6m old hates walks

[i love my beau]

Hi,
I have a 6m old male GSD. He hates going on walks. He will go outside to potty, but as soon as he's done, he will not go anywhere but home. When I try to get him going, he just lays down. Or he'll bite the leash and pull me in the direction of home. This is the only way he'll go. He's so smart...maybe he's trying to tell me something? I take him to off leash dog parks and he has a blast, and every now and then he will walk on leash near my house, but lately it's been getting less and less. Do I need to drive him somewhere to take him for a walk? Maybe it's b/c his previous owner used to keep him outside all of the time and I keep him inside, that he likes it too much to leave? Has anyone out there experienced this?

He's not overweight. Very lean, actually and gets plenty of exercise from his off leash time.

TIA

[JKlatsky]

Could it be the rising heat? Some dogs are more sensitive to heat and I know my pups would refuse to come out in the sun when it was warm outside. They literally would not cross outside of the shadow of the house, would potty, and then want to come right back into the AC. They eventually grew out of this.

[High5]

Lol my 5 month old does that too. Its worse on the morning walk when it's still dark out. Yet she will go out in the back yard just fine. My trainer says that it a new big world to them and GSDs are definitely thinkers so given the choice they would rather just stay safe at home. She said just to be firm and not give in. Show them that it's ok to go for walks even if it takes treats to get them off the porch. Good luck with yours, ive noticed some improvement with Katie.

[i love my beau]

JKlatsky - Def not the heat. We live in SF, so it's pretty mild here.
High5 - Glad to hear that you've had some improvement. I've tried treats and still have been unsuccessful. He will walk if other dogs are around. We sometimes walk with my mom's and a neighbor's dog. But those walks are the most painful for my arm, since he's pulling the whole time to get at/play with them.

He hates his leash. He tripped and fell b/c of it twice and afterwards he bites it and yanks it hard. I've tried practicing loose leash walking with him inside the house and he still lays down!

[fam07]

I'm no expert but maybe try an Easy Lead harness and save special treats (very small bits of hot dog or cheese) that are only used during walks. Our GS used to bite and carry the leash as if she was walking me! Good luck! Monica

[Chicagocanine]

I would just stick to the exercise he enjoys. If he's not overweight and gets plenty of exercise, it doesn't sound like he needs the walks at this point. He's still young and too much walking on hard surfaces isn't really good for puppies anyway.

If you really want to do walks, maybe you can do some short walks. To keep him from balking you could try using the walks to work on training-- if he has a purpose and is working/having fun maybe he won't refuse to walk. Or you can play with toys with him while you walk to keep him moving.
I would also work on the leash grabbing separately from the walks.

[i love my beau]

Thanks Chicago. He's so funny. When I take him to new places, he will gladly walk nicely on the leash. I'm just running out of places and don't always have the time to drive somewhere new.

I like your suggestions and will try them. At what age do they need to go on walks? And for how long/far?

[i love my beau]

fam07 - we tried the gentle leader and it rubbed his nose raw (he pulls really hard when he sees other dogs). Then i tried the easy walker and when he pulled, he would just collapse...front legs down. So he decided, forget it...i'm just gonna lie down.

But I'll try with hot dogs and cheese and see hot it goes. Thanks Monica!

[spidermilk]

There isn't a rule that all dogs have to be walked on leash for exercise for x minutes a day. If your dog likes to run around in the house, search for things in the yard, go to the dog park, or play in a creek for exercise then just do those things.

Good leash walking is a good skill to have though so I'd work on learning what motivates your dog- enthusiastic praise, really tasty treats (like real meat or cheese), and really good toys that only come out during training/walk time.

If there is a safe area (we have very large off leash dog parks full of woods, grassy fields, and creeks- you rarely run into another dog) and just walk with him off leash or on a long line then he might be more motivated to follow you and explore? Maybe someone who lives near your area can suggest a good safe place.

[fam07]

Oops! Not that it matters but I wrote the wrong name for the harness. We must use the easy walk...leash attaches at front of dog...not the gentle lead. Maybe you should just make a trail of treats that she can hunt and walk for! Monica