If your dog often cries before you walk it, you might be wondering why and what you can do about it. This post will show you a number of possible reasons why it does it and what you can do to get it to stop.
So, why does my dog cry before walks? The reason why your dog cries before you walk it is likely to be because it is excited. However, it might also be because it has an injury or because you have inadvertently encouraged it to do it.
There are a number of reasons why it might cry before getting a walk. However, there are some things you can consider when figuring out the main reason and there are a number of things you can do about it.
Why your dog cries before a walk
Below are common reasons why dogs do it and what would make them more likely to be the main reason.
Excitement
The most likely reason why it does it is that it is excited. This would be more likely if it does not appear to be injured, it has always cried before walks, it gets excited when you are about to walk it and it is not hesitant about going on the walk. It would also be more likely if it behaves in a similar way when it is excited in situations such as when you arrive home.
Injury
The cause might be that it has gotten an injury. This would be more likely if it has started doing it suddenly, it has been hesitant to go on walks and if it has been showing other signs of being injured such as by limping. In this case, the best option would be to take it to a vet.
Encouraging the behavior
The reason why it has been doing it could be that you have been encouraging the behavior. If you tend to give it things that it wants when it starts crying, it will likely do it more. This would be more likely if it starts crying before you show that you are about to give it a walk since it means that it has learned that crying results in it getting walked.
Instead, it would help to wait for it to stop crying before taking it for a walk so that it learns that crying will result in it taking longer to get a walk.
Things to consider
Below are some things to consider when figuring out the main reason why your dog has been doing it.
What else happened when it first started doing it
If it did not always cry when getting taken for a walk, it would help to consider what else happened when it first started doing it since it might be the case that there was an event that caused it to start.
If it started doing it suddenly, it would be more likely to be due to an injury but it could also be due to things such as if you stopped walking it as often causing it to get more excited when it is about to go for a walk.
What is different when your dog cries before a walk
If it does not always cry when being taken for a walk, it would also help to consider what else is different when it does cry. For example, if it only does it when you take it later for a walk than usual, it could be the case that it thought that it was not going to get a walk.
The body language it shows
It would also help to consider the body language it shows. For example, if it shows signs of being excited such as wagging its tail, running around or jumping up at you, it would be more likely that it is doing it due to being excited.
What to do about your dog crying before getting a walk
Below are some things you can do in order to get it to stop doing it.
Wait for it to stop crying before giving it a walk
As mentioned above, it could be the case that it has learned that crying gets rewarded with walks. In order to prevent this, it would help to wait for it to stop crying, before taking it for a walk, so that it learns that crying results in it not getting a walk.
Reward it when it does not cry
It would also help to reward it when it does not cry by taking it for a walk without waiting and by giving it some treats.
Take it to a vet
If it seems like injury could be the reason why it has been crying, it would also help to take it to a vet. By doing so, you should be able to get expert advice tailored towards your particular dog and to find out if injury is the cause.