Please lord someone help me I'm at my wit's end with this behavior. Our puppy started doing it about 2.5 weeks ago, and he'll be 16 weeks on Tuesday.
He simply will not walk away from my office or our apartment (but will happily walk on the way back) when I walk him alone. If my husband and I are together, it's fine, if we're walking with the trainer, he's fine, and my husband has experienced it on his own to some extent, but far, far less than I'm dealing with.
Where I work, I need to take him about a block down the street to a grassy area to go to the bathroom (it's a city). He loves the grassy area as soon as he gets there - he gets to play around and rip up grass, which is his favorite.
However, as soon as we get outside my office building, he sits his butt down, or lays down, and simply refuses to move. I suspect that he's spoiled, it's hot out, and he doesn't like leaving the AC, but peeing in my office is not an option, obviously.
I've tried bribing him to move forward with treats for a week and a half with basically no results (maybe a few steps here and there). I bought a harness for him so I could pull him without hurting his neck, and I've tried pulling until he gives in and walks for maybe 10 feet and then sits down again. I tried squatting down turning and facing him to encourage him to come to me which worked maybe two times, and I've tried continuing to walk forward without even looking back and acknowledging he stopped - also didn't work and a look like such a jerk. Anytime he walks forward he gets tons of verbal praise.
I know it's not the pavement hurting him, because I've stood on it barefoot looking like an idiot to be sure, it's shady for most of the walk, and he prances the whole way back joyfully, happily stopping to smell things and let people pet him.
I have to fix this problem ASAP. I get a million questions and bad looks on the street asking if he's scared and I'm forcing him to be out there, and now he's taken to peeing and pooping on the sidewalk instead of waiting for the grass, which gets me a lot of side eye in the street. I find myself being so jealous of people who have a problem with their puppy pulling forward on the leash, because this is so much worse in my opinion. Soon I won't be able to pull him even if I want, weight wise, so I really need a solution for this.
Please, any help is very appreciated!
Oh and side note: He walks beautifully in other places like the beach, park, literally anywhere besides home and work.
He simply will not walk away from my office or our apartment (but will happily walk on the way back) when I walk him alone. If my husband and I are together, it's fine, if we're walking with the trainer, he's fine, and my husband has experienced it on his own to some extent, but far, far less than I'm dealing with.
Where I work, I need to take him about a block down the street to a grassy area to go to the bathroom (it's a city). He loves the grassy area as soon as he gets there - he gets to play around and rip up grass, which is his favorite.
However, as soon as we get outside my office building, he sits his butt down, or lays down, and simply refuses to move. I suspect that he's spoiled, it's hot out, and he doesn't like leaving the AC, but peeing in my office is not an option, obviously.
I've tried bribing him to move forward with treats for a week and a half with basically no results (maybe a few steps here and there). I bought a harness for him so I could pull him without hurting his neck, and I've tried pulling until he gives in and walks for maybe 10 feet and then sits down again. I tried squatting down turning and facing him to encourage him to come to me which worked maybe two times, and I've tried continuing to walk forward without even looking back and acknowledging he stopped - also didn't work and a look like such a jerk. Anytime he walks forward he gets tons of verbal praise.
I know it's not the pavement hurting him, because I've stood on it barefoot looking like an idiot to be sure, it's shady for most of the walk, and he prances the whole way back joyfully, happily stopping to smell things and let people pet him.
I have to fix this problem ASAP. I get a million questions and bad looks on the street asking if he's scared and I'm forcing him to be out there, and now he's taken to peeing and pooping on the sidewalk instead of waiting for the grass, which gets me a lot of side eye in the street. I find myself being so jealous of people who have a problem with their puppy pulling forward on the leash, because this is so much worse in my opinion. Soon I won't be able to pull him even if I want, weight wise, so I really need a solution for this.
Please, any help is very appreciated!
Oh and side note: He walks beautifully in other places like the beach, park, literally anywhere besides home and work.