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06-08-2014, 06:37 PM | #1 |
Yorkie Talker Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Chicago
Posts: 22
| Strange Behavior During Walks Hi All! I am having an odd problem and would appreciate an suggestions. I have been walking Bear (my 5 month old yorkie) since he was 3 months old. I live in Chicago and walk him on grassy areas on the lakefront. I used to walk him a mile or two and he seemed to love it. It got rid of some of that endless puppy energy. I walk him on a 26' Flexi leash so he can run back and forth or chase the mini Kong tennis ball I bring for him. He really plays hard, tumbling, jumping, panting etc.. Everything was going fine until roughly 2 weeks ago. We were walking across a huge soccer field and he started to really freak out. He was frantically biting my ankles (hard!), barking very loud at me and panting very hard (he is always panting on a walk). When I stopped walking he laid between my feet looking up at me just panting. If I started to walk again he would start to do it all again. Really loud bark and really hard biting. Very out of character for him. I thought maybe he hurt his foot or something so I picked him up to carry him home but he kept barking at me so I put him back down on the ground. I waited a few minutes thinking maybe I had walked him too far and he needed to rest. When it looked like he had recuperated I started to walk back home and he seemed alright. I didn't really understand what had happened and attributed it to him just being tired. He was not in any type of pain that I could see. I could not nail down a good reason other than being tired so I decided I would just not walk him that far anymore and went home. From that day forward he has done it on every walk I take him on. Every time a shorter distance until finally today he did it across the street 1 minute outside the front door. The only thing that is different from the first occurrence is that I eliminated exhaustion as a possible cause because he did the behavior and then ran around in a large circle as fast as he could for about 3 minutes. He was looking like a crazy dog while running too. In the 2 weeks (I walk him every day) that he has been exhibiting this behavior I have been able to eliminate the following possibilities: Hunger - He is never hungry as he is well fed. Water - He gets plenty of water as there are water fountains on the paths that I give him water from so he is not thirsty. Temperature - It has been between 45 and 93 and he does it no matter the temperature. It just so happened that the first week he started doing it temperatures were high. Sunshine - For a while I really thought it was sunshine as he would run to the shade. It was very hot here for about a week. But he does it on overcast and cold days now as well. Distance - I thought he might be too far from the house but he does it at all distances. Location - It is not certain areas or certain routes as I have changed it up since this started. Harness - I loosened his collar and harness immediately with no change. Medications - He did get switched over to Trifexis at about that time but I seriously doubt that could cause this. Since he has been switched I have read some about the drug and am thinking of taking him off of it for other reasons but I still doubt it has anything to do with this particular problem. This is really becoming a big problem as I can't walk him more than a half block now without him freaking out. I really don't know what to do. He seemed to love his walks. Even now he looks so excited when he is going out. It would really be ridiculous for me to go take walks without my dog but I can't have him go crazy every ten feet. I would hate for him to miss out on this nice summer as Chicago has some brutal winters. Any help or suggestions greatly appreciated! |
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06-08-2014, 06:44 PM | #2 |
Donating YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: USA
Posts: 7,652
| Sorry about the problems you are having. One thing I want to stress is that those flex leashes are harmful in so many ways for pups, there are plenty of threads here regarding such. On to the problem, how does he behave in the house after playing? If he doesn't ever do this at home then he obviously doesn't like something about the walking. I know Mia refused to walk, she always wanted to be carried. I would take a couple walks while holding him and then stopping and sitting on the grass. Take a regular leash and keep it on him during this. Then let him take little walks and pick him up and then allow for further and further, if he simply doesn't like walks, how about getting a stroller? This way you both can enjoy the walk! Oh one more thing, maybe a thorough checkup, including his paws and legs wouldn't hurt. Good Luck, keep us posted.
__________________ The Above advice/comments/reviews are my personal opinions based on my own experience/education/investigation and research and you can take them any way you want to......Or NOT!!! |
06-08-2014, 07:25 PM | #3 | |
Yorkie Talker Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Chicago
Posts: 22
| Quote:
He behaves completely normal in the house. He never does anything like that in the house that is why it is so strange. Only on walks does he do these things. He squirms around when you try to carry him so I don't think that will work. As far as a regular leash I will give it a try as I do have one. I am not sure why it would be different as a flexi leash that is locked at a certain length which I have tried. The stroller is a good idea and if it comes to that I might just do it. I am hoping I can figure out what went wrong though because keep in mind for a month and a half he walked long distances without issue. He really really loved those walks. You are absolutely right about getting him a check up. I bring him in soon for the last of his shots and I will have the vet check him out completely. Thanks so much for the help I really appreciate it! | |
06-08-2014, 07:32 PM | #4 |
Donating Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: By the sea
Posts: 129
| My first thought was an injury- like a sprain, or pull or maybe even some small fracture somehow. But if he's walking and running normally inside your home, that might not be right. A sting or splinter? We have sand spurs here which are incredibly painful if stepped on. They can get between little toes and be hard to find. I agree a vet check is best. Good luck - I hope you find out what is causing this and your little one gets better! Keep us posted. |
06-08-2014, 08:19 PM | #5 | |
Yorkie Talker Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Chicago
Posts: 22
| Quote:
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06-09-2014, 06:42 AM | #6 |
Donating YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: USA
Posts: 7,652
| Please keep us posted! Good Luck!
__________________ The Above advice/comments/reviews are my personal opinions based on my own experience/education/investigation and research and you can take them any way you want to......Or NOT!!! |
06-09-2014, 07:00 AM | #7 |
Donating YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: USA
Posts: 7,652
| Let me clear something....I don't like flexi Leashes for various reasons that I've learned here on YT and in the news. There are several others here who recommend them!
__________________ The Above advice/comments/reviews are my personal opinions based on my own experience/education/investigation and research and you can take them any way you want to......Or NOT!!! |
06-09-2014, 09:33 AM | #8 |
YT 2000 Club Donating Member | Here is the only reason I will use a flexi lead on any size dog; and that is when I "train" the dog. Now this could be in a park, and I remove the regular lead and clip on the flexi lead. I have seen way too many instances of the handler getting confused on which way to lock up the flexi lead, having then a lunging out of control dog at the end of a very long lead is not a great idea. THe handles are very awkward to hold onto with an out of control dog. So my advice on Flexi leads is to use them judiciously and not during your regular walk to the park and back home. It is a crying shame that we can't find some space in cities at which certain times we can let our dogs run free! In terms of your problem, a vet visit is for sure in order. The behaviour you described is abnormal. Health issues do need to be ruled out.
__________________ Razzle and Dara. Our clan. RIP Karma Dec 24th 2004-July 14 2013 RIP Zoey Jun9 th 2008-May 12 2012. RIP Magic,Mar 26 2006July 1st 2018 |
06-09-2014, 05:49 PM | #9 | |
Yorkie Talker Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Chicago
Posts: 22
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