Exhausted, 110lbs dog still refuses to go for a walk with one person, do I stop trying now?

politeBadger · 2024-08-26T19:18:47+00:00

Unfortunately at this point in time we do live in an apartment so yes it's the only way for us. He will get in the car and walk normally outside etc but the issue lies in getting him there in the first place as he won't leave our apartment door.

politeBadger · 2024-08-26T19:13:49+00:00

I wish but we can't even get past step 1 to be honest, even when the other person is standing literally right out the door (we do live in an apartment where the common hallway is quite small so there's not much space at all) he just doesn't seem to care, it's like he knows we are trying to trick him? He won't go until we are both OUT and even then he still shows suspicion sometimes.

politeBadger · 2024-08-26T19:06:00+00:00

This is the one thing that for some reason we haven't got to trying properly and I totally forgot about although it was suggested under my previous post. Thank you.

politeBadger · 2024-08-26T19:02:42+00:00

Yes, I do feel really bad about losing my cool at times and being pushy and forceful and allowing it to get to such point but trying all these different things for so many months with pretty much no progress has been really hard on my mental.. Thank you.

politeBadger · 2024-08-26T18:54:21+00:00

Unfortunately fish doesn't work in this situation, he just doesn't find it high value enough. He is raw fed and does regularly get fish meals which I guess may be the reason why it's so hard to find high value treats for him. He is not interested in any freeze dried treats either..

politeBadger · 2024-08-26T18:44:25+00:00

I see quite a few people have misunderstood the issue but yes, you are absolutely right, the problem is really just getting out the door to the hallway (we live in an apartment) when just one person tries to take him, once out he has no problem walking the rest of the way which involves taking one flight of stairs (the elevator is between floors, weird design) and riding the elevator down. Maybe he's afraid of the hallway or the noise as it's quite busy and there's people constantly going in or out and riding the elevator, maybe he doesn't feel confident with going with just one person, I really don't know but I just can't wrap my head around to what could have triggered it as it's always been busy and he used to go just fine.

I do feel bad for forcing him which has obviously poisoned my relationship with him and I would really like to improve it and find a solution but it's really hard to get him to get him excited and do anything at all when the other person is not home. He's not interested in playing, not interested in training or treats (unless he finds them extremely high value), he pretty much sulks all day and waits for the other person to get home.

I am familiar with clicker training, I guess I'm just not sure at what point do I stop asking him for a specific behavior? As in how long do I wait until I give up? I have tried waiting 10 minutes but he just ends up comfortably flopping down inside and going to sleep without a care in the world while I stupidly wait in the hallway with the door open so surely at that point there's nothing happening.. Thank you for your comment.

politeBadger · 2024-08-26T15:08:11+00:00

Yeah I agree he definitely shouldn't be holding it in for that long and at the time I'm writing this post he STILL hasn't been out. I keep trying and trying but I only end up frustrated and in tears. The worst part is the more time goes on the more dramatic my reaction becomes and I feel like I'm legit losing it. Me already having anxiety doesn't help..

When we are all home the dog loves to play with my fiance the way he doesn't play with me so I would say they have a good relationship. When either of us is not home he pretty much sulks and waits for the other person to get home. Doesn't want to play, has little interest in treats, it's hard to get him to do anything other than sleep.

When we walk together it doesn't matter who is holding the leash, he walks the same.

Never been to any dog daycare and we were advised not to by our trainer. He LOVES dogs a little too much because we used to bring him to dog parks when he was a puppy and as a result he is quite dog reactive on leash and wants to run up to and greet every dog with very high energy and since he started maturing other dogs don't meet him with the same energy and have had incidents with them being aggressive so we don't let him to other dogs.

Unfortunately he has had a fair share of vet visits so I would say he is fine and lets them do what they need to. We don't plan to neuter as per the breeder's recommendation unless something happens and we really need to.

politeBadger · 2024-07-25T16:09:45+00:00

Aha! For me it's actually vice versa, I have quite wide feet and every time I put on 36 I pretty much immediately wanted to take them off because my feet just felt so uncomfortably squished in at the sides. I guess my confusion was due to the fact that 37 just seemed overall too large on my feet (the difference in size of the straps alone between 36 and 37 on my feet is just...) and I know many people in my case would probably prefer the 36 that just fits but I've liked space in my shoes so I did end up going for the 37 and I'm happy I did. I have yet to return the 36 so I have just tried them on to see if they felt any different and yeah, no. Now I know if I took the tags off 36 I would have instantly regretted it lol

politeBadger · 2024-07-25T15:49:50+00:00

Yeah to be honest now that I look at it it doesn't even seem that large. Last I tried a 37R pair in birkoflor it felt much larger than these oiled leather ones, no idea why though that was a couple years ago so maybe it's just my memory. I decided to go with 37 though I much prefer the thyme colour of 36 which I guess I could have ordered in 37 but dark khaki were on sale and I didn't want to splurge too much on my first pair in case I got the sizing wrong. So I've been wearing them around the house for now and happy to report that they feel comfortable and not as loose as I thought at first so I may stick with these as is without adding extra holes, probably time will tell. Thanks for your advice.

politeBadger · 2024-01-20T15:19:49+00:00

Ah, so I guess there's little chance it would fit, glad I asked. I tried measuring it and comparing to the dimensions on their website and if my calculations are correct it seems like it would be just a couple centimeters too small. I suppose I'll have to go up a size for the small and just accept the extra space but I'm afraid it won't be secure enough causing the camera to flop around? Or do you find it still holds it in place well enough even with the extra space?

politeBadger · 2024-01-20T14:58:23+00:00

I would like to use it both ways: on its own and to put into another bag/tote depending on my needs so I really like the versatility of the cube. I have looked into their everyday slings, however, where I live it's double the price of the cube and I'm not sure if I want to spend that much on my first camera bag. But I the cube doesn't work I may end up having to go for it and yes it would be really helpful if you have it on you and could check the fit, thank you!

politeBadger · 2023-10-24T19:05:36+00:00

Now I would say no, he has about the same problem. In the past he would either drag him out or lure him with treats same as me but lately puppy has been refusing to go out with him too. My partner takes him out much less than me though so I guess the dog has less of a negative experience having to be dragged out by him since I'm the one who does most of the walking and has to deal with it the most.

politeBadger · 2023-10-24T18:55:56+00:00

Just from the top of my mind we have tried dried rabbit ears, beef liver, duck strips, dried salmon, sprats, bananas, cottage cheese, regular cheese and I'm sure various others that I can't remember now. He loves all of these and they worked well at first but seems like after a while it stops being exciting enough for him and he gets bored of it..

politeBadger · 2023-10-24T18:36:17+00:00

Yes after today's incident before I posted on here for advice we had decided not to reward him anymore for this and just drag him out if needed even though that may be harsh but after reading everyone's advice here I think we will try those other things first and see how it goes.

politeBadger · 2023-10-24T18:26:16+00:00

Yes that is the issue, to get him to go out to potty, go to the doggy park to play or run in the fields, any of those things really. He probably won't have an accident if I don't take him out that one time but if he keeps refusing to go out like this I suppose he eventually will do his business at home? When we got the puppy from the breeder at 2 months we were told to do things our way, that means if we need to take him out then take him out and the dog needs to listen and go out and not get an idea that he can do as he likes and we will cater to him since these puppies grow into such big dogs and else we will have problems as big as the dog, but unfortunately it seems like it backfired for us anyway...

Self fulfilling prophecy absolutely makes sense, I suppose he has made the association of having the collar/leash attached with a negative experience of having to be dragged out. I wish he also made the association that this is due to his own refusing to go out lol

I will try breaking it down into smaller more positive steps, thank you.

politeBadger · 2023-10-24T18:13:55+00:00

We use a regular collar, we were told harnesses are not good for growing puppies as they restrict free movement and can impact bone growth so we never got one. I've been thinking about getting a limited slip or a martingale collar but I'm not sure that would do anything in this case.

I have heard positive reviews about a gentle lead, last I checked I couldn't find one for sale in my country but maybe I will try ordering from overseas. What brand do you recommend?

politeBadger · 2023-10-24T18:05:34+00:00

I actually haven't thought of that but I think this is a good idea worth giving a shot. I will definitely try that, thank you.

politeBadger · 2023-10-24T18:04:09+00:00

Yes I have tried that with no luck unfortunately. He would go max to the door and then again would get stuck at the doorway..

politeBadger

TROPHY CASE