiff in the afternoon as as result.

Thanks for replying. I’d never thought of her being stiff etc. She’s LOVES to swim and be off lead but in this weather I cannot have her wet, twice a day. She’s VERY woolly.

I think it’s that she wants to do “her” thing. Street walking on the lead is not what she wants. Another thing she’ll do is, go HER way. By that I mean we have to cross where she wants, turn a corner and go a certain way iykwim. If for any reason we can’t ie. roadworks she sits down and WILL NOT MOVE. I have an autistic son and DH and I think the dog is too!

However, in the second walk, if we go in the car, she thinks we’re going to the river and she can’t get in quickly enough. So, I started putting her in the car and driving round the corner to pavement walk. Sure enough, out she got, took three steps forward looking around and stopped dead. I dragged her a bit (the trainer said to be firm) but she just pulled me back to the car 😐. It’s a battle of wits.

The vet knows all about this. It’s gone on since she was months old. He advised a dog behaviourist but it’s £65 per hour and that’s impossible at the moment. When she was 12 months old, we sent her to “boarding school” to a dog trainer for three weeks. She came back exactly the same.

She is now gaining weight so I’ve reduced her food.

Why do you want her to have a second walk? If she's not keen there doesn't seem much point.
My dogs (GSD and lab) only have one walk a day in the winter and they're fine with that.
They like to get wet and muddy on walks and I don't want to be cleaning floors and dogs and me twice a day.

Sounds like you just need to be more stubborn than she is. Can you entice her along with treats or a favourite toy? I have an incredibly stubborn beagle who will pull to go a certain way on walks sometimes - I just make sure I have a tube of Primula cheese in my pocket and lure him away with that!

But like a PP said she doesn't NEED two walks. One long off-lead run around/swim in the morning is just fine if that's what she's happy with, just adjust her food accordingly. If I go up the woods with my Beagle that's the only walk he gets that day and he manages fine with that. In fact, he only gets a second walk if he shows signs of wanting to go out again - often he's much happier snoring on the sofa!

We have a Lab cross springer and she gets one good walk a day and then out in our large back garden. She does put a bit of weight on in the winter but we just watch the treats and snacks (ie scrounging of us) and reduce her food as needed. I think if she is happy without I really wouldn't make a big deal of it

She sounds a real personality!

You say treats don't work. If she's food oriented will she come with you to the doorstep and have some of her meal (rather than treats) there with you? Can you gradually extend that to two paces from the door to eat and then five, etc working up to hand feeding as you walk? If she hates the pavement walk is it that specific area she's got fixated about? Would she walk with you around PetSmart or on paths through a park where it's more social or interesting?

Otherwise if she's loving her morning off lead trip and is determined that's all she wants to do then it may be your approach of cutting her calories accordingly is the best way forward. I have a wilful little bugger too, although lovely and with no behaviour issues, just strong plans on what he does. Sometimes it's just not worth the stress of getting into a battle over it.

I don't understand why you want to force her when she has already had a good one hour walk in the morning. Also it is her walk not her walk so I don't see why she can't choose where to walk, although I understand why you don't want to go to a river twice a day.

I guess I always assumed a bigger dog needs lots of exercise. Usually, I can get her some 50 yards or so from the house and then she realises we’re NOT doing what she wants. And the battle begins. I went with the treats and encouragement but it got to the stage where she’d stop, shoulders up/head down until she got a treat. Ten paces later, refusing again.

It really is, I believe, as simple as her finding the pavement tedious. This afternoon, I will try her with a brief ten min stroll on the lead, at a park where there’s a footpath all the way around it.

I’ll get back to you 😊

Of course, it might just be, as some have said, that that swim/run/play each morning, is plenty for her. I do do some ragging play in the garden and in the evenings when we’re watching tv.

She sounds really funny ( not helpful!) an hour off lead running and swimming sounds like a good amount of exercise to me so if she really won’t go I would do brain games and garden play in the afternoons.

When mine doesn't get a second walk we do stuff inside/in the garden instead - what about scent games or training or agility-type activities?

Mine has an agility set that can go indoors or outdoors with cones, a hoop and hurdles to practise jumping over/through, and a ball pit that we hide treats in for him to find. He loves both and they tire him out more than a 20 minute walk around the streets!

Re treating her - you would treat her when moving not to coerce her to move ie when she is still to encourage her to walk. Otherwise indirectly you are training her to stop!

Have you tried switching it? Pavement walk first thing, then longer "fun" walk later?

The way my day is, I have to do the longer walk in the mornings. Just how it is, with work.

Valla! How dim am I? I can see what you mean 😆

I think play at home is good. We’ll try that for a little while.

Did the vet check her out thoroughly? Has happened twice with my dogs growing more reluctant about walks, first time was a muscle problem, the second time was stiffness because of the beginnings of arthritis, pavement walks the worst for this, because of impact from walking on hard surfaces. This could be why the outdoor river walk easier.

Thanks Dotti. I think had she not always been this way, I’d consider going back to the vet. He just said that some dogs are stubborn and she’s fit and well if slightly overweight. He listened to her heart and checked her bones and he felt it was probably more to do with control issues so I got the card for a behavioural dog trainer but, we’ve been down that route already.

I think her constantly in and out of water might have an effect in her vines so, I have to make it once a day. She’s dried well and the house is warm so hopefully no arthritis issues yet.

Apparently, her mother is the same. Of course, the breeder didn’t mention this!

We have three dogs. The 'diva' as we call him, decides some days there is not a cats chance in hell, he will go out!
If it's too cold, slightly too windy, the ground is wet..it's a firm no from him!
He is exactly like his mum! He much prefers to be curled up on the sofa, under a blanket, watching David Attenborough..while the other two get absolutely filthy, covered in mud and soaking!
If he doesn't want to go..who can blame him 🤷‍♀️

Swimming is easier on joints, could be a combination of joint stiffness and sheer bloodymindedness

Sheer bloody mindedness! Exactly! Also, as an aside, for a dog who loves to swim, rolling in muck and puddles she HATES having her shower down afterward. We had a constant warm temperature tap fitted outside but still, her head goes down and she looks at me like it’s the end of the world, getting her clean enough for a rubdown in the utility 😐