Benny |Swiss Mountain Dog | 18 Months | Long Beach,Ca | In-Training
- Robert Steinbach
- Jan 6
- 16 min read
Updated: Jan 19
Meet Benny! Benny is here with us for our Two-Week Board and Train program. Benny has a tendency to bark at strangers, leash pull during walks, jump up on people, counter surf and give the occasional love nibble to his little human siblings. We will use a balanced training approach to work on Benny’s basic obedience commands in a variety of environments with lots of distractions.
Stay tuned for Bennys 2 week transformation!
1/6/2025
Today I assessed Benny’s skills and ability to follow through with commands. Benny definitely gets distracted by everything around him to include, other dogs, kids and definitely squirrels. He is able to sit fairly consistently but won’t follow through when distracted. Benny was very hesitant to climb into the kennel inside of my car and it took a lot of patience and a lot of treats to motivate him but eventually he got in there and we made it home. At home he spent some time getting used to my pack in the yard and they all did very well together. At dinner time he ate all of his food which is a great sign of him being comfortable here as well. We worked on getting him acclimated to his new kennel here and he was barking quite a bit but I was able to start conditioning him not to bark by introducing the E-collar to start shaping the behavior we want from him. He picked it up fairly quickly and didn’t bark at all the rest of the time that he was in the kennel. Day one is primarily about acclimating to his new environment. Tomorrow I’ll start introducing him to his obedience commands.
Stay tuned for tomorrows Pupdate!
1/7/2025
Today, Benny and I focused on building a strong foundation with his basic commands, including “heel,” “sit,” “down,” “place,” and “off.”
We took a walk around the neighborhood to practice his “heel” command, and I’m thrilled to report that he’s already showing significant improvement. You probably noticed his progress yourself when you saw him walking to the park—he’s really starting to understand what’s expected of him.
As expected for a pup at this stage, Benny tested his boundaries during training, occasionally hesitating to follow through with commands. To address this, I used a balanced approach: applying gentle corrections to guide him, paired with treat rewards when he successfully completed the command. This combination helped him understand what was being asked of him while keeping the training positive and motivating.
As our session progressed, Benny became more consistent and responsive. His follow-through improved steadily, and by the end of the day, he was much more reliable with his commands.
Benny is a smart and eager learner, and with continued practice and consistency, I’m confident he’ll continue to make great strides in the coming days!
Stay tuned for tomorrow's pupdate!
1/8/2024
Today Benny and I continued to work on all of his obedience commands.
I limited the time that Benny spent outside today due to the poor air quality from the fires and high winds. That said, we were able to get in a great training session.
We trained in my yard where I could limit his distractions in order to make the initial stages of training as productive as possible. Benny got a little distracted by the recycling truck but I was able to redirect his focus fairly quickly using a stim from the e-collar paired with the “off” command. Once I had his attention I gave him the “heel” command so that I could redirect that focus into an obedience task.
It’ll be important when he’s back home with you that you use this technique when working Benny through distractions or unwanted behaviors. Say for instance he’s counter surfing and you correct him with the “off” command. Once he stops the unwanted behavior, give him a task like “come” or “sit” and then reward the follow through on those commands with verbal and or physical praise. That will help establish clear signals of wanted vs unwanted behaviors.
By the end of the session Benny did a few minutes of following his commands Off Leash!
Benny is following through with his commands when first asked about 80% of the time which is great progress from where he started on day 1.
Benny spent some time socializing with my dogs last night and this afternoon and is getting along great with everyone.
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s Pupdate!
Pupdate 1/9/2025
Due to the poor air quality today, Benny's outdoor time was limited to quick potty breaks, but we made excellent use of our indoor time by focusing on his training in real-life scenarios. Today, I concentrated on reinforcing several key commands: "place," "food manners," "door manners," and "off."
One area of focus was Benny’s counter-surfing behavior. Using a controlled setup, I placed food on the counters to create a training opportunity. As Benny approached the food, I paired the "off" command with a stim from the e-collar. While Benny isn’t consistently responding to verbal commands alone yet, he is beginning to associate the commands with the e-collar corrections, which is a positive step forward. Over time, with consistent reinforcement, this pairing will help him transition to responding to verbal commands alone.
Benny is an incredibly smart boy, and he is starting to understand what is expected of him. However, he’s also aware of his size and strength, which leads him to test boundaries and prioritize what he wants to do over following through on commands. This behavior is not unusual, but it does mean I’m spending extra time conditioning his response to commands through repetition and consistent follow-through.
For example, during today’s session, I repeatedly worked on his "place" command, asking him to stay put even when distractions were present. This type of practice is essential for building his reliability and obedience, particularly in real-world situations. At this stage Benny is quickly breaking the command after following through. Again, with consistent practice this will improve.
Benny’s progress is steady, and it’s clear he has the intelligence and potential to master his commands with time and consistency. I’m confident that as we continue reinforcing his training, he’ll develop the habit of following through on the first command.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's pupdate!
1/10/2025
Today, Benny and I worked on several key obedience commands, including:
• “Come to sit”
• Extending his “sit” duration
• “Heel”
• “Place”
• “Down”
• Puppy push-ups (which he completed beautifully with no need for stim)
Notably, we didn’t use treats during today’s training session, relying instead on the e-collar and verbal praise to hold Benny accountable and reinforce his progress.
Early in the session, Benny showed a tendency to leave the sit position prematurely. Using the e-collar to gently correct and guide him, he quickly improved and demonstrated much better follow-through as the session progressed.
“Come to sit” is still a work in progress. Benny has started coming directly into the heel position rather than going around to the correct sitting position in front of me. While this approach is fine long-term, I want to ensure he fully understands the task as it’s currently being taught. We’ll continue refining this command so he performs it properly every time before adapting it to his preferred positioning.
Benny’s progress with “place” is especially encouraging. He can now hold the position for over a minute, which is great for his current stage of training. In the coming sessions, I plan to gradually extend this duration to help him build more patience and control.
Overall, Benny is making steady strides in his obedience training. With consistent reinforcement and clear expectations, he’s showing a growing understanding of his commands and improved focus.
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s pupdate!
Pupdate 1/11/2025
Today, I took Benny to the Cerritos Shopping Center for a training session in a busier environment to work on his commands with increased distractions. While there, we had the opportunity to train alongside other off-leash trainers and their dogs, which provided excellent exposure for Benny.
Benny did an amazing job with people—he showed no barking, whining, or pulling to reach them, which is a big step forward. However, he was noticeably distracted by other dogs. To address this, we worked alongside the other trainers and their dogs, focusing on redirecting Benny’s attention back to me and his commands. This was a great learning experience for him, and we’ll return tomorrow to continue reinforcing his focus and consistency, regardless of distractions.
At home, Benny is settling in well and getting along wonderfully with our pack. He’s also had plenty of opportunities to practice his greeting manners, and I’m happy to report he’s doing very well in this area. One behavior I’ve noticed, though, is that after greeting politely, he sometimes barks for additional attention. To address this, I’ve been using the "off" command paired with stim from the e-collar, which has been effective in redirecting him.
Benny is making steady progress, and I’m excited to see his growth as we continue his training.
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s pupdate!
1/12/2025
Today, we returned to the Cerritos Shopping Center to continue working on Benny’s commands in a high-distraction environment. As noted yesterday, Benny is highly distracted by other dogs, so I set up a training exercise with another trainer. The trainer walked behind us with their dog, creating a moving distraction for Benny to work through.
Every time Benny looked back at the other dog, I used the "off" command paired with stim from the e-collar to refocus his attention. When he redirected his focus back to me and returned to the "heel" position, he was rewarded with a treat. We repeated this process multiple times, as Benny was quite fixated at first and needed consistent redirection.
By the end of the session, Benny was walking much better in a proper heel position, maintaining his focus on me rather than the distraction behind him. I made sure to reward him for his progress, alternating between verbal praise, affection, and treats to reinforce the behavior and keep him engaged.
This was a challenging but productive session, and Benny showed improvement as he began to understand what was expected of him even in the presence of distractions. We’ll continue building on this foundation to ensure he stays consistent in these scenarios.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's pupdate!
Pupdate 1/13/2025
Today, Benny and I ventured to Veterans Park in Cypress for a training session alongside several other Off Leash SoCal trainers and their dogs. This was an excellent opportunity to expose Benny to the unique challenge of canine distractions while reinforcing his commands in a real-world setting.
At the start of the session, Benny was highly distracted by the presence of the other dogs, as expected. I consistently paired the “off” command with a treat reward each time he redirected his focus back to me. Over time, this repetition paid off, and Benny began actively seeking my direction over the allure of the other dogs—a promising sign of his growing focus and discipline.
To further his progress, I had Benny hold his “sit,” “down,” and “place” commands while the other trainers walked their dogs past him. This exercise required significant concentration and self-control on Benny’s part, but he exceeded expectations, holding his positions for several minutes at a time despite the distractions.
Additionally, I worked on creating more distance between Benny and me while he remained in a command. This practice is crucial in teaching him to maintain his focus and stay in position until released, regardless of how far away I am. Benny is showing improvement in understanding this expectation and becoming more confident in holding commands independently.
Toward the end of the session, we took a big step forward by dropping the leash entirely and practicing “heel” work using only the e-collar to hold him accountable. Benny responded exceptionally well, following the commands without the physical tether. This marks significant progress in his journey toward being fully off-leash and reliably obedient in diverse environments.
Benny is making great strides, and I’m looking forward to continuing to build on this momentum. Tomorrow, we’ll refine these skills further and continue to push his focus and responsiveness.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's pupdate!
Pupdate 1/14/2025
Today Benny and I trained at my home and I continued to refine all of his commands.
Benny has shown huge improvements with his come to sit in recent days and is doing it off leash or with the leash dragging. I was able to get Benny to complete all of his commands off leash in the yard with limited distractions today and the next step will be progressing to leash dragging and off leash commands in a more public setting.
Overall Benny’s follow through is much improved and the e collar has proven to be a very useful tool in holding him accountable.
It will be important when Benny is home to continue holding him accountable when he’s given a command in order for him to start associating your home as a place where he needs to follow through as well. Benny will be much more enjoyable for you to walk with as he has grasped the art of walking in the “heel” position. As long as you don’t let him get away with being out of position over the next few weeks it will continue to strengthen his desire to follow you as his leader.
I’ve also noticed that Benny tends to want to nudge my hand in order to get physical attention from me. If this is a similar behavior to what he does at home, that could be part of why he will mouth the kids hands. When he nudges my hand I give him the “off” command and I will give him a few second and then pet him. If he tries to nudge again I don’t pet him. He doesn’t get to dictate the timing of the physical attention. It’ll be important for you to work on this with him at home as well. When you pet him and then stop petting him and he nudges your hand, same “off” command should be given and he doesn’t get pet. You can continue proofing him by resting a hand on his head, reaching to pet him at random times and then verbally and physically praising him when he allows you to do it without the nudging.
I would teach the kids how to use the off command so if or when he tries to mouth them, they can say “off” and he should stop. That will set clear boundaries for him with the kids. If the verbal command doesn’t work then immediately pair the “off” command with a stim from the e-collar. When reintroducing him to the kids I would be ready to use the e collar. Timing of the correction when mouthing happens will be important.
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s pupdate!
Pupdate 1/15/2025
Today, Benny and I had a productive day working on his door manners and public behavior, and he made some incredible progress in both areas!
We started with door manners, focusing on his “place” command. Benny practiced holding his position with the door open, a challenging exercise for most dogs.
Currently, he’s able to hold his “place” for about 90 seconds, which is a great milestone. Over the next few sessions, we’ll aim to extend that duration to 2 minutes, helping him build even more self-control and patience when faced with such tempting distractions as an open door.
Later in the day, we took a walk to a local park to watch my niece’s soccer game. This was a fantastic opportunity to work on his “heel” command, and Benny did a great job staying by my side, calm and focused, both on the way to the park and on the walk back home.
Once we arrived, we shifted our focus to two key areas: Benny’s greeting manners and his ability to maintain an extended “down” position in a high-distraction environment. The park was bustling with activity—kids running around, soccer balls rolling past, and plenty of exciting noises and movement—but Benny handled it all impressively. He held his “down” position for the majority of the game, which is a huge accomplishment given the level of stimulation around him. He wouldn't hold it however, for a photo, so sitting is what I captured.
One of the highlights of the day was when several young children, ranging in age from 2 to 6, approached Benny to say hello. Each time, Benny maintained a calm “sit” position and greeted them gently, showing no signs of nipping, jumping, or overexcitement. He was patient and composed, allowing the kids to pet him comfortably.
This was a big step forward for Benny, and I couldn’t be prouder of how well he handled himself. He’s learning to trust the commands and stay calm, even in environments packed with distractions. His progress in both greeting manners and extended commands is a testament to how hard he’s working and how eager he is to please.
He’s becoming a well-rounded, well-mannered companion, ready to thrive in any environment!
Stay tuned for tomorrow's pupdate!
Pupdate 1/16/2025
Today Benny and I continued working on all of his commands at Stearns park where he had distractions from squirrels, kids playing on the playground equipment and people walking by with their dogs. Benny did a good job of focusing in on me when I gave him commands. The few times that he was highly distracted I was able to use the e collar paired with a verbal “off” command followed immediately by an obedience command like “come” or “place” in order to redirect his focus into something positive.
After leaving the park we went on a long walk around the neighborhood to continue working on Bennys “heel” command. Benny is proving to be very consistent walking in a “heel” with me and today he earned the opportunity to walk with the leash completely out of my hand which is a big step toward being completely off leash. During that portion of the walk, Benny got a little distracted by a passing dog, so I reached down and took control of the leash before giving the “off” command. He immediately brought his focus back to me without me needing the leash or the e collar and we continued our walk.
Stay tuned for tomorrows pupdate!
Pupdate 1/17/2025
Today Benny and I headed to Los Cerritos Center to continue working on his greeting manners as well as his obedience commands when he’s around a lot of people and distractions.
Benny did great! We walked the majority of the mall off leash and had opportunities to practice greeting manners with several people along the way. Benny has made huge improvements from day 1 and is ready for his final exam!
Benny does still get slightly distracted by other dogs but it’s more of a curiosity and the urge to want to go meet them. He is, however, very responsive to the e-collar and the “off” command on those occasions. Benny respects his commands when given but it will be important for your family to continue holding Benny accountable for following through with each command given. He is very strong willed and allowing him to not follow a command, especially in the early stages of him returning home, could lead to him starting to test his boundaries again to see what he can get away with. Over time with continued training this will continue to be less and less of an issue. He has already made huge progress for only 2 weeks of training so that will make training with him at home that much easier.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's pupdate!
Pupdate 1/18/2025
Today Benny and I worked on his door, car and food manners. Benny has the tendency to want to follow me around because we have been doing a lot of work on his “come to sit” and his “heel” commands so it took him a couple tries during his food manners to figure out that he wasn’t supposed to get up and walk with me. We cleaned that up by holding him accountable for the “down” position that I put him in. By attempt 4 of the training session he had it figured out.
When he gets home I would recommend starting out small by asking him to “sit” or “down” and then placing the food in front of him. Move maybe 2-3 feet from him and make him hold the position for about 5-10 seconds and then give him the “yes” command to give him permission to start eating. I have been increasing the duration and distance from him over the past few weeks and he will hold the position for around 1 minute before he tries to leave it. It’s always best to not assume that he will do the same with you and to shorten the duration a bit to ensure it’s a successful training moment for him and then build back up to the 1 minute mark and beyond as he gets comfortable completing the task in your home. If you try for a longer duration or further distance, reset him in the position and shorten the time or distance and try again to ensure you end on a successful note. You will have 2 feeding opportunities per day to work on it with him but you can always put one of his treats in the food bowl and practice if you think he needs more training.
As for the car manners and door manners, Benny did great. I was able to walk him to the car, place him in a “sit” , open the door and give him the “load up” command. He held his sit until the command was given and then climbed up into the kennel when asked. When he exited I asked him to “come” and then placed him in a “sit” while I closed the door and then asked him to “heel” as we walked back to the house. He did all of this on the first attempt.
Benny also held his “place” position the entire time that I had the door open during the door manners portion of today's training, which was over 1 minute. I was able to walk in and out of the door and past it several times and Benny stayed on the “place” cot without being given any additional commands or any need to use the e collar.
This is another task that will be beneficial for you to continue training at your home. It doesn’t have to be the front door every time either. I have asked Benny to “sit” every single time he enters or exits the house so that it becomes second nature for him to wait for permission before leaving. Continuing this will ensure that he continues to improve over time. He is a big dog and the last thing you need is him barging through the door with a head of steam. This also makes leaving the house a much easier process. I place Benny in a “sit” . I step out and I make sure he holds the “sit” until I give him the “come” command. Once he comes through the door next to me I give him the “sit” command and he holds it until I close and lock the door and then we walk. This alleviates Benny trying to take the lead and pull on the leash as soon as he’s outside and conditions him to wait calmly next to you until he’s asked to “heel”. Holding him accountable every time you do this will be key. If you put him in a “sit” and start walking out the door and he tries to come with you, give him the “sit” command paired with a stim from the e-collar and ensure he goes back to the spot you asked him to “sit” and then try it again. It’s also important to give Benny a little praise when he does the right thing or what he’s asked so that he knows what’s expected of him.
He is very affectionate and wants to please so giving him verbal and physical praise will go a long way when reinforcing the times that he follows through after being corrected. Teaching a dog “that was wrong and this was right” is dog training in a nutshell.
Overall Benny has made amazing progress and he’s ready for his final exam off leash and in public tomorrow.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's pupdate!
Pupdate 1/19/2025
Today Benny passed his final exam with flying colors! We went to Los Cerritos Center and Benny was able to perform all of his commands off leash! Benny did a great job of walking next to me in the “heel” position with only a few minor distractions that he left right away with the “off” command. Benny held his “extended sit” and “extended down” positions for over two minutes and was very well behaved during his greetings with other people, holding his “sit” the entire time. I’m sure your family is excited to see your boy tomorrow and I’m excited for you to see how much progress he has made.
During tomorrow’s drop off I will be going over all of the e-collar functions, all of Bennys new commands and how to best continue/maintain his training.
While Benny is perfectly capable of being off leash in public with me, I always caution that it may take some practice when he returns home to ensure that he gets used to following through with his newly learned commands with your family. All local, state and federal leash laws should still be followed depending on where you are walking with him. Benny has been a joy to work with and I hope your family enjoys all of Benny's improvements for years to come.
I highly recommend that anyone that will be giving Benny commands on a daily basis be present for tomorrow’s drop off if possible. This will ensure as much continuity as possible when it comes to Benny's training and follow through at home.
See you tomorrow!
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