Napping dog - help please?

A

ajb123

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For 2 days running now Lulu our roan cocker spaniel has decided to "nap" and run for home! When she did it yesterday I could see the rationale behind it as we were in a field with some horses she didn't know - she wouldn't follow me and turned and bolted for home. Wouldn't stop and I found her sat outside our front gate
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I didn't chastise her - just ignored her and let her in.

Today on a different route she has done hundreds of times she did exactly the same thing
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No idea why she is doing it - normally she loves her walkies! Any ideas what to do to get her out of doing this?
 
By napping, I thought you meant falling asleep
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Sounds like she has been frightened by somthing that has made her bolt like this, you did right not to reprimand or make a fuss, I would long line her until you can find out what is scaring her, otherwise she will assosiate walks with the fear and take flight again, I would either take some treats or a ball/toy to distract her when she begins to look aprehensive, the ball to bring a postive distration on walks at the point she begins to look like take off is likely, and a treat, if she tries to bolt, to calmly call her, and recoil her long line and offer her a treat and carry on with the walk with minimal fuss.
OR
Simply keep her on the lead, and walk on, no fuss, just carry on past the point she attempts to scarper, to try and get her confidence back in a positive(above with a positve aid) or assertive manor(no fuss walk on), which ever you think will help her most.

I would try to find out what could have scared her, and keep a close eye on her behaviour at home.
 
are you walking her in fields or on the road?is she comming with you when your hacking out?
is she normally a nervous dog or confident
just need a few details before id advise anything...
 
My female does this, she is quite neurotic - I have watched with my heart in my mouth as she bolted for the main road - and then stood beside the car, wanting to go home.

She has also been running in the field quite happily and then turned and flown back to the yard.
Instead of me finding her with a dead cat in her mouth as I was expecting, she was sitting in her box with her tail wagging.

I just have her on the lead all the time, it is too much of a risk where we live.
CALA - I never thought mine was scared, just a bit mental and a real homebird? What do you think could have scared her, particularly at home in the field?
 
Sometimes dogs that lack confidence are easily spooked at even the slightest detection of uncertainty, maybe a strong unfamiliar scent from another animal or human, this type of animal will choose flight over fight, and run for familiar ground, others, like a little rescue I have will choose to cling to a safe place, i.e your leg
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either way, I think you have to give confidence without actually physically reasuring, chance the walk route for a while then come back to the place of flight and trying to make it positive, either with a distraction, treat/toy/play with another dog, or a confident heel close and walk on past, no stopping or hesitation or aknoledgement of the so called fearfull place.
 
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