Cassidy

Hi! We've had a strange thing happen in the last week and a half and I'm checking here to see if anyone else has dealt with this. When we walk Fergus he makes it about a block and just stops dead in his tracks. He's like a donkey and won't move forward. He sits down and if we do coax him into moving for a few more feet, he just stops again. There is no smelling going on, just stopping. He only moves again when we turn back to the house.

He does get spooked sometimes, but that usually results in him moving quickly.

He still wants to go on walks- gets excited and makes noise at the door. He walks really well for about a block.

At first we thought maybe he was scared of something in one direction, but this keeps happening no matter what direction we pick. Also, nothing that we can perceive that has frightened him.

Then, we thought maybe his leg was bothering him again, but he's had no limping and he runs around the house and yard just fine.

Then, maybe he's tired? But he's got loads of energy all the other times.

I just don't know what's up. He was getting really good at walking and we were on a nice two-walk schedule and now we can't even get around the block.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

Tonight we try bribery with treats, but I wanted to hear what you guys think and if you've had any experience. It seriously reminds me of the basset video going around from the Dog Whisperer.

__________________
Mom to Fergus aka Ferg-a-licious- a spunky, eats-everything boy.

Soundtrack

Perfectly normal basset behavior. My first one used to do that all the time - my stepfather would carry him home.

It was cured one day when I decided to simply keep walking - leash and collar attached. It didn't take him long to decide that walking was better than dragging. He never pulled that on me again.

__________________
Rosie-Ch Soundtrack Cracklin' Rose CGN AGN RA Am RN TT
Melody-Ch Soundtrack Unchained Melody TT
Sailor-Ch Soundtrack Expedition Sailor RN TT
Chili-Ch Soundtrack Spice Up Your Life
Curry-Ch Soundtrack Canadian Brass
Pepper-Ch Pennieslogon Living La Vida Loca CGN
Vina-Ch Soundtrack Grand Illusion
Leila-Ch Soundtrack Almost Paradise
Deela-Ch Soundtrack Wink Of An Eye
Hermione - Soundtrack Spellbound
Eowyn - Soundtrack Rain Dance

Mikey T

Bandit the beagle rather enjoyed being dragged she'd turn belly up to offer less resistance and faster speed.

ChucksMom

That had to be quite a site!

Mikey T

As Mirriam points ot it is a common basset reaction to stress is to do absolutely nothing and refuse to do anything. so you have a couple options.

1. is the option she chose which can work however there are dogs that will not react well to even more stress of pulling and if the dog is large enough you may simply not be able to move the dog

2. find the cause of the stress and avoid or eliminate it. It could be as simple as the chocking from pulling on the collar. not likeling the feel of asphalt or concrete on his feet etc.

3. This behavior while often original caused by stress can quickly become a learned manipultive approach by the dog. For example is there any incent to the dog for end the walk early such as a treat at the end of the Walk? It does not take a doggie genius to figure out the shorte the walk the quicker I get the treat at the end .


4.You never want to bribe a dog with anything, in the short term it is rarely helpfull and in the long term it alway is detrimental to getting the behavior you want. This is simple because most of the time a bribe is not what the human percieves it to be. So dog stops movine. You show the dog a /bribe out in front to get it to move again. Dog gets up moves to the treat eats it and stops. So the bribe worked! think again Wha have you actual done. Brided the dog to walk, or reward the dog for stopping in the first place. The proof is in the results and in most cases you end up with more stopping behavior there fore in reality your bibe just became a unintended reward for a undesired behavior. The training addage is you get more of the behavior you actual reward. Look toward the dogs behavior as a guide. If the dog is stoping and not moving more and more frequently it is occuring because their is some incentive to do so you must remove that incentive I mentioned a few but they certainly are not all. ie avoiding leash correction, getting a treat sooner. avoiding and undesired substrate under foot.

5. If you want to use food to rewar walking that is what you need to do not bribe the dog to walk but reward the dog for walking in the first place. when the dog stops moving so do the rewards. In order for this to work the dog must not be distrated by you carring food in yoiur hands. IF this is a distcation you need to work on the until it is no longer a distraction avoid the walks until that is the case. Next practice without the dog tossing the treats just in front of the dog while walking. It is not as easy as you might think it takes practice to do this acurrately enough for the dog to notice. then practice this with the dog in an area where it has not shown the stopping behaivor. ie the back yard , living room bassement etc. Treat fall from the sky when dog moves stops when dogs stops, resume when dog moves. Once it is clear that the dog understand it getting treats for moving then you are ready to take the process on the road.


There is not a perfect solution or one right way just a varriety to chose from and think about which is most likely to work for me and my dog.

Mikey T

that depends on the crowd you hang out with. There are alot of positive reinforcement types that were agaist. even more when they questions what are you doing to that dog whe the response was "trolling for alligators"

sadeyes2

This happens to me almost every time I go out!!!! I lure with food and after it runs out.........well, I just head home. Never had a problem on the homeward journey!

Esther

I love to walk.
I trot and to strut my stuff.
Even tho i'm a little girl, he-human says I'm a, "Chik Magganut."
Sometimes I think that's the only reason he walks me

Cassidy

Thank you so much! It is amazing to hear that this is normal behavior, even if it isn't an easy solution. It's just such an 'about face' from his walking pattern from a few weeks ago. I guess we'll keep at it.

__________________
Mom to Fergus aka Ferg-a-licious- a spunky, eats-everything boy.

Cassidy

Ha! I'm sure Fergus would Looooove you Esther!!

__________________
Mom to Fergus aka Ferg-a-licious- a spunky, eats-everything boy.