Bear | Goldendoodle | Victorville, CA | In Training
- Tanner Strong
- Dec 14, 2025
- 8 min read
Updated: Dec 28, 2025
Meet Bear! He's a three year old Goldendoodle from Victorville, CA here for our Two-Week Community Board and Train Program! Bear is strong, loves to pull on his leash and has trouble listening to commands. Chasing birds is often a priority for him, even if it means running out the front door to get them! Over the next fourteen days, we will work on Bear's obedience, especially his recall, help him with his manners in and out of the house, work on his impulse control, and help him become the best pup he can possibly be! Stay tuned for Bear's two week transformation!
Pupdate: 12/14/2025
After picking up Bear today, we spent a little time at the park so we could start getting to know each other. He was unsure at first and gave me one growl early on, but after that moment he began to settle and warm up as we spent more time together. He is definitely very strong and still pulls on the leash, but he also comes across as quite intelligent and thoughtful as he takes in his surroundings.
Once we got home, Bear surprised me in a great way. He hopped right out of the car with me, allowed me to put his leash back on without issue, and walked inside with me quite politely. Inside, he was understandably more excited and wanted to sniff around, which I allowed so he could explore and decompress. Before long, his energy came down, and he started to relax and look more comfortable in the new environment.
Overall, Bear made some nice first-day progress, especially with how smoothly he transitioned from the car, and he seems to be settling in well as he continues to get more comfortable.
Pupdate: 12/15/2025
Bear and I went to the park today with some other trainers and their dogs. He was definitely excited at first, especially when he noticed some of the small puppies, but we spent time working around them and focusing on bringing his energy level down.
As the session went on, Bear did a much better job following my lead and walking with less pulling, even though he was still interested in checking the other dogs out. For his first full day with me, he made a really solid amount of progress, and I’m very happy with how he handled the experience. A great start for Bear!
Pupdate: 12/16/2025
Bear and I headed to Almansor Park today for a training session, starting in the morning when there were fewer distractions. This was a great way to set him up for success, and he did really well right from the start.
We spent our time continuing to work on his commands, and overall the session was very productive. While there were a few moments where Bear got distracted, I thought he handled himself quite well, especially considering the environment. The geese, ducks, and other birds around the park were easily the toughest challenge for him, but even then, he showed good effort and willingness to re-engage.
One thing that stands out clearly with Bear is how intelligent he is. He seems to pick up on concepts quickly and understands what’s being asked of him, which is very encouraging. Moving forward, I believe the most important piece for Bear will be continued exposure to these types of distractions so he can build consistency and remain mostly focused around them.
Overall, Bear had a solid training day, made good progress, and showed a lot of potential. I’m looking forward to continuing to challenge him and helping him succeed in these environments!
Pupdate: 12/17/2025
Today, Bear and I worked on his Come To Sit command with a specific goal in mind: having him come in on my right side, walk around behind my legs, and finish by sitting on my left side with his ears lined up at my knee. For most of the session, Bear was a bit unsure and needed some extra guidance to understand the pattern of the exercise. That said, with repetition and patience, things started to click, and he finished the session doing the exercise well. This was a challenging but productive session, and Bear showed good effort and progress by the end.
Pupdate: 12/18/2025
Today was a slower, more relaxed day for Bear, with a focus on indoor manners and normal neighborhood walking manners. He started the morning as his usual excited self, but after some time to settle in, he did really well adjusting his energy. Inside the house, Bear was polite and responsive, and on our neighborhood walks he showed a big improvement with his Heel. He stayed more connected with me and was much more consistent about walking politely rather than pulling ahead. Overall, this was a great day for reinforcing calm, everyday structure, and Bear handled it very well.
Pupdate: 12/19/2025
Bear and I headed out to Almansor Park today for a training session. At first, he had a bit of a hard time getting into the groove with his commands and seemed to struggle following through. Because of that, I made the decision to slow things down and set him up for success.
We shifted our focus to something more familiar and achievable for him, his Place command. This is a command Bear has been doing well with at home, especially during everyday situations like while I’m cooking or eating dinner. Bringing that same exercise into the park environment gave him something he could feel confident about, even with the added distractions.
Once we started working on Place at the park, Bear did a much better job. It allowed us to end up with some wins during the session, and I made sure to give him plenty of praise for his effort and follow-through. Overall, this was a good example of meeting Bear where he was at today and adjusting the training to help build his confidence and keep things positive.
Pupdate: 12/20/2025
Bear showed clear improvement compared to yesterday, and overall did better with most of his commands during our park session. His responsiveness and effort were noticeably stronger, even when the environment became more challenging.
We worked pretty close to several distractions, which was understandably difficult for him, especially the geese and ducks by the pond. Those were a big test for Bear, but despite how tempting and exciting they were, he was still able to regain focus and work through the exercise with guidance.
Compared to yesterday, this was a large step forward. Bear is starting to show better impulse control and an improved ability to stay engaged with me in stimulating environments. We’ll continue to build on this progress, but today was a very encouraging session. Great work, Bear!
Pupdate: 12/21/2025
Bear and I switched things up today and visited a different park, where we got to observe some soccer games in action! This was very exciting for him, and the fast movement and noise definitely grabbed his attention. To keep things productive, we took some time to step away from the excitement and worked on holding his positions at a fair distance from the activity.
Bear has been improving with this type of challenge, and today he succeeded for the most part. He showed that he’s able to work through stimulating environments when given clear direction and structure. He did especially well when I actively asked him to Sit, Down, or Place, holding those commands despite the distractions around him.
It’s worth noting that while Bear is doing well when he has a specific command to focus on, relaxing without being in a command is still very difficult for him. This is completely normal and something that will come with more time, repetition, and continued exposure. Overall, today was another solid step forward for Bear in learning how to stay composed around exciting real-world distractions.
Pupdate: 12/22/2025
Bear and I headed to the park today for training, and overall it was a solid session. The biggest challenge by far was the squirrels, which definitely caught his attention multiple times and made things more difficult for him.
That said, I noticed Bear being more confident and more engaged during our training sessions. This is a great step forward for him, especially since he usually likes to test boundaries and try to get around fully following through with his commands. Today, he showed a better willingness to stay involved and work through distractions.
Despite the extra temptation from the squirrels, today was a pretty good day for Bear, and his increased confidence and engagement are encouraging signs of progress.
Pupdate: 12/23/2025
Today, Bear and I headed to Home Depot to avoid the rain, and he really did a great job. He was very polite, stayed close with me, and did an excellent job listening and responding whenever I needed him to.
He may have been a little nervous in the new environment, but if so, he handled it extremely well, he didn’t show it much at all, and his behavior was on point throughout our time there. As a nice bonus, Bear even received a compliment from a Home Depot employee on his behavior as we were leaving!
Overall, this was a fantastic outing for Bear. Great job today!
Pupdate: 12/24/2025
Bear and I headed back to Home Depot today to try to stay dry indoors again. Similar to yesterday, he was very polite throughout our time there, and I honestly didn’t run into any issues with him. That’s always great to see and speaks to how well he handles himself in calmer, structured environments. That said, I’m looking forward to getting us back outside soon, since those more distracting environments are where Bear will benefit the most from continued work. Overall though, great job today, Bear!
Pupdate: 12/25/2025
We took advantage of some breaks in the rain today to get outside and spend a little time at the park! During our visit, Bear was allowed to be off leash for short periods. With close supervision, he handled the extra freedom fairly well and made some good choices. Overall, I think Bear really enjoyed himself and did a nice job adjusting to a bit more independence. This was a positive experience for him and a good step forward.
Pupdate: 12/26/2025
Today we worked around the rain by focusing on Bear’s home manners. In today’s video, we’re highlighting his door manners. The goal is for Bear to sit politely while I open the door, allow me to walk out first, and only follow when he’s asked. For the purpose of the video, Bear is sitting right in front of the door, but long term we want the door opening to be a complete nonevent, no matter where he is in the house.
We also worked on car manners. Bear is learning to wait patiently while I open the car door, then hop in when asked and walk directly into his crate.
Additionally, we practiced food manners and food refusal. The goal here is for Bear to ignore food on the floor, even if it’s tempting, and wait politely instead of helping himself. This builds impulse control and helps keep him safe from grabbing something he shouldn’t.
All of these manners help create structure, reduce excitement, and keep Bear safe during everyday routines.
Pupdate: 12/27/2025
Bear and I got some more off-leash work done at the park today! He was definitely nervous for a good portion of the session, but despite that, he ended up doing pretty well overall.
We spent time working around other dogs, which was understandably very challenging for him. Even so, Bear did a nice job sticking with me and staying engaged instead of giving in to the distractions. While his nerves were present, he continued to make good choices and didn’t let the environment overwhelm him.
I’m really proud of how Bear handled himself today. This kind of exposure is not easy for him, and the fact that he was able to stay with me and work through it shows real progress. Great effort from Bear today!
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