Dog Community

i don't know what to do...

Posted : 8/18/2006 7:11:39 AM

Lately, my dog (who used to love going on walks) will refuse to go on a walk. I thought it was because she didn't like her harness, so I switched to walking her in a normal collar and we did pretty well. Now, even in the normal collar, she will not walk. I thought maybe it was because the housekeeper (who walks her early in the morning) yanks the leash, but I've told her to stop since I saw her doing it. I've tried bribing her with treats and feeding her before walking (usually she gets fed after), but when we get out of the house she will just stand there. I've tried to out-stubborn her, but we will be standing on the sidewalk for twenty minutes -- and she could go longer. It seems she doesn't want to get out of the house at all; she will rush back in when the gate is open. She is not in pain or anything, it's just like she has no drive to go on walks anymore. Like she'd rather lie around in the house, but of course I can't let her do that because she needs her exercise. Why won't she walk?!

Another frustrating thing: I thought she was getting better with her dog-aggression. She even made friends with two dogs who live on our street. I've seen them play, and it never got too rough. I have resorted to walking her around dinnertime to lessen the chance of her bumping into another dog. But tonight, a Lab passed by and she was making the typical whining sounds. Then a little mixed dog passed by and she went absolutely wild. She was growling, barking, lunging, snapping and choking herself on her flat collar. She does not respond to treats, and when I say "No!" she just stops momentarily and whines a little, then goes right back into trying to attack the other dog. I don't know what to do anymore... I feel so inept... I would love to consult a behaviorist, but so far all the ones I've found are trainer-behaviorists who do choke-chains (just something I'm not comfortable with). And, lemme tell ya, there are not a lot of behaviorists in my country.

PS Is it normal for a dog not to poop for three days straight even if she's eating and drinking normally?

Susan Chandler

Posted : 8/18/2006 7:55:38 AM

Not being a medical authority, my only suggestion for this right now would be to first have her physically evaluated. There may be something physically wrong with her that she doesn't want to go for a walk and the not pooping for a couple days may be something to look into also. Good Luck and hope you will get a lot of ideas as to what might be your real problem but personally, I'd start out with a physical as a process of elimination.[8|]

griffinej5

Posted : 8/18/2006 8:17:50 AM

I'd start with the vet, and if that doesn't solve it, perhaps try a different route. I can't quite figure out why, but sometimes Max will refuse to walk in the direction of a certain house (which happens to be Vaughn Hebron's). Sometimes, there are three dogs out in this little area of fence, and they bark aggressively at everything that passes. Other times, we can go past the fence, and Max completely ignores it. Sometimes we get near it, and Max has to go in a big arch around it in order to get past it. Even though it is usually that fence, it can sometimes be other places, like last night when we were walking, he all of a sudden turned around and started heading for home. I didn't see anything ahead to be concerned about, but Max decided we were going home.
Oh, and I definitely don't think it's normal for a dog not to poop for three days. I would certainly want to have that checked out.

willowchow

Posted : 8/18/2006 9:32:56 AM

Well, Willow acted like that for a brief time after something scared the heck out of her while we were out. So, maybe on a walk with your housekeeper something scared her.

dawn

Posted : 8/18/2006 1:32:46 PM

Definitely get the poop thing checked out.

As far as the walking problem, that's a tough one, and I've gone through a similar experience with Whinny. The solution seemed to come when I stopped letting myself get frustrated and anxious about it, and just calmly demanded that she come with me. She would still throw a bit of a fit (plant all four feet on the ground and refuse to move) but when this happens I look her right in the eye and (gently)pull the leash until she comes and then praise her greatly. The key for whatever reason seemed to be with me not getting frustrated, because when it started happening and i would feel angry, it just made her more stubborn (it seems). Have you tried treats or a toy or anything to get her moving?

Terri

Posted : 8/18/2006 2:56:05 PM

Odin really doesn't like walking with his head halter on, but I can't walk him without it. So I'll say "let's go for a walk", he'll get excited and then as soon as he sees what I'm about to put on him, he runs upstairs. So even though I know what the problem is with Odin, I do sympathize with your situation. I wish he would get excited to walk--or that I could walk him without the head halter.

I also sympathize with the dog "reactivity". That's something I've struggled with while walking both Loki and Odin. Just as soon as I think they're getting better, they'll go and bark/growl/lunge at a passing dog and I'm mortified again.

I do think that the suggestion that possibly something happened with your housekeeper on a walk is a good one. You might check with her. Sorry I don't have better advice, but I feel your pain. Good luck!

Anonymous

Posted : 8/18/2006 3:09:56 PM

How old is she?
My mom's min pin who is now 9, last year, she refused to walk as well. My mom took her to the vet, which we found out she has arthritis which is why she didnt want to go for walks (must've hurt). Funny thing though, now that my mom also has my yorkie there, the min pin now loves to go for walks again and is like normal! (minus the poor cracking you can hear in her legs :-/) I guess Moe (yorkie) really perked her up!! which is a big reason I let my mom keep Moe at her house when I moved out, now both dogs are very happy!

mondayblues

Posted : 8/18/2006 8:35:37 PM

Thank you all for your advice. Yep, I've tried treats (she's not into toys though). She will walk a few steps, then stop walking altogether again. She is five years old. I will definitely bring her to the vet ASAP for the pooping thing and everything else.

Xerxes

Posted : 8/18/2006 9:36:02 PM

She is not in pain or anything, i

Don't take that as the truth. Dogs hide their pain very very well. To show pain is to show weakness and to show weakness is a good way to become ouctcast from the pack.

miranadobe

Posted : 8/18/2006 10:02:02 PM

If she won't go on a walk, but will walk around the house, that makes me wonder if pain really is the issue.... The variants there would be:
A - the leash and collar. If she doesn't wear one normally around the house, put the same one her inside the house and see if she acts normally. I'd be looking for either something impinging on an uncomfortable spot on her neck. Clip on the leash and see if she exhibits the same behavior.
B - the surface you walk her on. Do you have grass in your yard? Will she walk on-leash there? How about other surfaces - dirt, maybe a concrete patio? If she refuses to walk on harder surfaces, examine her paws and leg joints more carefully.

Barring the physical ailments, I'd venture this is behavioral. Either she did encounter something fearful/frightening on a walk. Or she has you under her thumb and has now trained you to not walk her.

mondayblues

Posted : 8/19/2006 5:54:18 AM

She's OK with her leash and collar; excited when I put them on, in fact. I think I have stumbled onto something. I brought her out earlier today instead of her usual evening "walk", like around 5PM when it was still bright out, just to try it out. No walking issues whatsoever! (Makes sense because my housekeeper tells me she will walk in the morning.) For some reason, she will not walk during the evening hours when it's dark out. Maybe she's afraid? I think I'll start walking her earlier, even though there is a bigger chance of us running into a dog and her going nuts. I suppose I could just steer her in another direction when I see one coming.

Vivian

Posted : 8/19/2006 7:06:15 AM

How often does your housekeeper walk your dog? Has she done something while on walks with your dog that has made your dog frightened of walks, I'd check this out myself, something going on as she liked walking before. Do you trust your housekeeper?

mrv

Posted : 8/19/2006 9:32:00 AM

A dog that is resisting walking as light changes and decreases needs a vision exam. There are a number of vision condition and some of them tend to show up in middle age. Have your vet to a quick screen but find vet opthomologist. I was lucky, I caught Dess's pannus very early, his brothers was not caught until five and he did have some vision restriction.

mondayblues

Posted : 8/20/2006 2:51:55 AM

My housekeeper walks her early in the morning, about 6AM, then I do the afternoon walk. I do trust her, and so far nothing has happened. I do remember one incident when another housekeeper (who no longer works for us) was walking my dog, then a strange Rottie came up to them -- she freaked, pulled on the leash to get away, which scared my dog in the process. Maybe it was that? Anyhow, I'll still have her vision checked out just in case. She has bumped into different things several times in the past two months.

Luvntzus

Posted : 8/20/2006 5:28:45 AM

I definitely think this is all fear related. My best friend's Coonhound acts the exact same way when she tries to take him outside and he's an extremely skittish rescue. With your dog, I'd say it's some of the experiences she's had on the walk, the Rottie scaring her, maybe the housekeeper yanking the leash, who knows what else may have happened. The aggression towards other dogs DEFINITELY sounds fear based to me. I think when she's out on the leash she probably feels trapped, like she can't get away if she needs to.

I think a behaviorist is the one to help you guys. I hang out on another board that's run by a well known trainer (and author) and moderated by several behaviorists. You might want to try posting your questions there....

[linkhttp://p073.ezboard.com/bfamilydog]http://p073.ezboard.com/bfamilydog[/link]