# Puppy won't walk...



## Richard Trafford (Jan 5, 2016)

My French Bulldog puppy (14 weeks) refuses to go for a walk.

At first I put it down to the collar, then leash, then the cold. Thing is, he walks great when he is driven to a location he doesn't recognise. He'll walk on and off the leash just fine, without pulling or running off, basically at my heal!

Problem is when I try and get him out of the back gate and down the road. He just refuses and looks back towards the house, thinking "I want to be back in that warm cosy building". 

I've tried using treats to make the cold dark experience more enjoyable, but its incredibly tiring luring him 3ft at a time. I also encourage him with praise whenever he takes a few steps. After 30-40 minutes of trying: we both get tired and upset about it!

Today I tried just waiting with a little pressure on the leash, without saying a word, until he decided to take some steps forwards and i'd acknowledge the movement with praise. I waited 15 minutes and gave up.

Any advice for tomorrow?


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## LoopyL (Jun 16, 2015)

Maybe the road is salted & hurting his pads? He may also be scared of the traffic/dark/cold. I'd just drive him to other location so he enjoys
the experience of walking on & off lead. When this isn't convenient praps you could carry him (tucked in your jacket) to nearest park, let him have a run & then he'll prob walk back as he'll be going in the home direction
(if the roads are salted give his paws a wash when you get home)


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## Richard Trafford (Jan 5, 2016)

No salt on the roads here. I thought it could be the cold, dark or traffic also. But when I drove him to an area he didn't recognise but was still cold, dark and with traffic: he walked just fine.

Looks like I'll be driving him for a walk. This is a total ballache as I live a 1 minute walk from a park and fields!

Hope it doesn't become a habit. I have a feeling he'll be the lazy type of Frenchie.


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

Richard Trafford said:


> No salt on the roads here. I thought it could be the cold, dark or traffic also. But when I drove him to an area he didn't recognise but was still cold, dark and with traffic: he walked just fine.
> 
> Looks like I'll be driving him for a walk. This is a total ballache as I live a 1 minute walk from a park and fields!
> 
> Hope it doesn't become a habit. I have a feeling he'll be the lazy type of Frenchie.


Does the back gate open onto a busy/ish road? If it does then its possible something has or did spook him when he was going out that way one day, could be something like a noisy lorry, a loud sudden sound, ambulance siren, bin lorry anything really. Sometimes, if dogs have had a really bad scare or something has spooked them badly then they can associate that place or situation with the fear even if it now no longer exists. The fact that he isn't bothered if you take him somewhere strange or different makes me wonder if something like this could have happened, either at the gate or on the route you take once you have left by the back gate.

It happened with one of mine as a pup, someone was having a crossover drive done and as we walked past in a certain road on the other side they started up the Kango, he wouldn't go down there after. A neighbours dog yelped in the garden on day, she didn't see what caused it and he seemed OK, but wouldn't go in the garden for a few weeks, yet another neighbours dog wouldn't go out after the fireworks period when it got dark for weeks, because he associated darkness with the bangs that must have scared him, and he is an older dog and had been fine previous years, so frights and associations with places or situations does seem to exist.

I notice in your previous post you say the back gate? Have you another entrance or exit you can take him out of and another route you can take or try?
If you have and haven't tried it maybe do so. The neighbours yorkie wouldn't go out the garden for awhile but he would happily go out the front door to toilet on lead no bother.
So that's what she did for awhile. Maybe stop trying completely to get him to go that way, give him a break from it, concentrate on getting him to enjoy walks and build in confidence for a few weeks, and then try again later.


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## Muttly (Oct 1, 2014)

He's obviously not lazy is he 

Perhaps something between your house and the park has scared him??
As above, try carrying him to the park.


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## Richard Trafford (Jan 5, 2016)

So, took a long weekend off work. Went to the Lake District and various parks and he loved every walk we went on; on and off the lead. No problem.

I thought perhaps he wasn't so keen on the dark nights, or might be scared of the road outside our house. But, he quite happily finds the gap in the hedge and runs out on his own accord - at night. Even walked through the open gate when I was loading the car.

I came to the conclusion he just couldn't be arsed going for a walk, but when he gets going he realises it ain't so bad!

So, I started being more assertive with the lead and harness and it's worked a treat! 
If he stops I just pull in the direction I'm going. Sure enough after a foot of forced walk, he starts following me again. After 2-3 stops he soon realises that No isn't an option.


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## Muttly (Oct 1, 2014)

Glad he is now enjoying his walks


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