EVERY dog likes walking, right?
NO, at least that’s not true for many Bull Terriers . And many owners are asking themselves:
“Why is my Bull Terrier not interested in a stroll and how in the world do I get my Bull Terrier to walk?”
Unlike many other breeds Bull Terriers do not find pure walking very entertaining.
Entertainment and new experiences are the major interest of young Bull Terriers and therefore a lot of action and diversion are the best recipe to interest a lazy Bull Terrier in outside activities. Mila is the prime example, she has never been a keen walker. She is also not very interested in other dogs, which excluded dog parks or play dates for us as an alternative.
Now at ten years with some Bull Terrier health issues coming into play she is even less interested in walks. In the past her not wanting to walk was no issue because she would chase after balls for hours and get enough exercise that way. During the last months, with weak hind legs from arthritis and a couple of other impairments she has lost interest in fetching and chasing.
So, her not wanting to walk made me ask myself “How do I get my Bull Terrier to walk?”
We had to find a way to do at least a little bit of appropriate exercise.
I have found a way to get my Bull Terrier to walk, and want to share it with you, in case you’re looking for ideas to motivate your aging Bull Terrier. If you are lucky enough to have a very food driven dog, our way may work for you as well.
How do I get my stubborn Bull Terrier to walk?
Here’s an idea: Why don’t you take your Bull Terrier outside for a doggie breakfast walk?
I take one of these little plastic folding step stools and her dog bowl filled with her dog breakfast serving with us on the walk.
It’s as simple as that.
In detail: I unfold the step stool turn it over to use like a basket and then put the filled dog bowl covered with a universal use silicone stretch lid inside.
We walk the first half of the intended distance, then we stop, I unpack the “basket” and Mila gets her meal while I turn the step stool and take a seat until she is finished.
Once she is done I put everything back together and we walk back home, which is much easier even without a food bribe than luring her away from our home.
I can no longer count how many people have asked me about this strange setup and made me tell them the story about the dog who didn’t want to walk. It truly is a conversation starter, that’s for sure.
In the beginning, during the first few days Mila was very skeptical, and I had to make the walks short and the reward come soon in order to show her my strategy.
Meanwhile we are going on frequent walks. She still doesn’t really love it. But, the dog food is always a successful bribe.
One day I wanted to visit a dog friendly restaurant nearby with her and let her have a doggie breakfast there. They serve it there and I found it a nice idea.
BUT, Mila realized that I did not bring my usual “equipment”, the step and her bowl, for the walk.
It was VERY, VERY hard to convince her until she realized that we were doing something special that day.
SO, if you think ten walks with dog food worked fine, now we can skip the food … think again. 🙂
Consistency is key if you want to get your Bull Terrier to walk
Dogs are creatures of habit. So, introducing regular morning and/or evening walks is a good idea.
The dog will integrate this activity into its daily program and even if it is not particularly enthusiastic about it, habit will become a force to a certain point. The rest of the motivation comes from the fact that a rewarding doggie breakfast is waiting at the end of the first part of the walk before returning back home.
I hope this little story of ours about how I get my Bull Terrier to walk will help one or the other owner.
Let me know in the comments if you have tried my strategy and if it has worked for you.
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