Blu | Labrador Retriever | Malibu, CA | In Training
- Alex Kruse
- Aug 17
- 9 min read
Updated: Aug 30
Meet Blu! He's a one-year-old Lab from Malibu, California, and he's here for our Two Week Urban Board and Train Program. Blu is generally pretty mellow and will listen to some commands with treats, but he's not always great at following through when there's distractions. He's been known to ignore his commands if people are playing ball at a park, and he's not always great at being quiet when he's crated at home. Over the next two weeks we'll teach Blu how to respond promptly to his commands even in high level distraction areas, and we'll work on making sure he can stay calm and quiet in his crate. Stay tuned for Blu's two-week transformation!
8/17/25
Blu was probably the most unbothered dog I've had to date during the pickup process! He went along with me without any issues at all, so I worked him around the park a little bit to see what he knew. He definitely did a lot of pulling on his leash trying to sniff everything, so we'll work on his Heel, but he did pretty well with his Recall and his Sit. He wouldn't give me a Down at all, so we'll make sure to get that one nice and solid as well. At home he took to the yard and my dogs right away. He went right out like he owned the place, and even kept stepping into the little kiddie pool we have out there. I haven't seen him acting anxious at all, which is great. Normally the boarders take at least a day to get comfortable in their new environment, but he's very go-with-the-flow. He's fitting right in and I look forward to working with him over the next two weeks!
8/18/25
Blu had a great first day of real work! We had our group practice at the park where he got to work and learn around several other people and dogs. He's picking up on his Heel command very quickly, and I'm honestly surprised with how fast he's starting to grasp his Come-to-Sit command. That one requires the dog to come around behind your legs to sit in the Heel position, and even on the first try he only needed a little guidance. We worked on a cot to start teaching his Place command, which means to go to a designated spot and lay down until released. The only command we really struggled with at first was his Down, but after practicing it several times over, he finally started giving it to me on the first try. He's super mellow and happy, and he did great with the other trainers working him too! As far as his barking goes, he spent the night in a crate and didn't bark at all until morning when he had to go out to potty. After only one correction he quieted down, after which I took him out to the yard. I'll continue to test him in the crate over the two weeks to see how he does. He might not have been barking last night just because everything was new and he doesn't know me well enough yet to try to bark for my attention. I'll continue to keep you updated on how that goes!
8/19/25
It was a little bit of work and a little bit of play today! I took him to a small local park this morning to do some more practice with all his basic commands. He was so much cleaner on giving me that Down today! And I taught him how to Place up on the picnic table. He really liked that one because the table was nice and cool, and the sprinklers happened to come on in the grass behind us, so it gave him a nice mist to bask in. At home we got some pool time! He got to splash around and have fun, beating the heat in the typical lab kind of way. I still haven't heard any barking from him in the crate at night, but he did bark a little this morning during feeding when I had all the dogs separated out into different play areas of the yard. A quick correction on the collar along with a verbal was all he needed to quiet down and wait until I was ready for him to come out. Otherwise he's been really great!
8/20/25
Today I took Blu to work inside the mall to get him exposed to more indoor crowds. He had no issues maneuvering around people, and I only had to correct him once with an "Off" command when it came to trying to sniff people's bags. I worked him on a long line today as opposed to the slip lead I've been using so he'd be working with lighter gear and less leash pressure, and he still did pretty good on his Heel and Recall. He did great with his Place and Down today too. The only thing we struggled with is his tendency to want to lay down when I ask him for the Sit. At home he's getting better at remembering to sit before we go through doors or gates, and he's starting to catch on that he can't go through until he gets released. He's a major food dog so that impulse control is a little hard for him when it comes to waiting before I release him to eat, but he responds well to verbal corrections there. He's doing good with sitting before getting into and out of the car, and today I had him inside in the crate for part of the day while it was hot and he didn't make a sound. He's doing great!
8/21/25
We had a fun little beach day today! We went out to Santa Monica Pier to do some work around larger crowds with different types of distractions, and he did really well with that. None of the bigger distractions seemed to phase him at all, which is great. We're still working on getting his Heel and his Come-to-Sit a little more sharp, but otherwise he's picking up on everything really quickly. There's still no barking really at home, but he gets a lot of play and exercise in the yard here, so his being loud in the dorm may be just a matter of him needing more exercise. A short walk and a little bit of mental stimulation with training exercises can go a long way with that. And I noticed he likes to chew things (chew bones or toys) while inside the crate, so giving him something to help keep him occupied while he's inside may be all it takes!
8/22/25
I took Blu out to Burbank Town Center today to walk around the shops and practice a little bit inside the mall once it started getting too hot out. I had him tethered to my belt with just a thin lead and he had no problems sticking with me on that. He had a good time cruising around the shops and getting pet by passersby who fell instantly in love with his face and mellow attitude. He was also very patient with me posing him for the Batman statue; and when we went out for ice cream after, he just took a nap under the table, no problem. At home now when he comes inside he goes right into his crate and will lay in it even when I leave the crate door open. He's learned that's where he naps and will stay in there quietly on his own. He's a super good boy all around!
8/23/25
Since he's a dorm dog, I decided to do the whole college atmosphere thing today and took him over to Vroman's Bookstore in Old Town Pasadena. We walked through all the narrow isles, around people, up the stairs and down. I kept him on a Heel and didn't allow him to touch anything (not that he gave me much trouble with either of those!). He got a lot of great compliments and some gentle pets from the employees and customers. He was a hit all around!
8/24/25
We ventured out to Downtown Sierra Madre today to wander around their little park and shops. There was some sort of small event happening at the park, so we took advantage and cruised around that crowd a little bit before hitting the street. Once again he did great shuffling around all the people and keeping pace with me. He's not a big fan of the heat so we're still having the occasional issue of him wanting to lay down in the shade when I ask for a sit, but otherwise he did great. He didn't even mind when kids zoomed by on scooters!
8/25/25
It's Monday, which means another group practice today at the park! Since Blu's favorite command now is Place, he got to do a lot of that in between our other obedience drills, acting as a good distraction dog for some of the new ones coming in. He just stayed on his cot while the other dogs moved around him, minding his own business. Outside of that, we worked a lot on his extended Sit today. He's started to anticipate that his Recall usually follows that command, so he gets antsy wanting to go straight into that Come a little too early. Instead of calling him out of the Sit, I made him hold it until I could walk back to him and go straight into a Heel, breaking up the learned pattern so he has to pay attention to the actual commands I'm using and not just assume what's coming next. He caught on by the end of the session, like the smart boy he is, and I'll continue to keep him guessing moving through the next week.
8/26/25
We know Blu likes the kiddie pool, but I had an opportunity to get him into a big pool and he absolutely loved it! For the most part I let him swim and chase toys with his bestie, but in between play we also worked on his commands with distraction. I would have him hold his Sit and Down, and worked on his Recall while Panda the Corgi was still chasing toys in the water. It was definitely harder for him than any other distractions we've worked with so far, but he was able to do it! He had so much fun that when we got back home and he got back in the kid pool, he looked disappointed. I'll try to get him out swimming one more time before he goes home as it was great exercise for him. He slept hard through the whole afternoon!
8/27/25
Blu and I had a nice little adventure through Old Pasadena today. We started down in the parking garage beneath the Metro station so I could work him on the elevator and the stairs. He did great with his manners on both. Then we went across the street to the park where there's always dozens of squirrels running around. One of them stood right in our path on the sidewalk and Blu didn't even bat an eye at it! We continued on into the main city streets and took a little detour to the Dog Bakery. It was a great place to test his impulses since there are several bins full of dog chews and treats at ground level, but he didn't try to grab or even sniff at any of them. I picked him up some cookies and we took the busier streets back around to the park for him to eat. He was the perfect city gentleman through all of it, no problems at all!
8/28/25
We had another fun day at the pier today! I thought I'd test him in the crowds again while we're having a rare overcast day and while the heat was down. He did amazing with all his commands, and as usual, was a huge hit with the visitors. The only time he got a little distracted was when we were walking back and a pigeon decided to land in front of me and basically kept pace with us. He kept his eyes on it until it flew off, but he didn't break his Heel, so it was a great display of impulse control. Otherwise there were zero issues with the crowds and all the noise.
8/29/25
We had a little fun group outing at 3rd St. Promenade in Santa Monica. Blu performed all his commands smoothly, as usual, and was a great picture model for me and for his friends. He'll pretty much plant himself wherever I stick him until he's told to release, which is great. Even with distractions I typically don't have to worry about him running off on me. He often does so well when we go out to shopping districts and malls that anyone who stops to say hi to him thinks he's a service dog!
8/30/25
It's our last Pupdate in your two week program! We went to Arcadia Park to let him mostly just explore and be a dog. I ran through all his obedience drills one more time here and there as we wandered, and he did great as usual. There were other dogs and people around having picnics and barbecues, and he just went about his business as if nothing was going on. He had a great time just being his silly lab self!
Blu has been a great house guest all around, and it's been an absolute pleasure having him stay with me for his training and growth process. He's come a long way in following through on all his commands, and being more patient when he wants things. I think he's going to be an absolute fantastic dorm dog, and I'm sure he'll become a quick favorite around campus. Thank you so much for letting me be a part of his learning journey!
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