Bonnie | Pyrenees/German Shepherd Mix | Santa Monica, CA | In Training
- Tanner Strong
- Apr 6
- 9 min read
Updated: Apr 20
Meet Bonnie! She's a five month old Pyrenees/German Shepherd Mix from Santa Monica, California here for our Two-Week Board and Train Program! Bonnie is very sweet, but she sometimes has trouble walking on a leash. She often decides for herself whether or not she'll listen to her commands. If there's anything on the ground, she always wants to pick it up. From leaves to sticks, nothing is safe from Bonnie's mouth. Over the next fourteen days, we will work on Bonnie's obedience skills and impulse control, help her with all of her manners in and out of the house, and show her how to be the best pup she can possibly be! Stay tuned for Bonnie's two week transformation!
Pupdate: 4/6/2025
Today was my first day with Bonnie, and we had a great start getting to know each other! After picking her up, we headed home so she could settle in and get comfortable with her new environment. She was given plenty of time to sniff around and explore, and she seemed to warm up to me pretty quickly!
Once she was feeling more at ease, we headed out to the park for a walk. I noticed that Bonnie tends to want to stop and pull back on the leash, especially when something on the ground catches her attention. She was willing to Sit for me about half the time, though sometimes she preferred to lay down or keep sniffing instead.
Overall, Bonnie has been a lot of fun to have around so far! I'm looking forward to spending more time with her and continuing to build our bond.
Pupdate: 4/7/2025
Bonnie had a fun and productive day today at Whittier Narrows Park! We met up with some other trainers and their dogs, which was a great opportunity for Bonnie to practice working around distractions. She was definitely excited to see the other dogs but did a nice job calming herself down pretty quickly and getting back to work.
We spent some time working on her Place command, and Bonnie seemed to really enjoy it — especially since it involved laying down on a comfy cot! She was happy to settle there for short periods, though she was occasionally tempted to break position if something interesting caught her eye on the ground.
A big focus of today's session was improving her leash walking skills. Walking calmly on the leash is still a challenge for Bonnie at times, especially when there's something she wants to investigate, but she showed nice improvement compared to yesterday. She was able to walk more consistently at my side with fewer attempts to pull back or surge ahead.
We also worked on sharpening up her response to basic commands like Sit, which is becoming more reliable with practice. Overall, Bonnie had a great day building on her skills, and I'm excited to see her continued progress!
Pupdate: 4/8/2025
Bonnie and I went to Almansor Park today for her training session! Walking nicely on the leash is still a work in progress for her, but she’s showing good improvement. If she pulls away or throws a little tantrum, I simply keep moving forward — and sure enough, she usually settles down and gets back on track within a second or two.
A big focus for us today was redirecting her attention from the ground up to me. Bonnie loves sniffing around and trying to find little treasures on the ground, so I’ve been keeping her treats up above her head to encourage eye contact and engagement. When she drops her nose down to sniff while we’re working, I’m correcting with our Off command. We’ll continue to use Off for any unwanted behaviors like pulling, sniffing, or anything else we don’t want during training.
She’s definitely not thrilled about giving up her ground-sniffing adventures, but she’s starting to understand that her attention should stay with me when we’re working. It’ll take consistency, but she’s making progress!
We also introduced Bonnie to her Come To Sit command today. For this, I want her to come to my right side when called, loop around behind me, and sit nicely on my left side with her ears lined up with my leg. This is a new and tricky skill, but Bonnie did a great job starting to learn the motion.
Pupdate: 4/9/2025
Bonnie and I took a trip to Whittier Narrows Park today! Our recent work on building her attention really paid off — she spent much less time with her nose to the ground searching for snacks and more time checking in with me. There were definitely still moments where she hesitated or got a little stuck when walking politely, but those moments are happening less often and for shorter periods.
As her focus improves, we’re starting to have more fun together on our walks, which is such a great sign of her progress! She still has a long road ahead of her, but I’m really proud of how far she’s come already. Each day she’s getting a little more engaged, a little more confident, and a little more connected — and I’m excited to keep building on that!
Pupdate: 4/10/2025
Bonnie had a good training outing to Home Depot today! I was really impressed with how well she handled herself in such a new and stimulating environment. Her Heel position was much better than I expected — while there were definitely moments where she got distracted, stopped suddenly, or edged ahead of me, those moments were far less frequent than I anticipated.
One thing that stood out was how little she stopped to sniff compared to what I expected in such an exciting place. That shows some really nice progress in her focus and engagement with me, even with so many distractions around. She still loves to look around and sniff but she showed an effort to stay with me and staying engaged.
While Bonnie is still very much a puppy and showed some of that playful, curious behavior, I really appreciated that when she didn’t get her way, she didn’t throw a tantrum or protest like she might have in the past. That emotional regulation is a big step forward for her!
Overall, Bonnie is still growing and learning, but today’s trip showed that she’s advancing quite a bit in her training and ability to handle new environments.
Pupdate: 4/11/2025
Bonnie had a big outing today — we visited the Santa Monica Pier! This was by far the most crowded and distraction-heavy environment she’s experienced so far, and all things considered, she handled it well.
True to form, Bonnie was very curious about all the new smells and stimuli, but she impressed me by staying focused for the majority of our training time. Despite everything going on around her, she was able to tune in and work through the distractions for the most part.
My girlfriend joined us and took some time handling Bonnie as well. At first, Bonnie was eager to come back to me, but with a little time and patience, she began to warm up and even performed a few commands for her. It’s always great to see Bonnie working with someone new — it really helps her understand that her good behavior and training applies to more than just me.
Overall, this was a challenging day for Bonnie, but she pushed through and did fairly well for her first time in such a busy setting!
Pupdate: 4/12/2025
Bonnie had a productive outing today at the Santa Monica Promenade! While it wasn’t quite as busy as the pier, there were still plenty of distractions to work around, and she did mostly well. She started off a bit excited and needed some warm-up time to settle in, but once she got going, she walked fairly politely for most of the session.
One of the biggest challenges of the day was the fountain. Bonnie wanted nothing to do with it at first—pulling hard in the opposite direction and trying to keep her distance. With some patience and encouragement, though, she began to work through her discomfort. Bit by bit, she got closer until she was eventually able to Place right beside it, as shown in the video above—a big win for her confidence!
We also had a moment when some kids wanted to pet her. While she wasn't quite able to hold her Down during the interaction, she did manage to maintain a Sit and remained polite the whole time.
Overall, it was a challenging but rewarding day for Bonnie. She faced some tough moments but handled them with growing resilience—proud of the progress she’s making!
Pupdate: 4/13/2025
Bonnie had another fun and productive day! We spent more time walking around the promenade, and it really seems like she’s starting to enjoy it. I noticed a pretty significant improvement in how often I needed to use her Off command to keep her attention—she was much more tuned in this time, which is great progress.
We spent a good amount of time out and about, so by the time we got home, Bonnie was definitely ready for a well-earned nap. At home, she’s been doing better with her Place command, especially when it comes to staying put on the cot. The goal is for her to remain there long enough for me to cook and eat dinner without needing reminders. She’s not quite there yet, but we’re staying consistent with it, and she’s making steady progress. Overall, she’s doing really well and heading in the right direction!
Pupdate: 4/14/2025
Today, Bonnie took an exciting step forward in her training as we began dropping the leash for some of her commands. Letting the leash drag gives me a chance to see how she might perform off leash, while still allowing me to step in if needed.
During our morning session, Bonnie had a hard time focusing—she was in full play mode and struggled to stay engaged once the leash was no longer in my hand. After giving her some time to rest and process, we returned for another session later in the day, and the difference was noticeable. She still needed quite a bit of guidance, but her focus and responsiveness were much improved!
While she’s not quite ready to go fully off leash just yet, today’s progress definitely gives me hope. Great work, Bonnie!
Pupdate: 4/15/2025
Bonnie made some nice progress today as we continued working with the leash dragging. While she was still a bit distracted at times, it happened less frequently than yesterday, which shows she's moving in the right direction.
The biggest challenge today was introducing the Place command during these sessions. Bonnie loves her place cot—so much so that she occasionally tried to run to it before being asked! While it’s great that she finds it comforting and is willing to go there on her own during breaks, it did become a bit of an issue when she chose it over coming to me when called.
We broke things down into a few short and focused sessions, and by the end, she seemed to be getting the idea. If her progress continues at this pace, I’m optimistic about trying some leash-free work with her tomorrow!
Pupdate: 4/16/2025
Bonnie had a solid training day today! We started each session on leash to help her dial in and focus. Once she was fairly responsive and I felt confident in her mindset, I took the leash off for a few minutes at a time. She did pretty well overall! One habit we're still working through is her tendency to hop onto the place cot before being asked, but aside from that, she handled the off-leash time relatively well. With continued practice, especially around more distractions, she's on a great path!
Pupdate: 4/17/2025
Today’s Pupdate is all about the manners Bonnie has been working on—and she’s really starting to shine!
For food manners, Bonnie is learning to wait patiently when food goes to the floor, only eating when I ask. This added structure has been doing wonders for her diet! She seems more engaged with mealtime and is much more eager to eat her meals. It’s now rare that I have to wait for her to start eating—she usually digs in right away once she’s given the go-ahead.
For door manners, we’ve been focusing on calm, controlled thresholds. Bonnie is learning that just because a door opens, doesn’t mean she gets to rush through it. She waits until I give her the okay to go out or come back in. This helps with safety and reinforces her ability to stay calm under excitement. We’ve been practicing this at regular doors, fences, and gates to try to make sure the behavior generalizes across different situations.
For car manners, Bonnie is learning to stay seated when I open the car door, and then go directly into her crate when asked. She’s picking this up nicely and becoming more patient with the routine.
Each of these manners has been a challenge in its own way, but Bonnie has been putting in the work and making steady progress. With daily practice, she’s turning into a well-mannered and responsive pup!
Pupdate: 4/18/2025
Bonnie hit the Santa Monica Pier today for a training session, and she held her own in the busy, high-distraction environment! We kicked things off with an on-leash warm-up to help her settle in, which she definitely needed. After that, I let the leash go, then took it off—and while there were quite a few moments where she got slightly distracted, she managed to stay with me and did fairly well overall!
The pier was packed with people, so I wasn’t quite sure how she'd respond, but she handled it better than expected. We also worked on her greeting manners, practicing being polite and calm when strangers wanted to pet her. She’s still learning, but she's making nice progress in that area too.
Overall, it was a solid outing for Bonnie—big steps forward in a challenging setting!
Pupdate: 4/19/2025
Bonnie had a lovely outing to the Santa Monica Promenade today! She was allowed some off-leash time—about half the visit—and she handled it with confidence and control. Compared to the pier, she seemed to enjoy this spot a bit more; the slightly more relaxed atmosphere really suited her. Bonnie did an awesome job with her commands and showed great manners throughout the day. All in all, it was a fun and successful adventure!
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