Your dog needs to get some exercise and go potty, but while you love them with all your heart sometimes there are other things you’re doing and you just want someone else to take them, like your husband, wife, partner, or dog walker. But your dog just won’t do it! Your dog won’t go for a walk without you — what does that mean?

Well, while this is certainly frustrating, it’s not that unusual of an issue. So the good news is that there are proven answers for all the questions you have, and most importantly: a proven solution for how to get your dog to walk without you. Now without further ado, let’s get to our article “My Dog Won’t Go For a Walk Without Me, What Do I Do?”

How to Get Your Dog to Walk Without You

To get your dog to walk without you, start by having whomever you’d like to be able to take them out for walks (your wife, husband, partner, dog walker, etc) to go along with you. Bring along your dog’s favorite treats, and have this person give them to your dog whenever they’re doing well. They’ll quickly make positive associations with going on walks with them.

Still, you’ll need to address what was causing this whole entire problem in the first place: your dog’s separation anxiety. Let’s think about what’s really happening when your dog is going through something like this by starting with what makes dogs tick.

You’ve probably heard before that dogs are pack animals, and that in every pack there is a pack leader. Well, when your dog gets stressed and worried anytime you’re not around, they’re basically telling you that they don’t see you as an effective pack leader.

That might sound strange since they’re looking to you for safety, but it’s true. Think about it: one of a pack leader’s responsibilities is not just to watch over and protect the other members of the pack, but also to instill this strength and confidence in the other pack members as it makes the entire group more formidable.

Show your dog that not only are you their pack leader — but one that is actually capable and effective — and they’ll in turn develop their own sense of strength, confidence, and security. This will allow them to have the independence to go on walks without you, while also ending all kinds of other related behavioral problems.

Sounds terrific, does it not?

“Yes, of course, but I don’t have any clue at all how to do that.”

No worries, because it’s actually fairly simple to learn and teach to your own dog — as long as you have the right instructions for yourself. That’s why I’d recommend an excellent free video series that’s on just this subject — how to be your dog’s pack leader — by a renowned trainer named Dan.

Start watching Dan’s free training series now by clicking here. And don’t worry about ever having to be mean, because he only uses training methods that are 100% humane and loving at all times — you won’t ever even have to raise your voice to your beloved four-legged friend!

My Dog Refuses to Walk Without Me

Your dog refusing to walk without you is actually very common, as many will not walk without their guardian. Your dog will only go for walks with you because they experience separation anxiety when you’re not around. Leaving you makes them feel very stressed and worried, which obviously would make going for a walk without you not a pleasant experience.

While it’s not unusual, it’s still something you need to begin addressing right away. Left unchecked, you’ll have other related problems develop (if they haven’t already) like refusing to go outside without you (we’re talking about the backyard, front yard, etc. here) or even being too scared to go outside at all.

My Dog Suddenly Refuses to Go For a Walk Without Me

If your dog suddenly refuses to go for a walk without you when they would previously, then something negative has happened very recently. Think about what types of things have occurred lately during walks, while your dog was outside in general, or just anytime they were not with you. Any bad experiences could make them very fearful, and much more clingy to you.

If this is the case, then you need to work on helping them handle their fear issues. Bad things will happen here and there in life no matter how careful you are with your dog, so you need to give them the confidence to handle things with stride. Go back to the first section for how to accomplish this.

My Dog Won’t Go For a Walk With My Dog Walker

If your dog won’t go for a walk with your dog walker, they’re experiencing fear and separation anxiety when you’re not around. You can help them make progress with this by easing them into things. Try going along with your dog walker the next few times (you’ll still have to pay, of course).

Bring your dog’s favorite treats and have your dog walker give them to your dog when they’re doing well. This will create positive associations for your dog and going on walks with your dog walker without you. Soon, your dog will trust them and probably even see your dog walker as a trusted part of your pack.

Remember that dogs are descended from wolves, so it’s normal for them to make associations like this.

I’ll let you get moving on things now because the sooner you get started the sooner you can get your dog to walk without you as well as seeing all of the other wonderful changes we discussed. Good luck with everything, and thanks for reading this article “My Dog Won’t Go For a Walk Without Me, What Do I Do?”