How old is this dog?

Have you ruled out any medical issues, sore feet, sore hips, short of breath?

I would tend to think if she used to enjoy her walks and now she doesn't, that perhaps she has something that is making her physically uncomfortable to walk?

If she didn't walk anywhere else I would agree with you...but she runs like a crazy dog in the yard and house...she does not seem to have any physical problems. She is a little over a year old...15 months old to be exact. We've only had her since Oct 28, 2008. She spent the first 10 months at her breeders and I believe most of that time was spent in a crate...she loves her crate....and goes to play in it, when we first got her she would leave us and go in the crate but that has not happened in months now. Oh she also jumps with no problems. She was also at the vet last week to get her nails cut and there were no problems. I really believe this is a behavior issue....if I had any inkling that it was medical she would go straight to the vet.

First thing I would do is have my dog checked out by the vet. She could be in pain and the walking is making things worse. Once cleared by the vet I would drive somewhere else and start the walkies from there. I dont know how much your dog weighs, but maybe you could pick it up and carry it away from the house then make your way back. You might also just pick another route. Some dogs get bored going the same way everyday- there is not enough stimulus. Also you might ask the owner of your dogs friend if they can go for a walk together....If all these things dont work, please repost.

trini,

You have posted multiple threads about various 'fears' this dog has. If she truly is so fearful, I think that you need to consult someone in your area who can observe the dog and train you to work with her. No one can get you and the dog through this much fear by online suggestions.

prairie love you may be right. Hubby and I have been talking about getting someone to help us if it continues. She has gotten better with some things. Hubby thinks its just because she had so little interaction with things when she was young...everything is so new to her. But she has been with us a few months already. I do not know if she afraid of walking or if she does not want to do it.

Mazer...she was just at the vet last week and he already checked her out. She is in good shape. She is 45 pounds so a bit too heavy for me to carry. As I write this she is running around the house searching for hubby.

When I mentioned that she was afraid of her shadow to the vet he said give her more time because she is still a puppy. She seems to get over her fears eventually...just new ones pop up....she got over her fear of the pole :-) and would jump it when she wanted to...just not on command...in fact when I left it out there with her and went inside to spy on her...she had her toys right up against the pole...I think the many suggestions I have recieved have been quite helpful. My dog is not shivering in her skin so to speak. I have seen dogs do that. But she does seem to be unsure of many things....last night when she tried to run from her shadow I held her in place and spoke to her and told her that it was okay and couldnt hurt her....I petted the shadow and she moved closer to smell it....she finally settled down. I would rather try to solve her problems ourselves as I believe it will make us bond better....but if nothing works we will seek help. But so far this forum has been a blessing.

Mazer....we walk her different routes everyday ...we just make sure to always pass by my neighbors eventually. They do not walk their dog....most people in my neighborhood don't and they have some pretty big dogs. We don't have huge yards or anything either....probably why all the other dogs get so worked up. Alot of the dogs also aren't fixed. Her friend is not fixed and we think that's why he always tried to pee on her...to mark her as his so to speak. We have tried to set up play dates for her but nothing really works out. We have been taking her to Bully meet ups to stay socialized, but those aren't nearly often enough. I mentioned this for the stimulus aspect.

Check out this guy's link below for help with figuring out if this is a behavior issue. And it's free.

Here is a link that might be useful: Dog behavior help

my Jackillon recently decided she didn't like going more than one lap around my 1mile neighborhood. Now I have to go backwards and on other routes or she dawdles behind and just stops walking.

If your hubby takes Tootsie for a walk, by himself, will she walk? I am wondering if she is reacting to you. Possibly she expects the treat and knows if she doesn't budge that you give in. Possibly you are anxious about the walk and she is reacting.

If you want to make her walk, just treat her like a very young puppy who's never been leash trained. Get a strap or belt that is fairly wide. A strap with some kind of cinch, where it doesn't move is preferable. Place the strap around the back section as far as possible without hindering movement. When you give her the command to heel or walk, and she balks, pull her up in the back with the strap. Basically it takes the pressure off of pulling on her neck and she has to get up. This is a two handed operation. Use the leash to keep her head straight and the back one to keep her on her feet. Keep her in the heel position. By that I mean for Tootsie to walk by your side, not in front. Also, she will feel more secure if you make her keep this position. You will be the leader. And she shouldn't be stopping and checking out anything on her walk. When she quits balking you can remove the strap. If you want to give her a treat, wait until you get back home.

Also, she shouldn't be escaping her harness. Is it too big? Or is she just slipping her collar?

I know she shouldn't be escaping her harness but she does...it is the right size for her and it fits snuggly...but she has lots and lots of wrinkles and she is very very flexible....she just squirms and wiggles out of it...it has only happened once but it was enough for me to see that she could do it. She kind of puts her front paws completely straight and once shes free of that the neck comes off quicker. We took her with us to the store when we bought it and had the guy put it on and make sure everything was fine. We stopped using a collar because she slipped out way too easily and I did not want to use a choke collar because I feel like she would choke herself before she gave in.

Hubby has tried to walk her without me and she does the same thing. He has never given her a treat during walks. He even tried running with her as she loves to run but she still stopped.

I'm not anxious when I walk her, I've had a dog before that I walked with no problems. And toots does not make me anxious as she is not aggressive or anything so I don't really fear anything. And up until a couple days ago walking her was a joy. HUbby and I got out of the house and met our neighbors...it was very pleasant. Tootsie always get attention as everyone wants to pet her. I kept her by my side and never let her walk in front. One of the reasons I insist on the walk is because she is so willful I felt it would show her who "pack leader" is.

I will try the strap on her, it might work because as soon as she balks she sits.

YOU WROTE "spoke to her and told her that it was okay and couldnt hurt her....I petted the shadow and she moved closer to smell it....she finally settled down" - this is awesome. this is the best way to teach a frightened dog about things. Dont hold her tho, let her come of her own accord, make the scary things not scary. When the Guide dogs train the new pups to go up and down the eescalators - they take the dogs next to the escalators and give them treats and make the whole area a positive experience, they lay hands on the dogs, pet and massage them and always reward them with high pitch vocals lots of good boys and some treats. They do this again and again and again and again, spending up to a a half an hour just in the area...then going off for a break only to return to do more positive training....only when the dogs are really okay with the are and they readily go to the area without trepidation do the trainers start with going up the escalators. It is magical to watch (they use booties to protect the dogs feet from the escalators so their nails dont get caught in the grooves. Just keep up the good work anything your dog balks at gets the welcoming committee treatment, as tho that pole has a milllion dollars and is now your new best friend because the better you treat the pole, the more money you get. Same with the dog, the pole becomes a happy place and the more positive attention your dog gets - keep up the good work

Thank you...I am just trying to get her over her fears with as little trauma to her in the process as possible. I have gotten tons of good tips from people here so everyone here gets a pat on the back in my book. :-)