Our Malamute, Kaya, refuses to go outside! In the past, she would go out for long walks with us and really enjoyed herself, but lately she shows no interest in exercise. At first, we thought it was just the heat of summer that was the cause, but now that the cooler weather has come she's continuing her lazy ways. We live in a noisy, dusty and crowded city and there have been episodes in the past where Kaya has been frightened by loud noises or large vehicles. She would cower, turn and run when she encountered a construction site or a garbage truck and it was a real challenge to contain her. But, now she'll make it only as far as the bottom of the flight of stairs leading to our door and then she'll turn and run right back up. Recently, we prodded her to go further and even got a few blocks from home but at the first opportunity she somehow squirmed out of her harness and sprinted right back home!

In all other aspects, Kaya is a well-adjusted dog with no health problems and an absolutely lovely demeanor. But, when it comes to exercise, she won't budge. I sense that she's afraid of something, but it could be that she simply prefers the comforts of home. She hasn't put on weight, but she's still only a little more than a year and a half old. I worry that her lack of exercise will contribute to future health problems. Any suggestions?

What kind of diet is she on? How old is she? Is she taking multivitamins? Have you noticed that she is shedding alot as of late?

I don't know if you have heard of Calm Forte...it's an herbal supplement that calms the nerves for humans...my mother takes them all the time because she has anxiety about busy stores and she has to buy food occasionally lol I found out recently that they make it for dogs as well, that may be something to look into, if its not diet related anyways.

Let is know what kind of food she is on, and if you have the package, list the first 5 ingredients on the side of the package for us. It'll help trust me

Kaya is nineteen months old. She's fed Purina Super Menu dog food with the first five ingredients as: chicken, chicken parts, grains, glutinous feed, vitamins, and powdered calcium (the ingredients are in Korean language and this is my rough translation). She's been fed this dog food since she was 10 months old and she's been perfectly health and happy. She takes no multivitamins as they are included in the dog food we use.

It seems as thoughs she's afraid of loud noises or something. Maybe try walking her a few steps, stop & pet her, walk a few more steps, pet her again, etc. I know it may take a while for any real exercise to get done, but she might just need her comfidence boosted & re-assured that nothing bad is going to happen. Just a suggestion.

Yes it sounds like she is scared of something I would suggest talking to her and petting her while walking. Does she ever go out alone if so wonder if someone was mean to her? I hope that she gets over this soon.