Baxter | Mini Poodle | Hacienda Heights, CA | In Training
- Alex Kruse
- Oct 19, 2025
- 9 min read
Updated: Nov 1, 2025
Meet Baxter! He's a 3-year-old Mini Poodle from Hacienda Heights, California, and he's here for our Two Week Urban Board and Train Program. Baxter is small and lovable, but he has a mind of his own, which means he picks and chooses when to follow through on his commands. He also breaks those commands whenever he wants to, and often ignores his Recall when he's busy. Over the next two weeks we'll teach Baxter to follow through on commands when asked, come when called regardless of the distractions, and not to immediately run after squirrels or try to dart over to say hello to other dogs. Stay tuned for Baxter's two-week transformation!
10/19/25
Before bringing Baxter home we stayed at the park a little bit so I could see what he already knew. He knows how to Sit pretty well (as long as he's paying attention), so for that one we'll have to get him to do it on the first try and to hold it until released. I'll also teach him how to lay down on command since he didn't know that one at all, and that'll also lead into his Place command, which means to go to his bed or other designated spot and get comfortable there until released. And, of course, make sure his Recall is very solid since that's the main concern! At home he settled in pretty well, with only a little barking at first when he was in the room by himself. I put him with another small terrier, and while they didn't play much, they hung out together for the rest of the day pretty close to one another. Today was mostly about getting acclimated to me and his new environment, and tomorrow we'll dive straight into the training. I can't wait to work with him over the next two weeks!
10/20/25
Baxter got a chance to work around other dogs today in our group practice, and he did great! I only worked him on his flat collar with a few treats to start, mostly practicing just his Heel and trying to maintain his Sit around distractions. Any time he struggled with it, just a very light touch with one finger on his back end was enough to do the trick, and by the end of the session I didn't even have to do that anymore. His Heel right now needs a lot of tiny reminders with the leash to stay in position, but nothing too much. Just slight pressure on the leash with my fingers was enough for him to catch onto where I wanted him to be. I also started teaching him our version of Recall, which is for him to come around behind my legs and straight into a Sit on the left side. That way he's ready to go into his Heel as soon as he's alerted to move. And at the very end of the session I showed him Down, which he caught onto almost immediately. He's a very smart boy and I think he'll be able to perform his commands very quickly and easily with a little bit of shaping!
10/21/25
Today I brought Baxter to the Library Park in Monrovia to work him around more natural distractions. There were several people having picnics in the grass, kids running around, and other dogs walking by to serve as distractions. He's already getting better with holding his Sit until I give him his release word, and he's starting to grasp what's expected of him with his Recall, but he pulls on the leash a bit with his Heel. He's tiny so I don't expect him to pull me off my feet, but there should be no leash pressure at all when he's supposed to stay by my side. We'll focus a lot more on that one as we go along, but otherwise he's doing really well! At home he was interested in checking out some of the other dogs, so I let him meet my Border Collie who is very gentle with small dogs. They got along great, so I also let our Corgi meet him. It was best friends at first sight! Panda the Corgi follows him around and sits next to him wherever he is in the yard, and Baxter doesn't mind Panda's presence at all. It seems to have made him more comfortable in our environment and I'm glad he made a friend!
10/22/25
I took Baxter to Duarte Park today to practice with him around some tennis courts and a playground. We stuck to the big field to limit the immediate distractions and he did pretty well overall. He still needs a lot of small reminders on the leash to maintain his Heel, but he was starting to catch on by the time we wrapped up. His extended sit is improving daily, he's starting to grasp what I expect of him from his recall at short distances for now, and he was able to give me several clean downs. With as fast as he catches onto things, I expect I'll be able to move him to a longer line and up the distraction levels pretty quickly. He's doing great!
10/23/25
Today I wanted to hone in some more on that Heel so I took him out to the wash near my house where there would be very little distraction and it's closed in on two sides. I clipped the leash to my belt so I could see what he could do without my direct hold on it, and while we did a few passes of him not pulling on the leash, he stays a bit too far out to the side for a solid Heel, so I'm working on closing that gap. His Down was much more solid today, and while his positioning into the Sit still needs work when we're doing Recall, he's coming on the first ask without issues. I'll switch him to the long line to practice with him on that starting tomorrow. On the home front, he's doing much better eating. We found he'll eat the patty if we mix it directly in with the chicken. His manners inside are really good. He just wants to be in the same room as a person and he's happy hanging out there all day!
10/24/25
I took Baxter to the Santa Anita Mall today to do work in a more urban setting. We stayed just in the outdoor shops area for today as it can be a little overwhelming the first time with all the noise and people. He was definitely nervous, but he was able to give me all his commands without too much of a struggle. It was still a lot of tight Heel work so he knows to stick close while walking through crowds, and we also did a lot of work on his Place command. This means to go to a certain spot (in this instance I used benches, fountains, crates, etc, things he had to jump onto to give him a solid frame of reference), and then either sit or lay down in that spot until released. I generally prefer the Down when I put a dog into Place, but because he's still very new with that and because he was so nervous I only had him work with the Sit on those today. At home with the small dog cot he will Place and stay for several minutes without me having to correct him much. His Recall today was fantastic though, he came the first time I called him every time!
10/25/25
Baxter and I went over to the Royal Oaks Trail today to practice with his Heel at a very loose leash, and also to practice his Place and Recall on the long line with distractions. The trail is pretty popular with bikers, joggers and other dog walkers, so there was plenty for him to look at while he worked. He did really well with his commands, using mostly verbal corrections when needed and the tone on the collar sparingly in between.
As far as his Recall goes, while he does well with it on leash, I noticed in the house that his go-to when you call him is to scurry the other way in a nervous fashion. I always make Recall a positive thing, but even with high value treats he's generally nervous about coming unless I put the leash on and he knows he has no choice. Typically this sort of behavior spawns from accidentally associating the Recall with a negative for the dog (ie only calling him to come inside or to go home when he's busy playing, but without practicing calling him just for fun and rewards before letting him go on his way again). You especially want to be careful about calling him if he needs to be scolded for something he's doing wrong. As much as possible, Recall should be associated with positive things so Baxter isn't left guessing whether "this time" is going to be rewarding or if it's going to be a negative experience for him.
10/26/25
Today was an amazing day with Baxter! I took him over to Old Town Monrovia to have him walk through more foot traffic and outdoor seating for the cafes. What I didn't know ahead of time was that they're setting up for a food festival tonight, so there was a lot of noise and more people than I was expecting. He did absolutely great with all of it. I had his leash clipped to my belt again so he was tethered but hands-free and he stuck to his Heel all on his own without me even having to say anything. I didn't have to correct him with his extended Sits at all, and he hopped right up onto things when I asked for his Place. On top of that, lots of kids were about and they all wanted to pet him, so we got to practice his greeting manners quite a bit. He's expected to Sit for petting and hold it until released, and he was a total pro with it. I'm incredibly happy with how he did today!
10/27/25
It was group practice day again, so Baxter got a chance to show his stuff after a week's worth of training. He did much better than that first time around, being a lot more focused and able to do things hands-off here and there despite the distractions. We did a lot of work on his Recall out in the field, just letting him go and explore, and I'd call him back when he was super distracted. He came back every time without hesitation, often coming as soon as he heard his name before I even got out the command. He's come a long way in a week!
10/28/25
I took Baxter over to the Rotary Park in Monrovia today, which is a playground and field that is entirely fenced in. We worked on our Place and Sit over by the Playground, did some laps at a Heel, but then I put him on the long line and just let him go run around for a little while. Periodically I would call him back to me to check in, then send him back on his way to play. This was not only to practice his Recall, but also to continue to establish that when I call him, it doesn't mean all his fun is going to end. It's just a check-in, he gets a fun reward, then he can go back to sniffing. At one point I called him from clear across the field and he came running, no problem!
10/29/25
I worked Baxter mostly around the house and the neighborhood today to give him a more "typical day at home" with the training. He went on a nice walk at the Heel around the neighborhood, keeping that loose leash and having him Sit and wait before crossing streets. We also worked on his manners when passing by other dogs and leaving things alone that were on the street or sidewalk. I filmed some of the manners we taught him for the house so you know what to continue working on, such as waiting for his meals, waiting before going out the door, and waiting before jumping into and out of the car. He did great with everything!
10/30/25
I worked Baxter at the Rotary Park again to have the fenced-in area so I could practice with some off-leash Recall. He was doing so great with that, even with being entirely across the park, that I went ahead and practiced all of our commands without using the leash. He was a little too far out to the side still for his Heel, but he did keep pace with me and he did everything else with zero hesitation. He even came back when I called him while he was in the middle of chasing a squirrel up a tree! He really knows his stuff now!
10/31/25
It was back to the mall for us! This time we went inside and I brought Baxter to the food court area to be right in the thick of everything. He not only did fantastic with all his commands, but he was so good with the people! Everyone wanted to come up and pet him, and he sat and was well-mannered for all of it with no signs of being nervous. The cutest was the little girl who came up and kissed him, it was so sweet! He's really a great little guy to work with!
11/1/25
Today is our last pupdate so I thought I'd make it a fun one! We went out to see all the big Halloween houses in Burbank for a little photo shoot, so I really got to test Baxter's abilities to Heel around neighborhoods, to hold his Sit in front of lots of unusual things, and also just got him some general exposure to new sounds and objects he otherwise wouldn't get to experience. He did amazing with everything, as expected. The only decorations that made him look twice were the animatronic skeletons on the pirate ship, but he just checked them out for a long moment and decided they were okay.
Baxter's really been a pleasure to work with all around. He's incredibly smart and caught onto everything pretty quickly, and he's a great snuggler at night. He got along with all my dogs and with my housemates, and everyone is really going to miss him when he goes! Thank you so much for letting me be a part of his learning journey! He's an amazing little guy!
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