11 Month Old Bitch - Walking Speed?

Discussion in 'Labrador Puppies' started by adamh18, Sep 21, 2021.

  1. adamh18

    adamh18 Registered Users

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    Jul 15, 2021
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    Good Afternoon,

    Quick question, my 11 month old bitch seems to walk really slowly when out on walks. We tend to vary the routes as often as possible but that's not always easy when you're working from home all week. She gets 3 walks a day probably 30 minutes in the morning, 40 minutes at lunch and 30-40 minutes before bed.

    I've just taken her out now and I find myself spending most of the time either stood still whilst she sniffs OR with her around 2m behind me (full lead length) just plodding along.

    Is this normal, does anyone else have a lab with this "speciality".

    Everyone always says having a dog is hard, you need to walk them plenty....well, I'm finding the opposite, I'd love it if she had a good pace on her and wanted to go for it!!

    Thanks
     
    NancyB likes this.
  2. SianMJ

    SianMJ Registered Users

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    Jun 3, 2019
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    Location:
    South Wales UK
    Perhaps having a slow steady pace may be quite a good thing, she is not pulling like a train ahead! I try and think of my dog’s walks as her time, if she wants to sniff she can, if she wants to go a certain route I sometimes follow. As long as she seems happy I’d roll with it. Going on a sniffary is something dogs like. She is still a young dog too and her bones still growing so not walking too far maybe a good thing.
     
  3. NancyB

    NancyB Registered Users

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    Jul 17, 2021
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    Location:
    Oakville, Ontario, Canada
    Hi, I'm having exactly the same issue. Buster is 9 months and it started about 4 weeks ago. Although I would love to walk at a steady pace, I know they need to sniff so I'm okay with that. The problem is getting him to move - especially midday when I only have a half hour break. He gets so focused on sniffing that its difficult getting his attention, even with treats. In the house he responds well to training, and is generally very obedient. Any tips on how to manage it so he gets to enjoy sniffing but will stop when asked to move?
     

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