Hi everyone, Allow me to introduce myself. I'm new here! I have a 15-week old Shih Tzu (pure bred), or rather, he has me! He has been a joyous addition to our family for the past two months. He and I began enjoying walks that last about 25-30 minutes in the early evenings. However, for the past week, he refuses to walk. He'll walk a little, then just sit down and won't move. Help! I enjoy walking daily and was ecstatic to have walking partner and I look forward to our daily walks. Now I'm so disheartened that he doesn't want to walk. Have any other shih tzu owners experienced this? Any advice to help my pup get over this? Is it just a stage that he'll grow out of? Any tips will be greatly appreciated! Thank you!
I don’t have that breed but I don’t think your dog should be walking in public places until it’s had all it shots/jabs, which is usually around 16 weeks/4 months. He is at risk of getting parvovirus. One of my dogs was diagnosed with parvo 12 hours after I picked him up at airport. He was at vets for 8 days, nearly died and it cost a small fortune. Over $5000, and they gave me a discount because my bill was almost that much after 5 days, they had mercy for my wallet. Please keep your pup safe until he’s gotten all his shots. I thought I was going to lose him before I even got to know him...
Hi & welcome We would love to see some photos when you get chance Once your pup has had all his injections I would take a little break from your regular walks. Take him somewhere and just sit with him, it will get him used to being out & about, if he shows an interest in moving about then just go with it. Don’t be tempted to give him treats to make him walk a bit further, he will soon learn that one, eventually he won’t budge until he gets something I wouldn’t worry, it will all come back, he may be a little anxious about his environment Philippa
I have commented earlier, but, as an after thought I wondered if your pup is literally too tied. They need huge amount or sleep, about 18 hours out of 24 and a good rule of thumb is a ratio of five minutes exercise per month of age (up to twice a day) until the puppy is fully grown, i.e. 15 minutes (up to twice a day) when three months old, 20 minutes when four months old etc. Once they are fully grown, they can go out for much longer.
Just a thought, but has it heated up where you are? He's a puppy. The big, outside World is enormous to him and not so safe. Jolly up your walks. Talk to him and keep him interested in you. You should find that he soon starts to enjoy your outings
