Bodhi | Cattle Dog X | Marina Del Rey, CA | In Training
- Alex Kruse
- Jul 13
- 14 min read
Updated: Aug 17
Meet Bodhi! He's a ten-month-old Cattle Dog Mix from Marina del Rey, California, and he's here for our Three Week Board and Train Program. Bodhi already knows a couple commands and, like any herding dog, generally wants to work for his people, but he's experiencing some impulse control issues when around other dogs and large crowds. His instincts kick in and he begins exhibiting some of those common herding dog behaviors like stalking, chasing, and generally whining when he gets overstimulated. Over the next three weeks we'll teach Bodhi all his basic commands, and help him control and redirect that energy when he gets over-excited in crowds. Stay tuned for Rusty's two-week transformation!
7/13/25
Bodhi was a little nervous upon pickup, so we spent some time getting to know each other and making sure he was comfortable with me handling him. He also got a chance to meet my dogs, which helped get him comfortable with being our new guest at home. I walked him down to a local park just to get out some of his anxious energy and to see what commands he could do. It was of course a new park, new smells and sounds, and he's with a whole new person, so he was a little reluctant to follow commands at first, but he was able to focus in and do a few of them for me within a few minutes. He warmed up pretty fast to me and the house so I think he'll do much better tomorrow, and I really look forward to watching him grow over the next couple weeks!
7/14/25
Bodhi had an amazing second say! I took him to a large park where I worked on reinforcing the commands he already knows (Sit and Down), and worked on new skills (Come-to-Sit and Heel). He was able to pick up on what I was teaching him extremely quickly, and stayed very focused during the process. I also took him on a walk past a large group of children that were out during their recess. They were running around and making lots of noise, and while Bodhi was interested, he kept mostly at a reinforced Heel and didn't whine or try to pull towards the children. Afterwards we had some play time in the field! I brought out a ball to let him run out some of his energy and all those herding instincts. He had a blast, and even rolled over and let me give him full belly rubs! At home we worked on his food manners (waiting in a Sit until released) and worked a lot on his door manners. He does have a tendency to try to bolt through doors, so I'm making his Sit until released at every door we walk through. He's catching on pretty quickly so I'm sure he'll be a pro at it in no time! Overall it was a great first day of real work and I look forward to seeing how much he grows over the next three weeks!
7/15/25
Today Bodhi and I went to a smaller park with less distractions to work on his Duration, which means the amount of time he's able to hold his commands for. I was able to get him to do a Sit and Down in the grass for a solid ten seconds while I walked back and forth in front of him. Then I began to process of teaching him to Place, which means to go to a designated spot (in this case I used the picnic table), lay down on that spot, and stay in that spot until released. It took him a few tries to get it, but he was starting to catch on before the end of the session, no problem!
I also worked more on getting a faster, sharper Come-to-Sit, which he's already getting really good at, and worked on his positioning a bit more with his Heel. He likes to try to step out in front, which is common, particularly with herding breeds, but he needs to learn that when the command, "Heel" is given that means to stay by your knee. He's already improved quite a bit from yesterday so he'll get there! One thing I also tested was how much I needed to try to curb some of the herding behaviors he's exhibiting towards people. I ran around a bit to get him to chase me, which most dogs like to do, but he almost immediately began to try to control my motions by reaching for my legs. He was gentle about it, but it is something we'll need to work on correcting so he can learn to play safely with any group he's with. We'll also work on redirecting that behavior elsewhere so he knows when and where it's appropriate to herd. He's pretty smart so I'm sure with some work and proper prompting he'll get it down in no time!
7/16/25
Today was desert farm exposure day! I took him up to one of my favorite trails in the hills where there are several horse farms to walk past. He was very interested in the horses, but not in a way that was inappropriate. I worked on his disengagement, meaning he was allowed to look at the horses, but any time he disengaged on his own to look back at me, I rewarded him for it. This is to show him that yes, horses are cool, but it's way better to just focus up on me than them. I also worked on his Heel as we passed by several horses to make sure he could maintain it even with that distraction.
There was one really big black horse in a small round pen beside the trail who was staring at him in a way that made him uncomfortable. Initially he did move forward and let out a bark at the horse, so I gave him a stimulation on the collar when he failed to follow my "Leave It" command. He immediately left the horse alone after that and kept his distance, which is what I wanted. On the way back from the walk he remembered and continued to just politely look at the horse on our way by. During the hike up the hill itself I let him have the lead. As I mentioned yesterday, herding dogs generally have a strong instinct to be ahead of their handlers, and typically at a pretty far distance so that they can do their jobs properly. It's good exercise for them and helps keep them from getting frustrated to let them have that long lead on occasion, but he needs to know to stop and check in both on command and also naturally every so often (in the last video you see him stop and look at me when I prompted for a "Check In"). I also worked on getting him accustomed to the leash pressure on the long line so he'd know that when he felt any pressure, that was as far ahead as he was allowed to go and he wasn't to pull. I also made sure to call him back to a Heel here and there so he knows that he can be ahead when he's on release, but he needs to return to position when prompted.
Overall he did amazing. He even held position when a deer surprisingly darted across the trail in front of us! With some more practice I'm confident I'll be able to walk this trail Off Leash over the next couple weeks.
7/17/25
Today I took Bodhi to the lake to work with different kinds of distractions. We're continuing to improve on his extended Down and Sit, gradually increasing the amount of time he's expected to stay in position. I drilled his Come-to-Sit quite a bit both when there was little distraction around, then shifting to an area where there were more dogs, people, and geese. I also did a little more work on his Place and began to teach him Under (where he's expected to go under a bench or table and lay down until released). There's lots of grassy field areas there so I also did some work on curbing his herding instincts. We did all the training drills first, then I let him chase a ball around for a little bit to get some of the herding drive out of his system, then I did drills of running past him and around him. He was allowed to run along as long as he didn't try to nip at legs or jump up. He did pretty good, with only one instance where he dipped down towards my ankle, but he shaped up with only a verbal corrector and redirecting him into a quick sit. I want to continue to work on this until he knows people can run around him without being herded. Then, just because he was a good boy and it was a hot day, I took him down to the water and let him splash a bit. Don't worry, we weren't far down from the beach area where people are allowed to swim, so the water is safe! He had a blast just hopping back forth and dipping his head in, getting nice and cool before we made the trek back to the car and headed home!
7/18/25
Tutorial time! We've seen a bit of what Bodhi can do in the previous updates, so now I'd like to demonstrate a little bit of how we got there. Today we'll be focusing on using our Marker and Release words, when to reward, and how to increase your duration and distance on the Sit and Down.
7/19/25
Beach day today! I wanted to get Bodhi more exposed to heavy crowds, so we took a trip out to Santa Monica Pier and worked a lot on our Heel through all that foot traffic. I didn't push him too hard on anything, just the Heel work, some Sit and Place, then let him take a break down in the sand for a few minutes when it looked like he was getting overstimulated. He didn't do any whining and did really good with sticking by me, but there were some early stress signs before I let him run it out away from the crowds. Then back up we went where he seemed to be a lot more comfortable, and even relaxed with me on the pier to just people watch. Being able to remain calm and not engaging in all that movement passing by is a great step for him! We also had some people interested in petting him, so I worked on offering him treats to keep him focused on me while strangers touched him. There were no instances of him shying away or mouthing. He got many head pats and neck scratches without any issues. It was a very successful day overall, and I think it was fantastic preparation to do it again without him getting overstimulated.
7/20/25
Tutorial #2: Come-to-Sit! This is a quick runthrough on how to teach a dog to Come. For our particular purposes, we also add in the elements of coming around behind you and sitting at your left side so that he's prepared to go straight into his Heel if he needs to. In the video I'll demo all the way from the beginning steps of Recall through being able to do so off leash!
7/21/25
Today we did some group practice at the park with some of the other Off Leash SoCal trainers. There was a newer puppy he was very interested in, so we spent some time just holding a Sit and working on Focus and disengaging whenever he locked on. We ran through all of his basic commands several times, and made sure to give him plenty of breaks to chase his ball whenever he'd start to get overstimulated around the other dogs. All of his basics are coming along nicely, but he still struggles a little bit with remembering to maintain his position at the Heel. He doesn't pull but he wants to be out front, so we do a lot of work on holding his focus so he remembers what he's supposed to be doing. We're getting there though! His manners at home are also coming along really nicely. He's been starting to go into a Sit without prompting now while getting into the car, he knows to Sit and Wait at doors until he's released to go through, and he's amazingly good with his food manners. I can go across the room and he won't touch his food bowl without being released. He still does a little bit of jumping up when he gets excited, but he's improved quite a bit there. Overall, I'm feeling really good with where he's at after his first full week!
7/22/25
For today I took him out to a local wash where I could work on his Heel fully off leash with minimal distractions, but still somewhere new so he'd be tempted by all the new sounds and smells. We did a few drills with him dragging the long line first, which he did really well with, then I undid him and had him walk with me with no leash. There were only a few times I had to correct his course, which is a huge improvement from where we started, so I feel more confident in moving him out to somewhere more distracting next time. He's learned to better control his impulses quite a bit over the last week, and I'm really proud of his progress and willingness to learn!
7/23/25
We had a great off-leash day at the park today! I took him out to a big, spacious park, worked him in the field off-leash with his Heel, Recall, Sit, and Down, then we just cruised around the park using mostly only verbal cues. He walked out ahead only by a few feet, checked in frequently, returned to my side when I called him, and even refrained from chasing after two squirrels running around on the ground! I released him to go ahead and chase them up the trees, but he came back instantly when I called him. Afterwards I went and sat down in the shade at a table where he chose to lay down by my feet and stayed there on his own the entire time, even when other people and dogs were passing by. All of this was with literally only a couple treats too, so he's really starting to grasp his manners well with little prompting from me. Great park trip all around!
7/24/25
So one thing I discovered with Bodhi is that he tends to get nervous when we enter buildings. Unlike when we're outside, it's less to do with overstimulation and more just general anxiety, so today I worked him inside the Home Depot where there's wide hallways and not too many people. He was doing some stress panting and yawning, but he was able to follow the commands still with only a little bit of additional verbal prompting. He's been doing amazing with all his work outside among distractions and off leash, so for the next few days I do want to work on exposing him to more indoor facilities to help ease some of that anxiety. I'll keep you updated on how it goes!
7/25/25
We went to the Santa Monica Pier again today, and while he started off doing beautifully in a solid Heel, he did get anxious the more time we spent there. There was no whining and he was able to listen to commands much better than the first time we did training here, but I could tell he was getting a bit too overstimulated with all the people and sounds moving around him. He did let a couple people reach down and pet him though, which was fantastic, and he calmed down as soon as we left the noisier areas. I believe he can learn to relax in these high-traffic areas with more exposure. I just want to make sure we're not pushing him too far past his comfort limits while we're working through it. Overall he had a great day and his commands are all pretty solid at this point. Just gotta get over that little bit of anxiety!
7/26/25
I gave Bodhi a break from the crowds today and worked him in a field outside of a dog park. I wanted to make sure his Recall was still solid even when he was running around with other dogs, and he did great. Then I took him for a walk through the neighborhood right next to the park. He was fully off leash, no treats, and I didn't have to touch the collar at all. He stayed in his Heel, and gave me his Sit and Down commands all strictly on verbal cues. He's really got a solid grasp on all his commands now, and I think he'll do great out in open spaces even with people and other animals running around. We'll just need to continue working on his anxiety around big crowds in tight spaces and he'll be good!
7/27/25
Back to crowd exposure! Bodhi and I took a walk up and down Old Town Monrovia during lunch time when people were out and about. I traded between on-leash and off, and he stuck to his Heel very nicely the entire time. I gave him a little free time at the library park where he was also able to do a Place with a family kicking a ball around right behind him. He was still a little anxious, but he's getting better, even when we passed through really crowded parts of the sidewalks. I'm going to keep focusing on this during this last week, and I have high hopes that I can get him to a place of being relatively comfortable with it before I bring him home!
7/28/25
We conquered the mall! The first time I took Bodhi to this mall he was a little too anxious to go too far inside, but today he handled it like a pro! I kept a very light leash on him clipped to my belt and attached to his flat collar just in case he got overwhelmed. He stuck by me right up until the end of the venture when you see him starting to break a little from his Heel as the overstimulation kicked in. Even with that, he responded to all verbal cues only and there was never any tension in the leash all throughout the mall. This tells me if kept to short visits for now, he could most likely walk through on a Heel fully off-leash. This is a huge improvement from where we started so I'm really proud of him today!
7/29/25
Today I combined everything we learned together into a fun hiking day. I took him out for an hour, off-leash hike along the Royal Oaks Trail and adjoining horse trails. We walked past barns, ground squirrels, bikers, joggers, and other dogs with zero issues. He checked in on his own so frequently I actually had trouble getting long enough video clips to put the pupdate together, and he also fell into his Heel often with no prompting whatsoever! He's truly in his element when he gets to go adventuring in nature, and I think he'll be a happy and responsive companion during hikes and outdoor trips.
7/30/25
We went back to Santa Monica today, but we altered course from the pier and decided to take a stroll down 3rd St Promenade. He did amazing, as usual, and we got so many compliments on how well-behaved he is! He's getting a good feel for how to navigate large crowds and noises now, keeping to his Heel and able to follow all other commands no problem. He still clearly favors more natural environments, but he's gotten to a place where he can handle city areas much better.
7/31/25
Another pier day, this time back with the crowds. He's getting a lot more comfortable with it now, able to do all his commands totally off-leash despite the bit of anxiety that's still peeking through. We practiced a lot on the commands he still struggles a little bit with when under crowd pressure, and while he still needs a little extra prompting here and there, he's able to overcome his jitters pretty quickly. What's really great is he's letting people come up and pet him now without issues, politely sitting to sniff hands and to accept head pats. And, super impressive, there were a ton of pigeons today on the pier that people were feeding, and he didn't go after a single one! He's doing really well overall, and I'm super glad to see his confidence growing!
8/1/25
One more fun beach day for Bodhi! We went to practice one last time on the pier and he did fantastic. He was much less anxious today so I think he's finally catching on that big crowds and lots of noise are no big deal. I took him down to the sand again afterwards to chase his ball and just be silly. He's worked so hard the last three weeks, he definitely earned it!
8/2/25
It's our last Pupdate in your three week program! We went to the park to do some last day drills, then plenty of play! His commands have all gotten super solid with just verbal prompting, he sticks close on his own totally off-leash, and as you can see by us running around, he's completely stopped jumping up or diving at ankles with fast movements. And, even more impressive, he didn't react at all when that other dog ran up to join us!
He's come such a long way over these past weeks, and it's been an absolute pleasure having Bodhi stay with me for his training and social growth process. He's intelligent, responsive, and very eager to please. He caught onto commands quickly, and I'm super proud of how far he was able to go in overcoming his anxiety. I'm honestly going to be really sad to see him go! You have a fantastic dog, and I know he'll do really great for you as you keep up with his training. Thank you so much for letting me be a part of his learning journey!
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