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Preparing to go on a walk!

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mdkel

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Hey everybody...

Do your dogs become excited when its time to go out?

Zappa is the first dog I have that does not get excited about that, at least ntil now. I have been giving treats since the first day I put a leash on hm, but to this day he does not like it, he back away when he sees it, I show him a treat and he come to me so I can put his harness, but he does not get excited :| am I doing something wrong? I thik by now (6 month with me) he would like to go out and would get excited by seeing the harness, to me its weird that he acts like this... any ideas?? (when he is out, he likes it)
 
No nothing wrong, some dogs feel threatened when you come near with the collar/lead coat. Does Zappa just run away? Sometimes it depends on the dogs mood and if they want to go out. Olive does the same behaviour as your post above, so your not alone with this topic. If you want any other answers just ask me I'm not bothered ;)
 
Does he look interested when you start getting ready for the walk, such as putting shoes on? If you opened the door and stepped out, asking him to come but not holding the lead or harness, would he be more eager? Once the lead & harness are on, is he keen to go?

What you want to work out is whether it's the lead/harness or the walk he's unsure about. If the former, I would do some desensitisation work at home, e.g. letting him touch them and giving him a treat, getting him to put one leg/his head (depending on the harness) in the harness and giving him a treat, and so on.

Or he might just not be demonstrative. Jasper can whinge and whine for his walk, but once he sees me getting ready he just flops over on his side and lies there as if he's dead. Sometimes on his bed in the front room, sometimes blocking the front door so I can't open it, but he can't be bothered moving till I've opened it.... If he has gone back to his bed, sometimes he won't shift until I say 'Are you staying here then? Shall I go without you? Shall I see you later then?' Then he'll move... but again, once he's out the door he's fine and happy.
 
JudyN said:
Does he look interested when you start getting ready for the walk, such as putting shoes on? If you opened the door and stepped out, asking him to come but not holding the lead or harness, would he be more eager? Once the lead & harness are on, is he keen to go?

What you want to work out is whether it's the lead/harness or the walk he's unsure about. If the former, I would do some desensitisation work at home, e.g. letting him touch them and giving him a treat, getting him to put one leg/his head (depending on the harness) in the harness and giving him a treat, and so on.

Or he might just not be demonstrative. Jasper can whinge and whine for his walk, but once he sees me getting ready he just flops over on his side and lies there as if he's dead. Sometimes on his bed in the front room, sometimes blocking the front door so I can't open it, but he can't be bothered moving till I've opened it.... If he has gone back to his bed, sometimes he won't shift until I say 'Are you staying here then? Shall I go without you? Shall I see you later then?' Then he'll move... but again, once he's out the door he's fine and happy.
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While I am preparing (shoes, treats, clothes, etc) he is always by my side, sometimes whinning, but always very focused. When I pick the harness up he walks away looking back at me(walks slowly, and looking back as if "oh no, not this again" sad kind of way).
If I open the door with no harness, and tell him to come, he comes. When I put the harness on, he "drops" the act and is fine and ready to go. I already did everything you said (about giving treat while he sniffs etc etc), maybe do it again?

He does not like the car, he is very stressed about it, maybe he associates the two of them? I'm used to have dogs that when see the leash go crazy, zappa does not lol
 
Violet Turner said:
No nothing wrong, some dogs feel threatened when you come near with the collar/lead coat. Does Zappa just run away? Sometimes it depends on the dogs mood and if they want to go out. Olive does the same behaviour as your post above, so your not alone with this topic. If you want any other answers just ask me I'm not bothered ;)
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Hey violet, zappa doesnt run away, he slowly walks away from me while looking at me with a sad (fear?) face. when I show him a treat he comes to me with said face. I put the harness very slowly, always praising and giving more treats, as soon as it is done, zappa's ready to go. but he is NEVER excited about going outside (dont know why though). I've read somewhere that some dogs only get excited to go outside when they get to adulthood, is this right?
 
mdkel said:
Hey violet, zappa doesnt run away, he slowly walks away from me while looking at me with a sad (fear?) face. when I show him a treat he comes to me with said face. I put the harness very slowly, always praising and giving more treats, as soon as it is done, zappa's ready to go. but he is NEVER excited about going outside (dont know why though). I've read somewhere that some dogs only get excited to go outside when they get to adulthood, is this right?
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I have read this too. I don't believe it but it could be in your case... Have you tried squeezey cheese? Olive loves it ;)
I am going on Holiday tomorrow so will not be on the forum for long tonight as i have an early dart (3a.m.) Don't think i'm being rude if i don't reply to this or any other thread ;) ... Enjoy your week-end and speak soon :)
 
Violet Turner said:
I have read this too. I don't believe it but it could be in your case... Have you tried squeezey cheese? Olive loves it ;)
I am going on Holiday tomorrow so will not be on the forum for long tonight as i have an early dart (3a.m.) Don't think i'm being rude if i don't reply to this or any other thread ;) ... Enjoy your week-end and speak soon :)
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Thank you violet. Have a super holiday.... me and zappa will be right here wayting for you and your advice/help :D
 
Eddi gets excited when I strat putting my wellie socks on or my warm hat with ear covers. I feel like an Eskimo and it takes ages to get ready, it's frosty again!! I digress. When we first adopted him he used to stand and let me put his harness on, unfortunately, I had to start using a Halti, at first he let me ut it on him with an affronted air. Now when I go put it on him, he runs around the room, not in a manic way. At first I thought he was just playing, now I'm not so sure. Once he is harnessed up he goes to the door when I head there and gets excited. Maybe he is not used to the harness yet.
 
Molly, my Springer, drives me nuts when it's walkies time! As soon as she sees me put my socks on that's it! Barking, spinning round and smiling! :D I have to go in a different room to put coats etc on as she's so full on! Once in the car she's fine thank goodness :) our little terrier would be quite happy to stay home in the warm :rolleyes:
 
Mayblossom said:
Molly, my Springer, drives me nuts when it's walkies time! As soon as she sees me put my socks on that's it! Barking, spinning round and smiling! :D I have to go in a different room to put coats etc on as she's so full on! Once in the car she's fine thank goodness :) our little terrier would be quite happy to stay home in the warm :rolleyes:
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Eddi starts whining and crying when we take him out in the car and we stop! Another madcap behaviour which we have to stop. Honestly, this dog is such an embarrassment.
 
A lot of dogs run or hide from their harness esp the ones that go over the head. Murphy sits on a footstool and looks at us with big eyes but doesnt run away. His cue is our walking shoes. The minute they come off the rack he knows he is going out.. As for the whining in the car lots of my dogs have done that the sheer excitement of going out in the car to a place they know they will be off lead is enough to set them off.. They know direction too because if I turn right at the end of the road Murphy knows its not to the woods and goes quiet, turning right is the road to the vet!
 
Mad Murphy said:
A lot of dogs run or hide from their harness esp the ones that go over the head. Murphy sits on a footstool and looks at us with big eyes but doesnt run away. His cue is our walking shoes. The minute they come off the rack he knows he is going out.. As for the whining in the car lots of my dogs have done that the sheer excitement of going out in the car to a place they know they will be off lead is enough to set them off.. They know direction too because if I turn right at the end of the road Murphy knows its not to the woods and goes quiet, turning right is the road to the vet!
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My dog as a terrible bark, it's loud and penetrating.
 
Mad Murphy said:
I used to have a beagle his howl made the window rattle! In a small space like a car it made your eardrums rattle!
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My last dog was a Beagle and she rarely barked. We looked after the sister-in-law's dogs once and when they went for a walk together, my dog thought she was back on the hunt and let out a really horrible sound if she was on the scent of something. The other dogs just ignored her. That was the only time. She used to be a good alert dog if she barked I knew something different was happening.
 
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Dudley used to run and hide when he saw the harness. So I switched to a collar and he is fine. While I was in hospital my husband taught him to go to the door to have his collar on and surprisingly he caught on really quickly.
He is not keen on the car but once he is in he accepts his safety harness, he just looks miserable.
 
doggie1 said:
Eddi starts [to whine & cry] when [we're] in the car, & [the car stops]!
Another madcap behaviour... Honestly, this dog is such an embarrassment.
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.

It's not his fault - U taught it to him. :D Or if U didn't, SOME human did. :p
"When we arrive, the car stops & we get out... Ooh, it's exciting!..."

So teach him something DIFFERENT. ;)
Have him in his airline-approved shipping crate; flip it over B4 he gets into it, so the roof is now the floor. That means his view thru the 'windows' of the crate are now of the car-interior, not of the outside world - no peds with dogs on leashes, no joggers or bicyclists to bark at, no view of the loudly-accelerating diesel-engine truck that is about to pass U on the downhill slope... just the floor, the seats, the walls.
Go for a long drive, someplace scenic w/o much traffic, or drive late at night, & STOP every 90-secs... just pull over on the shoulder, turn on the hazard-lights, & STOP. Sit there; don't get out, & ask him to do a series of things while inside his shipping crate, such as 'Sit', 'Down', 'Shake' ['shake' is done with the crate-door open, & all car doors & windows closed] - any trick he knows, that he can do while relatively stationary.
REWARD every instant of attn, not just 'he did the cued behavior' but when he looks at U, if he glances over & wags, anything he does that's responsive & interactive is to be rewarded. // This keeps him focused on U, & less concerned with the car being stationary.
Sit for a minute or less; drive for a minute or 2, pull over, repeat... for 45-mins to an hour. // After the 1st 20-mins, he should be much calmer. After 45-mins to an hour, with 20 to 30 stops, he should be downright bored with the whole thing. // When U pull over, he should react with, 'Ho-hum. Another halt...', & not even get to his feet.

Repeat the entire operation [45-mins to an hour long drive, stopping every 1.5-minutes for one minute or less] at least 2 or 3 times over a 7 to 10-day period. // Remember to CUE HIM to lie down in the crate B4 he is allowed to disembark, every time U get out of the car [no matter whether that's at home, on return, or anywhere else]. He must lie down B4 he can get the crate-door open, & exit the car.

this should help massively to teach & reward self-control. :)

- terry
.
 
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