Walking

Hey guys, I have an eight month old miniature poodle named Lilly.

Every now and again I have issues whilst outside walking her. She never pulls on the leash rather stays behind me and needs encouragement to come. There are times when she doesn't respond to commands and seems just to want to turn back round and go home. Funnily enough when we turn round to go home then she walks fine.

This isn't a daily occurance and she can go days walking perfectly, listening to commands, walking ahead of us but not pulling, sniffing but coming on command and walking at a good pace. Then there are days like today, granted it's cold, rainy and dark (which I need to factor in) where she seems to do her own thing and taking her for a walk seems to be more a chore than fun.

Up until now I've based my training techniques on Zac George and his philisophy which works for the most part. Has anyone had any similar issues and resolved this without pulling her on.

JLP

It sounds as if for whatever reason, on these days she simply doesn't want to walk, or at least not in the direction you're going. Maybe it is the weather, maybe there's something making her nervous (she could be entering a 'fear period). If it doesn't happen very often, I would respect her feelings and let her choose to go home.

For those days when you need her to have a decent walk and/or go a certain way, what you can do is wait her out. What I do when my dog put the brakes on is stand at the other end of the lead, my back to him, holding the lead behind me in both hands... and wait calmly - no cajoling or coercing. A behaviourist said to me 'take a book', which is an indication of how patient you need to be. Now, if my dog wants to go one way and I need us to go another, as soon as I turn my back and hold the lead behind my back, my dog knows I've made my decision and generally comes along quite happily. I'm of the opinion that the more you show your dog that you're listening to them and letting them have an opinion, the more they're going to accept those times when you have to overrule them.

I like Zak George Though my dog would find his body language far too hyper and unsettling, he needs a calmer approach!

Sometimes my dog gets like this, stopping on a walk and doing a statue impression! Sometimes he wants to go in the other direction, other times, he wants to return home. We just go where he wants. I'm sure they're like us - it's too cold, too wet, too windy etc. - and they'd rather be indoors. Unless there's an underlying medical condition (a vet check-up will reveal if there is) I wouldn't worry at all.

Folly has what was at first a strange occasional habit. When we are out and where there is a fair stretch of level ish open ground. She suddenly stops and stands still watching me, I carry on then when I'm around 70 or 80 yards in front of her she sets off at a full speed run, blasts past me then around the same distance in front of me she stops running and noses around. It took me quite a few times before I realised it was just her way of having a good run without getting too far from me.

Thanks for the replies and help guys! I think I know why she was doing this more than usual! She just got her first period last week. Now she's sniffing more than ever!