Last week a client clipped her dog’s leash on his collar and proceeded to walk to the front door, only her dog just stopped midway through the living room and would not move. It was an opportunity to remind her – and all of you – that there is ALWAYS a reason for behavior. Yes, her dog did not want to walk closer to the front door but why?
Asking that question allowed us to explore that in the past, that door has led to being outside that has led to scary feelings when dogs, people or large trucks came by (things we will be working on). Past experiences teaches us predictions of future 
experiences so it is understandable that her dog would want to stop. Her dog was having a fear response.
So, what did I do? I took the leash and demonstrated walking her dog away from the door on a loose leash first with positive reinforcement consequences and then walking back, doing this over and over. With repetitions of positive outcomes, over a short time, he was walking confidently by my side (loose leash and loose body muscles, tail wagging loosely back and forth as he was focused on being with me) to the door. And we practiced that several more times.
The lesson here is that, when your dog is walking on a loose leash and suddenly stops moving, your dog has a very valid reason. It could be your dog is experiencing pain or is tired. It could be the surface is too hot. It could be any number of reasons…but there is ALWAYS a reason.
