Some days he'll head for a heath, clear in his mind what he wants to do, and we'll be out for over an hour. Other days he'll go to the top of the trailway, have a poo, and turn for home.
Often, though, after a lot of verge-sniffing, we will reach a junction and he'll put the brakes on, not seeming to know what direction to go in. Generally, after expressing reluctance to go in any direction, he'll finally decide to go home. I worry that on these occasions he's anxious about being put in the position of making such difficult decisions and that this might be exacerbated by me not seeming to know where we should go either as I'm asking him to make the decision.
One way he often does choose is the path up behind the sports centre but that's the one I always have to refuse because it's narrow and he usually kicks off at any dog we meet up there.
I could impose my decision - he understands my sign for 'We're going this way if I have to wait all day' - but if I go home he's missing out on a decent walk, and if I head off for a longer walk he might not be in the mood - and might put the brakes on every few yards.
Something that may be relevant is that he often seems reluctant to leave the house for these morning (and occasionally afternoon) walks, but once he's outside the house he's usually fine. I sometimes wonder if he's just holding out in case I decide to bribe him
So - should I carry on letting him choose where we go, or should I show a bit more leadership so he doesn't feel the weight of all this responsibility?
