Bodie | Aussie/Cattle Dog X | La Habra, CA | In Training
- Alex Kruse
- May 24
- 15 min read
Updated: 6 hours ago
Meet Bodie! He's a 1.5-year-old Australian Shepherd/Cattle Dog mix from La Habra, California, and he's here for our Three Week Old School Board and Train Program. Bodie is a very friendly guy who loves other dogs, people and even cats! But he's got a stubborn streak when his prey drive kicks in or he just plain doesn't want to listen, he pulls a lot on the leash, and he has issues coming when called. On top of that, he likes to grab things he shouldn't have, and he does sometimes experience a mix of anxiety and overwhelm when in new places. Over the next three weeks we'll make sure he knows that he has to listen when people are asking him to do things, we'll straighten up that Heel, teach him how to leave things alone that he shouldn't touch, and also help him with some exposure training so he's more comfortable around new experiences. Stay tuned for Bodie's three-week transformation!
5/24/26
I spent some time with Bodie at the park after drop-off just to see what I could get him to do and how he behaved with me. He very much wanted to sniff everything and run off to say hi to everyone, but I was able to get his focus a little bit. While he definitely wouldn't give me any sort of a Heel, and I confirmed he needs a lot of work on that Recall, he was able to give me a Sit and a Down without too many issues. I can tell he knows his commands, so we'll just need to remind him that he does actually need to do them when he's told. He was fantastic in the crate on the ride home, though, so he hasn't forgotten that part of his training from his puppy days! He was a little bit anxious with his new surroundings, but not so much where he was being noisy or refusing to sniff around the areas. I introduced him to both the house and the dog yard, and he did great meeting his new friends. His greetings were appropriate and while he didn't attempt to play, he sniffed everyone and went on his way with a nice, calm energy. He does try to creep out when he notices people going in and out of the gate, so we'll make sure he learns not to door-dash asap! Outside of that I think he's going to settle in really quickly here and I look forward to working with him!
3/25/26
Today was our group practice, so it was a great opportunity to see how Bodie might do around a bunch of other dogs on leash. He was definitely distracted and wanted to go say hi to everyone and sniff every inch of the grass, but once I got him more focused up, he was able to start giving me his commands without too many issues. He was just a little bit jumpy when he got excited about the treats coming out, but it was easy enough to correct with simple verbals. He has a pretty clean Sit so we worked on extending it and taking a few steps away from him, and then repeated that with his Down. For his Recall, we like the dogs to come around behind us and sit on our Heel side, and he was catching onto that pretty quickly. For the most part, the Heel itself is going to be the one that'll be hardest for him to learn since he wants to go off and explore everything. He was starting to grasp it without as much leash pressure by the time we left, though, so we'll get there! He did bark a little at a kid who was running up the slide at the playground. We were at a pretty far distance and he didn't seem to know what to make of it, but when I walked him closer and had him sit to watch, he calmed down about it pretty quickly. He was only starting to show just a little bit of herding dog overwhelm when one of the other dogs was working on bite work with another trainer (the police dog style work where the dog runs up and bites at a special sleeve the trainer is wearing). I made distance and worked on getting his focus for a couple minutes, then gave him a break when I could see that he was getting too locked on to the other dog even from across the field. Overall, though, he did really great for his first day!
5/26/26
Bodie and I headed just a few blocks down the road from my house to a local park that isn't typically very busy so I could work with him on his basics without too many distractions. There were some kids at the skate park on their scooters, but Bodie was more interested in all the smells in the grass than he was in them, which was good. I let him get some of that out his system before we got to work, and he locked in pretty quickly on everything I told him to do on the regular leash, so I went ahead and put him on the long line. His focus was still all over the place, but he was able to hold all of his commands without breaking, and he did really well on his Recall. He definitely knows all of his stuff, so we just need to work on that impulse control and he'll be great!
He's doing really well at home, too. He's starting to actually get into the play with the other dogs, mostly chasing them as they're chasing balls, but it's giving me more of a peek at his real personality. He's started to bark now during play as well, so we'll definitely work on that! He can bark a little bit here and there, but when he's doing it just to essentially shout at the other dogs, we want to correct that lol. And he also has a tendency to want to try to slip through the gate as we're going in and out, so that's the thing we're working on most. He needs to wait until he's invited to go through so we don't have any safety issues. That goes for both the gate and the doors, so by the time he goes home he'll definitely know that he's not allowed to just burst through exits any time he wants. Outside of that, he's fitting in really well!
5/27/26
Bodie had a fantastic day today! On Wednesdays we have a regular corgi who comes for daycare who's young and full of energy. He was a perfect match for Bodie's speed, and they chased each other in circles around the yard for ages! I didn't take Bodie out for his park session until after they'd worn each other out some, which was a good call. With all of that herding energy out of his system, he was able to really focus up on the lesson even with the bajillion kids who were at the park for some sort of school trip. Naturally I brought him as close as I was able without disrupting their activities, but he wasn't agitated by them at all, or by people kicking around soccer balls, bouncing basketballs, etc. He was responsive to mostly verbal commands with a few corrections on the collar, and he didn't really show any anxiety about anything. I started him off with the leash connected to his prong collar, then switched it to the flat collar while his prong was still on just to get him used to responding to commands without the pressure being applied to the prongs. He did just fine with that so tomorrow we'll see if he can work with only the flat collar on. He's making advancements very quickly, so we'll be moving into more and more distractions at a faster speed than I usually do and working him quicker towards being off-leash. He's really doing great so far!
5/28/26
I took Bodie out on a hike along the Royal Oaks Trail today, which is usually pretty busy with joggers, bikers and other dogs, so lots of distractions. Since I had him only on the flat collar today, no prong, we were only on the main trail for a short while until we could divert to the less-busy horse trail. I'm glad we did because he was certainly very unfocused on the main path, telling me he's not quite ready for that one just yet! He did great once we got onto the quieter path, and though there were still lizards, a couple squirrels, and evidence of horses to be curious about, he was able to focus up a lot better. I had him on the long line and let him have the lead off and on as long as he wasn't pulling, and as long as he came back when I called him. He needed some corrections on the leash tension a few times, but he did come back on his own to check in quite often, and he came back every time I called for him. He was able to hold his extended Sits and Downs for me without issues, and I was able to work on his Place command on the benches we passed by here and there. He also did really well with his manners at home today. He's learning to stay back from the gate now to give me time to get in and out, he's sitting before getting into the car, and very importantly, he's jumping up less to greet people. I haven't quite gotten him to Sit automatically for his greetings just yet, but he'll do it on command at least, and he's beginning to self-correct when he goes for that jump. He's also been picking up on body language and cues from the other dogs better, as well, learning when to leave dogs alone and when he needs to bring the energy down a few levels. He's very sharp and picking up on all these great behaviors left and right!
5/29/26
I wanted to start working Bodie towards his off-leash goal today, so we went over to Rotary Park that has a fence all the way around it. I started him on his flat collar on the long line with a short hold for warming up, then dropped the bulk of the line so that he was dragging it behind him. This way I was still holding onto one end in case he decided to bolt, but otherwise he had to rely on my verbal cues and corrections instead of any leash guidance. After a few practice laps, he caught on pretty quickly to where his positioning should stay at the Heel, and I didn't need to use the leash as much to get him where he needed to be during his Recall. I caught onto "Under" within two tries - he seems to like that one! But he's still a bit hesitant on the Place command. He gets a little nervous when it comes to getting up onto things, but he's improving every time we work on it. The only other issue we had is his tendency to want to lay down when he's asked for a Sit, so I'm working on switching up his transitions often to make him pay attention to what I'm asking instead of choosing his preferred position. He's really doing great overall, though! Once he gets over that little but of nervous energy he still has I think he'll fly through everything very cleanly!
5/30/26
I took Bodie out for a stroll up and down Old Town Monrovia today, which is typically pretty busy on Saturdays. There were plenty of people shopping, outdoor dining, walking their dogs, and a few kids zooming by on bikes. Bodie was a little bit nervous being in a more busy urban area, but he fell into place by my side without even being told, he did all his commands when asked, and he responded only to verbal cues. The only thing we struggled with was, for some reason, there was a wooden bench that he was randomly spooked by. I'm not sure if it was in the shadow of the building in a weird way, but he was not a fan, so we spent some time laying down next to it, getting treats, then touching it, then I lifted him up onto it where I stayed close and gave him lots of encouragement. He got up on other benches just fine so I don't know why that little wooden one was a monster in his opinion, but we got him through it and went on our way to do less-scary things again. Outside of that, he was a perfect gentleman weaving past all the distractions, and I gave him a little play time at the park after just to let him run a bit. I'll continue to challenge him with new, potentially "scary" things just to get him some good exposure, but so far he's coping really well with things for an anxious dog. I don't think it'll take too long before he realizes the world isn't as scary as he thought!
5/31/26
I took Bodie out to the Santa Anita Mall today, which is our busiest mall. I kept him mostly to the outside portion, dipped in through the food alley, went in a circle, then walked him back out again. This was definitely the most nervous I've seen him right off the bat in a new space, but that's very common at the mall even with dogs who aren't typically anxious. It's a lot of sounds, smells, and foot traffic in tight areas that they aren't used to dealing with. I also mostly kept hands-off with his leash, which is clipped to my treat belt, so any time you see him sort of wandering too far away from my side and then suddenly dipping back in, he's responding strictly to verbal cues there. He never really tried to pull ahead, but we'll have to work more on keeping him closer against my side when he's nervous. Otherwise I worry he might be looking for a place to go hide, which may make him a flight risk off-leash. We have plenty of time to keep working at it, though, so hopefully I can get his confidence up and it won't be an issue! Otherwise he did great with all his commands and is getting better at coming up onto things for his Place. One week in and I'm feeling pretty good about where he's at right now, so the rest will just be refining and exposure so he can be brave about going out!
6/1/26
It was pretty warm today, so I took the opportunity to work Bodie inside at the Home Depot. It was another great exposure experience for him with lots of sounds, smells and sights that he's not used to being around. He actually handled it pretty well for his first time, exhibiting a little anxiety but not as much as he was showing at the mall yesterday. There was a lot less foot traffic so that might've had something to do with it, but I'm hoping he's also starting to trust that I'm not going to take him anywhere that's unsafe. He gave me all of his commands without any issues, and his ears were actually perked up for part of the visit! I know his photo face usually looks like he has worried eyes lol, but in general he was much more relaxed for the whole session. And he worked on all strictly verbal cues, no problem. By the end of this week I'm aiming to have him working fully off-leash as long as I feel like he's confident enough to not be a flight risk. I'm rooting for him!
6/2/26
Today I let Bodie by the active, outdoor dog that he was made to be and took him on a long hike up the Santa Fe Wash Trail. It's closed in on both sides with fencing, so it was a great opportunity to test him out without holding onto the leash at all. I did keep it on him to drag it the whole time in case he decided to dart off either direction down the path, but I'm 100% positive he would've done just fine without it. He was out in nature, in his element, which meant he wasn't nervous about anything at all. I let him wander mostly where he wanted, but he checked in regularly on his own, always came back when I called him, stayed at my side when I asked him to, and often when I didn't! He gave me his Sits, Downs and his Place wherever I asked him to, and overall had a really great time! The only time I picked up the leash was when the trail joined up with the road up to the main park. It has a lot of curves and cars tend to speed around the corners, so just for safety, I kept him close. He really did great today, though, and I can now confidently say that in areas where he's comfortable at least, I no longer have concerns that he might be a flight risk. We'll see how he does next time when I get him around a crowd!
6/3/26
Today Bodie and I ventured on over to Old Town Pasadena. There was supposed to be a little farmer's market at the capital, but the place was overrun by graduates instead, so we picked the wrong week to go! Still, I got what I went for, which was exposing Bodie to heavier foot traffic in narrower spaces, plus all the sites, sounds and smells of a city. I thought he would be more anxious than he was, but really he did pretty great! We wandered around the streets just looking for good places to take pics, and he stayed at his Heel the entire time without me even having to ask for it. He did all his commands for me without issues, and was behaved as we passed by other dogs on the sidewalks too. He looked like a regular city dog! He's really become a dog I can just take pretty much anywhere and he'll stick with me and have great manners with me having to do very little to prompt that. He hasn't lost his silly personality and definitely still lets loose when he knows he's free to do so, but when it's time to work, he truly locks in hard. And his stay is only half over! I'll have to keep working on finding bigger and bigger distractions for him, but for regular home, park and city walking, he's already a breeze!
6/4/26
I'm so proud of Bodie today! Yes, he's good for me pretty much every day, but today in particular he gets all the gold stars! I took him out to Duarte Park to the softball fields to practice without the leash. The park is mostly fenced in with some openings scattered around it here and there, but it's pretty safe for having dogs off-leash. He was doing great with pretty much everything while we were just out in the grassy areas, even when I got him riled up. I was trying to get him jumping but he's learned not to, and fell into his Heel on command even at a jog. He stuck with me as we moved locations so I could show his Under and Place commands. He likes Under, so that was of course no issue, but all the bleachers there were narrow, slippery, and hot metal so they weren't great for him to do a Place on. I figured I'd just have him Place at the top of the exit stairs, but I did not anticipate the group of teens deciding to push right on through the space without waiting for me to finish or asking if it was okay to pass by or anything. So, I figured they were coming through and we were going to just see what happened. Bodie, as you can see, didn't move a muscle! They walked so close right behind him and he stayed right where he was until released. He got all the praise and some treats when I released him, I was so impressed! There were never any moments where I was worried he might take off of me, and best of all, he did all his work on verbal commands with no corrections. He's doing amazing!
6/5/26
It was back to the mall for Bodie and I today! With school being out and the temps being hot, it was definitely pretty crowded today. Bodie was still a little anxious, but nowhere near the level he showed last time we were here. He had no problems Heeling through the halls, and staying in his Sits and Downs for his photos, but he was a little hesitant jumping up on things for his Place. He held it just fine once he got in position, but he was iffy about jumping up on the furniture. I had to assure him it was okay, and then had him practice doing Place on top, then doing Under beneath over and over again until he did both cleanly without pausing. On top of that, Santa Anita Mall has a grocery store inside the mall, and while I typically only take dogs through there that I'm training for Service Dog work, I went ahead and walked Bodie through. Grocery stores are usually a more advanced location simply due to the fact that there are a lot of food items on low shelves at doggie-face level. It's very easy for dogs to want to shove their noses where they don't belong or even try to steal things. But Bodie's been so good with me these past couple weeks I had faith that he could cruise through those aisles no problem. And he did! He never even tried to sniff at anything, just kept to his Heel like the pro that he is. He's really become the sort of dog that you could literally take anywhere and he'd behave with perfect manners. He's so eager to please and so quick to learn, he's really one of those dogs that's a trainer's dream!
6/6/26
Today Bodie and I wandered over to Covina to check out their farmer's market. It was small, but that meant we had to work in tighter spaces around people, which was good practice for him. I also intentionally put us at the end of the market where the DJ booth was directly behind us, so Bodie really had to listen and pay attention to pick up his command cues. Yes, he did everything with zero issues even though he was just a little anxious, as per usual. I'm positive if I'd been allowed to take him through there without a leash he would've done fine, as well. That being said, I did take him across the street to the little plaza with the movie theater so I could work him a little bit without holding onto the leash. There wasn't too much traffic there yet as employees were just arriving to start opening up, but quite a few of them did pass by us and complimented us while we worked. They particularly liked watching Bodie do his Place and Under commands without me holding the leash. He looks so good, everyone thinks he's a service dog!
Comments