Wont Walk Anymore

[Louie]

hey louie is a 15 week old westie we have been walking him for 2-3 weeks and he has been fine until this week when he will walk a little bit like 20 meters then he will lay down and not walk anymore then after a bit of a tug he will walk a bit more then do the same thing we tried walking him other places no good he wont do wees on his lead the other day we walked about 2 ks with a coffee break half way he was bad on the way and on the way home i got him to wee and he was fine after that so i think that maybe it but how can i get him to wee on walks i try to give him a drink before we go he just wont do it any help would be great

[Dogsfevr]

Does he not have a backyard to wee in??

It sounds like you expect him to do something & maybe are getting frustrated & the dog knows it

[poodlefan]

Many people including me do not walk their young pups onlead except to train them to accept it. Pavement pounding is very very hard on growing bones and 2km is far too big a distance for a baby IMO.

My guess is that he's telling you in the only way he knows that you are asking too much of him. He may be sore. Sounds to me like he's learning that walks are to be endured, not enjoyed. Time to ease back.

Keep the walks limited to no more than 10 minutes, preferably not on concrete until he's at least 6 months old and give him off lead play.

Why does he need to wee on walks - is he an apartment dog?

Edited December 29, 2007 by poodlefan

[Guest Tess32]

Yep that's much too much walking for such a young dog. Let him self exercise.

[Louie]

the walk is on grass and slow 1 k normaly takes 20 mins he doesnt need to wee on walks but i think thats when he wont walk because he needs to go once he gos theres no stopping him when we get home he runs around playing when he wont walk he gos outside and wees off the lead when we go to other peoples houses and they dont have a fence so we take him outside on the lead to wee he wont then we let him back inside and right away inside on the floor.i just think its because of the lead

[Guest Tess32]

How long has he been walking up to 20 mins?

[poodlefan]

Young pups and submissive dogs can be wary of weeing in unfamiliar territory. If you want weeing, I find it better to stop and let him sniff around for a while near trees and longer grass rather than expecting him to squat anywhere.

If 1 km, takes 20 minutes, then 2km is taking 40. My guess is that the pace is set by you, not him. That is a very very long distance for a small breed puppy.

Your dog, your choice. I think it's way too far. It seems he might too. Pups tire easily. Jerking him along is only going to teach him to resist the lead when the first lesson you want to teach him is never to pull on it.

[Louie]

the pace is set by him i dont let him sniff around when he wants i let him have about 5 stops on the way if it was when he wants we wouldnt get out the front yard so its not 20mins walk if we walked at a normal pace it would only be 10 mins, hes pulling all the way when he has done a wee its not as if we get home and he just lays down and gos to sleep the 2 k walk has a 45 min rest in between with a drink the reason i have been walking him is he was getting abit over weight

[The Spotted Devil]

I have to agree - 2km is too far for a pup - having a rest in between does not matter...it's the constant pressure on the joints and the damage this can cause to the growth plate. I've seen the results of this and it's not pretty ;) Walking on lead at this age should be about education (i.e. not pulling, learning about the world and strange sights/sounds) not exercise IMO.

If he's overweight, you would be better off reducing the amount of food pup is eating. Let puppy play and romp in the yard or in the house with you. When I took my young pup out to a cafe, we would drive there, walk a few blocks to the cafe and teach him to sit quietly at our feet (or on my lap when he was a baby). That's plenty. I still only walk my pup on lead for 10 - 15 minutes on alternate days and he is 13 months old - the other days he has a free run at the beach for 20-30 minutes and is indoors with me the rest of the time. If pup is getting up to mischief (like mine does!) do some training to tire puppy out mentally :D

[poodlefan]

Louie:

hes pulling all the way

Then don't let him. The time to nip this in the bud is NOW.

[cavNrott]

My Rottweiler girl was 16 months old before she ever eliminated outside her own yard and she was walked every day or a leash free park. I didn't see a problem with it. My Cavalier boy was 2yo before he peed outside our yard.

As others have said, you are asking far too much of your puppy to walk for so long and so far. If he is suffering discomfort on these walks you are making a rod for your own back because he may hate going on walks forever. It could also cause joint problems with the pup. Since he was walking ok until recently have you taken him to the vet to make sure his knees or other joints are not causing him pain?

I would walk for 5 minutes maximum and then turn back towards home. You may even have to start with walking just a few houses up and turn back home until pup is comfortable with the walk.

[kaywoman68]

If you let the puppy decide, he would eat everything. You're the one who feeds him. If he's overweight, feed him less!!!!!!!

2km is way too much for a puppy. When I first got Orson (my then 7 week old puppy) I would let him explore the house and play a little in the backyard with him. After we got all his vaccinations, I started taking him outside and just walk up and down the street with him (no lead) and at his own pace. I would encourage him to walk towards me. When he was tired, he sat down. I would wait for a short while then turned and encouraged him to walk home. The street we walked on has 8 houses. For me, I thought it was plenty for a puppy.

As he got older, he wanted to explore more so we went by what he wanted. Now we go for a walk by what I reckon he can do (around 30 mins walk).

ETA: 30 mins is basically the minimum. It really depends on the day. Just like us, somedays they will feel like doing heaps and other days none at all.

Edited December 29, 2007 by kaywoman68

[poodlefan]

Now we go for a walk by what I reckon he can do (around 30 mins walk).

How old is Orson now? Is he sound?

[persephone]

Hi..I agree.. although he will be excited to be out&about..2 km is too far :D

He may well be sore, or just very hot.

Puppies do not do the shopping, or open the fridge or the cupboard :D Feed him a bit less, if you think he is overweight. ;)

I would recommend a vet check, just to make sure all his joints are fine.

maybe you could give him 2 short walks a day, instead of one very long one? And do some obedience in the backyard to keep his brain active.

Just a thought too..until he has had his 16 week vaccination, he is at risk of catching parvo etc.

[Tonymc]

Louie,way too far for this pup at this stage!!!I would ease right off and its better to go for a little walk and leave the rest of the exercise to self exercise.

Louie,whats your demeanor and attitude towards this pup when walking?Big big chance this pup is stressed and many Dogs when stressed will shut down,hence not relieving himself on the walk. Tony

[Cheyenne_Fury]

I agree with what the others have posted.

2kms is just too far for such a young pup.

Its great that you are getting him out and about, but what about a much shorter walk and some time at the off leash park free running and playing with a ball etc?

As to him being a bit overweight, cutting down on his food will be much easier than feeding him to same amount and trying to run the weight off him.

[poodlefan]

I'll be a party pooper and say that 15 weeks is way too young for an offleash park if it has unknown dogs at the time.

Edited December 29, 2007 by poodlefan

[Cheyenne_Fury]

I'll be a party pooper and say that 15 weeks is way too young for an offleash park if it has unknown dogs at the time.

That's a fair point Poodlefan :D Of course at that age (or any age) the pup should be socialised with other dogs that are known to the owner or at the very least ascertained as being suitably social dogs for a young pup to interact with and of course vaccinated etc.

[Poodle wrangler]

I'll be a party pooper and say that 15 weeks is way too young for an offleash park if it has unknown dogs at the time.

I agree. Total morons take their aggressive dogs to offleash parks because they're too lazy to walk their difficult dog on a leash.

A quick search here will come up with plenty of horror stories ;) . It's a great place for your pup to pick up something nasty or get bullied/ attacked. Not what you want for a vulnerable young pup.

We're all thinking of the welfare of your pup here and overexercising can cause ongoing joint problems for him.

Feed less- as in cut it by 1/3 if he's overweight. What's on the pack is only a guide and needs adjusting. Small breeds need only small amounts- a couple of cubes of cheese for a westie pup is like a couple of burgers for me! Being overweight is a major factor contributing to joint problems, so best dealt with asap.

If you think there's an association between lead and no wee, then put the lead on at home occasionally when he's due for a wee and walk him out to his usual spot, praise and treat when he 'performs'. I don't see it as a problem, however. If visiting others, I'd leave him in an area that's OK for weeing. At 15 weeks I'm thinking he's not reliably toilet trained just yet.

I think him stopping on walks has little to do with weeing. Pups don't have such great bladder control that they can hold on so long that it causes problems to that extent. Perhaps he perked up a little as weeing was a short break from walking.

Check the pads on his paws and between his "toes" for any problems, too e.g. cracks, cuts, grass seeds growing into skin etc.

Best wishes :D

Edited December 29, 2007 by Poodle wrangler

[kaywoman68]

How old is Orson now? Is he sound?

Orson is 2 and a half years old and yes, he's sound. Im saying 30 mins as an example. Minimum is 30 mins at mostly a jog. Majority of the time are more than 30 mins. It really depends on what we do on the day (some obedience training, playing tug and fetch, running around in the backyard etc etc). Sometimes hes content just snoozing. The vets says he's very healthy (perfect weight, great teeth etc) and happy. He has a good diet and exercise. There's been no problems with the neighbours now so its working for us :D