Old dog doesn't want to walk

[j-f]

Hello!

I have a 10 year-old slightly overweight male golden retriever. He began gaining weight after neutering 3 years ago. He eats diet food now - Specific Weight Reduction. We live in a flat so it's necessary to go out walking with him many times a day.

The problem here is that he doesn't want to go out anymore. It began a year ago I think. He refuses to come when I call him to go out, even when I have a treat, because he knows what I'm after. I have to leash him while he's laying down and then SOMETIMES he will get up and come.

I understand that he's an old dog and it might hurt him to walk, but whenever I say "let's go out swimming" or "let's go out running" (which means he will have a change to walk off leash somewhere in the nature and he knows it), he will happily and excitedly get up and go. When we go to these lovely places, he will run around and jump happily.

Is it that he protests against boring walks on leash, or it really hurts him to walk? Or he is so excited to go swimming that he will ignore the pain? In the morning he will always come out with me, because he needs to do his business outside. It seems to me that he only comes out when he needs to, and doesn't enjoy walks just for the sake of walking.

A while ago I went to see the vet and asked for pills, because I feared it might hurt him to walk. So we got some, but during and after that period of giving pills nothing changed in the way he walked or got up, so we concluded that everything was ok with his joints.

I no longer want to take him to long walks. I heard that it's better for an older dog to have short walks many times a day, rather than longer ones fewer times a day, so I would want to do shorter walks more frequently because of his age.

Could it be that for some reason he no longer thinks of walking as something positive and I should start making it positive to him again? Or should I let him decide when he wants to go out?

[Nettle]

The most pressing imperative is to get the weight off him. There are no mysteries to this: he needs less food. To replace the food, give him raw vegetables to chew. Make sure no family members are sabotaging his diet by feeding extra treats.

Ten isn't THAT old, but it is a time when health issues start to crop up. So a very thorough vet check is the next step: blood tests the lot.

Then some thought on how to make the walks he has more interesting. You are so right that a few short walks are better than one longer one, although harder to fit into our schedule.

[j-f]

Thanks for your answer!

I tried giving raw carrot slices soaked in chicken stock, but he didn't want them. Then I boiled them soft with potatoes and he liked it, so I guess I will have to keep boiling my vegetables.

What kind of vegetables should I give him? I started to think maybe potatoes are too heavy?

[ladybug1802]

You can give him any veggies he will eat - apart from onions! I ive my boy raw broccoli, carrots, sometimes parsnips, apples, bananas. Raw broccoli stalks are great as they are chunky and last a bit longer.

[Nettle]

Raw green vegetables that grow above the ground. Not potatoes - they are starchy and will put on weight.

If he doesn't eat them - he isn't hungry.

[j-f]

I now want to ask about making walks interesting. Or rather, how to get him out the door happily. I read the topic "Stubborn walker" viewtopic.php?f=4&t=6361&start=30 here on the forum and realized I have a similar problem.

I noticed today, that "let's go out!" has become a poisoned cue. I know exactly why, because I've forced him to go out when he has been resistant. I haven't been especially nice to him when we're outside, because he occasionally stopped and wanted to go home, I got angry and forced him to walk on. Now I wish to make going out a nice happy thing again.

This morning he agreed to come out with me, I took some treats with me and gave them on our short walk. He doesn't like toys and is not very playful in the house or outside, so treats seem to be the only thing helping to make it positive. I'm thinking in the future I could do clicker training outside, because that's what he loves the most. I don't force him to go anywhere on our walks now, and when he doesn't come along, we'll just turn back and go home.

This afternoon I gave him treats in the hallway, I took the keys and opened the door, then gave some treats again. I didn't take the leash, as I thought that might be too much reminding him of bad walks. Asked him to high-five, which he likes to do and he seemed very happy to do it, gave treats. At some point he just turned away and lied on the floor in another room. I didn't call him again.

What I'm trying to do here, is to somehow step by step get him out again with only positive memories of the whole thing. He's not afraid of the hallway, because he occasionally lies on the mat there. Me standing in the hall calling him to go out is causing him to run away, so that's why I started from the hallway.

Am I on the right track and how should I continue? How to get him enjoy walks again?

[j-f]

Tried the hallway thing again. I asked him to come closer, and clicked+gave treat. Then I took the keys, he sniffed them, and I clicked. Then I took a small plastic bag, which I always carry in my hand with the keys while walking, he sniffed and I clicked. Then I went a little closer to the door, and he walked away to lay down in the other room. He seemed to know what I was trying to do and was disappointed in me, that's how it looked, haha .

Should I avoid going over the line so that he goes away from me and keep him always under the threshold? Maybe the keys and plastic bag was too much for him and I should only have done some fun stuff in the hallway?

EDIT: I'm so worried, it's half past eight PM, and he hasn't come out with me since morning walk at 11 AM! I think I have no choice but to force him out, do I?

EDIT-2: He finally came to me, and I took it as a sign that he wants to go out. He let me leash him and came out with me. In the public hallway I think he heard some scary noises, he COMPLETELY SHUT HIMSELF DOWN by laying down and doing nothing. This was extremely sad to watch. When I called him back home he wouldn't come, when I encouraged him to go out, he wouldn't come. I'm guessing he wanted to go out because he had to, but was scared to move on because of the noise (I couldn't hear anything, so I'm only guessing it was some kind of noise coming outside). I felt I had to make this decision for him, because he was unable to think of anything and that moment and sadly forced him to get up. He seemed kind of happy, tail was high, when he went down the stairs, he made a quick pee and wanted back home.

[WufWuf]

My dog has fear issues so I've had trouble getting her to go outside - these are improving but it does take time. I also live in a flat so I understand that it can be worrying and frustrating if they don't want to go out.

What I've come to understand is that she's very sensitive and if I try to be too exciting it makes her nervous and they know when you're faking it . What I've found to work is to be very very patient and calm instead. I also throw the treats on the ground just a little on front of her as this seems to get her interested in the ground and looking around for more. I do play this game in the house at other times, she's not really keen on toys so this is her favourite game. I'd start doing this even when you don't plan on taking him out and then every time you do even if he seems eager to go.

I also crouch down with my back to her and just wait - it seems to take some of the pressure off her and she will come over to me to get loves. I then throw some food along the ground on front of us and just keep going like that.

Honey has improved lots and I really only have to do this now if she's gotten a bad fright on a previous walk (like a kid bursting balloons behind her the other night - who expects that at midnight )

You might be right about the keys and bag - can you get them ready 30 mins before you want to take him out? Put them in your pocket, back-pack or anything that he doesn't think means scary walk time?

[j-f]

Being patient and calm has helped me too! It used to be me dragging my dog along and taking him everywhere I could take him, thinking it was good for him. It seems to me now, that he wanted a more peaceful life and didn't quite accept. So I did the opposite.

I had some days where he went out only 2 times a day on SUPER SHORT walks. I was worried, but tried not to force him.

I only go out if he's willing to come with me or asks me. Outside, when he doesn't want to go forward, I stop with him and wait or go back home if that's where he turns. Sometimes he just lays down on the grass or rolls around, enjoying peacefully the summer, so I stop too, stroke him and rush nowhere.

He's more willing to go further from home (only 50 m now, but it's something!) and asks me to go walking more often during the day.

Traditional methods don't approve dog making decisions for you, but that is EXACTLY what my dog needs right now and I let him do it.

WufWuf - what kind of treats do you throw on the ground? My dog likes cheese, but I just can't imagine throwing cheese on the dirty pavement! Kibble, I'm afraid, is not as valuable.

[WufWuf]

Hi j-f

I've tried out many treats and found a good quality puppy kibble that works for my dog. however it's also working because it's a game I play else where so my cue phrase makes the food more exciting then it would be without it. I've detailed how I use this game on another post viewtopic.php?f=4&t=6361#p83208 so have a read of that and feel free to ask any questions you like. One thing I would add is that I use kibble as it makes a little noise as it hits the ground. This helps keep my dog interested in the game and also makes it easier for her to find the food once you start to increase the distance of the throw.