Collie suddenly refuses to walk!!

This is a guess based on my own dog (a collie/setter mix) - similar happened to her, but it was only one direction. She'd turn left out of the drive and up the block - but not right. Again, it happened out of no where, for seemingly no reason. Ok, here and now, I will add, my dog is beyond silly :rolleyes: The biggest wuss probably ever created. So, with that in mind - during the summer (May) she had taken a (silly, pointless) fright over a ceramic flower pot (or whatever outdoor pots are made of) someone had balanced on their wall that had tipped over and broken on the ground. Terrified (I've told the tale here before!) We were walking along, happy, fine and not a bother until she spotted that - had a complete meltdown (howling, barking, fur up on her back - all while trying to hide behind me :rolleyes: in the middle of afternoon school pick up (oh, I live between two schools on one road) :rolleyes: so vast audience to watch her oscar performance meltdown over a broken flower pot that she was sure had arrived to destroy the world and her entire existance :rolleyes: See, I did warn you I've a silly dog! - so - fast forward to late September where she will no longer turn right out of the drive and up the block. I took an afternoon and coaxed her along with her ball and flinger (sorry, I have to add here, I LOVED that you used flinger that's what I call it and anyone who hears me say it just looks at me baffled and like I'm a bit mad, even when I explain or show them!), she didn't want to, but yet she will do anything for that ball and flinger so slowly, house by house we went up the block, she was gaining a bit of confidence after the 3rd house until ..... dunt dunt dunt (dramatic music!) ..... we reached the house with the doomsday flower pot .... dunt dunt dunt (more dramatic music) it had been ... REPLACED! :eek: - she had spotted that from our house and decided, nope, its gonna get me if we go that way. So, after knocking on the door and asking if I could take their flowers down to show her (yes, they laughed at me, but thankfully owned a dog so "got" the dog weirdness thing! ) - we spent a few minutes getting to know the flower pot :rolleyes: - apparently she and the flower pot came to an agreement and we no longer have issues going up the block in that direction. However, the flower pot still gets evil glares as we pass just in case the agreement falls through!

Maybe your dog got a fright from something in that direction? They've no issues you said elsewhere just that direction. Maybe try and see when their fear peaks and spend a few minutes there, being calm yourself showing them "see, nothing scary here!" - I might have been a bus or a motorbike or something you didn't even notice. Just a guess all this has been! But collies can be weird like that :rolleyes: but that's why I love collies!

Oh - and on a side note - regarding the pulling on the lead - I had the same issue. After she danced up Dame Street on her back legs (pulling that hard!) - much to the amusement of every passer by. :rolleyes: I decided a harness was in order, quick! We took a trip to Maxi Zoo and I spotted a harness so quickly I just knew it would work and I loved the look of it! (And I'm not really a shopper let alone an impluse buyer like that!) we tried it on and staff said to take her on a spin around the shop to try it out, by the time I reached the end of the shop I called back "yes, just put it on the bill, we're taking it!) - Its literally the best. harness. ever. No doubt. I cannot praise it enough! Super bonus - she loves it as well! Normally she'll try and chew things like that off. I've gone through about 10 reflective coats (cheap, I'll admit, but still!) but nope, she loves this, goes mental when she sees it and she's such a joy to have out and about on it that she literally goes everywhere with me now and our walks have doubled in length and occasion! So it might seem pricey (I paid 38 euro for her size which is collie size) but seriously, if the price was doubled I'd have still bought it and be singing its praises! Its called a Julius-k9 harness (I found a direct link to them but Maxi Zoo has them)

http://www.julius-k9.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&view=productdetails&virtuemart_product_id=2404&virtuemart_category_id=353&Itemid=583

maybe try much shorter walks if you can catch him just before he starts refusing to walk further and turn around and go back so your breaking this new found habit .once you get him out in a walk so many times and get him around before he gets it into his head to turn he might just forget about it !

I too have have had to overcome the neurosis of my dog(s) refusal to walk. I also have border collies. One used to stop at the top of a hill and would refuse to go further but because I had the other dog with me she eventually gave in and reluctantly followed, this happened quite regularly in a very quiet area, it made me wonder whether there was something creepy about this part of the road, (I guess she had a neurotic owner too) Like another poster said I would have to wait until she was ready, I turned back the first time because I thought she knew best and we'd walked a fair bit of the walk already but when it kept happening she just had to come with me, even if she didn't like it much.

Having said that it was only a particular part of the roadway, once she got over it, she was fine. But this only started happening in older age. As with another BC he won't really walk much at all nowadays, he has in fairness to him very bad hips, so I can't really blame him. But he still needs a little exercise and use it or lose it analogy kicks in with me. The walk is really short and in an area where I can have him off lead, though I need to keep him on lead or he'll take an even shorter cut, slip around and wait for me to return.

Another thing that struck me with your case is you said your collie loves running around off lead, and playing ball are these all on grassy softer areas? Perhaps he has a problem with his pads? May be the road his hurting him, they could be cracked?