Dog walking

[Rayoflight842]

My dog is 10 years old and she won’t walk from the house on a leash but if I drive her to the park no problem she will walk all day long, any thoughts? I’ve tried giving her treats but no luck.

Will she walk in the house on a leash?

Can you wait it out? Often they come out your door and are hit with all the smells, then you have traffic to factor in I'd imagine. Stopping so she can take it all in, after all it is her walk, they very often are ready to walk after that (however irritating it can feel to us!)

I would want a vet check considering her age and the fact that this a brand new behaviour.

I have checked with the vet and their not sure why. They think something may have spooked her but I don’t think that’s it. She will hang out in the yard she just won’t leave the front yard to walk further. We’ve tried treats and she stops when the treats stop!! Go figure

We are having very similar thing with our dog. We moved house (which I'm sure is a contributing factor) and she is really reluctant to walk from the house but very happy when we drive her somewhere.

The reason I mention this is because even though we suspect it is anxiety caused by the move, our excellent behaviourist has suggested ruling out discomfort first by putting her on painkillers for a period of time.

The reason for this is because dogs may tolerate discomfort if there is an immediate reward (food) or because they are excited about their walk (a lovely fun park). It doesn't mean the discomfort isn't there.

Could you try her on painkillers to see if it makes a difference? That way you will know if it is physically or psychological and how to best address it.

Hope you get to the bottom of it!

Thanks. I’m sure some may be a little anxiety I cannot rule that out it just seems weird that she won’t walk from the house but the park and other nearby neighborhood's by the park are fine. Sometimes at the park when it’s going good she will all the sudden stop and sit and want to go another direction.

will just keep working with her!

What breed ? Have you checked her for arthritis? My elderly lab was like this until we got his treatment sorted out. Happy to walk from the car, but leaving the house was too familiar/ boring. He’s much happier now he is on the good drugs.

Please don't rule out pain just because she seems happy to walk in the park still.

Dogs mask pain really well and if the reward (the park) is worth it, they'll force themselves to keep going. A pavement walk from the door is less exciting so not worth the effort when they're hurting.

Thanks you guys for the those thoughts she does have some arthritis in her front leg. She’s a Rottweiler mix. The vet gave her some pain medication but I don’t know how much it helps yet, specially if she’s masking it!