# Won't walk on concrete/pavement :(



## Steph_L

Daisy is now a year old and as the weather gets warmer I'm trying to take her for walks. She loves running around on grass and the dirt in the dog park, but as soon as we go to a sidewalk she just hunkers down and doesn't move. I wish I had started walking her when we first got her but she didn't fit into any harnesses and then the winter was cold. Actually, she still doesn't fit that well and I have to put it over a sweater. I'm going to try and take her for a walk every day at lunch and see if she gets used to it. We're also going to try a river walk this weekend, the path isn't concrete so she may be okay with it. 

Any tips would be nice and some prayers/thoughts. I feel so bad that she's in the house all day and that she's so scared to walk on sidewalks.


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## Polly's mom

Repetion is the key. If you make it a positive experience each time she will probably come to love it. Just takes time.


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## cyndrae

What Marcia said and add treats lots of treats


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## lydiatug

Yep, repetition & treats to get her to move forward...as long as you have voluntary forward motion, you will be well on your way


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## Kathleen

Henry was the same way. I would put him down, and he would become a "bear rug!"
I agree about going really slowly and using lots of her favorite treats.
With Henry, I started by sitting on the pavement with him and giving him lots of treats. I did this for probably a week.
Then I slowly tried to lure him off my lap to follow a treat. Even just his front paws.
Eventually, I would get him to walk around picking up treats on the pavement while I was sitting there.
That led to just a few steps at a time following treats, and eventually to full walking.
Maybe since she is good on the grass, you can have her walk on the grass and take a little step off onto pavement once in a while to follow a treat. Then gradually increase?
Also, just she have any doggie friends? Sometimes walking with a friend can help. They focus on following the other dog, and forget to be scared.
Just be patient - she will get it eventually!


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## Steph_L

Kathleen said:


> Henry was the same way. I would put him down, and he would become a "bear rug!"
> I agree about going really slowly and using lots of her favorite treats.
> With Henry, I started by sitting on the pavement with him and giving him lots of treats. I did this for probably a week.
> Then I slowly tried to lure him off my lap to follow a treat. Even just his front paws.
> Eventually, I would get him to walk around picking up treats on the pavement while I was sitting there.
> That led to just a few steps at a time following treats, and eventually to full walking.
> Maybe since she is good on the grass, you can have her walk on the grass and take a little step off onto pavement once in a while to follow a treat. Then gradually increase?
> Also, just she have any doggie friends? Sometimes walking with a friend can help. They focus on following the other dog, and forget to be scared.
> Just be patient - she will get it eventually!



No doggy friends, but that is a good idea. She's petrified of the city sidewalks but once we got on post to go back to work for the afternoon, she did better. I had to carry her across parking lots and across some roads but she walked on the concrete sidewalks and the grass next to them. She likes meeting people and running towards them so I think that motivated her.


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## Steph_L

Today was a big success. I had a hunch that she'd like the river walk since there are no cars. At first she wouldn't step foot on the walking path, only the grass but eventually she wandered onto the path and even went under some overpasses. The biggest surprise was that she almost walked all the way home. I did carry her at cross walks and where there were no sidewalks for safety. It was a total of about 5 miles, she walked about 4!


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## cyndrae

Just remember her pads on her feet might be a bit tender until she gets use to it.


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## Steph_L

cyndrae said:


> Just remember her pads on her feet might be a bit tender until she gets use to it.


That's true, I didn't think of that. She does still have cute puppy toes.


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## littlefluffbabies

Also, the pavement might feel warm or even hot on those little tootsies


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## wkomorow

I probably just feels different, so she hesitant. Many dogs take time to get used to vinyl flooring. It can's be that hot there right now, so I'd be surprised if it is the temp. Good luck, I think patience, time, and repetition are all is needed.


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## Snowball Pie's Mommi

Steph_L said:


> Daisy is now a year old and as the weather gets warmer I'm trying to take her for walks. She loves running around on grass and the dirt in the dog park, but as soon as we go to a sidewalk she just hunkers down and doesn't move. I wish I had started walking her when we first got her but she didn't fit into any harnesses and then the winter was cold. Actually, she still doesn't fit that well and I have to put it over a sweater. I'm going to try and take her for a walk every day at lunch and see if she gets used to it. We're also going to try a river walk this weekend, the path isn't concrete so she may be okay with it.
> 
> Any tips would be nice and some prayers/thoughts. I feel so bad that she's in the house all day and that she's so scared to walk on sidewalks.


Stephanie, I can understand that Daisy loves running around on the grass and dirt. Snowball loves doing that, too. But, because we live in an area where ticks are so prevalent ... Snowball's walks are on the sidewalk and sometimes a little pavement. 

Three things come to mind though in regard to sidewalks ... the location, the temperatures outside ... and, sidewalk conditions ... especially if one lives in parts of the country where there is snow and were salt is used to melt snow and ice.

Even though it might not seem hot outside to us ... the sidewalks and pavement can still be too hot for little paws if there is no shade. One can test by touching the palm of your hand to the sidewalk/pavement. The same with ice and snow, too ... some fluffs don't seem to mind the colder temperatures ... but, some do. (I know of at least one precious Malt who did require medical treatments after experiencing frostbite) And, salt can cause burns on paws. 

I have learned with Snowball that he does have his favorite spots for walking. He does best in quiet areas and away from crowds of people. At one point, he was like Daisy and wouldn't budge on certain sidewalks.

Maybe you can try a few different locations to walk Daisy and see if that makes a difference?


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