# Stops & sits down during walks!



## Scubasteve198

I had a golden 25 years ago that used to just stop and sit, for no reason, just stop and sit. I can't count the number of times I would get teased when we were out pheasant hunting and "Whiskey" would just stop, sit down until he was ready to continue hunting. If we turned right and he wanted to go left, he would just stop sit and watch us walk away. We would just leave him behind. Sometimes we would have walked more than a hundred yards away before he would come running to us ready to continue hunting. I got teased a lot by my friends who called him a lazy dog. He was a better duck dog than a pheasant dog. 

He spent a lot of days as a theropy dog back before we knew what a theropy dog was. He loved hanging out at the local youth crisis shelter and after a few years ended up living there more than at home with us. He was a special boy and had a way about him that really helped troubled kids cope with their problems. Eventually the shelter asked to keep him full time.

The sitting was a control thing with him, Whiskey was a popular dog with the young neighbor kids and I would let them take him for walks because he was always good on a leash, never pulled a kid down the path. The kids were like 5 and 6 years old, quiet nieghberhood. Whiskey was able to train the young children to go where he wanted, by stopping and sitting until they went in the direction he wanted to go. 

With Wiskey sitting was a control issue, he wanted to control the path. Fortunately he was not a puller he would just sit, to get you to change direction. 

Don't worry about the looks your daughter is getting. Most of the people are probably smiling inside wondering who will win, the girl or the dog.


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## fostermom

I just read your other thread about how overweight Amber is. She just plain most likely can't keep up with the exercise because of her weight. Also, if it does turn out that her thyroid is causing the problems, thyroid issues can cause muscle weakness, joint pain and lethargy. I would wait to see what the thyroid test shows before addressing the refusal to walk.


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## scoopydoo

When we first got Decker at age 11 months, he would sit down while being walked. He did this when he would see someone on his walk. Most people would laugh at me when I'd tell them that he just wanted to be pet by them. Interesting thing about it was that he didn't do this for everyone that he saw. He seemed to know which people would actually take time out to come over and pet him. He rarely does this anymore. Although, he still remembers the softies in our neighborhood.


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## Dog

fostermom said:


> I just read your other thread about how overweight Amber is. She just plain most likely can't keep up with the exercise because of her weight. Also, if it does turn out that her thyroid is causing the problems, thyroid issues can cause muscle weakness, joint pain and lethargy. I would wait to see what the thyroid test shows before addressing the refusal to walk.


Very good point. I would never have put the 2 together. However, when she stops and sits she definately let us know that she wants to go another way/direction. My husband says that she doesn't do often with him but more with my daughter.


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## Dog

scoopydoo said:


> When we first got Decker at age 11 months, he would sit down while being walked. He did this when he would see someone on his walk. Most people would laugh at me when I'd tell them that he just wanted to be pet by them. Interesting thing about it was that he didn't do this for everyone that he saw. He seemed to know which people would actually take time out to come over and pet him. He rarely does this anymore. Although, he still remembers the softies in our neighborhood.


Oh I know exactly what you mean but no she doesn't do that to be petted. Sometimes there's no one there. Amber has had a fan club in the area for quite a while and indeed she has a fav list of people. However, when she wants to be petted she simply leans against them or collapses at their feet (stopping them from going any furhter and forces them to pet her).


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## scoopydoo

Dog said:


> However, when she wants to be petted she simply leans against them or collapses at their feet (stopping them from going any further and forces them to pet her).


That's funny ... Goldens are the best breed.


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## rappwizard

Dog said:


> Very good point. I would never have put the 2 together. However, when she stops and sits she definately let us know that she wants to go another way/direction. My husband says that she doesn't do often with him but more with my daughter.


I was at a dog show this weekend and someone was admiring my golden, who is still maturing, a bit rangy, and in good condition and in good weight. She said her golden was at the groomer's, and she was going to pick him up and wanted to bring him by the show grounds to see if I thought he was overweight--he did the same thing as your golden--he would walk two blocks and sit, and would not walk anymore--except to turn around and go home.

She showed me a photo from her cell phone, and the photo showed he could lose some weight, and when she brought him by, he was, indeed, overweight, by anywhere between 7 to 10 lbs, by my estimation. Was that the reason why he wouldn't go on any type of lengthy walk with her? I really don't know, but I do know that dogs are just like us--any extra weight makes exercise uncomfortable.


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## inge

My pup sits down during walks from time to time, but that's always because she wants to inspect things: people playing basketball, a herd of deer in the woods, motorists on the road, birds in the sky...I always give her some time and then we go again. Sometimes I have to lift her behind...but in the end we go. It doesn't take minutes, though.


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## Ranger

I started Ranger's problem of sitting on walks and refusing to move by making him sit whenever we were passing another dog for the first month I had him. Next thing I knew he'd sit if he saw a dog 5 blocks away and wait patiently until the dog was out sight before he'd move again. That was a frustrating few weeks until we got past that but I couldn't blame him - I essentially taught him that.


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## RedDogs

If/when all health problems are ruled out, it may be useful to get some more experienced eyes on the problem. I've met dogs that do this when they get scared (and owners were certain the dog "just wanted his own way" to change direction. The dog was worried about something ahead and wanted to go a less stressful route. My dog does it when he really really wants to go somewhere and I don't. I just wait. He looks up at me at some point, I'll drop a treat at my feet. He may or may not get it. Initially we repeated this quite a bit before he'd turn around and come with me. But now it's usually just a halfhearted Down... a pause... and then he comes right back beside me. 

With most dogs like this now, I do not pull on a dog in this situation or wave treats. I just wait. Even if it's a really long time. When the dog looks at me/moves towards me (usually it's just a look), I'll actually continue the way he wanted for 5-6 steps. (...if dog wants to go that way, use it as your reinforcer!). We repeat the looking/moving towards me thing quite a few times. And then when I'm ready to head home, instead of going the direction, I'll whip out super high value treats to feed the dog when he moves towards me/looks at me on that last rep... put the treats right in his mouth, and let him nibble bits out of my hand as I walk away. 

When the dog is reliable about looking at me...then I might require a weight shift to me..and when he does that, movement to me... it's a gradual process but works very well. 

It's quite adorable (well...what ISNT?) when my young dog will do a halfhearted sit/down when he wants to change direction or go see something... and then he just comes back with me, almost asking "I am back! Look! I'm here! I'm not looking! Can we go see it!". Sometimes we do, sometimes we don't. 

Thinking about this as a "Control" issue can change the perception you have towards your dog, and almost always in a fairly negative way. The dog wants something. And has figured out how he (sometimes) can get it. It's not a big deal or something to really worry about, figure out what you want, what to do when things go wrong, and how you can practice outside of the setting.


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## Tanyac

I would say if amber does this more with your daughter than with your husband, then it's probably her trying to call the shots about which direction they go when out on their walk. I know it's not feasible to do this when you're walking along the pavement, but if you're somewhere you know she will be safe, immediately drop the lead and carry on.

We had a 10 month old pup back a couple of weeks ago, and it was amazing how quickly he caught up when I did this. He wanted to be with us, just didn't want to be "controlled" and would bite at the lead, which was difficult with two other adult dogs. he soon learned that if he did this, he would become separated from us, and would always rejoin us within a few steps.

I use the same psychology if my two find something more interesting than me, I will call "see ya" and they know that's my signal for carrying on without them... hasn't failed me yet!

Maggie from the Uk group's girl Charlie has a habit of doing this, she will lie down on the pavement or in the gutter, she has taken some really funny pics of her doing this, although I appreciate if it's happening all the time it's far from funny.

Perhaps if she's pulling on the lead still, it might be time to work on that also, in effect, taking control of the walk. I appreciate it may be hard to for you work on this at the moment, but once successful, it will make the walk more enjoyable for Amber too, because she won't be thinking she can make decisions about where she goes on the walk. Do you take Amber to training classes or do you have someone nearby who could help/advise on this?


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## Dog

Thank you for the information. I will go through it slowly (it's a little overwhelming) and decide what to do after the blood test results come through. 

I think I might go on a couple of walks and monitor my daughter and Amber. I would hate to think that she is scared of something... She is used to the area as we have not moved since she was a puppy. We cannot drop the leash as the side roads and the main road are too dangerous. I simply wouldn't risk it.

I took her to the vet today and she was very well behaved there and back. No pulling, no sitting, no controlling where to go...

No, Amber has never been to training classes as there are none nearby (not when she was a puppy anyway). It is something I would consider if Amber's behaviour is not down to health issues.


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## Dog

Amber has been diagnosed with Hypothyroidism. Post #17 on the following post “Amber is overweight!!”

http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com/showthread.php?p=1096874#post1096874


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## Makino82

Aww well at least you can get proper treatment now to fix her thyroid problem, and hopefully that helps with everything!
Are there any obedience classes you can attend in your area? Just the change of scenery with new dogs and having someone guide you through your problem areas can be a great way to keep going in the right direction as well.


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## Dog

Amber is doing very well on her medication. She is now 40.5Kgs. 

I think the misbehaving was due to her health issues. I cannot be 100% sure. I think we need to wait a bit longer. 

I haven’t heard anyone complained about her stopping in the middle of the pavement for a little while but then with the lovely whether she has been off leash to the big park instead of the routine 20 minutes walk around the block (on leash).

Obedience classes sounds great indeed but not an option for us at the moment. I do not drive and I have a lung disease. Hubby works 6 days a week and his priority is to get Amber to the park at least 3 times a week and more during the summer.

Amber is a pet and we did our best to train her ourselves. I don’t think that we did a bad job but I didn’t not expect a sudden change of behaviour/temper at 4 years old. Is this a norm? I guess she is acting like a teenager and indeed we still keep treating her like our baby!


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## RedDogs

Sudden changes of behavior often indicate a health/medical problem.

"Acting like a teenager" often is due to some holes in the management/training plans.

Are you interested in reading books and applying what you read? That could be another option for some training.... Training is great for teaching dogs that people are predictable and how to get attention.


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## Dog

Yes reading books is ok. Might come useful in the event she starts acting up again.


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## beccacc31

RedDogs said:


> Sudden changes of behavior often indicate a health/medical problem.
> 
> "Acting like a teenager" often is due to some holes in the management/training plans.
> 
> Are you interested in reading books and applying what you read? That could be another option for some training.... Training is great for teaching dogs that people are predictable and how to get attention.


Hi RedDog,

My Wilson sits durring his walks as well. I do think he's overweight but I struggle to think he is over fed. He is 7 months old and he gets approx 3 cups per day, 1.5c in the a.m. and 1.5c in the p.m., plus a couple of treats. We also walk him daily, but as of the last week he doesn't want to walk very far he just stops and he won't budge until you turn around and take him home.


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## Dog

RedDogs said:


> Are you interested in reading books and applying what you read?


Did you have a particular book in mind? There are thousands out there!


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