Help me with the dog walk!!! Please!

WildFlower2350

We brought home an 11 month old rescued American Bulldog mix a little over a week ago.  Initially she was terrible on the leash and pulled like mad....we worked every day and began to see great improvements but now......wait for it...... She doesn't want to walk.  She will literally lay down in the mididle of the road, on people's lawns and will not budge.  This is a dog that we were told had crazy energy.  We've worked in play time to keep it interesting with fetch in the year which she has plenty of energy for, taken her to new neighborhoods and the park which works for a short while. But yet again, she just decides she doesn't want to go any more..she had just seen a vet before we for her and had a clean bill of health.  No visible injuries and we've rubbed down her legs and feet to see if there was any discomfort and she is fine.  Is she trying to be dominate and if so what do we do?  If we don't force her to walk and excercise outside she's bouncing off the wall inside.  Help!

straymo

That's an odd one for an energetic dog.  How did you "work" with her on the the pulling while on leash?  

WildFlower2350

If she pulled we just stopped moving, when she came back to us and there was slack in the leash we said "good girl, lets go!"  so she seemed to get that when she pulled, we werent going anywhere.

aggiebug

Is she still very energetic other times of the day? does she play ball? If not I highly recommend getting her rechecked because something could be medically wrong.

WildFlower2350

We have appoint in a few days but, yea, when she plays ball and fetch she can take off like a rocket....I'm wondering if she is still testing her boundaries, she has been with us less than 2 weeks is a year old and was a stray so there really hasn't been much in the area of training and obedience.  We do go to group obedience and have been following all the suggestions of the trainer.  It's weird bc I think it depends on her mood, I took her for a vigorous 25 min walk before work and she did amazing, no pulling, no stopping....  She's a knucklehead.  FYI she is energetic and after a long romp or a good walk 30 minutes plus she snores like a champ so she's not nuts all the time...she is pretty calm inside actually.

WildFlower2350

I don't think she is as energetic as she is made out to be... I am a runner that goes out daily- my thought of energy is a dog that is always always on the go.  She has spurts and then she wants to lay on her bed and snooze.  I think the ppl before her were not as active so they may have seen moderate energy as intense energy.  

kep0589

Do you walk her by the collar or a harness? A collar could be uncomfortable for her or maybe the same for the harness. Harnesses are always better. If she starts pulling again face collars work wonders!!

saraeric

Our Golden Retriever used to do the exact same thing! We never could figure out why...but about every other house, she'd like lay down...and not budge. Still have no idea why but she grew out of it. I think it was just a phase for her. She's 3 now and doesn't have any issues. We've also found that a gentle leader works really well for keeping her from pulling. Good luck!

WildFlower2350

Thanks! So far we have collar on her and like i said, depending on her mood and which way the wind blows she does amazing, no pulling, right by my side...i tried to put a harness on her and she went crazy...maybe i didnt do it the right way (i.e. give her treats) too much of a shock?  Im hoping this is a phase like your golden....ugh...this morning she was like a giant boulder, wouldnt move past the driveway.  oh well we will see.

nital

Are you running with her?  If so, stop.  Large/giant breeds should not be run until their growth plates close, which is around 2.  They can run and play as they please, but they need to be able to stop when they choose.

I highly suspect her not running is a control thing.  Have you discussed with your trainer?  I do a lot of positive reinforcement,so I reward like crazy for behaviors I like.  So when we start walking, I'm rewarding constantly for paying attention to me and staying by my side.

glittergal73

A Sporn anti-pull harness would solve the pulling problem.  Just be sure it is the "anti-pull" model because they make many types.  I got one on ebay for my dog when he did it.