[minnere]

My 14 wk old boy Pacer doesn't seem to like going for a walk in the morning. We have been slowly trying to get him used to a new schedule because we will be going back to work in two weeks, this includes walking him at around 5:00 AM because he will need to be in his crate by 6:30 and will be there for 8 hrs. My husband and I want to make sure we give Pacer a chance to get some of that energy out before we put him in there but right now, its difficult to even make it 15 minutes. He starts wining and crying. I think maybe he is afraid of the dark but I am not sure. Should I just stick to the new routine to get him used to it? Any little tips or tricks I can use to get him to associate the dark with something positive? I have two weeks to get him used to it and I sure hope we can do it!

 

[kelevra]

Will there be a break in that 8 hour stint? That is a very long time to be left in there.

 

[jp]

I've long been frustrated by Penny's lack of morning walk interest. I had her briefly going for 6 am jogs with me early this spring, but soon after she was allowed to sleep in our room (I think that's the reason) she now refuses to go anymore. She'll head out and relieve herself and then just sit down and refuse to budge in any direction except toward the house, where she will run back up to bed. She's also no fun in the late evening, where I know she's always been a little afraid of the dark outside.
And this is after 2 years of trying every morning.

 

[Mercutio]

At 14 weeks Merc was often not keen on going for a walk regardless of how light it was which in hindsight was because he was a little bit scared of the big noisy world with cars and things. Maybe keep on trying to get him out at that time but keep it really short so that you go home before he starts whining. Can you just go outside and play with a toy or something rather than trying to take him for an actual walk?

I think it's funny that Penny doesn't like walking in the morning and just stages a sit-down. If I try to get Merc out the door without having my walking shoes on he just curls up into the littlest ball of a vizsla you could imagine and pretends he can't hear me. This is really only in winter when its cold and dark outside (and I usually don't want to go out either).

Of course, if he doesn't get his morning walk he goes completely nuts about an hour later!

 

[minnere]

Thanks for the input. I kept it really short yesterday and went back when he was really whining. Don't know if it was that or the route I chose to walk this morning, but he did great. It may have been that the route I chose ended in a big giant field where he could run for a bit. We actually were able to stay out for 35 minutes before he started whining. And, rather than running around the house this morning like a mad man he sitting quietly on my lap, chewing on his own foot! I'm going to try it again tomorrow and see if it still works. Thanks again!