Golden Retriever Puppy Leads A Horse On A Walk - But The Steed Isn't Having Any Of It

We've all been there: You want to take your dog for a quick walk around the block, but the dog isn't having it. They have a completely different plan in mind, from sniffing every leaf to munching on grass and leaving their mark on every tree, pole, or fire hydrant you walk by. They test your patience as you're forced to turn and look at them, waiting for them to move along. If you've ever wanted to hand the leash to your dog and say "You try walking me!," then you need to watch the following September 2026 video.

In the video, a golden retriever in Janesville, California, seems to get a taste of many dogs' own medicine. An equestrian trainer in a small community on the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains had finished working with a client's horse when a little golden retriever puppy grabbed the leash as if to say, "I got this!" Of course, as the little dog pulls the leash, the horse keeps stopping to eat hay on the ground, leaving the puppy to spin around and assess the delay.

This is oh-so reminiscent of the golden retriever who wanted to play with a new puppy earlier this year, but the little golden wasn't having it. It seems that horses can play that fussy game sometimes, too! And who knows if this is the first time the little golden puppy is seeing a horse? It can sometimes be a shock, like it was for one adorable cattle dog being introduced to a horse in 2025.

This local ABC affiliate station video stems from a behind-the-scenes clip made by equestrian trainer Natalie Nakanishi, who started her horse and dog training business as a teenager and uses her psychology degree to incorporate animal psychology concepts and equine-assisted therapy into her training and instruction programs. Equine therapy isn't new, either. Who could forget the therapy horse who went viral for helping kids in hospitals?

For Nakanishi, this cute puppy-walking-horse scenario arose in an initial video following a post-workout cooldown session, with the cheerful "Baby Elephant Walk" instrumental tune playing as the puppy walks the horse to the woodwind notes in the song. This comment on the trainer's video captures the theme perfectly: "I'll go along with this because you are a cute kid but I'm just humoring you." A German shepherd runs alongside them, keeping watch over the little puppy walking the horse. And the German shepherd isn't new to the horse-on-a-leash, either: It's served as an assistant on the ranch, with the horse being more compliant with the older dog than with the golden pup.

As with most animal posts on social media, the comment sections are golden, including one Facebook user joking, "Retrievers gonna retrieve." Another commenter brought the LOLs, writing, "That horse is every dad who ever had a toddler grab his hand and guide them somewhere against their will."