Paw Pals Pet Sitting

Dog Walking & Pet Sitting in Northern VA

Client Portal
(703) 345-1695
Schedule Services
  • About Us
    • Client Reviews
    • Common Questions
    • Team Bios
    • Join Our Team
    • Policies & Service Agreement
    • Who We Support
  • Pricing
    • Dog Walking
    • Dog Sitting
    • Cat Sitting
    • Pet Sitting
    • Additional Services
    • Holiday Fee Service Schedule
  • Dog Sitting
  • Dog Walking
  • Cat Sitting
  • Pet Sitting
  • Blog
  • Contact Us

Why Does My Dog Stop And Sit During A Walk?

October 5, 2020 by Mary Telesz

pug with pink harness on a walk just sitting downAmong the more confusing things your dog may do is to suddenly stop and sit while walking. This is called “planting”. Sometimes, your dog may plant and refuse to move off for several minutes.

Owners of small dogs may pick the dog up and carry it. When the owner does that, the dog soon learns that if it plants, its owner will pick it up. With a larger dog, however, picking it up and carrying it is not an answer. You have to find a way to entice your dog into moving off. The place to begin is first to try to figure out what is causing your dog to stop and sit during a walk.

Reasons Dogs Suddenly Plant While Walking

Dogs stop and sit or plant themselves for many reasons. As a dog-loving owner, you should not mistakenly assume your dog is “lazy” before trying to determine why your dog is planting. The most common reasons for a dog’s planting behavior include:

Pain or Illness

If your dog is normally energetic and walks happily along but suddenly plants, you should suspect pain or illness. Check your dog’s paws to make sure it hasn’t stepped on something sharp, broken a toenail, cut itself, or simply rubbed its paws raw from a rough surface. In fact, consider the surface you are on. Is it so hot from exposure to the sun that it is burning your dog’s paws? Is it so slippery with ice that your dog cannot get traction?

If your dog’s paws seem healthy, consider whether the dog has pulled a muscle or sprained a ligament. One way to check that is to encourage your dog to stand and see if it is willing to put weight in all four legs.

Planting behavior is also a sign that your dog is feeling ill. For example, if your dog is having digestion issues or neurological issues, it may be too sick or confused to keep going.
If you believe that your dog is planting because of an injury or illness, don’t scold it or force it to keep going. Get the dog home, and if needed to your vet for diagnosis and treatment.

Your Dog Needs a Break

yellow lab sitting at his owners feetDogs get tired and need a break, too. Maybe it just needs a moment to relieve itself.

A rest is appropriate if you are taking a dog on a longer walk than it is used to. If your dog has turned into a couch potato, don’t ask it to walk five miles all at once. Respect the fact that your dog will get tired and needs a break. After a few minutes rest, ask your dog to resume walking – use a little treat if needed. (Be careful not to overdo this or you may end up training the dog to stop and sit just to wait for a treat before going again!)

Also, take into consideration the weather conditions. In the summer heat, you can avoid planting by giving your dog frequent breaks in the shade with access to water. If your dog still plants, it is telling you that it is overheating and you have gone far enough.

Breed and Age of Dog

Not all dogs are bred to walk long distances. Some dogs simply require less exercise than other dogs.

For instance, dogs with flat faces have respiratory challenges that make long walks uncomfortable and even unsafe in certain conditions. Long brisk walks are also too hard for some heavy, large-boned dogs, long-haired dogs, short-legged dogs, and small petite dogs. Planting is the only way they have to communicate their discomfort to you.

In older dogs, arthritis or other health conditions can become so uncomfortable that your dog cannot tolerate long walks anymore.

Fear

Dogs that are not used to walking on a leash plant because they are confused and anxious about what the leash is all about. Usually, these dogs just need a little time to adjust and the planting behavior will cease. Try to avoid scolding the dog or forcing it to move along before it is comfortable with the idea. The last thing you want to do is give your dog reason to be afraid.

If your dog senses something ahead that scares it, your dog may plant out of fear. For example, an oncoming fire engine with its sirens blaring could be very frightening to your dog. Other examples may be fireworks, thunderstorms, other dogs, or unfamiliar objects such as a bicycle. Your dog may freeze with fear, or worse if your dog is really afraid it may try to bolt to escape the scary thing.

Your dog will remember that scary experience for a long time. Your dog may associate that scary experience with the location where it occurred. In that case, your dog may become apprehensive about future walks in that location and plant to avoid re-living that experience.

What You Can Do to Encourage Your Dog to Keep Walking

dog holding a leash in his mouth waiting for a walkUsually, a dog that plants itself is telling you it needs a rest for some reason. Let your dog rest and consider whether you need to take the dog home. Make it a habit to carry water (in hot weather or for long walks). Once your dog is breathing normally and seems rested, ask it to resume the walk with a cheerful voice and a gentle tug on the leash. Once it is moving, reward it with a pet or a treat.

If your dog is simply refusing to move along with you because it is distracted by another dog, a squirrel, or other distractions, you will need a way to regain the dog’s attention without the need to use force. One of the best ways to do that is to carry a variety of great treats and your dog’s favorite toy with you. That will keep your dog focused on you while making the walk lots of fun, too.

Talk to the Dog Walking Professionals at Paw Pals

Walking your dog is very important for its mental and physical well-being. Planting behavior is frustrating but can be remedied once you understand the reason for it. The dog walking experts at Paw Pals can answer your questions about your dog walking issues. If needed, they are also available to walk your dog for you when you are unavailable. Contact them today for more information about their dog walking and other pet care services.

Filed Under: Dog Walking

Contact Paw Pals for More Information

Paw Pals specializes in professional dog walking, dog sitting, and pet sitting services. One of our reliable, adult staff members will keep your pet safe, while providing your pet the love and care they need when you are away. Contact us to learn more!

Have a Question?

Certifications & Associations

PetTech-logo

PUPS-logo

Kennel Pro

Best of NOVA award 2022

Best of NOVA award 2021

Best of NOVA award 2020

Northern Virginia Magazine - Best Pet Care 2019 Award

Powered By

Pet Sitter Plus logo

Office Location

Paw Pals Pet Sitting, LLC
14001-C Saint Germain Drive #213
Centreville, VA 20121
(703) 345-1695

professional dog walking software

Office Hours

Monday
9am - 5pm
Tuesday
9am - 5pm
Wednesday
9am - 5pm
Thursday
9am - 5pm
Friday
9am - 5pm
Saturday
Closed
Sunday
Closed

Areas Served

Centreville – 20120, 20121
Chantilly – 20151
Clifton – 20124
Fairfax – 22030, 22033
Fairfax Station – 22039
Manassas – 20109, 20110, 20111
Reston – 20191, 20190

Google Rating
4.9
Paw Pals Pet Sitting
Paw Pals Pet Sitting
4.9
Taylor Smith
Taylor Smith
21:22 03 Oct 21
I never worry when Mary and team take care of my dog!
Michæl Silva
Michæl Silva
21:38 01 Jul 22
Mary at Paw Pals Pet Sitting is the greatest! She has helped me train my pooch Chico how play nice with other dogs and for that I am extremely grateful! A+A+A+A+A+A
Kwi Kim
Kwi Kim
22:37 17 Jun 22
I hired Paw Pals based on my sister’s referral. Meet & greet was very thorough and detailed. I was surprised that my finicky cat came to check the sitter out. Subsequently, a sitter watched my cat over several separate visits, and it was clear through the visit reports that my cat loved the sitter. All the visits were completed having followed my directions & with professionalism.I would highly recommend Paw Pals to anyone who’s looking for a dependable, personable, & professional sitter.
Joseph Walter
Joseph Walter
19:55 13 Jun 22
Paw Pals provided a large number of photos of our pets along with a personalized message on how our pets were doing with every single visit. I would highly recommend using Paw Pals, we'll be continuing to use them whenever we go on vacation.
Ashley Manning
Ashley Manning
09:50 11 Jun 22
Highly recommend as pet sitters!Initially, a sitter from the company will visit the house to meet the pets and learn where everything is. Tatiana took careful notes and we got her some spare keys.While we are away, Paw Pals sends sitters to come and look after our boys. They feed them, scoop litter, bring in mail and packages, and they will even manage trash, recycling, blinds and lights so that everything is comfortable for our kitties. Each time they check in, we receive an email message with updates and pictures, which is so comforting when we are on the road.Also, if you don’t let Paw Pals know when you are home, they assume something has happened and will continue to care for your babies. If something were to happen, I know they would be okay.Five stars for Paw Pals!
Brian Wood
Brian Wood
04:08 22 May 22
We have used Paw Pals for a number of years now and would highly recommend to anyone looking for help with their pets. Great communication from owner Mary and flexibility to make adjustments in schedule as life changes over time. Have had a consistent set of walkers who have gotten to know our pup and the various walking routes around our neighborhood quite well.
Lesley Bush
Lesley Bush
13:58 18 Mar 22
We can't rave enough about Paw Pals. They took care of our 18 year old Cat and 20 year old Chinchilla while we were away and when our flight got cancelled, they were so accommodating and available last minute for an extra day. We worked with Jen to coordinate visits from Miko and Danny. I loved the pictures and updates on how our Lil geriatric guys were doing. Thanks a million, Paw Pals!! Our special pets were so well cared for.
Sebastian Barnes
Sebastian Barnes
01:06 17 Jan 22
I have used Paw Pals for several trips over the last few months, and they have been phenomenal every time! Mary is extremely kind and responsive, and she makes sure that my cat and dog have the care that they need every time I am out of town. All of the pet sitters that I've had have been incredibly sweet to my pets, and they treat them like their own! Will gladly continue using Paw Pals every time I need a sitter.
Julie Shildt
Julie Shildt
17:45 14 Nov 21
It has been a pleasure doing business with paw pals. We have used this company for several trips we have taken over the past 6 months. They have been wonderful caretakers for our 2 cats. Anytime there is ever a question they don't hesitate to give us a call and they leave the best notes and pictures in the emailed report of each visit. We are so glad have found such a great company.
Andrea Hall
Andrea Hall
22:45 03 Oct 20
I wasn't sure about hiring a new doggie walker service... after all they are our kiddos... my babies were in great hands and I felt relaxed having them in their care. Thank you for everything!
Katie McCune
Katie McCune
19:19 15 Jul 21
I honestly cannot recommend Mary and her whole crew enough! We started using Mary originally about 7 years ago to stop by occasionally when our Aussie Lana was younger. Over the next couple years Lana stayed with Mary and her family for a couple weekends when we went on vacation. When we moved to our new house in Manassas, Lana stayed with Sam, who lives in Manassas, overnight for moving day, and did great. Right before the pandemic, we adopted our second Aussie, Goose, and Mary recommended a fantastic trainer for him.We now have weekly walks for the dogs, and they love all of their walkers! Trevor, Paul, Hazel, Sofie, and probably a couple others have helped Goose get used to more people, and have helped my husband and me when our schedules are crazy.Paw Pals is our go-to for any help with our dogs, so I highly recommend them!
Alexandra Hill
Alexandra Hill
22:43 23 May 21
I was a nervous mommy to leave my cats with a sitter service for the first time. Paw Pals went above and beyond to care for my cats and ease a nervous mommy. I already made a reservation to use them again!
Cindy Welgoss
Cindy Welgoss
13:12 27 Nov 20
We have been using Paw Pals for several years, and through a variety of pets that we have loved. Mary and her team have always been *exceptional* in every way. They are professional, courteous, and truly love our fur family! Mary herself is an organized and stellar administrator of her pet care business, keeping detailed records of our pet’s needs, scheduled pet visits, payments, and balance due easy to keep track of as the pet owner. The pet caretaking team is reliable and trustworthy. When our dogs see any of their Paw Pal friends, they get SO excited to see them! Follow up comments are left via text to keep the pet owner informed of the visit and how the pets are faring. Paw Pals has allowed our family the peace of mind to leave our pets at home, for work, weekend getaways and longer times away when necessary, where they are the most comfortable and familiar. We are grateful to Mary and her team for giving us the ability to enjoy pet ownership without feeling tied down. The responsibility of having pets comes with the need to keep them safe and comfortable at all times, and Mary and her team affords us this when our family has to be away.
Dr Tammy Cashion
Dr Tammy Cashion
21:11 12 Mar 19
We have used Paw pals pet sitting on multiple occasions for our bunnies while we are away. Many pet sitters are not interested in small pets however; Mary and her team, are amazing and we trust her implicitly! We are very happy with the outstanding service we have received from her team including texts and photos of our pets when we are out of town. They always go the extra mile and we highly recommend them!
Kristin Conrad
Kristin Conrad
16:00 16 Nov 19
We are so grateful we found Mary and her team at Paw Pals. They are exceptionally responsive, amazingly organized and detail-oriented.We have such peace of mind when we travel knowing our home and pets are so well cared for. Paw Pals is the best pet sitting service we’ve used, and we’re so happy we found them.
Katie Russell
Katie Russell
15:01 17 May 20
Paw Pals is fantastic! I have had a great experience with Mary! Compassionate, professional, responsive, and prompt! Thank you!
Phillip Evans
Phillip Evans
14:38 11 Jul 20
When we adopted our new dog in January, Paw Pals agreed to walk her and give her some outside time so she wasn't in the crate all day. She loved her dog walker and you could see her excitement every time the walker showed up. We moved out of the area but would recommend Paw Pals to anyone needing someone to care for their pets.
Next Reviews Write a review
powered by Google

© 2023 · Paw Pals Pet Sitters, LLC · Website Design by 321 Web Marketing