Benny | Old English Sheep Dog Mix | Rosemead, CA. | In Training.

Meet Benny! 🐾

Benny is a one-year-old German Shepherd–Sheepdog mix from Rosemead, CA who has just joined us for our Two Week Community Board and Train program. Benny is a sweet, spirited young guy who loves people and other dogs—but sometimes his excitement gets the best of him. When he spots new friends, his enthusiasm often comes out as lots of barking, which can give the wrong impression even though his intentions are friendly and full of joy.

With all that excitement, it can be challenging for Benny to stay focused, respond when called, or follow through with commands. Over the next two weeks, we’ll be working closely with him on building strong basic obedience skills and improving his house manners. Our goal is to help Benny learn how to channel his energy into calm, confident behavior, make thoughtful choices, and become a more attentive, reliable listener.

We’re excited to help Benny grow and can’t wait to share his progress along the way—let’s get started!

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3/1/2026

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foMYQSZ7EYk

For today’s training, Benny and I took things easy with a walk through the park so we could get better acquainted and so I could assess what he already knows and where we need to focus. We also used this time to introduce the heel command—and wow, this guy is strong!

As expected, whenever Benny spotted another dog, he became very excited and would start barking and lunging. This gave us a great opportunity to begin teaching the off command, which means to disengage and stop the unwanted behavior. At first he was unsure of what was being asked, but by the end of our walk he was already making progress—walking more calmly at my side and showing less interest in reacting to passing pups.

After our walk, we headed back to the car. Benny wasn’t overly enthusiastic about the crate at first, but he willingly hopped into the car, and we made our way to my home so he could check out his home away from home for the next two weeks. He settled in nicely and didn’t seem to have any objections! He did give my cats a few barks initially, but a quick correction with the off command helped him disengage, and he was quick to leave them alone. Smart boy!

Overall, Benny is off to a great start for his first day. He’s already showing that he’s capable of learning quickly, and I’m excited to see his progress over the next two weeks!

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3/2/2026

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tU9z4AP8Sg4

Today Benny and I headed out to the park to continue sharpening up his commands while introducing a new layer of accountability with the e-collar. Our main focus was tightening up his heel, improving his “sit” so it’s truly on command (not on Benny time), introducing “come to sit,” and reinforcing his “down” as a consistent, immediate response.

When we first arrived, Benny was very much Benny — excited, alert, and barking at passing dogs like it was his full-time job. This time, however, he was met with a clear “off” command paired with an e-collar correction. He stopped barking, but quickly redirected that frustration into jumping up at me for correcting him. Rather than escalating, I calmly used the leash to guide him back to four paws on the floor. He tested this boundary a few times, but I stayed consistent. Once he realized the jumping wasn’t getting him anywhere, he settled and we were able to move forward productively.

From there, we got to work.

His heel is still a bit touch-and-go. He’ll walk nicely at my side until something interesting catches his attention, at which point he tries to make executive decisions. Each time, he was met with a reminder and correction, and by the end of our park session, his consistency improved significantly. That’s a big win for day two!

His sit is also becoming much more reliable and on command — and we love to see that progress. “Come to sit” is brand new, so it definitely needs more reps, but he’s beginning to understand the motion and what’s being asked of him. As for “down,” he offered a little pushback. Knowing he already understands this command, I calmly applied steady leash pressure downward and held it until he made the choice to lay down — immediately releasing the pressure as soon as he did. Clear guidance, clear reward. By the end, he was much quicker to comply.

For only his second day, Benny did well overall — even with his focus wanting to be everywhere else and a few moments of protest when he couldn’t do as he pleased. The good news? He learns quickly, and that’s a huge advantage. He’s already making solid progress and starting to understand that consistency and structure are the name of the game.

I’m confident that in no time, Benny will really start putting all the pieces together. Stay tuned — this smart boy is just getting started! 💪🐶

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