Does She Just Not Like Walks?

[AZGreyGirl]

Olivia loves, loves, loves her walkies! She dances and prances when I show her the leash, she trots merrily along our routes. She equally loves our sniffy walks and our "walk" walks. Either way, she loves walks. This is my girl who is calm and quiet inside the house, isn't a bit toy nut, and generally isn't energetic otherwise.

 

Chloe is my nutso dog who plays with toys with frantic energy, runs around the backyard several times a day, enjoys being outside in the backyard, and gets anyone she can to chase her - Olivia, me, my husband, she'll even ask The Cat to in a pinch. (Cat always says "no!" - smart cat.) Happy happy happy smiley - that's her.

 

But put her leash on her and take her outside and she gets these big put-upon eyes and she drags her feet. She walks along and doesn't ever refuse to come, but she acts like she is so tired and is about to die. Does she just not enjoy walks? This does not fit her personality in any other way. She doesn't stop to sniff very often or to take in the view - this is the girl who is otherwise curious about everything! She doesn't have favorite places she likes to visit the way Olivia does. Is there a way I can help "teach" her to enjoy walks?

 

I just find it surprising that she acts so put upon when she is always going and excited about so many other things. She's well behaved. Never had a bad experience that I know of. Could it be that it is less pleasant for her because she and Olivia have such different paces/speeds and interests and Olivia sets the pace? (Olivia walks at a pretty steady "trot" and Chloe does a drag, drag, gotta-catch up, drag, drag, drag, gotta-catch up).

 

Can I teach her to like it more?

[GreyhoundGirl]

Molly May loves her walks as well. She is just like your Olivia. I can walk her 3 miles and she would go longer. She even loves our walk/run intervals. She could spend hours outside walking. Mason hates it; we walk 3 times a day because I have no yard and it can't end soon enough for him. He doesn't like the cars, he doesn't like the people and when I tried to take him on the trail he pulled the entire time to go home but he LOVES the dog park and being off leash. I think for him (who's more shy and afraid of people) he doesn't like being on the leash because people can approach him and he has no place to escape (except hiding behind me). He has gotten better with our shorter 3x/day walks because he doesn't have a choice. Doing it often and going the same way has helped. I don't take him on the trail because it just makes him miserable, he pulls me and no one enjoys it. I take Molly and call it "Molly and momma bonding".

 

Also, maybe if you bring treats and reward the behaviors you want to see she'll improve.

[tuff]

Can't help because I have the same problem, so you are not alone. Only one of my three hounds seem to truly enjoy walks. The other two drag behind. I can't walk them with the other 3 (2 non-greys) because it is too painfully slow. The ironic thing is, these 2 slow pokes go ape-sh## crazy when the leashes come out, dancing, twirling and barking. I guess it must mean they do like walks, but they sure don't act like it once out there. I've been meaning to get out the clicker and start treating and clicking when they stay up with me. Both are very food motivated, so this might work. Does your girl get excited before the walk?

[Potomacpupsmom]

Have you tried taking Chloe on a walk without Olivia? Our two have very different walking styles too, and sometimes my husband and I will each take a dog and give them their own "private" walk with Mommy or Daddy. They love it! Breeze can walk briskly,which she loves, while Beka can stop and sniff anytime she wants along the way without holding up her sister . We had a lot of luck with that technique!

[Guest june]

She sounds just like my Angel. Angel is a crazy dog in the yard running a playing, but put a leash on her and she is not happy. She does not want to be left behind though. I talked to a pet psychic and had her ask Angel about it. She said that Angel told her doesn't like walks because they are boring and she doesn't see the point. When I think about it she just walks, lagging behind, doesn't sniff anything and she does look bored. She also said she would like to play with me and a stuffie in the back yard when we get back from a walk. So, we did that today and she was ecstatic to play in the yard with the stuffy while the other two waited in the house.

 

Believe or don't believe it fits.

Edited February 18, 2013 by june

[grey14me]

Have you tried taking Chloe on a walk without Olivia? Our two have very different walking styles too, and sometimes my husband and I will each take a dog and give them their own "private" walk with Mommy or Daddy. They love it! Breeze can walk briskly,which she loves, while Beka can stop and sniff anytime she wants along the way without holding up her sister . We had a lot of luck with that technique!

 

 

This is what I was thinking, too. Take Chloe by herself and see if there is a difference.

[Guest june]

She sounds just like my Angel. Angel is a crazy dog in the yard running a playing, but put a leash on her and she is not happy. She does not want to be left behind though. I talked to a pet psychic and had her ask Angel about it. She said that Angel told her doesn't like walks because they are boring and she doesn't see the point. When I think about it she just walks, lagging behind, doesn't sniff anything and she does look bored. She also said she would like to play with me and a stuffie in the back yard when we get back from a walk. So, we did that today and she was ecstatic to play in the yard with the stuffy while the other two waited in the house.

 

Believe or don't believe it fits.

If I try to take Angel for a walk by herself she just lags and wants to go back home; this girl does not like to walk.

[AZGreyGirl]

I like the treat idea, and I will try the single walk idea to see if it is a pace thing. A couple times when I have taken the collars out she has looked at me and then walked to her bed. But when I told her she would be left alone and then led Olivia to the door and opened it she came trotting over - did not want to be left behind.

 

I have a feeling that, like Angel, she doesn't see the point except for taking care of potty issues. She p&ps right away quick unlike her sister who stretches it out as long as possible.

[Guest rennina]

No advice here, but glad to know I'm not alone

[3greytjoys]

Good suggestions.

 

Many newly retired hounds can't walk too far because their tender paw pads haven't had time to toughen up slowly, pads could be sore from wearing down too much. Also, racers are only used to sprinting for 30 seconds vs. longer walking endurance. We begin new hounds with 5-10 minute walks, building up very slowly over several weeks/month+.

 

A consideration in AZ is sidewalk/pavement temperature being too hot (test with your bare hand), or air temperature too warm.

 

You might try changing the leashed walk location as a behavior test (i.e., go to a large park without scary cars and trucks passing by). Chloe seems fairly new and still learning about urban stimuli. She might benefit from slowing the outside world stimuli until she begins feeling more comfortable in smaller exposure steps.

 

Much less likely in your case, but possible if painful walks on hard surfaces is a deep (possibly non-visible) corn, or previous racing injury that hurts during longer walks. (We check pads for foreign objects regularly too.)

[Guest Frannie]

I was going to post about this, and I'm glad to see there's an existing thread. Mable, who is now almost 13, has started refusing to budge on most of her walks.

 

She does have corns (and wears four therapaws, which restore her mobility almost completely). But this seems to be more than that. Her "brother" Hoss died in early November; I can't exactly pinpoint this as a coincidence, because at first, after his passing, she was more energetic.

 

Now it's awful. I am getting ready to welcome a new grey home, and I want to tackle this difficulty with Mable, whom I ADORE, as I prepare. A walkie before work that used to take ten minutes now takes close to 30. She just stops. Does what I call her "tree imitation." I refuse to yell at her, and tugging feels flat-out mean.

 

Would welcome thoughts on this!

 

Frannie and Mablegirl

and Rain, Cole, Porgy, Henry, and Hoss the angels

[Guest grey_dreams]

I was going to post about this, and I'm glad to see there's an existing thread. Mable, who is now almost 13, has started refusing to budge on most of her walks.

 

She does have corns (and wears four therapaws, which restore her mobility almost completely). But this seems to be more than that. Her "brother" Hoss died in early November; I can't exactly pinpoint this as a coincidence, because at first, after his passing, she was more energetic.

 

Now it's awful. I am getting ready to welcome a new grey home, and I want to tackle this difficulty with Mable, whom I ADORE, as I prepare. A walkie before work that used to take ten minutes now takes close to 30. She just stops. Does what I call her "tree imitation." I refuse to yell at her, and tugging feels flat-out mean.

 

Would welcome thoughts on this!

 

Frannie and Mablegirl

and Rain, Cole, Porgy, Henry, and Hoss the angels

 

How much walking does a 13-year old need? Maybe she is in pain (corns, arthritis, temperature sensitivity) and really doesn't want to walk. Maybe she is feeling her age, and just wants to rest more than she wants to walk. Maybe she is depressed because her brother died recently. I think I wouldn't force a 13-year old outside for 30 minutes of forced walking, even though it is mostly just statueing (JMHO). Can you engage her in an indoor activity instead? Playing with toys, or a food puzzle?

[Walliered]

My girl, Lady, is the same. She loves to get ready for a walk (jumps around, twirls, is excited) but as soon as we step outside she is like in a coma. Just had surgery on her neck so I do not want to pull on the leash. She was doing this before the surgery. I get soooo tired of saying "let's go or hurry up". I have thought about a tape recorder.

 

She is only 7.

[Guest Frannie]

Mable is only being taken out for slow walks to potty. Four per day (around the block first thing in the morning, a quick one before I leave for work, around the block at lunch, around 2 blocks in the evening, and a pee before bed.) As long as she does that, I'm perfectly thrilled to just let her lounge on the couch, she loves doing. When it's hot here (I live in Boston, so right now it's not), my hounds just hang out in the back yard long enough to p&p.

 

I don't force her. But maybe around the block is too far?

[Rustyroo]

Mable is only being taken out for slow walks to potty. Four per day (around the block first thing in the morning, a quick one before I leave for work, around the block at lunch, around 2 blocks in the evening, and a pee before bed.) As long as she does that, I'm perfectly thrilled to just let her lounge on the couch, she loves doing. When it's hot here (I live in Boston, so right now it's not), my hounds just hang out in the back yard long enough to p&p.

 

I don't force her. But maybe around the block is too far?

When Rusty got up there in age, we lost him at 13 1/2, he still loved his walks, but he could only make it to the corner and back. We were four houses from the corner. So he still got his walk, and it was just enough to make him happy.

[DogGolden]

I've been having the exact same problem with Atticus. He used to really enjoy walks until a little over a month ago. We got 36" of snow, which he loved at first, but afterward he started refusing to go on walks.

 

I started bringing bits of sharp cheddar on our walks and I give him LOTS of them. I try to make it fun like a game. I'll hold the cheese where I want his nose to be while we're walking and say "follow me." (Sometimes I do this off-leash in the apartment to get him to follow me around. Maybe if you could get Chloe to "walk" with you off-leash around the yard, she'd enjoy it more on real walks?) If he stops like a statue I just walk a few steps ahead (well, sometimes many many steps ahead) and call him in a sing-song voice.

 

He still doesn't want to go on long walks and I don't push him too far beyond his comfort zone, but we're making progress.