Dog Walking

[Toni]

Hi there, I have rescued Irish greyhounds for approximately 30 years, all in pairs, and have loved every one of them.  They all have / had unique characters but I am totally stumped on one of my latest Finn, he too has a mate Poppy (we call her the skitty one which I have found most females are like).  Finn is a big boy and I really don't think he had a good start in life, we have had him for approximately 2 years now and he has gradually become one of the laziest ones I have every had!!!! Getting to the point, going out for a walk! he goes all through the motions, follows Poppy out, we put his collar on (it's not the collar, have tried that one) and wham, on go the brakes!!! and if you know your greyhounds, there is no budging them.  So off comes his collar, he trots happily indoors, up on the couch, upside down and back to sleep! - is this normal?? - he will go out at weekends (I'm sure he can't tell the days of the week!) but he appears to be able to do that unless it's raining or windy!!

Looking from some reassureance really!

[HeyRunDog]

Is there a noise that only happens during the week? Workmen, traffic, children going to or at school?

Will he go out when it's quieter?

[Toni]

No absolutely nothing, same time every morning 06:00am and 05:30pm and we live in a very quite area!

 

[MerseyGrey]

Mine definitely knows the day of the week from our routine (it used to be from the clothes I wore to work but my wardrobe changed from dresses to trousers and now he seems less able to use that). 

Im on my first greyhound so I don’t have anywhere near as much experience as you but have you tried taking him out the back door instead of the front (or vice versa)? Maybe a little change in his routine will help

[Remolacha]

How old is Finn now? Is this new behavior? While it is true that many greyhounds love their walks, even when they get old and infirm,  sometimes, as they get older, they decide that walking is overrated . If he seems fine otherwise and he doesn’t have to be walked for potty breaks, I would let him decide whether to go or not. 
 
It actually sounds like a combination of things. Like something spooked him, probably something so weird or minor (to you) that he connects with morning walks on certain days, and since walking was becoming less of a priority for him, he decided, nope, not this time.  As I am sure you know, they can have strange, quirky thought processes, that’s one of the reasons I love them 

[LazyGrey]

@Toni...same!  My greyhound does the exact same thing with going for a ride in the car. In the house, if I say "Go for a ride in the car?" oh man does he get excited, I put the leash on, (and now its cold out so put his coat on and my coat on etc) we go out the door and suddenly he puts on the break.

When we go for a ride it's usually to the pet store, or the hardware store or the park etc, all places he loves to go, but the minute we go out the door he freezes. I have to bribe him with treats all the way to the car. He can jump into the car, but won't, I have to pick up his front end,

then the back end...bit of a hassle, then we're good. I don't know if he stops and remembers something negative about the car but it's every time. Ugghh. My dog is also very lazy. He doesn't play with toys, doesn't play really. And he is the only dog I've ever had that will look at you with a blank expression when asked if he wants to go potty.

then he'll come to me 15 min later and decide he HAS to go out. The other night, I tried to get him to go outside before I had to go to bed. Nope, no interest, so I put my pajamas on and got ready for bed. After I got settled in bed and ready to go to sleep, he comes in and has to go out. So I get up, change clothes and out we went. It must seem really hilarious to him to see what I have to go through - but it is a bit infuriating LOL. I think he does it on purpose or maybe he has to sit there..not wanting to bother really until it's urgent. Weirdo!

[greysmom]

Don't be so sure he can't tell what day it is.  They have the ability to pick up on really subtle cues.  I've had dogs that tell the difference between trousers and jeans, whether I put makeup on or not, if I take a shower, if I eat cereal or toast, whether a morning paper is delivered or not - it's crazy.  I generally try and keep the schedule exactly the same but they know somehow!!

If he's OK being left alone, I would just let him stay on the couch.    Try taking him out at a different time of day, maybe by himself, maybe through a different door, go a completely different way, go somewhere to walk by car.  

If you really need him to walk at that time then start using really yummy treats - not hard crunchy ones, but, like, roasted chicken pieces or cheese, very high value - and praise and treat when he completes each task in the "going for a walk" chain, particularly the collar and right before starting off.  Keep things happy and moving along so he doesn't have a lot of time to think about where he's going or doing, and praise and treat randomly throughout the walk.

Good luck!

[Mercsmom]

My Mercury had no interest in long walks.  We used to do them and then, his arthritis kicked up so we scaled way way back.  Very soon, we went from 5 mile walks to short walks for him and a run for me.  He was perfectly happy to have a short time outdoors to take care of business and then, park himself on the couch, monopolize the remote, and demand couch service.