If a pooch is afraid of something in their surroundings, they may refuse to walk or keep moving. Young puppies who are going through their fear period and adult dogs walking in an unfamiliar environment commonly experience this (especially true if they tend to be fearful or anxious, or have a history of trauma).
While still in the house, use treats to lure your puppy towards you while they are clipped to the leash. Praise and reward your puppy when they come to you. Next, start walking with your puppy. If your pup is hesitant, lure them with treats.
So if a dog refuses to walk, the first thing to do is check for a physical source of pain. The second thing is to look for a source of discomfort, like a poorly fitting harness, and adjust the fit, so there is no squeezing, pinching, or chafing.
Your dog may be acting stubborn on walks because it is bored. Take a different route on your walk, or go to another park or neighborhood altogether for your walk. Even walking the same neighborhood but in a different pattern may be enough to make the trip exciting again for your pup.
Practice having them walk next to you on a loose leash. Then have them sit multiple times on a walk just because you asked them too. You can also change your walking speed or normal route. All of these things will help your dog learn that you are in control on a walk.
Try Treats
Small treats can reward good walking behavior, though it is important to use them as a tool only, and reinforce the dog's successes verbally or with a happy pat as well. Eventually, the dog should have mastered easy, comfortable walking without a treat.
Anxiety is one of the most common reasons dogs don't want to walk. They might be scared of the leash, the outside world, cars, noises, or people and pets they may encounter. They could even have had a past experience on a leash that scared them.
If your dog has just started sitting on his or her walks, take your dog to your vet to examine your dog's legs and hips and to assess if your dog is the correct weight. One reason that some dogs sit down during walks is that they are in pain from something such as: Knee problems. Hip dysplasia.
Reward the behaviours you like. If your dog walks calmly past something that would normally give him pause, reward him! They need to know how awesome that accomplishment was. Remember that if you reward the things that you like they are likely to be repeated more often!
Fear stages in dogs typically occur at two different times: between 8–11 weeks, and 6–14 months. There's nothing you can do to prevent these fear periods, but you can give your puppy a helping hand so they come out the other side as a more confident dog.
Walk where he's comfortable; go in a new direction or drive to a new area a mile or two away. Use treats and praise to encourage him, and never use force or drag your dog along. If your dog won't take even very high-value treats on your walks, it's a sign that he is highly stressed.
Encourage your pup to go a short distance (even a few houses down the block), then return. Don't push the pace — let your pup amble as slowly as they like. Many puppies' walking skills improve with short, positive experiences; walks that are too long or too fast can overwhelm them.
Dogs may stop walking and refuse to move for a variety of reasons. Fortunately, you can usually correct this issue by addressing the underlying cause for the behavior and assessing why your dog is anti-walk. A few of the most common reasons include fatigue, pain, or simply a lack of experience walking on a leash.
Your dog is neither a marionette nor a fish on the end of a line. You should not use your leash to hold your dog close to you or drag your dog where you want them to go.
If your puppy doesn't want to go for a walk, there can be several reasons. Either he is lazy, afraid or the weather is too hot or too cold for him. He could also be sick or ailing.
Some dogs may just not like walks and are couch potatoes. If so, going outside is a necessity to do their needs, but afterward, they want to come right back home. However, if you plan the walk well, even such a dog may be able to enjoy it. Make sure to choose the right activity for your dog's personality.
Lazy sitting in puppies is perfectly normal, it is just because they are so flexible as babies. It is not, in itself, a sign of bad hips or other joint problems. A dog that reaches maturity (depending on breed between 1-2 years) and still adopts a puppy sit is something to worry about.