Whining on the Walk

Hello all,

I pretty much take rocky to the beach everyday.(lucky him) But when we get there its just a nightmare because all he does is just cry and cry and cry. ive tryed telling him off and just plain ignoring him but nothing seems to be working and also when we are there he doesnt go and sniff or leave my side just stays right next to me the whole time crying and its starting to get very irittating.

All your help is welcomed.

Walk

Hi there,

My Brinkley is like this when i take him up the mountain for a walk,he is only happy when he gets back to the car.He will walk fine in the park for me,maybe try changing your walking location for a while?Sorry i dont have any better advice for you

thanks i will definetly try that

He is only a puppy and a strange environment is not going to make him feel very comfortable. Generally, scolding a dog for its discomfort is not only NOT going to help at all (think how you would feel if a friend shouted at you if you were scared) -- it is going to make the problem worse and perhaps a permanent problem and aversion. Also, cavaliers are NOT a breed that 'just goes off sniffing' -- they tend to want to be at your side the whole time. This is the wrong type of breed if you want a dog that has some independence and will keep itself occupied (but having a dog that wanders is not exactly the best situation anyway -- he should be on a lead and kept safe).

He is probably a bit young for a long day in a strange environment too, and is telling you this by whining -- also keep in mind a dog can overheat and die very easily in a situation where you feel very comfortable -- he needs shade and fresh water available at all times if you are taking him to a beach. At his age you can also fix these fears permanently by forcing him into situations he doesn;t enjoy and is scared by. The whining indicates he is very, very anxious. The fact that he does this daily means he does not see this daily trip as remotely pleasurable -- maybe in part because you are scolding him every time for whining and the whole trip is now a negative experience and fearful for him (think how much you would like doing something if you knew someone always told you off half the time you were doing it -- not very fun!) -- it would probably make him a lot happier to stay at home rather than brought to the beach each day for long stretches. Also it is really boring for a dog to wait around while you sit or read or whatever -- if you want to take him, just take him down for something active and interesting for him, like a walk or game of fetch. Think how bored a 3 year old would be. What would a 3 year old be doing? Crying and complaining of boredom. Same for a young dog/puppy.

Overall, he and any puppy needs to be slowly and gradually introduced to new things. If you take him to the beach, have him on a lead (especially at his very young age) and just do a quick, fun walk. Ignore any whining and do not make him do it if he doesn't want. You may need to start by simply walking or driving down to the beach, getting out, then getting back in and going home. You now need to work to reverse a negative association he has about going to the beach at all so it will be small steps if you want to get him to want to go.

I really advise buying Dr Ian Dunbar's handbook for puppy and dog ownership as it will give lots of advice on managing and working with puppies and explain the best way to raise a dog so that it is happy and confident.

thanks karlin for that, and dont worry i dont shout at him. i think i wont make him go anymore ill just take him to the park and also the funny thing is his favourite thing to do at home is play fetch but not anywhere else i geuss thats becuase he is scared. i just would really want him to enjoy the beach because i live nextdoor to it but anyway dw from now on ill take him to the park.

Karlin has the right answer's for you! cavs are scared easily by what i have seen, I would just take him to the park to mix with other people is great for him!! I know ruby loves the park! she loves kids and seeing people.

Im sure, as previously suggested, if you take him to the beach everyday then its unlikely you are spending the whole day there.... so lets focus on why he is whining even as soon as you arrive. I think it is just the fact he is maybe quite anxious. Maybe on a previous visit he encountered a particular dog or situation which scared him? He will remember this!

Holly was the same about the Glen near us. Only because she had encountered a few dogs she didnt particularly like. I kept taking her though so that she would realise there was nothing to worry about. When up the Glen I had her off lead too. Sometimes being stuck on the end of the lead made her more fearful. If there was another dog she didnt like she could wonder off to the side of the path and wait for them to pass. She dislikes over-excitable, bouncy, "in-your-face" dogs. Once I realised that was the problem, we walk off lead up there and she loves it. Her confidence increased and she wonders around for sniffs or runs around with other dogs. She still likes to be with me. But I like a dog to be a dog as well and love to see her explore and run around with the wee Jack Russells etc.

I agree with Karlin as well. Our cav Bobby (8 months) is such a "scaredy cat". When we first got him he wouldn't even walk around the estate (100m from our front door) without crying. Once he got used to that we tried bringing him for short walks. However he would actually lie down on the path rather than start to walk. Poor guy was so nervous. Slowly over time however he became familiar with our walking route and he is now sitting at the door waiting to go when I mention the word. However, if I take him for a walk on a different route he'll become nervous again.