When our lab was younger she was stubborn on walks. If we chose to walk a way she didn’t wish to go she would arch her back, put her head down and look at you to say ‘no chance, I’m not going that way’. She wouldn’t move until you went the way she wanted or coaxed her with a treat/distraction. This stopped and she was walking lovely for months. She’s now turned 19 months and she seems to have changed personality over the last 5 weeks (since her last season). She’s become more sleepy, lethargic and quite clingy to me (previously there were no evening snuggles for me but she now happily lies with me). She has also started this odd walking behaviour again. A walk we’ve done most mornings has now become a walk where she refuses to go the way I want and puts her head down to say ‘not that way’. Shes also started doing it with her walker at lunch. Evenings aren’t so bad as we tend to go a different route and for longer. I’m quite concerned about her chance in behaviour as she looks quite sullen - perhaps like a grumpy teenager - anyone have any thoughts on this? Is it perhaps an age thing?
With this behaviour 5 weeks after her last season, I would suspect a phantom pregnancy. Hormones are funny things. If you are concerned though, you might just want to pop her to the vets to rule out pyometra.
Thank you. I took her earlier this week and he gave her a good check over but didn’t seem overly concerned. Checked her teats for milk production but couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary.
Maybe she's doesn't like Going that way maybe it's uncomfortable or scary. She doesn't behave that way on the other route and she does it with the walker too. To her it maybe perfectly justified to dislike this route.
If it's a phantom (most bitches have some degree of phantom after every season) you may not see any physical signs at all. If she is going to produce milk, it would usually be around the time that the pups would be due (so around 8 weeks afer season). Her hormones are still likely to be upset though which may explain changes in behaviour.
Last Winter, Cooper decided that she did not want to go past the gate from our HOA at our ski cabin. She would not go on or off leash. She was OK coming back into the area, but not going out, unless we went through the woods away from the gate. Something spooked her there, and we did not know what. This Summer we worked on it with both dog treats and her other dog friends, and she has gotten over it, though she still will not go very close to the gate operator, which has a buzzing sound. She will go through the gate just fine now either off or on leash.
Thanks for your help everyone. We think she's perhaps had a phantom pregnancy which is hopefully coming to an end now. However, she has turned into a very lazy lab. It's a really struggle to get her to walk in a morning and at lunch, she stubborn and still refuses go a certain way (nothing has spooked her), she'll walk the way she wants to go until she's had a sniff and done her business and she then turns to head back home. It feels more of a chore to take her out than a joy during the day. She's much better on her evening walk and normally walks lovely and often doesn't want to head back home. I'm very surprised with her sudden change and lack of energy/enthusiasm for leaving the house. She's not even 2 yet so expected her to be full of beans until later on in her life. Should we be worried? would it perhaps be her diet that is zapping her energy or is this normal lab behavior? Having never had a dog before I'm not surprised if I should be worried or not. We try to take her out for 3 walks each day, 20 mins before work, 30/40 mins at lunch and an hour + in the evening.
