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Old 11-07-2014, 02:40 AM   #1
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Default Am I Over Walking my Yorkie?

Hello. We recently rehomed a 4 year old male Yorkshire Terrier. We were told he was used to being left in the day, which was good because we work. Since we got him four weeks ago we have walked him in the morning for around 30 minutes, then a dog walker comes in during the day and walks him for around 40 minutes and I walk him on the evening for 40 minutes.
At first he was keen but now he quite often doesn't want to go. My husband gave up this morning as he went to the toilet on our front garden and then refused to walk. My dog walker has had to carry him a few times to get him started too! Yesterday evening he came to a complete standstill fifteen minutes into his walk and had to be carried for ten minutes before he would oblige again!
Could this be because we are over-walking him? I've never had a small dog before so are we overdoing it? He seems quite happy to be left in the day and spends it sleeping. As soon as the dog walker brings him home from his walk, he doesn't hang around for her company but runs back to his bed. I'm wondering that he is actually used to being left all day. My husband thinks we should drop the mid day walk and see how he is if he is left all day. Paying for a dog walker to drag him out seems a bit mad if he's not happy with the plan!
Its worth saying that we live in the UK so the weather isn't great at the moment but this did start before the weather turned very cold. I tried a jacket but he hated it!
Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks x
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Old 11-07-2014, 04:48 AM   #2
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Most dogs love their walk but there could be something that your dog encountered on one of his walks that has made him skiddish. Does the dog walker walk just your dog or does this person take other dogs along? Did they encounter a problem with another dog at some time while they were out. It does sounds strange.

Maybe try just taking him out for potty breaks and doing one short walk either in the morning or at night for a while. If he is happy with this situation you could leave it like that but the fact that he liked walking at first and then didn't like it anymore leads me to think something has scared him or something unpleasant has happened while he was out. Of course he still may be adjusting to the fact that he is in a new home. Yorkies can be very sentimental and he could be a bit depressed.

If he liked walking when it was warmer and you have noticed a problem since the temperatures have dropped it could have to do with the fact that he is cold. A good fleece coat might help.

The only other thing I can think of is a health issue. Has he had a good check up by a vet recently? If not he probably should go. Have them check out his joints while he is there. Some dogs have a genetic predisposition for joint dysfunction.
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Old 11-07-2014, 04:51 AM   #3
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Hi and WELCOME to YT ! I'd get his knees checked asap. Yorkies are prone to LP (luxating patella), so I'd get this checked soon bc he could be experiencing LP as he walks, who knows. But I agree in discontinuing the afternoon walk - maybe have the dog walker just come over to play w/ him for a bit...?
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Old 11-07-2014, 05:26 AM   #4
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Thanks for your replies. I will definitely get the vet to check him again - especially his knees. He did see a vet two weeks ago but she just did a quick check of his heart, eyes, ears etc.
I don't think anything has frightened him - he thinks he's Rambo when he's out haha - when he decides he does want to go out he seems to enjoy it and bounces around. Its just that sometimes he decides he doesn't want to go. I'm not sure if in the morning its about leaving other family members in the house, but that wouldn't explain his reluctance in the day when no-one else is in. The dog walker usually walks him on his own but he has been out with her own dogs. Today she is bringing her own dogs again to see if that encourages him out.
The change has been gradual and I get the impression we are only now starting to see his real character. Sometimes he does look so sad though and I wonder too that he's a bit low. He went into foster care before coming to us so he has been passed around a bit
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Old 11-07-2014, 06:25 AM   #5
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My last yorkie did the same thing. Some days I couldn't keep with her on our walks, then other days she just didn't feel like walking. She would come to a complete stop. It was kind of funny actually. Assuming there are no underlying medical issues, your little one probably just doesn't feel like walking.

As a human I know sometimes I don't feel like walking so even though dogs love to walk, I'm sure there are some days where they just don't feel like it.
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Old 11-07-2014, 06:37 AM   #6
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Hello, welcome to YT!

Oh, I'm glad you're getting the vet to check him again just in case his knees are bothering him or he has pain anywhere else such as his back.
Could I ask......was your yorkie used to being walked a lot in his former home? If not, then he could find it very tiring.

If he gets the all clear from the vet then I think it might be a good idea, for the time being at least, to cut back on the distance he walks each day.....build up gradually to longer walks. 2 x 40 minute walks plus a 30 minute walk each day does seem like a lot, if he's never walked such distances in the past. Maybe you'll find that he's perfectly happy with fewer/shorter walks.

The leash situation in the UK is similar to Ireland I think, in that there are many places that dogs are allowed to run around off leash. Please be careful of your little guy around large dogs as fragile little dogs such as yorkies can easily be killed by larger ones. My yorkie Pebbles was attacked by a husky/greyhound mix when she was a puppy, it came up from behind us so I never saw it until it pounced on her, I'll never forget her screams I've had to protect her from a number of large, off leash dogs since then, I wish people wouldn't let their large dogs run up to smaller ones and harass them

Has it turned cold yet where you live? In the past few weeks it's turned cold and rainy here on the west cold of Ireland so Pebbles now wears her fleece lined, waterproof coat on walks, otherwise she'd shiver from the cold. Yorkies can really feel the cold since they don't have an undercoat. Pebbles doesn't mind being out in the rain so long as she has her coat to keep her warm and cosy but I know some dogs hate the rain.

I'm really glad your yorkie has both you and your husband as his 'parents' now . He's probably a bit confused if he's been passed around various homes so it will take a while for him to settle in and realise he's in his permanent home. I think replacing one of his walks with games, like Wylie's Mom suggested, is a great idea

Best of luck with your little guy (what's his name?!), yorkies are such lovable, snuggly, loyal, mischievous little creatures.....your life won't be the same again
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Old 11-07-2014, 10:42 AM   #7
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Our little man is called Gizmo - he's a real sweetie and he is fantastic with our two children age 10 and 7. My 7 year old told me that she never thought she would love him as much as she does - awww! We all dote on him already but I think he's a stubborn terrier at times!
Today the dog walker took him up the street - at the field he stopped and refused to move. She walked back to the house gave him and her two dogs a treat and tried again. Second time round he was fine! He is much livelier tonight though so I think missing one walk today has helped - so perhaps we were wearing him out. I'll just take him out for a short walk later.
I don't let him off his lead as I'm not confident with his recall and where we walk there are quite a few dogs. I agree though about big dogs bounding up - I hate it! I don't get how other owners think that its ok to let their dogs run wild.
It has crossed my mind this evening that he's quite often at his poors. I had the vet check them and she said the pads were fine but now I'm wondering whether he needs a nail clip? Another thing to rule out at least.
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Old 11-07-2014, 06:04 PM   #8
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My yorkie always did exactly the same thing. She loved to walk but she also liked to be in control of how long that walk was. When she was done, she was done. She would plop herself down on her belly and refuse to move. I just think their little legs get tired. They have to walk way more steps than we do to cover the same distance. I would probably also do away with the afternoon walk as she seems to be getting plenty of exercise with her morning and evening walks. Also, if she is not enjoying the walks you could just do some rough and tumble floor play with her. My new puppy loves that time.
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