Help, My Dog No Longer Wants to Go on Walks!
Your dog has always loved their walks, so much that just the simple noise of you grabbing the leash and collar gets them running to you in eager anticipation of going outside. Now, suddenly, out of the blue, your dog seems to have completely lost interest, and they even put on the brakes by the doorway as if to say, “No way am I going out today.” What gives?
A dog who is suddenly afraid of going on walks is obviously concerning for dog owners, especially owners of dogs who have considered walks to be their perk of the day, something they eagerly anticipate and look forward to, possibly as much as meal-time and even play. This problem is not at all uncommon though, and it even has a name: “doorway phobia.”
Understanding what is going on in Rovers mind is easier said than done. Since dogs cannot talk, we can only make some assumptions about their behaviors. Hypothesized theories may or may not be correct, and many times we must come to the conclusion that well never really ever find the exact reason why a dog will suddenly refuse to go on walks. However, there is one particular emotion that can cause dogs to suddenly refuse walks and put off all the fun.
One of the most common culprits for a dog to suddenly decide to no longer go on walks is fear. Dogs who have loved walks all their lives do not become stubborn out of the blue and they really have no reason to say no to a walk and go on strike, unless they feel fear or pain, or even both.
Something must have happened during a walk that must have removed all the previous positive connotations associated with walks. Sniffing around, following the owner, meeting old and new friends, depositing pee-mail, and getting rid of pent-up energy—these are all perks that come along with walks and that can easily be wiped out by fear.
Fear is an adaptive behavior that is one great teacher that can effectively cancel out from the dogs brain all the history of pleasant sensations and all the joy associated with walks. But what could have scared a dog to become so afraid of going on walks? Its not like you encountered a monster on a walk or your dog was attacked by another dog, so what is the big deal?
It is often forgotten, but fear is a subjective emotion in dogs. In other words, something that looks innocent to us can be extremely fearful to a dog. It could be that a cars engine backfired, the trash truck made a loud noise, a child on skateboards rolled by, or a flailing siren passing by startled your dog. We might not have noticed or barely noticed these stimuli because we are used to them and know what they are, but to a dog these can be scary noises and they do not understand them the way we do. And for those wondering, just like annoying food allergies, fear can set roots at any time. It could be that stress from other happenings at home or a stimulus that happened to be slightly louder, bigger, or scarier than other times could have created fertile grounds for fear to set in and put roots.
As mentioned, pain can also be a culprit for the onset of fears and phobias. It could be that a dog felt a sudden sensation of pain during the walk and has associated the walk with the pain. The pain can be chronic such as orthopedic pain seen in old arthritic dogs. The dog may have adapted to it, but on the last walks it could have become more unbearable, or perhaps the dog may have suffered a flare-up of acute pain such as sudden stomach pain or perhaps your dog got bitten by a bug or happened to walk on a thorn, piece of glass, or a nail.
Dogs do not always show pain like we do through vocalizations, so they may have been in pain during the walk and it could have been missed. Some dogs who are scared of going on walks may not have pain, but their vision or hearing could have deteriorated, making them perceive things differently than before. Even something as minor as a foreign object stuck on a dogs eye or eye floaters can cause sudden fear in dogs.
Another possibility is that something else might have happened. There are several things worth considering, like a dogs heightened senses. It could be your dog collected static shock on his coat and when you touched her to put the collar on, she got a bit of static shock. The fear may stem from many subtle things that we often are not aware of.
It can be helpful investigating what could have happened, so that one knows what to work on exactly. However, searching for a clue is frequently unrewarding and some behavior professionals think its also a waste of time considering that the time spent investigating could be used more productively in helping the dog feel comfortable again in going for a walk. But investigating the issue can be highly productive at times.
For instance, imagine if the dog happens to be scared of going on walks because of an underlying health problem. In this case, tackling the underlying health problem is paramount to the resolution of the problem. For example, dogs may undergo behavior changes when their thyroid levels are low or it could be there is a problem with the dogs eye sight or hearing.
For this reason, its always a good idea to see a veterinarian any time a dog develops a behavior problem out of the blue. Once health problems are ruled out, then dog owners can move on to solving the problem which often means tackling the underlying emotion of fear.
You Can Catch Flies With Vinegar…
When a dog develops fear of going on walks, its very tempting to just pull the dog with the leash out or forcibly push the dog outside. Avoid doing this! Not only will this not solve the fear, it will make it worse and, on top of that, you will end up putting a dent in the level of trust your dog has built towards you.
Just imagine for one second, being terrified of something. It can be a spider, it can be the dentist, fear of flying, fear of drowning, or fear of heights. How would you feel if you were forced to face your fear at its highest level of intensity? That could mean being forced to bungee jump over a tall bridge, being forced to go on a turbulent flight or being forced to lie down in a tub full of spiders. How would you feel if the person forcing you to do all these things was somebody that you trusted? Maybe a therapist that you have paid a whole lot and is just now making you reconsider his therapeutic approach. You would therefore trust this person less and less in the future because of these negative experiences.
In behavior terms, exposing an animal or person to a high intensity version of their fear is known as “flooding” and it is one of the methods many behavior professionals frown upon because of its low success rates and risks. Karen Overall, a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Behavior and Applied Animal Behaviorist, warns that the use of flooding risks making the fear worse.
There’s a Storm (or Other Weather Event) Coming
Sometimes you can’t tell that there’s a storm coming but your dogs can. Dogs sense changes in the pressure in the air, which often leads them to understand weather patterns a little better than we do. Your dog could sense that there’s a big storm, tornado, or even something like an earthquake coming. If your dog has suddenly become scared of walks and it seems very dramatic, it could be that it doesn’t want to go outside when a major weather event is on the horizon.
Dogs can sense wild animals such as bears and coyotes. If your dog is refusing to go out at night, it could have a very good reason. Likewise, if you’re ever walking in the dark and your dog’s hackles raise or it refuses to go down a certain street, it could be something like a wolf or a wild cat. Dogs will b able to sense these wild animals and will try to protect both you and themselves — so you should listen to your dog if it’s refusing to go out and you can’t figure out why.
Overcoming Walking Anxiety | Cesar Millan’s Dog Nation
Some dogs who are scared of going on walks may not have pain, but their vision or hearing could have deteriorated, making them perceive things differently than before. Even something as minor as a foreign object stuck on a dog’s eye or eye floaters can cause sudden fear in dogs.