Why won't my dog go for a walk anymore? (What to do)

Many people have experiencsd a point in their dog's life when they refuse to walk! In my dog Rudy's case, he would not leave the front door to go for a walk on the street.
Normally, Rudy would go for 2 longs walks every day around the neighbourhood, but suddenly he became scared to leave the house. This meant not leaving the front porch, and we would have to drag him to move forward.
We did not want to force him to walk, so our daily walks became much less frequent as we had to drive to a park first.
In this video I describe the steps we took to get him to start walking on a leash from the house again. Be patient, and do not force your dog to do something they don't want to do.

[@melaniefontaine5389]

Going trought this right now with our dog. In the last week it went from walk twice a day to nothing at all. He's scared of everything all of a sudden. Thank you for this video, it encourages us!

[@jonathangarrett7731]

Did it get better? My dog is doing the same exact thing and I have no idea why.

[@gabbys1254]

Jonathan Garrett did your dog get better?

[@kathleenthompson3140]

My rescue quit 3 days after I got her. She started going a few houses and then wants to turn around and go home. Day by day she may go further or lose ground. She has gone all the way around the block a couple of times. I hope that ad time goes by she will enjoy the smells and not be scared anymore. When she quit I tried encouragement, carrying her; what has worked best is just turning around. I did not want to for e her either.

[@AY-jf5ws]

I thought it was just me going through this with my dog. She's been with me for 8 months. She used to run around so free and happy in my last house. We moved into an apartment, four months ago, (with LOTS of Dogs) then suddenly she refused to go out for a walk. Thank you so much for this information!!

[@TRINITR0N]

I’m have almost the exact same situation. Were you able to help your dog?

[@thefamily7119]

Going through a very similar situation with our 13 year old Marley. Your video was very helpful. Thank you for sharing your experience. Hooray for Rudy and fam!

[@kathyfoty4764]

This is exactly what has happened to me and my dog, Diesel. We both come in so upset from trying. Thank you for sharing your experience. We both have some hope now. Our walks have saved both of our lives. I think with your advice, you have given us hope that this will get better.

[@astrophoto_andy3335]

So glad Rudy is walking again. I always enjoy seeing him in your Astrobackyard videos!

[@foxy4life764]

Thank you for doing this video my dog would do the same she used to LOVE walks and suddenly she stop and now she just sits down at the porch and pulled back and she is now ALWAYS biting her paws and now we know why

[@cynthiacools-lartigue5297]

My golden is almost 12 and in the last week he’s stopped all together ….we have been walking to an off leash area for a 5km walk every morning. I thought it might be bc he’s having trouble seeing so I waited until the sun came up. Still would stop dead at before the backyard gate. We also have a bobcat in the area and wondered if that might his issue. I won’t pull at his leash and insist but I will be patient and hope that this isn’t the beginning of the end for him……I often feel selfish since I love my walks maybe even more than he does now……I went alone for the very first time this morning and cried the entire hour I was gone thinking that he might be trying to say goodbye….. none of my goldens have lived much past their 11th birthdays and so I know that he’s on borrowed time right now. He has Cushings disease but has been doing great ….. I’ll pray he gets it out of his system or simply just allow him to do what he feels he needs to do…

[@cherylchan965]

Thx so much , it helped me a lot , because my dog is going through the same situation now

[@TheDankner15]

My dog only does this with me (her owner) but shell walk with my mom, brother no problem we can walk together with them but the second i continue alone she will just stop and drop to the floor

[@catherinebutterflyeffect4665]

Oh my gosh!!!! I was just looking for videos to find out why my 5 year old will not walk when we are by our selves.But she walks and runs when my mom,or brother comes along.Weird!!! So this happens sometimes huh??? I don t know what to do,cause i don t want to drag everybody along twice a day for 30 minutes. lol.If i find out a reason as to why this is happening,i will tell you!!! :) Have a good day!!!

[@TheDankner15]

@@catherinebutterflyeffect4665 thank you so much

[@catherinebutterflyeffect4665]

@@TheDankner15 I know exactly what you mean!!!! Will do!!! :)

[@catherinebutterflyeffect4665]

Hey!!!!! Is your dog doing better on your walks??I found out that taking my Mina to a location where she has not been before she walks around with more interest.As if the same routine bores her.Idk....

[@TheDankner15]

@@catherinebutterflyeffect4665 hey, not much luck for me we've only been on 2 walks together since posting this comment. Slowly but surely I am trying. It's not easy

[@danejensen9067]

Same with ours. She loves going for walks and in the car to the beach. Then stopped. Cheers

[@MarkSmith-ot7mh]

Lots of fireworks recently and now my dog who used to love walks seems petrified I'm certain it was the fireworks that has caused it

[@mamaahu]

This is super helpful, thank you. My dog is going through something similar that happened at first just at dusk. She would stop on the walk. It turns out that the angle of the sun was hitting her eyes and her lenses are hardening, so the time of day made it difficult for her to see. Another thing, she is 12 with a lot of Lab in her and evidently, Labs can take a definite nosedive at a certain age. She is older with much less energy, my vet recommended shorter more frequent walks. 4th of July was a real set back too this year. CBD oil is helping her calm down as is changing he locale of the walks as Trevor suggested. The other possibility is that they are hurting. Mine has suddenly gotten sore hips and knees, so that can make them reluctant to move. I love the idea of taking the cues from her though and just leting things be as I care for the other causes that she has associated with painful walks.

[@a.wilcox5690]

Very helpful. My dog had her eyes removed after a long period of painful & worsening glaucoma. She also has seasonal allergies. She became more sensitive to noises and I have become more aware of how much she is hypersensitive now to noises. Also to smells. Your advice was really thoughtful. Thank you.

[@nicolebudden6485]

Thanks for the video. Feeling better after seeing this and reading that a lot of people are experiencing the same thing. Our rescue dog only wants to go out in the early morning when it is very quiet after 7 months of having him, before he would jump up every time he thought I was going outside. When I do manage to get him out in the afternoon or evening with treats, he tries to turn back at every opportunity or go to the car as I think he associates it with trips out of the city. I think I will wait it out and see how it goes.

[@anjacherry468]

Did this get any better for you ? Got my rescue from Romania (2 to 3 years old) 6 weeks ago and after 2 weeks she loved walks ... but now only walks in the early morning and refuses to walk afterwards

[@nicolebudden6485]

@@anjacherry468 Hi Anja, no he’s still the same, loves his early morning walks and then refuses to leave the house unless he knows we are going to the beach via the car or out of town. We live in Barcelona and it’s pretty hot at the moment so no stress if he wants to stay inside. He hates the skateboards here and I think that is what he is scared of as it was since a kid was making a lot of noise doing tricks he has had this refusal to leave once the city is awake and noisy. He’s perfectly happy and when we are out of town he’s completely normal, I just think he’s not a city dog. We go out of town most weekends so it works. I think the journey with rescue dogs can be a long one and with ups and downs, but step by step. We can’t imagine life without him. How is yours now? Any improvement? 🙂

[@anjacherry468]

@@nicolebudden6485 oh wow I heard about bicycle or skateboards being very scary due to certain experiences for rescue dogs. And you can't avoid these unplanned experiences. But glad to hear yours is enjoying the morning walkies as always 😀. My Mina is doing much better. I completely changed my approach after getting 2x a dog trainer in. Usually the trainers tell you to not talk much to the dog, ignore often etc but for mina as she s such a scared, insecure dog constant (and I mean constant!) Verbal reassurance is what does the trick. So I walk her mornings 1 to 2 hours and then in the afternoon again. Here in the UK it's so hot atm too so just around the block in the shade but even with building works next door she walks outside now. I continuously praise her by saying good girl etc I'm like her cheerleader lol and that gives her confidence it's a huge difference in her after a few weeks already now so can highly recommend. You can't really walk with someone lol as you continuously talk to the dog but it's worth it and after a few months it probably doesn't have to be as much .

[@EMxo__]

My dog who was full of life before is currently doing this and he now puts on the brakes in the middle of roads too. I’ve been distraught as walks with him used to keep me going. Don’t know what to do any more.

[@Emmalacy314]

me too!

[@kchanny7995]

Did you figure out how to fix it? Is he alright now?

[@m.3591]

I’m going through this right now. Thank you

[@roycegee5766]

Thanks for the video. This just started this week with my Luna. I'm going to try your advice thank you

[@sweetlove5868]

Thank you! Came a cross this video and it helped me a lot.

[@minarose3193]

My dog gets panic attack when hearing fireworks and gunshots in my neighborhood it’s rampid and I have to take her to a nice neighborhood park that is a 35 minute drive. There she is very calm and relaxed And happy and doesn’t stop or panic.

[@gsy971]

My puppy is weird. We live in a nice cul de sac. There are a bunch of dogs which my bull terrier wants to play with. He is NOT afraid of cars or heavy equipment or other people. Basically he is kind of fearless. He loves people and has to be forceable removed sometimes as he gets too playful. He seems to walk 10-20 feet sniffing around then all of a sudden decides not to walk. This happens throughout the walk. I throw treats down the sidewalk for him to chase after to get him to move although i only allow him to eat the treat very sparingly. The only time he walks freely is when we are headed home. He understands the turn around point and walks briskly towards home until we get there.

[@kimbersteen602]

My 7 mo Alaskan malamute quit walking for me about a month ago. But she will walk for my husband. I’ve tried all those things with no luck. I will keep trying and hopefully she will get back into the swing of things.

[@littlebeebs1]

My dog is just elderly, 14 years old mini chi weenie . She was never leash trained and it’s too late now. I need to get her moving again because she’s getting stiff and I know that hurts her . Hope this helps me. I love her and want her to stick around forever. ❤

[@sybrstar]

Thank you for sharing your story. My dog seems less enthusiastic and energetic going on walks. I am struggling to figure out why.

[@georgetobey8400]

i have a 16 wk old labradoodle who will not leave my apartment. so I crate trained him, and I walk him indoors on a leash so he understands that his job is to go for walks, even indoors. When I take him out the crate we go outside, immediately so he starts to associate food with the crate, and the crate with walks. when he refuses to walk, i put him in the crate for a while, then I try to walk him again and he usually goes. But this is only day 4 lol!

[@shespeaks1971]

THANK you for this video .. this is happening right now with my chihuahua and he yanked on the leach and collar outside so I took them off thinking they were bothering him and he hauled ass back to the townhouse. He’s never done this. He looks so upset to the point I want to call the vet tomorrow. It’s 10pm so it’s not heat even thought its summer in Houston and he did this earlier in the day but it’s nighttime right now. He’s scared of something. I am gong to take your advice and take him somewhere new. I face I’m going to get him right now and take him for a car ride.

[@stevet710]

Good advice. Thanks!

[@yusufhamza7573]

Thank you so much,it was helpful

[@jenniferrothschild4329]

Brilliant thank you 🙏

[@FAITH-g3l]

Great video thank you so much !!!!

[@svenk5221]

I adopted a dog from Rumania 4 days ago. He hates to leave the house. I have to carry or pull him outside. But as soon as he is outside with me he walks nicely by my side and enjoys himself. I don't want this drama when we leave to become a habit but we have to go and actually he likes it. What should I do?

[@azaleablue2261]

Click bait or???? The ground is hot. Wait till evening after the sun is down and the ground has cooled. Plus there are barometric changes.

[@debravowell8337]

You explained what my dog is doing right now.

[@velzzo]

my american bully wont leave the front of our house she would run back to our gate and jump on it i think she may be scared of something outside or something

[@vanity68]

Going through this since last summer. I don’t understand it. I’m at a loss.

[@tamarbo71]

My problem is we start off like normal and then she just stops idk

[@jenniferm4876]

So when you waiting and did not take him outside in the morning, did you use potty sheets? Or just took him outside really quick to potty?

[@candish82]

So glad to see you working with positive reinforcement. Was he ok to just pee outside the house or did you wait it out each time?

[@mhfturk813]

. Yes

[@Carol-ph3ic]

My 5 year old rescue greyhound is very fearful of going outside, she is terrified of planes & helicopters & we have to go with her into our the garden to get her to go to the toilet. She hates to go on walks, her tail goes under and she shakes. Sadly she is not motivated by toys or treats or food. She would prefer to sleep. Vet check found nothing wrong. Any advice welcomed.

[@Ingaingaweloveanimals]

The family dog came home to live with me and my dog. My dog used to love walks and when I walk the new dog...my old dog begs to be carried. My dog is very good shape from all the hiking we did. But with the new dog who is old and undersocialized...pushes my dog around and my dog is constantly humping him. I'm thinking I gotta walk them separately.

[@cincinnatiking8008]

My mom has an older dog about 10 years old. My mom is not physically able to walk the dog, so I'm trying to do it for her everyday, but the dog is so used to not walking that no matter what I do it won't leave the yard. You can tell the dog has problems with her legs. It's hard for her to get up steps. The vet says that it's because of her body weight. Her legs are just supporting too much weight. I just don't know what to do. I'm going to be patient and keep working with her, but does anyone have any tips to help?

[@azaleablue2261]

What times of day do you walk your dog? Do they change with the seasons?

[@matticusminot8086]

Trying to find the opposite video, all my dog wants to do is walk, if she don't she sits by the door. ALL THE TIME! it's so sickening i just wanna rest.

[@gtb2009b]

My dog has changed a little but he just wants to be with me over outside

[@RustleXer]

Hey mate, thanks for making this video. I'm currently going through this with my miniature schnauzer. She doesn't want to leave our apartment and puts the breaks on immediately when the lift touches the ground floor. It's disheartening cause we use to walk 2 times a day. She will run at the park and she'll be fine, just didn't want to walk. I'm going to try your technique and not force her to walk when she doesn't want to. I need to carry her down to the footpath and let her go to the bathroom that day to see what happens. Do you remember how long it took for your dog to get back into his routine?

[@TRINITR0N]

Did you ever figure out what was wrong?

[@punanamousme8486]

Hey Rudy

[@minarose3193]

My neighborhood is ghetto

[@davidhopcraft5559]

Get to the point