Bowser | American Bulldog | Carson, Ca | In Training
- Robert Steinbach
- Jan 19
- 16 min read
Updated: Feb 1
Meet Bowser!
Bowser is an almost 2 yr old American Bulldog from Carson, Ca, who is joining us for a 2-week board and train program. Bowser has reactivity issues with other dogs and pulls on the leash during walks. He comes to us knowing a few basic commands like “sit” but when he is distracted by other dogs he won’t listen to any commands. Over the next two weeks we will be teaching Bowser several new obedience commands and reshaping his behavior with other dogs so that he can live a happy and balanced life at home with his family and out in public.
Stay tuned for Bowsers transformation!
Pupdate 1/19/2025
Today I assessed Bowser's grasp of basic obedience commands and started working on teaching him the “sit”, “come to sit” and “place” commands. Bowser was definitely giving me some push back but we worked through it.
We were able to do everything without his muzzle today which was good progress.
He is showing some avoidance with me and didn’t want anything to do with the treats that I was trying to use for reinforcement. I switched to verbal and physical praise as a reward for completing his commands. It’s typical for dogs to be a little standoffish on day 1. New environment, new trainer, new kennel to sleep in etc. I will spend lots of time with him today trying to get him acclimated to his new surroundings. Hopefully this will help him and I to form a better bond and improve his overall comfort level with me.
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s Pupdate!
Pupdate 1/20/2025
Today Bowser and I headed to Whittier Narrows recreation area to do some training around other dogs and their trainers. This was designed to start the counter conditioning process.
The plan is to expose Bowser to other dogs from a distance and slowly pass closer and closer each time. Whenever Bowser is aggressive, he gets corrected and then redirected into something more positive and then praised. After that we continue walking so that he doesn’t stand there and focus on the stimulus.
The second part of today’s training consisted of moving closer to the dogs and staying seated while in close proximity to them. This is intended to provide positive interactions and timed praise that I used strategically when he redirected his focus to me and on the few occasions that he sat or even laid down in a more relaxed position.
Today I got to see Bowser's extreme reactivity to other dogs first hand. He was lunging, snarling and barking at the dogs as we walked by. I made minimal progress as I walked by each time and praised him when he redirected his focus back to walking in the “heel” position. As we got closer he quickly reached his threshold and would no longer follow through with commands. I kept correcting the behavior and redirecting and eventually he followed the “sit” command but it was a battle.
When we went closer and sat on the picnic benches he did slightly better but still had bouts of trying to get to the dogs. I imagine that trying to control this behavior on a harness with a retractable leash would have been close to impossible. I highly recommend you switch him to the Pinch collar in conjunction with the E collar upon his return. This will give you much more control over him.
I have to tell you that this reconditioning process is most likely not something that anyone will be able to fix in just 2 weeks. I will work on building his obedience commands using the E collar and I will keep exposing him to other dogs as part of his training with me with the goal of getting him to at the very least ignore the other dogs when given the “off” command.
I'm explaining all of this because I want to keep the expectations with Bowser realistic. It is going to be an ongoing process with him in regard to conditioning his behavior with other dogs. I am hopeful that by introducing him to the e collar tomorrow and building up his ability to follow commands using the e collar, that he will fully understand what you are asking of him in those moments when he is trying to aggressively get to other dogs.
I will keep you posted of all his progress along the way and give you guidance as far as how to continue with his training once he’s back home.
Tomorrow we will work on his training with fewer distractions and try to build up his foundation before checking his progress again on Wednesday.
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s pupdate.
Pupdate 1/21/2025
Today Bowser and I worked on his “heel” and “sit” commands. Bowser didn’t like the corrections at the beginning and quickly picked up being able to walk in the “heel” position next to me. Every time I stopped walking I placed Bowser in the “sit” position so that eventually every time I stopped walking he will “sit” on his own. I also had him “sit” at each corner before we crossed the street so that he doesn’t try to run into the street on his own. He did great with this and by the end of our walk he was starting to sit when I stopped about 50% of the time.
Bowser got a little worked up with a few dogs barking from behind their gates during our walk but I kept up with the corrections and kept exposing him to those dogs until he passed by without lunging or growling at them. This took a lot of repetition but it’s an important step for him. If I were to allow home to bark and then drag him away, in his head he thinks:
I’m scared
I’m going to bark and act tough
Now the dogs are gone like I wanted
This will only act as a reinforcement of the behavior. I’m trying to teach him that it’s not ok to act that way and also that nothing is going to happen to you if you just ignore them.
Eventually you want the next step which is, nothing is going to happen to you if you get closer to a dog without barking. These are baby steps and will take time. Again I will teach you how to continue the training to ensure continued improvement over time.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's pupdate.
Pupdate 1/22/2025
Today Bowser and I spent time in a low stress environment so that he could focus on improving his obedience commands without the distraction of other dogs. My hope is that by improving his obedience commands that Bowser will be more likely to follow those commands in higher stress situations.
Today we focused on the “come to sit”, “place”, “sit”, “heel” and “down” commands. Bowser actually picked them up fairly quickly. After I felt like he had a good grasp of the commands I started to introduce the e collar in order to hold Bowser accountable for following through with each command. I feel like he regressed slightly while using the e-collar and the rest of the session was less productive. Tomorrow I will work on his commands again and I will be able to get a better gauge of how the e collar is affecting him.
Bowser didn’t want to eat his food this morning but he ate his full serving this evening. I’m hoping that I will be able to incorporate some treat training in the coming days but so far he hasn’t wanted to take them from me.
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s pupdate.
Pupdate 1/23/2025
Today Bowser and I headed to the park to work on conditioning Bowsers behavior around other dogs.
We switched Bowser to a slip lead that you can see in the videos. This lead applies pressure at the neck when he pulls against it and it puts pressure around his snout as well. It’s designed to make it uncomfortable for him when he fights against it and the pressure goes away when he stops pulling.
Mike came to help with his dog Oso today in order to give Bowser the chance to greet another dog that isn’t reactive to ensure that it doesn’t escalate when Bowser becomes reactive.
Bowser made progress overall today and on several occasions I was able to get him all the way up to Oso before his desire to dominate him kicked in. To accomplish this I started by correcting his behavior and then redirecting him into a “heel” away from Oso and then placed him in a “sit” facing away from Oso. Bowser was able to follow the “heel” and “off” commands on several occasions when he was in a heightened state which is a small victory compared to previous sessions. On several occasions Bowser redirected his aggression toward me and was able to bite my hand and leg on separate occasions. This told me that he’s not quite ready for no muzzle in these situations as I will need to touch him to redirect his attention and his instinct is to redirect his aggression toward me.
We will still be able to use the slip lead for training but around the neck only and the muzzle over his snout. After spending some time with Bowser and watching his behavior during training, I was already leaning towards not using the pinch collar or E collar at this stage. I was feeling like it escalated his behavior when he was aggressive and shutting him down during a few of the training sessions at home. With him I feel calm seems to go a long way in lowering his anxiety level. He associates the discomfort of the e collar and pinch with the other dogs which can make things worse. Not to mention the past trauma he has probably experienced in his original home.
I am going to approach the next few days with softer corrections and redirections on his flat collar and see if a more gentle approach will still be enough to redirect him without increasing his aggression.
I will send you an email this evening with some training recommendations and suggestions moving forward.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's pupdate.
Pupdate 1/24/2025
Today Bowser and I continued to work on his obedience commands with no distractions. We focused on “place”, “come to sit”, “down” and “heel”.
I did not use the pinch or E-collar today and did everything with the flat collar. Bowser responded well to this. He was excited to train and his follow through with commands was improved.
I was able to extend his “extended place” to around 60 seconds today. When he’s home you can continue extending the duration before giving Bowser the “break” command to release him from that position. Each time you train him you can extend the time a little longer. If he leaves the position early, you give him the command again and walk him back to the “place” you put him in and make sure he follows through. Then shorten the time to less than when he left his place so that you make the training productive. Don’t ever end the session with him not following through on a command.
This same training technique applies to any of the commands that you’re trying to work on with him. He should never be allowed to leave the position unless you give him permission with the “break” command. So if you aren’t going to be in a position to make him follow through with a command, don’t give him one. If you’re in the house and give him a command and he doesn’t follow it, grab the leash, put it on him and then give the command again and ensure he follows through with it. When he does, reward him so that he knows what right and wrong look like.
Rewarding doesn’t have to be a treat. It can also be verbal praise and or physical praise. Like, “good boy” and a rub on the head. If he does something you really like, up the level of praise. You want to reinforce the good behaviors.
When it comes to the corrections. Correction doesn’t mean you did a bad thing and now I’m upset. Your correction can be stern but then immediately switch gears to neutral, meaning even temperament. Then give Bowser a command to follow and when he does, reward him. I like to say “correct, redirect, reinforce” those are the basics for shaping K9 behavior.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's pupdate.
Pupdate 1/25/2025
Today Bowser and I headed to Stearns Park to do some training with Mom! Bowser was very excited to see you!
We went over several of Bowser's basic obedience commands and we focused a lot on “off” and “heel” which will be commands that help you keep Bowser focused on your direction during walks.
Bowser still gets anxious when seeing other dogs and wants to pull, lunge, bark at them, but he is making small improvements with listening to commands in those instances.
Today we worked on keeping your voice tones at a consistent level when giving commands so that Bowser doesn’t learn to ignore you until you raise your voice for the command.
We worked on using the “off” command to get Bowser to leave whatever he is focused on and bring his attention back to you. Once you have his attention it’s best to channel it into something positive like asking him to walk into a “heel” or “sit” or “place”. Then you can praise him for following through with the command. If you are walking with him and give the “off” command and he brings his focus back to you and to walking in a “heel”, that’s a great time to praise him as well.
The timing of those verbal or physical reinforcements are key to communicating what is right and what is wrong and you were doing a good job with that even after a short time today.
You are Bowser's leader and his protector. Following the training techniques that we used today will let him know that you are in charge of your walks with him and that if he follows your commands, everything will be fine.
Other things we discussed were asking Bowser to “sit” any time you stop walking, as well as any time he walks in or out of a door. That will get him in the mindset of listening for your commands and waiting for your permission. This in turn will transfer over to your walks so that eventually he learns that he can’t just take off trying to get to another dog because he wasn’t given permission to do so. Those small obedience tasks will make your life easier when he’s in a more stressful situation.
You got to see and feel some of Bowser's progress today on your walk with him. He is starting to understand what is expected of him and what is allowed. If you have any questions about today’s training please don’t hesitate to reach out and we can discuss. I left the original audio in today’s training video so that you can reference back to what we worked on.
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s Pupdate!
Pupdate 1/26/2025
Today Bowser and I took a walk around the neighborhood to continue working on his reactivity.
I used the flat collar and regular leash to see the difference between that and the leash we used for him yesterday. I think the red slip lead is definitely the way to go. He is much more responsive to it.
Bowser did great walking in the “heel” position but still pulled to get to the dogs that were barking at him from behind the fence. We did 10 or so passes back and forth to work on desensitizing him to those dogs. Eventually he gave up the fight and walked past the gate without lunging. He is stubborn but he’s definitely learning and showing improvement. Day 1 it would have taken us 30 passes in front of that gate.
Later on our walk there were two dogs off leash across the street and he had a tougher time leaving them alone. They ended up going inside before we had a chance to completely get him to leave them alone but he was making progress up to that point. You’ll see me use my knee to spin his hind legs around and get him to focus on me. Redirecting his focus is one result and the other is that it caught him off guard and let him know that he should be thinking about what’s over here instead of barking at what’s over there. It also allows me to keep both hands on the leash if he decides to redirect any aggression my way. You’ll notice that he was so surprised that he didn’t redirect much aggression at me because he was trying to figure out what had happened.
That’s when I gave him another command and tried to get him walking again. As soon as that focus comes back to you, give him something positive to do with it.
Overall we made some progress today and we will keep taking these daily walks to work on his reactivity.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's pupdate.
Pupdate 1/27/2025
Today, we dedicated a significant amount of time to reinforcing all of Bowser’s commands in our yard, providing him with a structured and controlled training environment. Bowser continues to make steady progress and demonstrates a solid understanding of his commands when distractions are minimal. One of the most notable improvements over the past few days is his automatic sit before entering or exiting a doorway—he now does this instinctively without needing a verbal cue, which is a fantastic display of his learning and responsiveness.
Later in the day, we went on our daily walk around the neighborhood, focusing on leash manners and desensitization exercises. I intentionally guided Bowser through the gate where the two barking dogs typically are, as this area has been a trigger for him. Although the dogs weren’t present today, Bowser was visibly on high alert, anticipating their presence from about two houses away. As we approached and passed the gate, he remained tense and watchful, but without the external stimulation of the barking dogs, I was able to use the "off" command to redirect his focus, followed by "heel" to get him back into position. This helped him settle back into a calm and structured walk for the remainder of our route.
Bowser is showing steady progress, and with continued exposure and reinforcement, he will continue to build confidence and impulse control in these situations.
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s pupdate.
Pupdate 1/28/2025
Today Bowser and I spent time in the yard working on his obedience commands. He is improving with his puppy push ups when he goes from sit to down and back to sit again and his “place” duration has improved to 1 min and 20 seconds now.
Today I also started teaching him the “watch” command so that I can have another way to redirect his focus to me. He picked it up quickly and I will continue to sharpen it over the coming days.
We also went on another long walk around the neighborhood to continue working on his reactivity. He was still reacting to the barking dogs but he’s taking fewer passes back and forth to start to leave them alone. Still making progress in the right direction.
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s Pupdate!
Pupdate 1/29/2025
Last night and this afternoon we took a walk around the neighborhood to continue working on Bowser's reactivity.
Bowser showed improvement when walking past dogs barking from inside a house and when seeing dogs in a window that weren’t barking at him. He still showed increased interest but the “off” command and a small leash pull was enough to get him to focus on me and keep walking.
There are two dogs behind a fence that bark incessantly when we walk by and Bowser could not get over it. He really wants to get to them regardless of the number of attempts or corrections. Two days ago they weren’t at the fence and he still wanted to get to the fence because he associates it with the barking dogs. That said, when they weren’t at the fence I was able to redirect him and get him to walk by without reacting after 3 attempts. So the intensity level of the dogs barking at him definitely makes a difference. When I walked on the opposite side of the street the dogs didn’t bark at him and he looked in that direction as we passed but a quick “off” command made him get back to walking in a “heel”. Overall this is progress and situations will have to be managed on a case by case basis in your neighborhood while on your walks with him.
I will note that when there are limited distractions from other dogs, Bowser does a great job in following commands and walking in a heel. He has shown much improvement in this area.
I noticed an abrasion on Bowser's snout today being caused by where the muzzle is making contact with it. When he redirects his aggression at me he rams the muzzle into me and I think that may be causing the irritation. I will try to limit this contact going forward.
Also noticed a small scratch on the pad of his right hind leg. Probably caused when he is lunging and pushing off on the concrete. They look minor and I will keep them both clean and monitor for any changes. I don’t think either would require a vet visit. I have attached photos of both.
I will also send a follow up email with a recommendation for potentially a different muzzle for him if you ever feel the need to change it. In the meantime I will attempt to add some makeshift padding to that particular area of the muzzle to prevent any further irritation.
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s Pupdate!
Pupdate 1/31/2025
Today Bowser and I got to train with Mom at Stearns park.
We worked on all of his obedience commands in a very distracting environment. Bowser was on high alert with the squirrels and dogs at the park.
We went through his commands and you had an opportunity to practice regaining his focus during the moments that he became distracted. You are doing a great job on leash with him and you are showing that you understand what we are trying to accomplish by the timing of your verbal and physical corrections. The timing makes all the difference. A few times before I could even get the words out you had seen what was happening with Bowser and made the right adjustment. If you ever want to pick up dog training let me know!
You were able to walk by another dog many times without Bowser snarling or lunging at him and that is huge progress in my opinion. Not only were you able to accomplish that with him but when he started to focus on the other dog you were able to redirect him and keep him moving with you which will be huge for you on your daily walks.
Bowser is going to challenge you and test your patience but my hope is that possessing these skills will allow you to continue shaping Bowser's behavior.
There’s no one size fits all training technique for dogs with aggression issues but the one constant in my opinion is that strong leadership from the person holding the leash is going to make the biggest difference. You have shown me that you are more than capable of being the leader that Bowser needs. Not to be dramatic but what you’re doing for him is making him a more balanced and manageable K9 companion and quite honestly saving his life.
I will continue working with Bowser tomorrow on his obedience commands and walks through the neighborhood and we will meet on Sunday at 9:00 to go over everything again and talk about his continued training.
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s Pupdate.
Pupdate 2/1/2025
Today Bowser and I went for another training walk around the neighborhood and worked on his obedience commands at home with lowered distractions.
Bowser still got reactive with the dogs that barked at him but he was able to calm down a little faster than normal today and got back into the “heel” position when I asked him to. The rest of the walk was great and he did a good job of following the “off”, “sit” and “heel” commands when asked to.
At home we worked on all of Bowser's obedience commands and extended his “sit” and “place” commands to 2 minutes.
I’m sure Bowser is excited to head home with you tomorrow. If you ever have any questions about Bowsers training don’t hesitate to reach out.
See you tomorrow!
Comentários