There are several reasons dogs will stop on a walk, some of the common reasons I will summarise below. I’m not talking about stopping to sniff (normal, let them do it) or stopping because they want to play with the dog over the road. I mean showing reluctance to walk. The key thing is that they are NOT doing it to “give you a hard time” or to “get on your nerves”. Dogs can’t speak English, it is our job to learn to listen to what they try to tell us through the only means that they can. This means learning to ‘speak dog’.
Emotional struggles such as worry or fear: dogs will sometimes freeze on walks for this reason. Note the times that they seem to freeze/stop. Can you spot patterns emerging? E.g. after seeing traffic, after a bus lets off it’s air brakes, after a dog has barked at them, if they are uncomfortable with traffic and are now showing reluctance to walk on pavements…don’t forget to think about what has happened to them earlier in the day and how this could impact their emotions at the time, too (have they had a trip to the vets or groomers that they found tough?).
Overwhelm: sometimes dogs can get overwhelmed on walks and want to stop walking. Again, observe patterns and triggers. If your dog is becoming worried/overwhelmed on a walk it’s really important you offer them choice to go to somewhere where they feel safe.
Physical discomfort: has your dog been over exercised and might they be aching? Are they a senior dog that might be experiencing joint pain? Do they seem to be reluctant to walk on certain surfaces, for example, tarmac, gravel, or do they want to avoid declines (typically declines can put more weight on certain joints such as elbows and shoulders)? Don’t forget that growing dogs experience growing pains just like us humans, too, so this applies to young dogs just as much as senior ones. There are other health reasons that could cause a dog to stop on walks but these are some common ones relating to joints.
A common misconception is that puppies/adolescents need to be walked to ‘tire them out’, but actually, one of the best things you can do for a young dog is let them take it slow, have the time and flexibility (in a safe and appropriate way) to make choices that enable them to feel safe, and engage with stimulus in a way that builds confidence rather than them being hurried on or forced. This will set you up for avoiding things like overwhelm or emotional struggles. For puppies, a walk is not about actually walking.
Sally Lewis 2021
Know Your Dog 