Another thing you might try is to stop her sniffing on the way to the off-lead area. If she's only allowed to sniff around when she gets there, she may be more enthusiastic about the 'journey'

Sorry only just got back to this - been a bit of a busy day!

Thank you all so much for the suggestions. She has had a thorough vet check only very recently as we took her for her vaccinations. She has had a bit of stiffness in her right shoulder from time-to-time which doesn't really show at all now she's on Cetyl-M and other supplements - I mentioned this to the vet of course who checked out her joints thoroughly. He basically agreed with what I was doing and said that if it got much worse to come back.

But she hasn't limped at all for ages now - I guess that the warmer weather helps in this regard too as it was at its worst when the weather was coldest.

I do think it could be just as described by rune tbh and ClaireandDaisy - she likes to be able to do her own thing and that's how she is...... I just wondered if anyone had any other ideas!

Harness-wise I check it all the time to make sure it's not rubbing plus I do all her grooming so if it was chafing I think I'd have noticed some redness? I do want to get a Haqahani harness when I can afford it though as I think a less thick, less padded harness would be better and I love the way this harness goes across like a girth on her belly rather than just behind the front legs like the Perfect Fit one does.

I daren't use a flat collar with her - she has too much fur lol! Finding her actual neck isn't easy! She has a flat collar just for the car which an ID tag is attached to and just the other day I thought it was fastened properly and she slipped it! It didn't matter as it happened as she was getting in the car and had her car harness on as well but I would be too nervous to rely on a flat collar.

Brierley - maybe I should do the no-sniffing thing.... worth a try anyway! I tried being more enthusiastic and using my silly-pitch voice all the way home today which seemed to help a little!

She is a funny character - I guess I have no way of knowing whether it's a Rough' thing or what as she's my first dog lol but she has her ways and her routine and she likes to stick to it. E.g - she gets in from her walk and goes to see the rabbits, then has her breakfast (which she is only really happy eating when we're both in the room at the same time!), then likes to sit on the sofa.

In an evening she will come and ask for a treat at the same time every night.

Luckily I like routine as well and it means I get up in a morning etc so I don't mind! xx

The roughs my grandparents had always did the slow frog march around this point in their lives, they do seem to become very ploddy as they get older...combined with their natural stubbornness/head strongness just equates to them going at snail pace me thinks!

Hello Luke! The two other Rough' owners we have met (we met their dogs too lol!) were just the same actually...... and the older couple we were talking to who had had a few Rough's said their previous dogs were also like this. Milly-dog plodded alongside Whisper at just the same pace too..... (oh they did look beautiful together - she was a sable like Hunter).

They really are stubborn! When there's something she wants to sniff it's like moving a brick wall....

And as my grandad always used to say, they are like a reverse good wine...getting only worse with age They had one who would put the breaks on if you tried to lead him through a gate way on lead but would happily saunter through off.

My Estrela bitch does this sometimes. It's very annoying, especially as I have two wanting to pull forwards and her going backwards! She's worse when she's due in season, so I think it's just a moodiness lead protest thing. She's three years old and very fit. I think she just isn't into being on the lead. She seems to have got better of late though, no idea what's changed.