Dog Keeps Sitting Down Abruptly: 13 Valid Reasons

1. Laziness
2. Swelling in the anal glands
3. Hip Dysplasia
4. Allergic reactions
5. Irritation
6. Join and nerve issues
7. Obesity
8. Distraction
9. Arthritis
10. Unwillingness
11. Past experience
12. Injury
13. Anxiety

Before coming to a conclusion, you must always find the right cause for this behaviour of your dog. However, the most common causes of this are laziness and pain.

15 valid reasons why your dog keeps sitting down abruptly.

Laziness

Canines can get so lazy that they can sit down abruptly. You can validate this by researching a bit about your dog’s breed.

You can find out about its activity level and boredom level. For instance, Border Collies are a bit more active than bulldogs or Basset hounds.

However, Bulldogs are not necessarily lazy, they just need less exercise than other energetic canine breeds.

Swelling In The Anal Glands

Your canine’s anal glands are the muscles surrounding the rectum. They carry the canine’s scent and the scent for when the canine poops. Therefore, when your canine poops, a specific scent in his poop helps other canines to locate him.

Your canine’s anal glands can get infected easily. Moreover, if you leave them untreated, it can cause swelling around the rectum. The swelling can rupture at any point and this can cause your dog to sit abruptly anywhere.

In this scenario, you need to use painkillers or antibiotics to help your canine to get relief. Other symptoms of this include blood in stool, excessive licking of the rectum, pus-filled stool, straining while pooping, bumpy rectum, etc.

Hip Dysplasia

This can happen to any dog. However, it is very common in large dog breeds. Moreover, it can also cause arthritis and becomes more evident in older dogs. However, it can also be the result of a growth spurt where the canine’s hips are not fully formed.

It is difficult to treat because every canine’s condition is unique. And one of the most common and primary symptoms of this is your dog sitting down abruptly.

Hip Dysplasia is a condition where a canine walks, but the joints of the bone and hip are not connected properly. This causes both things to rub against each other and pain.

Allergic Reactions to Tick and Flea Treatments

Tick and flea treatments can be very effective to get rid of tough insects from your canine’s body. The new-age medicines are formulated with powerful chemicals. These chemicals are designed to eliminate stubborn ticks and fleas.

However, it also has a few effects that can make your canine behave in a certain way. This effect includes your canine sitting down abruptly.

Irritation

If your canine is sitting down abruptly, one of the most common possibilities for this includes irritation in the rear end. Therefore, first of all, check your canine’s rear end.

Many canines react instantly when there is something unusual on their body. If there is a small rock or stick in his poop, your canine may feel irritated and to relieve the irritation he sits down abruptly.

Joint and Nerve Issues

Your canine may sit down abruptly because he is experiencing intense pain in his body. Joints and nerves issue can cause your canine to sit down abruptly.

Ncbi says that Damaged nerves can cause a reflexive response on a particular limb. Moreover, this depends on the part of the spine that is damaged. This results in weaker limbs and changes the way your canine walks.

Joint issues also affect the moment of your canine. If your canine is having Hip Dysplasia, he may sit down abruptly.

Obesity

This is a common reason for your canine to sit down abruptly. However, pet parents may not understand their canine’s correct and healthy weight parameters. Your canine’s healthy weight depends on different factors and one of the important factors is the breed. Other factors include age, growth, height, etc.

Canines whose weight is 10-20% more than the ideal weight are clinically obese. Obese canines do not like to go for a walk much. Hence, obese canines keep sitting in between walks.

It is difficult to notice whether your pooch is obese on not if it has long hair. Moreover, obesity does not grow overnight. It is a slow process. Therefore, be careful with your canine’s health.

Distractions

Distraction can be a potential reason for your canine to sit down abruptly.

• He wants to eat something from the ground
• He spotted a small animal
• The dog may see another dog or person
• He wants to smell other dogs’ urine.

The best way to change his habit is to distract your pooch with his favourite treat.  You can carry his treats in a small bag with you while you both are going for a walk.

Arthritis

Arthritis is similar to hip dysplasia. However, the only difference is that it can happen in any joint. It causes damage and inflammation to joints that results in pain when your canine tries to walk.

This makes your canine sit down abruptly. Moreover, if you have an old dog he may struggle to roam around the same way.

Unwillingness

Unwillingness is another possible reason for your canine to sit down abruptly. Moreover, there are various causes for it:

Sickness – Your canine has suffered from an illness like neurological dysfunction or heart disease that is responsible for your dog’s unwillingness. Moreover, your canine may also be too dehydrated and overheating due to high temperatures.

Tired – Your canine may be simply tired of walking. This can be due to a lack of exercise or obesity

Past Experience

A canine that sits down abruptly can be haunted by the past. Your canine recalls more than you think. If at some point of your walks something scared or troubled them, they will be hesitant because of this memory.

Try changing the direction of the walk or the place where the dog mostly sits down abruptly.

Instead of being pissed off about it, be lovable and take the route that isn’t related to the bad memory.

Injuries

Your canine may have an old and painful injury that went unnoticed. Make sure your canine does not have a mild limp.

Like us, canines can strain a muscle if they step on the wrong objects. Even a tiny rock can have an injury to your canine. Always stop and take a look in case your canine is alright.

Anxiety

If your canine gets tense or gets afraid for any reason, then the possibilities are that they may sit down abruptly.

Some different signs that your dog has become stressed include:

• Freezing
• Inability to take treats
• Walking in a zigzag pattern
• Turning around, again and again
• Trying to get away from their collar
• Unwilling to walk forward
• Scanning the surrounding
• Getting startled through noises

Final Words

Paying attention to your canine will allow you to understand what’s causing them to sit down abruptly.

If your canine acts strangely, take him to the vet because the vet can detect the right cause for this behaviour and he/she will prescribe the correct medication.

Dogs get bored, tired,  and worried at times. When there’s no clinical problem inflicting the behaviour, try to control the situation.

I hope you enjoyed the article. I will be back soon with more interesting and informative pieces of writing. Till then, stay connected.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my dog keep sitting on his bum?

When canines keep sitting on their bum and scoot, usually it is considered as an embarrassing thing. However, it can be a sign of an uncomfortable or irritated bum and they are trying to soothe it.

Why does my dog sit down and refuse to walk?

• Your canine may be uncomfortable with the leash or collar.
• The canine is tired
• He is not feeling well
• He is in pain

What are the symptoms of worms in dogs?

Symptoms of Worms in dogs –

• Diarrhoea
• Vomiting
• Weight loss
• Abdominal pain
• Dehydration
• Poor coat
• Lethargy
• Pot-bellied appearance