Why doesn’t my dog love walkies any more?

From a stay-at-home pooch to weather worries, our experts solve your doggy dilemmas

Most dogs love nothing more than going out for a walk, so if your fourlegged friend is refusing to leave the house, something must be up. That’s just one of this week’s problems for our Dogs Trust Wagony Aunts, who are here with answers to all your questions about canine capers.

My dog has stopped wanting to go out for walks. What can I do?

Something might have scared him when he was outside, such as a firework going off in the distance, a car backfiring or bad weather. Changes in behaviour may also be linked to underlying health problems, so speak to your vet to double check he is in good health. They will also be able to refer you to a qualified behaviourist.

In the meantime, don’t force him to go on walks if he doesn’t want to. If he enjoys the first few minutes of a walk, then it’s fine to keep walks short for now. Head for quieter areas and steer clear of anything that makes him worried. Try to make walks fun by bringing his favourite toy and some tasty treats with you.

If you have a garden, you can spend time here doing enjoyable activities such as playing with toys and scattering food for him to sniff. This will help to build his confidence outdoors. Just make sure he can always choose to come back inside if he wants to.

There’s also a lot you can do to keep him active and exercised indoors, such as reward-based training sessions, hiding treats for him to find, toys, and interactive puzzle feeders. Find more ideas at dogstrust.org.uk

How can I stop my dog from digging?

Digging is a normal behaviour and there are all sorts of reasons why dogs

do this. They might be roughing up the ground to prepare a cool resting spot, looking for interesting scents, spreading their own scent or burying something they want to keep safe.

Stopping your dog from digging altogether might frustrate or upset her. But don’t worry, you can help her dig in a way that’s still fun and protects your flowerbeds, by making a digging pit:

1 Choose an area of your garden that you’re happy for her to dig in.

2 Find a sturdy container (such as a cat-litter tray or a heavy-duty plastic box).

3 Dig a hole deep enough so the top of the container is flush with ground level.

4 Fill the container with the earth you’ve dug out from the hole, or use dog-friendly sand.

5 Teach her to enjoy digging in this area by scattering or burying treats, or half-burying some of her outdoor toys for her to dig out. If you start scrabbling in the dig box yourself, you might find she comes to investigate and copies you!

6 The more rewarding it is for her to dig here, the more she will return to it. If she starts to dig anywhere else, pop over to the dig pit and start hiding her rewards in it so she comes to see what you’re doing. She’ll learn that digging here is much more fun than digging elsewhere.

7 You can also make an indoor or patio digging box using a cardboard box filled with shredded newspaper. Hide her toys and treats for her to dig out – she’ll love it!