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Hey, Adrienne! I tried the hot dogs and he only accepts them inside the apartment. Once we're through the door, he refuses them. Also, I have to carry him out, because when I put the harness on him, he lies on the floor and refuses to get up. It's obvious he doesn't want to go outside. The thing is he needs to go out to potty, and I live in a busy street. I've read in one of your articles that sometimes is best not to force it and set up a place for the pup to potty inside the house if he is too scared to go out. Maybe this is the case? Also following your advice I scheduled an appointment with a behaviour specialist in my city so they can assess him in person. I don't know if they will give me any different information from what I have already learned here, but it's worth the shot! Maybe I'll post the outcome here should it help anyone else. Thanks! :)

Thanks, Adrienne! Your description of a fearful dog on walks matches my dog perfectly. I read all the articles you suggested and I'm starting to experiment with the treats. So far, chicken didn't do the trick. Next step, hot dogs. Thanks again!

Hey, Adrienne! Thanks for your reply! I'm using natural bite sized soft treats. They're called Nats (I'm from Brazil, don't know if the the brand is known elsewhere). And, yes, he is pulling in a zig-zag manner! What does this mean? He only pulls to go back home when we're already close to the building gates. I take him out three times a day: first thing in the morning and after the afternoon meal and dinner. I live in an apartment and unfortunatelly I have no yard. I plan on taking him to the dog park near my building, but I'm still not feeling secure to do so since he is not very obedient yet... haha Thanks again!

Hi, Jennifer! Thanks for all the tips! I went to the store today and found the harness you recommended,but unfortunately they didn't have it available for his size. :/ Meanwhile, we're trying the heeling exercise inside the house. I'm confident he will overcome his fears! Thanks again!

Hello, everyone! I have recently adopted a 4 month old puppy. He is very sweet, but also insecure and affraid of everything: loud noises, soft noises, people, my apartment's kitchen (he refuses to go inside it!)... When he first arrived home, he looked for the tinyest places to crawl into, and he would stay there no matter what. He is slowly becoming more comfortable around the house, whining less, hiding less, although he still does all of that. He already shows signs of affection, like licking, showing his belly, and, sometimes, we even play a little bit of tug-o-war. My main issue right now is leash training. He arrived home already potty trained (!): he would whine and pace around, and I'd take him out to potty. However, when we're out, he always pulls the leash, a lot! At home, when I take the leash, he cowers and refuses to get up. I always carry him out of the apartment. When we're finally out, he starts pulling. It seems like he knows where he wants to go, and he is leading me there. Sometimes I think he wants to go back to the vet clinic where he was adopted, since he lived there for months. Sometimes I think he is only scared of the surroundings and all the stimuli (I have also noticed that he pulls his ears back and put his tail between his legs). I have tried the heeling exercise proposed here, but he completely ignores the treats in my hand when we're out. If I offer him a treat after he pees or poops, he doesn't take it. And he keeps pulling. I don't know what to do. I'm afraid if I keep insisting on taking him out it will make matters worse, since I can tell our walks are not exactly pleasurable for him. But he still needs to go outside to potty. Any suggestions on how to act in this situation? I would highly appreciate your advice! Thanks and best wishes to all!