Freezing On The Home Stretch

[Guest djenkins99]

We adopted Romeo (age 4) 2 months ago. Since we don't have a fenced-in yard we take him for 3-4 walks per day. He's been great to walk with until just recently, when he's developed the unpleasant habit of stopping and refusing to budge, especially a block or two from home. No amount of cajoling, coaxing, waiting it out, seems to help--he just won't move. Distance doesn't matter either--it's the same whether he goes 1 block or 1 mile. He particularly seems to dislike going uphill. I hate pulling him, and carrying him the final few hundred yards is out of the question. Any ideas about how to get him to go the distance?

[Trihounds]

Sorry, no advice, but one of ours would slow down (but never stop) close to home. I figured he wanted to keep walking . He eventually stopped doing it, though to this day (3 years later), he hates turning around!!

[gracegirl]

Cheese. Tempt him with cheese.

[NevadasMom]

Is he always stopping in the same location, or do you vary the route?

[Guest shanesmom]

Ace is my first greyhound that did this. He would freeze and not move in the field at out condos where we dog walk. I could get him moving again most of the time by just walking in a circle but I would have to do this several times on each walk and it took a long time to get home. Once he decided to freeze in the parking lot and we ended up with a cars just waiting for him to move so they could get by. He is not treat motivated so that did not work. Really it just took time and patience for him to adjust to all the new noises and sights. After a few months he stopped freezing and never does this now. He was afraid of the turnpike noises above the field and it took time for him to get used to them. It must have been very strange for him to hear all the cars and trucks and not be able to see them. He used to look up and duck on walks too as if the sky was falling on him. He eventually stopped doing that too. He walks real nice now and looks like he's enjoying it.

[Guest mariah]

If I'm reading correctly, it sounds like he only does this at the end of a walk. This might be off the mark, but Gussie will refuse to go inside after a walk if she still has to go to the bathroom. Could that be it? Or maybe he doesn't want the walk to end yet?

[Guest BrianRke]

When your walk is almost over, try walking him past your house to change up the routine. Let him believe that approaching the house doesnt necessarily mean the end of the walk. Maybe he just doesnt want the walk to end.

[turbotaina]

It sounds like he's not done with his walk yet I agree with BrianRke. You might want to make some practice runs by varying the time and distance of your walks and do a circle in front of or around your house. Keep him guessing

[Feisty49]

If you decide he is done with his walk, that is he has P&Pd but is just not wanting to go home but you want to go home, here are some suggestions to get him moving that I wrote somewhere else on the forum (the link appears below).

 

 

When I first got Annie Bella (July last year), she planted herself more than walking, I swear. She still plants occasionally, but I have many ways to get her moving.

 

The first thing I recommend, which sometimes stops the planting, is to not slow down just 'cause your boy does, if indeed you ever do that. Walk along with the expectation he'll come along and don't slow or stop, even if he falls back a few feet. Without realizing it, we often pace ourselves to our dog's pace, and it should be the other way around.

 

Try walking him in a circle. Hold him close to your thigh, walk around pressing on his shoulder with that thigh and as you come out, keep on walking. I don't use this any more because my Annie Bella is beyond that but it always worked for me, if not the first circle on the second.

 

Give him a gentle push on a shoulder with your knee or a hand. I don't know about other Greyhounds, but Annie Bella does not like that at all. Talk about giving me stinky eye. The push should be firm enough to make her feet move and that movement starts them walking again.

 

Using two hands, give a gentle, but firm, push on his side. If the push on the shoulder doesn't work with Annie Bella, I do the side push, firm enough so that all four feet have to move, and again, that movement gets her going.

 

What also works for me, and I tried it out of frustration one time when I was really really really irritated with her, is to stand in front of her, bend down (I bend down so close that often her nose is touching mine), look her straight in the eyes and say with great firmness and aggravation, "Move!" or "Annie come." That always gets her going, because if I've reached that point, she knows I am pissed!

 

Often, especially when we're in the driveway heading to the door, she'll plant, or go slowwwwwwly, and I use my shame-on-you voice, and say something like, "Shame on you Annie Bella. Shame on you," my voice just dripping with disappointment and I tug. It took a few months of bonding before that worked.

 

You can always use treats. I never walk Annie Bella without treats in my pocket. They're good for training, if the opportunity comes up, and they're good to get her going. Gotta toss them, though, so your dog has to move. Once he's moving, you start out at a good pace with expectation in every step that he will follow.

 

The final way to get Annie moving - which I've had to use only twice because she refused to walk through a doorway -- is to hold her collar by the loop on the Martingale, which has her touching my thigh, and walk, tugging on the loop at the same time.

 

Good luck. I used to feel so foolish on a public street practically begging Annie Bella to move but those days are long gone, thankfully.

 

 

http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/282198-planting-her-feet-on-walks/page__p__5145374__hl__planting__fromsearch__1#entry5145374

Edited March 7, 2012 by Feisty49

[GreyTzu]

Barn shy.

 

Keep walking him and vary your route.

 

Keep a few treats by the door so that as soon as you drag him inside, you can reward him.

 

And after all that, have a shot or two of an adult beverage.

[Fruitycake]

Monty did a very similar thing when he wanted to sniff a tree (the stop about 2 feet before it), to which I just started replying "Nope!" and just keep walking and tug him a bit. It's gotten to the point where he never tries this with me anymore because if he looks like he's going to stop and be stubborn about tree sniffing, I just tell him "Nope!" and he sighs and continues. He still tries this with people unfamiliar with him, including my husband who doesn't use the "Nope!" term and just tries to pull him along. I like giving him a warning that this time it isn't all right to stop (for whatever reason) so when we're moving at a brisk pace (a jog, or hurrying because I need to get to work) he doesn't suddenly make a jag to the side and stop.

 

He also slows down when we're near home heading home (long or short walks, it doesn't matter), and I believe it is because it's a "boring" area and he was having fun sniffing new spots and doesn't want the fun to end. I just keep him moving and though he drops back and wants to slow down he can't because I won't let him get to the stopping point before he's at the end of the leash. If necessary, I shorten the leash when he appears to want to drag behind so he can only get to "heel" position.

 

[This said, I have to admit that I am always paying close attention to my dogs when I walk: no cell phone, no enjoying the scenery, no paying more attention to a conversation with anyone walking with me than the dogs. If I do walk with someone else, I talk with them and listen to them but am always watching my dog (Monty is mine to walk, of our two), and preventing problems before he gets stuck or goes off in a different direction or whatever. When I walk both I look around for other dogs and for squirrels - both of which cause Allie to react unfavorably to comfortable walking, but mostly focus on the dogs and where they are focusing their attentions.]

[Guest DragonflyDM]

We adopted Romeo (age 4) 2 months ago. Since we don't have a fenced-in yard we take him for 3-4 walks per day. He's been great to walk with until just recently, when he's developed the unpleasant habit of stopping and refusing to budge, especially a block or two from home. No amount of cajoling, coaxing, waiting it out, seems to help--he just won't move. Distance doesn't matter either--it's the same whether he goes 1 block or 1 mile. He particularly seems to dislike going uphill. I hate pulling him, and carrying him the final few hundred yards is out of the question. Any ideas about how to get him to go the distance?

 

 

End every walk with 2 minutes of praise and petting followed with treats. He will associate the end of the walk as something to look forward to instead of dread.

[greyhoundlady]

All great advice. I especially agree about giving a treat (reward) when you come inside. Something they have to look forward to. I have my 'new' guy for 5 months now, and from the beginning, he always gets a little treat each time he comes through the door into the house. He is now so used to it that, as soon as he gets in, he waits by the treat jar. He has no problem after our walks to come right inside.

 

As a funny note - there was a time he would go to the back door and wait, as if he needed to go out. I would let him out and notice that he would stand to the side of the door - out of my sight line - for a few seconds, then appear at the door again. When I let him in - you guessed it - straight to the treat jar. These guys are just waaaaay too smart!

[Guest KsFrets]

Yep, ours each get a cookie when we get home. They pick up the pace the last 1/4 mile! We haven’t has a statue in several years.

[Guest dee]

Is it possible that he might have pain somewhere? Foot, back or leg? Just a thought.

[Feisty49]

All great advice. I especially agree about giving a treat (reward) when you come inside. Something they have to look forward to. I have my 'new' guy for 5 months now, and from the beginning, he always gets a little treat each time he comes through the door into the house. He is now so used to it that, as soon as he gets in, he waits by the treat jar. He has no problem after our walks to come right inside.

 

As a funny note - there was a time he would go to the back door and wait, as if he needed to go out. I would let him out and notice that he would stand to the side of the door - out of my sight line - for a few seconds, then appear at the door again. When I let him in - you guessed it - straight to the treat jar. These guys are just waaaaay too smart!

 

Ohhh, Annie Bella does that, but I don't have a fenced backyard. She'll do her "gotta go" whine so on goes the leash and out we go. She'll stand there, nose in the air sniffing and then turn back to the door. When she does this, there is no treat given.