Billie | Cane Corso | Venice

Welcome Billie the Cane Corso from Venice, CA. Billie REJOINS OffLeash Socal for a one-week board and train for some advanced training regarding her owner's specific circumstances. Billie has been previously trained by OffLeash in private lessons where she mastered her "heel", "sit", "down", and "come," however her owner requested further training around environmental distractions as she tends to lack confidence in higher stress environments. I'm excited for her weeklong of exposure training!

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06/04/2026

To evaluate Billie's current level of training, I conducted a series of tests covering the commands and behaviors she had previously been taught. The goal was to establish a clear baseline of her obedience, responsiveness, and overall understanding of her training. During the assessment, I observed how reliably she followed commands, responded to handler direction, and maintained focus in different situations. This evaluation provided valuable insight into her strengths, areas that remain solid, and any skills that may need reinforcement, allowing me to develop an effective plan for her continued training and progress.

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06/05/2026

I worked Billie around a variety of distractions to better understand her threshold for anxious bolting behaviors. Throughout the session, I gradually exposed her to increasing levels of environmental stimuli while monitoring her body language, focus, and responsiveness. The goal was to identify the point at which her anxiety began to override her ability to remain engaged and regulated. Billie showed good effort in maintaining focus through mild distractions, but as the intensity increased, signs of heightened arousal became more apparent. This exercise provided valuable insight into her triggers and current coping capacity, helping to guide future training and behavior modification strategies aimed at building confidence and resilience in distracting environments.

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06/06/26

Billie, the Cane Corso, worked the positions box with me today, focusing on building confidence and comfort on a completely new setup. The exercise introduced her to an unfamiliar texture, elevated platform, and unique structure, encouraging her to think through each movement while maintaining engagement and trust. Although the new surface and environment presented a challenge, Billie approached the task with growing confidence, learning that she could safely navigate and perform her positions on something different from what she is used to. Through patience, clear communication, and positive reinforcement, she became more comfortable with the experience, demonstrating increased body awareness, problem-solving skills, and confidence in working on novel obstacles.  

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  I have been working with Billie, the Cane Corso, on developing reliable obedience and impulse control through extended down-stays and sit-stays. During our training sessions, I gradually increase both the duration and distance while reinforcing calm, steady behavior. We are also practicing a basic "leash dropping" exercise, where dropping the leash serves as a cue for Billie to remain in position until released. This exercise helps build confidence, self-discipline, and responsiveness, even when distractions are present or I move away. Through consistent training and repetition, Billie is learning to maintain focus and demonstrate dependable manners in a variety of environments.

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06/08/26

 Today I began introducing off-leash work with Billie in my front yard, an environment that provides manageable distractions while still presenting real-world challenges. Throughout the session, several dogs walked by with their owners, and Billie maintained a consistent heel position despite the activity around her. She demonstrated good impulse control and an understanding of the expectation to stay engaged with me. While I noticed she still needs a bit more engagement and attentiveness before I would feel fully confident working her off leash in more dynamic settings, her performance showed that this level of reliability is obtainable in the lower-stimulation environment of the front yard. Overall, it was a positive step forward in building the trust and communication necessary for advanced off-leash work.  

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06/10/2026

Today I took Billie the cane Corso took to Hone Depot to work on Environmental’s such as sliding automatic doors and loud noises. I tested her intentionally and worked her thru some of her environmental issues with loud noises.