If your dog (suddenly) doesn’t want to jump anymore, there are several reasons. One may be that he just doesn’t want it. However, it is often the case that he can no longer do it, or that movement is difficult or causes him pain. Jumping dogs do not only in dog sports. Actually, it is quite an everyday movement. For many dogs, jumping into the car or onto the sofa or bed is quite normal. Especially if these are cherished habits of your dog and he loves to cuddle next to you on the sofa for his life and doesn’t do that anymore, you should pay attention.
Often you can then observe that the dog, for example, in these situations creeps around the sofa or bed and makes approaches to jump, but always breaks off. It is also common for dogs to not immediately avoid jumps completely, but for the jumping motion to suddenly look different and more cumbersome or awkward. The situation is similar when the dog is supposed to hop into the car as usual and suddenly stands hesitantly in front of the car, bouncing from one paw to the other. In very few cases does this have anything to do with stubbornness or “disobedience.”
If you notice such behavior, the first step should be to ask yourself some questions such as: Dog does not want to jump anymore
- Does your dog possibly already suffer from a disease of the musculoskeletal system?
- Have you noticed lately that your dog is lame?
- Has your dog’s behavior changed?
- Are there other things he has changed in terms of movements?
- Does your dog show problems with coordination?
- Has his musculature become less?
- Does he drag his paws more often?
- Does he sometimes snap back suddenly, like he’s snapping at a fly?
If you notice here that one or more points apply to your dog, then it stands to reason that he avoids jumping because he has pain in his musculoskeletal system. Dog does not want to jump anymore
The dog goes into pain avoidant behavior
This means that he has noticed several times that he has felt a pain in a movement and therefore avoids it. This is a quite logical consequence, which we also know from us humans. When we feel that a pain occurs repeatedly in a movement, we begin to avoid it quite automatically. Dog does not want to jump anymore
What can be the causes of pain or physical weakness?
- (neurological) back diseases such as spondylosis, cauda equina compression syndrome or herniated disc. On the one hand, the back hurts, but in many cases there are also disturbances in nerve function, coordination problems and weakened muscles. The confidence in the hindquarters and the strength are lost more and more and the dog does not manage to jump anymore.
- Hip problems such as hip dysplasia can also lead to avoidance behavior during jumps. There is a lack of strength and musculature and movement hurts the hip joint.
- Diseases in the knee joint can also cause dogs to avoid jumping. Osteoarthritis in the knee, for example, is very painful, especially at an advanced stage. The mobility in the knee joint is limited, often the musculature is already weakened and so it causes great problems to hop on the sofa or bed or into the car.
- Your dog’s age – we can delay the aging process of our four-legged friends and keep them fit in old age. But in the course of the aging process, there is inevitably progressive physical weakness. The strength and musculature then become successively less in many dogs. This can also lead to the fact that, as with us humans, certain movements are now only possible with difficulty.
What can you do? Dog does not want to jump anymore
Under no circumstances should you simply take it for granted that your dog will no longer be able to join you on the sofa. I highly recommend that you get to the bottom of the cause and have your dog examined by a veterinarian. Often – especially if you act early enough – you can eliminate the cause of the pain or at least bring about relief. This is very important, so that in addition to the problem in the musculoskeletal system, the pain does not become chronic.
If it turns out that your dog suffers from a musculoskeletal disorder, then you should support him when getting into the car, for example, with a dog ramp, or lift him into the car. If you don’t want to give up having your dog lie on the sofa or in bed, there are step-ups and stairs for this that you can offer him for support.
All the love, your Tina
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