How to take a puppy for a walk?

I made a post about this earlier, and Ferris has gotten much better with his walks since then. It's extremely easy to walk Ferris when I know where he wants to go (the grassy areas), but when I want to take him to new places, or just walk in a different path, he refuses, and when I try to pull on his leash to get him to go, he whines and tries to go the other way. It's very frustrating, and I even brought treats with me once to try to bribe him, but nothing really works. How can I teach him to follow me instead?

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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on July 25, 2012 at 7:56am

Use a higher pitched baby talk voice and try to be as fun and silly as possible. If all else fails pick him up and walk towards your intended destination and then put him down and get out the treats and fun voice again. As he matures he will go through many stages and you just have to be patient. Are you going to go to a puppy class? It can be a great experience.

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Permalink Reply by Ludi on July 25, 2012 at 11:53am

I'm sorry to say but this is something that may end up taking some time before it goes away completely. I remember getting Ace - he was already 4 months old, but was inexperienced with leashed walks - and wondering how I ended up with a puppy who had the gravitational pull of a dying star. I could get as far as maybe half a block before he'd shut down and commence self-destruction sequence. It was IMPOSSIBLE to not get frustrated with him, even though he was adorable and innocent. I lured him with treats, used my Happy Voice, wiggled a cat fishing pole toy for him to chase... I did everything in my power to get him to move forward. Eventually, I'd say maybe two or three weeks after arriving, he was able to do longer distances before turning off.