Doodle just STOPS and LAYs down during walks/run

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

My 6 month old dood has made it clear from the start that he does not like the sun and will veer off to any shade he can find during walks. Even in 30-40 degree weather in Utah! Well, NOW we are in sunny florida, and he has gotten it into his head that if he can't go off to find shade, (using the gentle leader now, LOVE IT), that now he'll just PLOP down right in the middle of the street! Who knew they can make suction cups out of those cute little paw pads?
Don't get me wrong, it's not THAT hot as we go out early in the day, and we aren't doing sprints down the street! And I'm talking about 10' from the driveway....not 10 miles!
What can I do to keep him motivated? Use treats, let him rest some then say "let's go", run away from him to make a game of chase, ignore him till he gets bored, and lastly go to him and lift him up on all four paws and set his little butt in motion!!!!
Considering I got him to be my running partner when he is older, we aren't off to a great start if I can't even get him to go a block!!!

[2xk2ir4z9b3au]

My Sadie still does this at a year and a half. She's fine as long as it's 70 or below outside (we can run 5 miles then), but as soon as it rises above 70, she's starts laying down even on a short walk. The more and more she gets used to the heat, the better she gets, but we still usually take at least 1 break when we go on a walk.

I'd love any advice on this as well! Is it just the nature of the doodles in the summer?

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

My grand-doodle will go and go and go, no matter what the temp. He went from Fla to Az. and never missed a step. So that's what I expected. So not sure if it's the nature of ALL doodles in the summer. I even cut his hair to about 1", leaving just enough for protection from the sun, but not like having a fur coat on. How did you get Sadie built up to 5 miles?

[Valerie and Cody]

I definitely like what Lucy and Sophie's Mom said. I once had a dog like that. He would just lie down and not move. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING would make him move. He wouldn't follow treats, other dogs wouldn't entice him. When he got to that point he could care less if I went without him. The situation was a bit different, though. He only had three legs and could walk about 2 blocks before he pooped out. I could sometimes get another 1/2-1 block out of him if I picked him up and made him walk, but I really think he was just exhausted. I'd typically let him rest for a few minutes (I brought a book on our walks) and then got him walking again. With Murphy, though, my guess is that it's either the pavement (or some other physical problem) or he's just being stubborn and really doesn't want to walk. The idea about the gentle leader is good too. Cody used to plop down whenever I put a leash on him. He didn't know what it was and just reacted poorly. Try letting him wear the gentle leader without going on a walk. Let him get used to it. Good luck!!

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

He did do this before the gentle leader and it helped him from darting off to the side to find shade. I do feel the pavement tho and it;s warm, but certainly not cool. Heck, I'll have to wait till November to walk him if he needs cool pavement!!
It can't be too hot for him as he will plop right down on his belly on it.

I have heard anything from 1/2 mile to one mile to 10 minutes to 30 mins. But if I left it up to him it would be 10 seconds!!! So I do make him go further. Cuz then he'll come in the house and have zoomies for a half hour. The most we walk is about 0.6 mile to the beach, at which point he takes off like a cannonball to play with other dogs or into the water.

Treats, well I just made some great Liver Brownies that he loves, but was saving them for "Come" and "Stay". Will have to bring some along then and practice "Come" when he plops.

It probably doesn't help that DH will carry him home when he does it to him. LOL. He's 46 pds, I'm not able to carry him nor do I feel I should. I'm just grateful he'll take him for a walk, so it's not something I am going to complain about....but I will let him in on how I use the treats to coax. Thanks.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Ah, that would be a big NO for me. But thanks. He has a great life, my breeder even wants me to adopt her, but being pampered to that extent is not gonna happen. IMO....dogs run....that's what dogs do. Hey, if 3 legged dogs can walk and run, my 4 legged one has no excuse!
I will keep it down to short distances and just walks for now as he is so young. Treats for "lets go" and "come" and build on that.
I'm not hearing or reading anything about dogs that have any harm caused by walking, short distances, other than the hot pavement like you mentioned, so I will really check for that more.
Also, you're right about him not liking the gentle leader too, but he just rolls around on his head in the grass for a few mins with that before we get started walking to let me know he doesn't like it. But he drops with or without the GL on. He looks so pathetic when he does it. Luckily he hasn't decided to do it on a busy street. Now that would be scary.

[Katie and Murphy]

I know this thread is about two months old, so I hope your Murphy has kicked the habit!! Just wanted to say that my Murphy does it, too. Mostly during the summer, though he's done it when he just doesn't want to do something. Usually I just tell him "let's go", in a firm and confident voice, and he naturally follows. Pretending to be Caesar Millan helps a lot. Don't coddle your pup, don't try to negotiate with him. Tell him "let's go" in a normal, firm, confident voice and just walk. He'll buck around a few times, maybe try to plunk his butt down once or twice, but if you're moving forward, then he has to, too. After a while, he'll get the idea. Murphy picked up on it quick. He still wants to lie down when he's hot, and if I'm stopped, it's OK. When we're moving, though, he has to move with me.

The confident, firm voice and leader-like attitude helps in other situations, too. Murph's scared of waves, but enjoys the water. He'll buck and tug on his leash/gentle leader when I try to get him to follow me into the water. I'll tell him "let's go" and confidently walk into the water, and he follows. I know the waves aren't going to hurt him; he needs to realize it, too. Once he's in, I'll praise him and let him swim around a bit, before taking him back to the beach to try again. After a few times, he doesn't even notice the waves. All he knows is that Mom is going into the water and he wants to go, too.

:)

[Meridith and Lola]

Lola is 13 months and she plops down all the time but not because it is hot. I live in NYC with lots of great distractions. She is incredibly friendly and feels she needs to say hello to every dog and every child so she will plop down to get attention or to look disarming. She then rolls over on her back and waits for a dog to sniff or a person to bend down and give her a tummy rub (which happens 9 out of 10 times - she could be on candid camera). It is really sweet and funny and gives everybody a smile that walks by but it does make it difficult to get anywhere fast. Not sure if she is going to grow out of this - it seems more than a puppy phase.