Why does my dog stop on walks?

The vast majority of the time, when I'm visiting someone's home about leash walking skills, it's because the humans are getting their arms pulled out of the sockets with the amount of pulling their doggo is doing! However, I'd say a couple of times a month, someone will ask me why their dog is actually stopping on their walks. This can be baffling and worrisome, so, for some peace of mind, I've put together a short list of reasons why your dog may be stopping on your walks:

1) Too hot. Some dogs want to bake themselves like a potato on the patio when it's hot out and others are panting and uncomfortable within minutes of being outside! Your dog could be stopping and pausing for a break from the heat in some shade; or the stopping could be a way for your dog to ask that you turn back and return home.

2) Too cold. Alternatively, some dogs aren't very tolerant of cold temperature. This could look like lifting their paws, trembling or shivering, scooting back inside quickly, or refusing to head out on a walk (or continuing a walk)!

3) Too wet. You get the idea at this point in the list! Some dogs aren't superfans of rain or snow - while it's actively precipitating or when stepping on the wet pavement or grass. This may mean some (or a lot) of hesitation in just going outside or they may not want to leave the yard, driveway, or sidewalk for a walk; or a large puddle in the way of your route may give your doggo pause!

4) Fear. It's possible that, when your dog stops, something has spooked them into freezing. It could have been a loud noise, seeing another dog or person, a bike zipping past, a child running toward or near them, a random sofa someone has put out at the side of the road, anything. Some dogs, if something has spooked them, are able to shake off the startle it caused and move on with life/the walk; other dogs may lunge at the scary thing or try to run away; and still other dogs end up freezing in place until they feel comfortable enough to keep moving.

5) Overstimulation. The world outside a dog's home can be a lot for some dogs - even a little too much sometimes. Especially in more urban environments and at particular times of the day, there can be any number of things going on all at once! Depending on the dog, this can look like a dog bouncing off the proverbial walls between each stimuli or it could cause a dog to freeze up. They could be afraid of one thing or another (or lots of things, as just mentioned) or they may need a little time to get their bearings before moving on!

6) Distractions. Depending on the dog, a whole myriad of things could be a distraction that keeps your dog in place: a really good smell (unread pee-mail on the rock at the corner of your street), a dog across the street or in the house/yard you're passing by, a person waiting at a bus stop or walking past, a couple of ants going about their ant business in your dog's path, a rabbit or some other critter that's begging to be stalked (or so your dog may say), etc. Definitely not an exhaustive list - there's a lot in this great, big, wide world that needs investigating!

7) Route preferences. I always say I can't crawl into a dog's head and figure out exactly what's going on, but I've walked enough dogs to have some solid guesses at why a dog may want to go a direction different from where you're taking them: boredom with the usual route, passing by a dog-friend's house, checking out a bush or tree that had some real good smells the last time you walked that way, searching for another piece of pizza in that one bush that had a piece two Summers ago (based on a true story), a desire to lengthen the walk, and the list goes on, I'm sure!

8) Too tired/too painful. Whether your dog had a lot going on that day already (physically and/or mentally) or they're getting up there in age, your dog could be pausing because they're pooped out or struggling with some pain (hip, leg, shoulder, paw, etc.); especially if your dog is struggling with pain of some kind, it might feel better to stop walking, to sit or lay down, or, once laying down, they may struggle to get back up. Taking a lil break mid-walk could be the recharge your dog needs to keep going and finish the walk or you may turn back to rest and take a nap at home!

On top of each of the above reasons, some dogs just aren't interested in walks and would prefer to stay home! I know; it sounds weird because you most likely grew up hearing that dogs like walks and you may have even gotten your dog to take a lot and long walks! I always say I can't crawl into a dog's head to figure out exactly what's going on in there, so I can't say for certain, "Your dog doesn't like walks." But, stopping a lot on walks and needing a lot of encouragement to continue - especially in the absence of each of the reasons above - might suggest your dog isn't into them right now or may prefer other ways of getting exercise!

I should note, too, that these reasons largely address the stopping and pausing adult doggos are doing on walks - puppies can truly be a whole other animal and have a variety of other reasons for why they may be stopping, so feel free to check out another post I wrote about puppy walks, Puppy Walking Skills!

The next time your dog pauses on a walk, try to remember this list to see if one of these reasons could be why your doggo is taking a breather!