Doodle walking

[Judith and Addie]

When I brought my doodle girl home, I was looking forward to walks in the neighborhood, and eventually some non-strenuous hikes. Addie is my almost 5 month old doodle who prefers not to take walks. Is this a puppy thing, a doodle thing, or an Addie thing? She sometimes will get no farther than half-way down my short driveway, and sit down. If I wait, she then lies down. I try to walk when there are other people walking, because she loves people and will walk along with them. She is mostly black, and when it is hot out (today it is 88 degrees), I can understand her not wanting to walk, but this is her behavior even when it is 60 degrees out. Any ideas?

[Laura & Sophie Doodle]

How long have you been trying to walk her? We started walking Sophie a little earlier than recommended because we live in an apt complex and she needed exercise but I do remember that she went through a "puppy" period where she would literally stop and sit or lay down on walks and I felt as if I had to literally drag her along! She quickly grew out of it although to this day she still walks behind me a couple of steps (not sure why) but she loves walks. She's almost 7 months now. 

[Judith and Addie]

It is good to know that your Sophie had similar behavior and outgrew it. I'll keep hoping.

I started walking her around the neighborhood when she was about 14 or 15 weeks old; after her puppy shots but before the booster. We did short walks down the block and back. She was already used to the collar and leash because I had sometimes tethered her to me as part of her potty training. 

Her trainer said she might possibly be a little uncertain, and to take it slow, 5 ft more each day. Sometimes, Addie wants to go farther than I plan, and sometimes she just stops in the driveway, unless I entice her with a squeaky toy. She potties in the back yard so the walks are primarily for the exercise and learning leash walking.

[Jolene, Sassparilla & Josie]

Oh boy, we need to mesh our dogs together! mine pull me to the point I had a walking cast for six weeks because I was yanked off the curb and landed wrong! Does she seem fearful of the outdoors? I hope she over comes it for both of your walking enjoyment. My Sassparilla will drop when she's hot and tired?

[Judith and Addie]

I am lucky Addie is a medium doodle and a puppy,. Ouch! Getting pulled off a curb was not a good way to bond. I hope you are better and Sassparilla is keeping her energy in check. On hot days, I know it is the heat doing her in because she stops in the shade.

Her trainer thought she might be a little afraid of walking near the street, because she will pull when we turn towards home. She does not appear to be frightened of being outside when she is in the fenced back yard. Also, whatever fear she might have goes away immediately if she sees a person. She just wants to be with anyone, anywhere.

[Malenie Piscetelli]

Lucy is 6 mos old and she is black. She loves to walk. She have been walking with me since she was 12 weeks old.

[Gabby]

I had the same exact issue with our Duke!! He would get all excited go about 3-4 blocks and lay down on the grass. I had to carry him home a few times!! Funny,he was right around the five month mark. Now he's 14 months old and LOVES his walks. I think he just grew out of that phase. Our trainer was worried it was a "dominance" issue when I told her but there's not a dominant bone in his body lol! I think he was just done and he needed to rest. Reminds me of my human kids lol!! I think your pup will outgrow it. Make sure though, to walk to different places. Changing routine helps keep their interest!

[Wendy]

It's a puppy thing!  My Clyde was the same way. He was also absolutely afraid to walk at night...'fraid of the dark!

He's still a puppy, but at 9 months old, he loves walks.

[Tina McNerthney]

Your Addie must be channeling my Baxter, who is a 13 week old black AMG labradoodle. Baxter will stop soon after we get out the door sometimes and sit down like a statue. I did some research and watched some videos on YouTube that have actually proven helpful since I started apply the strategies.

First, no pulling. Never drag the puppy on a walk.

Second, try an Easy Walk harness or something like that to reduce pressure of leash on Addie's neck.

Third. Use treats to get Addie to enjoy walks. Hold the leash loosely and squat or bend slightly and dangle a high value treat few feet in front of her nose. When she walks toward the treat make sure that there's a slight tug in her collar right before you feed her the treat. It's hard for me to describe how this works. Basically the dog will end up walking past you for the treat that you dangle in one hand. She'll associate the slight tug of the collar with getting a treat.

Fourth. Right before you take your walk, even if it's just around the block, if possible, plant some visible treats like part-skim mozzarella slices on the walking path. Your puppy will be enticed by the Hansel and Gretel / treasure hunt style fun of finding yummy surprises and will want to walk. You can try this on different routes. 

After a few days of trying these strategies, I'm noticing Baxter is more ready to walk.

I also notice that Baxter is more willing to go for a walk after we've run off some energy in the backyard, chasing ropes and tug toys. 

Before a walk, feed Addie a smaller meal so that she's hungry for the treats you dangle in front of her.

If you have a friend with a dog who can walk with you, try that, too. Labradoodles are very social, as you pointed out. They like to follow other people and other dogs.

I hope some of this is helpful. I don't think the color of Addie's fur has anything to do with her lack of desire to walk. The heat could impact her desire to walk, so try to go early in the day and later in the day when it's a bit cooler.

Try to walk quickly once you get going, as she's less likely to dawdle and become a statute if you walk at a good clip. Offer plenty of praise when she's doing well. I often say to Baxter, "good boy, Baxter, let's go!"

[Judith and Addie]

Thank you. I'll try the ones with treats in a while. Right now, I am switching her food and don't use treats other than her food, because of her loose stools. She is a puppy who can take food or leave it so the treats have not been as strong a motivator as I would like. 

Our morning routine is to take her outside to potty, do some playing and then go for a walk, hoping to coincide with some of the neighborhood walkers near my house. 

I have an EZ walk harness and she actually balks more when I use it than with her collar.She is a very independent-minded little lady dog about her likes and dislikes.

[Kathryn digregorio]

Hi Judith and Addie,

My little Doodle when a young puppy refused to leave the drive way.  She was frightened of something??  So I sat in a chair with her outside for several days,  people and dogs stopped by, it was lots of fun and it worked.  She was afraid , I think of noise of construction or something down the block.  Good luck.

Kate and Breezy

[Kelly & Zoe]

Just my experience, but I never can walk Zoe mid-day (she is all black too).  Apparently dogs are most active morning and evening so once we started walking her first thing in the AM the walks were much better.  She likely is a bit scared too?  Do you have a busy street?  I found that early on Zoe was afraid of cars and motorcycles (and trucks!) and would just sit down immediately when she heard one.  I would just let her sit for a bit and then encourage to keep going once the car passed.

If you end up getting to do longer walks, bring along water - even today (Zoe is a year now), when she stops it's usually because she's thirsty and wants some water.  Zoe will still lay on a nice grassy lawn when she's really tired (she did that a lot earlier on) - we just let her lay there for a minute and when we want to get going, go over to her like we're going to lifter her up and she follows along.

[Judith and Addie]

Thank you for all the comments and good suggestions. I am hoping this is a puppy phase, and I'll try some of the things suggested here. We didn't get a walk in this morning because she sat down in the driveway and refused to budge. Last evening, we made it around part of the neighborhood, about 1/2 mile. Although there is some construction behind us, the neighborhood is quiet and only 2 cars went past. There were several people out walking yesterday evening, and she would start walking again when someone was nearby. My little social butterfly. 

Kelly, thank you for the suggestion for carrying water. I have a collapsible bowl and a water bottle for future hikes (from my past dog) but didn't even think about taking them around for a walk in the neighborhood.