Dog won't walk in the morning

Léan

Does anyone else have this?

I've been trying to walk Cato earlier over the last month or so purely because i'm working later in the evenings and it will be dark soon.

As it turns out he is not a morning person, or er, dog.
I can put his harness on him, walk out as far as our gate and then flat on the ground he goes, no way is he moving. In the beginning i was worried he had an injury or was afraid of something. I tried all the usual things, positive reinforcement, some nice food. He still wasn't too pushed and even if by some miracle i got him out and to the park, he's not too enthusiastic there either.

Fast forward to the evening time, if i try walk him then. DELIGHTED. Zooming around, playing with other dogs, walks no problem.


I think he just doesn't like mornings?!

tk123

Bailey goes through spells of it. Normally once I clip a lead to him he gets up but sometimes he hides under the table and won't budge! Sometimes he hides and cries in the hall say if I run upstairs to the loo and then the second I come down he goes into hiding again! Once we get going they're both fine. Maybe your boy is just tired from the evening walk - you could try skipping it or just have a boring short walk so he'll be more excited about the morning times?

EDIT - BTW I had Bailey checked out in the vet to be safe. We were over for a checkup for his jaw and I mentioned it to her so she checked him from head to toe. I cut back on the walks in the evening for a few weeks and built them back up. I kind of think the harness going over his head might be freaking him out so was maybe going to try a different one I have that has four clips so I can open the neck and not have to put it over his head.

kathleen37

They can be pretty stubborn. But when I had my two, I just used to lift them up and carry them for a while and they often set off then.. And if they didn't, they at least had to walk home!

Love Cato's name. Clouseau!

tk123

kathleen37 wrote: »

They can be pretty stubborn. But when I had my two, I just used to lift them up and carry them for a while and they often set off them. And if they didn't, they at least has to walk home!

Love Cato's name. Clouseau!

LOL - you obviously have small dogs I don't know about Cato buy my boy is 33kgs!

Léan

Cato is 33 kgs too! Haha. It's been a lonnng time since i could pick him up, and even then, it was a pretty brief period


The odd thing about his walk stubbornness is i can put his harness on him and get him out the door as far as out gate, it's then he decides he's not budging.

It's like he's realised he's not going in the car and actually has to use his legs. Not interested. If i opened the car door he'd jump in happily.

I've tried to skip the evening walk and this sometimes works and he'l walk the following morning but this also means evening time hyper-activity. He seems to come alive at night! lol.

tk123

Hehe I tried using my keys as a trick for Bailey but he copped on fairly quick. You may just have to give it time to get him in a routine. Are you feeding him before the walk - my two like to go asleep after a meal so I feed after lol!

In the winter months when it's too dark to walk in the park my two won't go for a walk in the rain - they know it'll be on lead and boring! Off lead they don't care if it's raining!

aonb

could it be that your dog is very stiff/sore after the night, and doesnt want to go for a walk in the mornings because of that?
How old is he? What breed?
Might be worth having him checked by the vet - for arthritis or some other problem that might make him reluctant to walk in the mornings
Of course he could be just a lazy lump that doesnt like mornings...
Would it be worthwhile to give him a nice breakfast, get him jizzed up with grub, then a nice gentle stroll to get going, eventually cutting back on the food and speeding up the walk?

Ashbx

Sometimes I wish I had this problem. My two are waiting for their walk before im even dressed in the mornings!

Is your dog toy motivated? The moment I pick up the ball thrower my two are at the front door eagerly waiting for playtime!

Savvy student

My dog is defiantly not a morning person/dog. She sleeps in the bed with me and I'm usually up a solid hour before she gets up and wants to go toilet. I think some dogs are just lazy in the mornings but I would agree that you should get a check from the vet before you assume that she's lazy.

maggiepip

To be honest, generally speaking, I'd be quite suspicious that there's an underlying problem if any dog objects to going on a walk. I'd be inclined to investigate more and maybe get a vet check. Could just be lazy in the morning alright but I'd agree with aonb there's the possibility of being stiff from the night before.

maggiepip

Savvy student wrote: »

My dog is defiantly not a morning person/dog. She sleeps in the bed with me and I'm usually up a solid hour before she gets up and wants to go toilet. I think some dogs are just lazy in the mornings but I would agree that you should get a check from the vet before you assume that she's lazy.

Our dogs sleep in the bed with us too and they're the same, dont want to get up out of the duvet too early at all, sleepy lazybones, but if the word walk is uttered or the leads rattle they're at the front door before you can blink!

Cows Go µ

maggiepip wrote: »

Our dogs sleep in the bed with us too and they're the same, dont want to get up out of the duvet too early at all, sleepy lazybones, but if the word walk is uttered or the leads rattle they're at the front door before you can blink!

God, I wish my dogs were like that. Pepper, my older girl, has slowly been realising that I hit the snooze button a lot. It used to be that as soon as my alarm went off, she'd be either just restless or barking. And I have to get up because she almost never barks unless there is something wrong or she needs the toilet. You could guarantee if I ignored her for 5 minutes more sleep, there would be a pee or poo waiting in the kitchen. She was a far better than any alarm clock. Now, I hear her wake up but she goes right back to sleep again.

OP, it could be that she just doesn't like mornings, but as others have said perhaps check with the vet. Stiffness in the morning could be something else and it's always better to check

Léan

aonb wrote: »

could it be that your dog is very stiff/sore after the night, and doesnt want to go for a walk in the mornings because of that?
How old is he? What breed?
Might be worth having him checked by the vet - for arthritis or some other problem that might make him reluctant to walk in the mornings
Of course he could be just a lazy lump that doesnt like mornings...
Would it be worthwhile to give him a nice breakfast, get him jizzed up with grub, then a nice gentle stroll to get going, eventually cutting back on the food and speeding up the walk?

He's just turned 4 and is a GSD X.

The vets is on the cards in the next week or two for a check up, so everything will get checked out

I'm inclined to think he's just being lazy. He sleeps in the kitchen and if anyone is up very early in the morning, he won't even get out of his bed. He pretty much lazes around all day until lunch time.

He usually gets fed twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. I've tried variations on the morning feed to try get him pumped for the walk but he still doesn't really care.

The only exception to this is if i bring a tennis ball, he'd do anything for that, but then he won't walk and will only play fetch :rolleyes:

I'm mixing it a bit at the moment and that seems to be doing the trick, no mornings just afternoons and evenings now.

aonb

Sounds like he could be a lazy boy - good for him, better to be a lump than a nutter But worthwhile to have him checked by the vet - GSD's can have hip issues etc. If you are going to the vet anyway, makes sense to get your moneys worth, and have a serious check up for any aches/pains/oncoming arthritis/joint issues etc etc. Let us know how you get on