Will Not Walk.....

I think ive posted about this before....but I guess it had gotten better and now that we are back from being away for 3 weeks its back to the same.
Ginger will get excited when I get her harness out in the morning and jump on the couch and wait for me to put it on (tail wagging the whole time).
Then we'll wait at the elevator and she'll sit like a good girl and get a treat.
We'll get out of the elevator, she does a little shake, and as soon as we are out the door she freezes. She wont move. I nudge her a bit, and then she actually LAYS down on the pavement.
So ive resorted to (because i have to get to work) picking her up, walking a block or two and then putting her down. She's usually fine on her own at that point, has a shake and then we are on our way to day care. She loves day care so I know its not that. Shes fine at night if we leave the building so its not the building or street we are on....its very strange.
Any advice would be EXTREMELY helpful.

I had this problem too with my little one. My trainer told me the best thing today (even though it sounds harsh) is once they lay down, just keep pulling on the leash and pull them along the ground, they will get up to walk then, I promise. He said the worst thing you can do is cater to them and pick them up because then they are in charge. I tried it and sure enough after about a foot, he was up and walking no problem at all and now he walks right out the front door and leads the way.

Hi Estee

Ginger is obviously apprehensive about something at this stage. First up, do not pick her up, even if this means you need to leave 15 minutes earlier. By picking her up, you are reinforcing in her mind that there is something to worry about here & that it is apporpriate that you pick her up.

Plan A: You need your little treats handy... the tastier the better. Just before the elevator door is about to open, place a treat right in front of Ginger's nose & proceed to walk out the elevator as soon as the doors slide open. Keep moving & keep offering the treats rapidly one after the other. If she is distracted, she will probably walk through this problem area. If she comes to a grinding halt, then move to plan b.

Plan B: Patience is the key here, hence the extra 15 minutes time you have given yourself. Get your treat out and hold it in front of Ginger's nose. If she goes to ground, then just wait her out. Be relaxed, don't fuss over her or keep asking her to walk. Soon she should relax & start getting restless to move on. If she walks just 1' then give her the treat & repeat over & over until you are through the problem area.

We had a similar problem with Chester when he was a puppy.

He wouldnt leave the front door & when he did, he wouldnt leave the garden. After chatting with his trainer, she said not to push him into anything as that would only make him more scared but instead, do it really slowly.

She said something had obviously spooked him, something that we probably wouldnt have even picked up on.

I used to take him in the front garden with his favorite toy and just play around, gradually getting further and further out. After about a week of doing this he ventured out of the garden without any coaxing... now there is no stopping him - hence me being completely soaked through this morning as even the rain wouldnt put him off!

It may be worth crouching down , at her level and having a look for anything that may be spooking her. It's amazing how different a pet's eyeview is to ours. Try it in a large pet store-scary.

When my Chester was little he wasn't that great on walks so I would do what Caraline suggested and use treats to lure him. I would also use his favorite squeaky toy and hold it just out his reach in front of him like a carrot on a stick to keep him moving forward. After a few days of this along with treats he learned to walk with me. I personally do not approve of dragging a pup by the lead because it can cause it to fear the whole walking experience.

Good luck!

Thanks for the suggestions

I know I shouldnt have been picking her up, but short of pulling her I wasnt sure what else to do. I had waited, but not long enough.
The first time around I did the treat thing....I tried to lure her from laying/sitting down to walk but she would just get the treat and sit back down...so that didnt work.
I do think perhaps waiting her out is the best thing to do. Showing her that IM in charge.
Its the oddest thing because at night she has no problem leaving the building...it only happens in the morning. Perhaps theres something going on underneath the cars that bothers her....or she just wants to make sure shes boss!
Thanks for you advice guys.