Baxter | Mini Poodle | Hacienda Heights, CA | In Training

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!

---