# Sit-in protest



## Makomom (Feb 28, 2012)

Mako does the same thing...he just turned 2 on the 4th of July......it wasn't so bad when he did this as a pup cause I could pick him up....but now he weighs in at 82 pounds!!! All the neighbors laugh at me standing there trying to push-pull-coerce Mako to move! Nothing works.....just wait him out.


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## Bentleysmom (Aug 11, 2012)

Bentley started that when the temp reached 67F and above. I guess his plan was to sit and wait while mommy called a limo to come pick him up.
My solution is simple, I walk them with a tandem leash. Ky just looks at him like "Nobody's got time for that!" and she keeps walking...hence, so does he. Ever had a big Akita pull you? You lose every time LOL


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## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

Several other people on here had the same issue when their pups hit adolescence... They discussed it in the (lengthy) parents of teens thread. That thread isnt so active now, but there's a lot of good info in there if you feel like poking through it. And maybe you should start "parents of teens II".


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

If my dogs did/do that, it was one of 3 causes -

1. Inability to walk (meaning something is achy or painful and they are self-restricting their exercise).

2. The heat or humidity making them reluctant to exercise/or spend too much time out there. 

3. Fear about something making them put on the brakes about going any further. 


With Sammy, Danny, and now Arthur (neck and shoulder arthritis) - reluctance to exercise were/is strictly related to discomfort or pain. That's a case to be aware of what is going on with your dog and recognize signs of discomfort.

With Jacks - he went through a phase when he refused to walk because of his anxiety issues about stuff he thought was scary. And he was very unreasonable when it came to what scared him.

Arthur has issues about wet weather (he does not approve of being wet) and hot weather (he does not like being hot) as well.

Bertie is young yet and still has not shown any reluctance to walk - and probably won't for a long time yet, god-willing. He will go to the moon and back for fun if I'm going there and back myself.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

I'll add one more to Megora's list:

4. Owner accidentally taught them this behaviour. (Like I did!)

I was teaching Ranger polite leash manners when I got him and made him sit every time another dog was approaching or passing us, or when children got near. One day, Ranger stopped in the middle of the street and sat...and refused to move. I.could.not.get.him.to.move. I also couldn't figure out WHY he was doing this. Then I saw a little dog about ten blocks away. Ranger had spotted him and promptly sat...like he'd been taught. Luckily the street wasn't busy and as soon as the dog passed, Ranger got up and we kept moving. But for the next while, ANY time he saw a dog or a child, no matter how far away or walking in the opposite direction or what - he would plant his butt and not move. 

He did what my family now calls "doing a Ranger"...taking an idea or concept one step further than it was meant to be taken. Sitting to let a dog or child pass morphed in his head to "sit anytime you see a dog or child on the horizon".

It took months to undo this and it's still his "go-to" move but now he doesn't sit, he just freezes in mid-motion until the dog passes. If I have cookies, I can lure him with cookies...sometimes. Otherwise I just keep walking and he really has no choice but to follow me...even though the first few steps are essentially me dragging him!


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## GinnyinPA (Oct 31, 2010)

Ben will occasionally flop in the shade when he's hot. That's always our signal that it's time to turn around. 

When we first got him he would sometimes do it in protest at not being in charge. He didn't want to be on leash, and he especially didn't like it when we were trying to teach him reasonable leash manners. Stop and start has always frustrated him enormously. He would lie down and roll over and refuse to move, or he'd attack the leash. We started carrying a small tin of pennies (a snuff can we found on the street). When Ben would lie down, I took the can out of my pocket and shook it. That always distracted him so he would get up and start moving again. We only had to do it a few times before he gave up the behavior.


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