We just got our Berner (one year old female) and we can not get her to walk on a leash for more than 10 minutes. She'll usually take care of business and then head right back towards our house. She sits down and refuses to move if we try to walk in another direction. She likes to run and play in the backyard so I don't believe it's a physical problem. Anyone have any suggestions? Thanks.

Hi there. We had a similar problem with our Berner Ollie when he was about 5 months old. He would sit down on walks and sometimes refuse to get out of the car to go on walks. At the time we also thought it was a behavioural problem as he would run round the garden at home and didn't give any clear indication of pain. He seemed to grow out of it after a couple of months so I didn't worry too much about it.

However when he was 2 he started struggling on longer walks and seemed to have a problem with his back legs. After x-rays were done on his hips at the start of this year he was diagnosed with hip dysplasia and is now waiting to get a total hip replacement next month. The surgeon we were referred to said that Ollie had probably been in pain for a lot longer than we'd realised and that's likely why he didn't want to walk when he was younger.

It may well just be a behavioural issue with your Berner as they can be stubborn at times but it might be worth getting her checked over by your vet just in case there is a physical problem. Good luck with her.

Our Ollie was the same intermittent lameness which I know isn't a problem for your dog from a young age and refusal to walk any distance most days.

We lost him in February due to illnesses he had been harboring from a young age. Muscle problems degenerative myleopathy of the neck and a couple of others. None particulalry Bernese related. Not saying this is your dogs problem but maybe she is uncomfortable and knows her limits.

On the other hand she may just be a lazy Berner.