ArcaMax

Dear Cathy,

We have a Coton de Tulear (a small breed, white dog) who is almost 10. She is a very sweet, lovable and intelligent dog. Mia loved to go for walks, sometimes two to three times a day. All I had to do is say the word "walk" and she would run to the door and wait for me to put her leash and harness on.

The problem is, she no longer wants to go for walks. When I take out the leash and harness, she runs to the other room. I cannot figure out why. Any ideas?

- Patrick, Smithtown, New York

Dear Patrick,

Whenever there is a sudden change in behavior, health problems must be ruled out first. Mia is a senior dog and she may be having some joint or hip problems that you haven't detected yet and that may be making her walks painful or uncomfortable.

Your veterinarian can take hip X-rays to see if there are joint problems and can prescribe medication to ease her pain if that's the case. At that point, she may want to go for walks again, but may want shorter or fewer walks going forward.

Animals also may change behaviors when they have had a negative experience. If she went out for a walk and was frightened by something, maybe a car passing too closely or a dog being obnoxious through a fence, she may identify the leash with the negative experience. Can you recall any negative experiences she might have had on a walk? If yes, getting her to go for a walk again may require some treat-based encouragement.

If there doesn't seem to be any health problems and you don't think she got scared during a walk, she just may be getting older and not want to walk as much as she once did. But she's a small dog with many years to live, so get her hips and joints checked because that is likely the problem.

Dear Cathy,

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