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Writer's pictureAdrienne Lascari

Buddy | Golden Doodle | Venice, CA | In-Training

Meet Buddy, a two year old Golden Doodle from Venice, CA, and he has joined OffLeash for our Two Week Board and Train Program! Buddy is the sweetest pup and a great companion, but he struggles with obedience and manners. Buddy loves meeting new people and dogs, but his excitement to make new friends is hard to control. He tends to jump to greet and bark when someone is at the door. Not only does Buddy jump on people, but he also jumps on counters to steal food or objects. Buddy seems to think most objects are toys, and its not uncommon to find him with a piece of clothing in his mouth. When out in public, Buddy becomes easily distracted and will pull of the leash during walks. He understands a few commands, but he has a hard time holding them for long and only recalls when he feels like it. Buddyā€™s owners also want him to not be so rough or mouthy when playing. Buddy lives with a baby at home, so it is important to his owners that he is gentle when playing. Over the next two weeks, Buddy and I will be working on his off leash obedience and manners. Stay tuned to see his transformation!

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Pupdate 4/14/2024

Buddy had no issue settling into my home. He was a bit nervous when meeting new friends, but after all the pups sniffed each other, they ran around and played. Buddy also ran around the house and explored the new surroundings. He even had some fun playing on the trampoline. After Buddy familiarized himself with my home, I had him run through some commands to see what he knows. He did good going into a sit and down, but he would break command right away. Buddy and I will be working on him holding those commands and even teach him some new commands! He will also learn to not pull on the leash to eventually be able do an off leash heel. We canā€™t wait to get started on Buddyā€™s training journey to being an off leash pup!

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Pupdate 4/15/2024

Today Buddy and I trained at La Mirada Regional Park. We met up with the other pups in training which was a great distraction to work around with Buddy! Today Buddy and I worked on the command place. In the video, I explain what place is and how to practice the command with Buddy. We also are working on his sit and down and building off the foundation he already has on those commands. The goal is to get him to hold the commands until we allow him to break. This is great for having our pups stay in a spot we want them in and prevents them from running off wherever they want. Buddy showed he can be a bit stubborn when asking him to follow through with a command, but I held him accountable and rewarded him after he did the command. We also started conditioning Buddy on the e-collar. I have attached a video explaining the features on the remote and collar. Feel free to review this video as many time as needed so you are familiar with the collar for when Buddy goes home. He learned the stimulation quickly and started to understand to fix his mistakes when a correction is given. Buddy did great on his first day of training and was quick to learn a new command!

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Pupdate 4/16/2024

Today, Buddy and I worked on the command heel. In the video, I explain how I taught heel to Buddy. Just for practice, I used a prong collar. Since Buddy doesnā€™t get too excited for treats which help me guide him to the correct position in the beginning, I used the prong collar instead to help prevent him from pulling. Once he starts to understand the command, we wonā€™t be using the prong at all and just rely on the e-collar. Overall, he did amazing learning heel. I was able to work with a loose leash with him. Yesterday when we were training, Buddy pulled me a lot, especially to go to other dogs, but today he did not pull at all. We did work around low distractions to help condition Buddy on these commands, but we will be moving to higher distraction environments. I also continued to work on the commands he had already learned. We even got to practice the command place on a higher object. As for the commands sit and down, Buddy did amazing holding the commands, and I was even able to drop the leash and move quite a distance away from him as he held it. Buddy is such a smart boy and is showing lots of improvement.

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Pupdate 4/17/2024

Happy Birthday to Buddy! Today Buddy had a very eventful day with training at the Whittwood Mall, meeting new friends, and having a pool party. Starting off with some training, Buddy did great learning a new command. In the video, I explain how Buddy and I worked on his recall. There were a few distractions and we even headed into the store to work on his heel and durations. For Buddyā€™s heel, he isnā€™t pulling as much, but he still tries to lead ahead of me. To work on that, I just did a lot of sharp turns which helps teach him not to lead and pay attention to me. As for durations, Buddy is doing amazing holding his commands and I am able to drop the leash and create lots of distance. Buddy was even so polite to sit and wait as I did a bit of shopping. After the mall, we headed out to meet some new friends and have a little play time. It was a nice break for Buddy from those puppies at home that constantly like to play.Ā  Later, we headed home and filled up the doggie pool to keep all the pups cool in this hot weather. Buddy seems to be the only one who enjoyed dipping his paws in the water. Although Buddy was stubborn during his training, He still worked through it and is showing great improve!Ā 

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Pupdate 4/18/2024

Today Buddy and I trained on Birch Street in Brea. We focused mostly on his come to sit and heel. His friends came along with us for some trainingĀ and they were a good distraction for Buddy. He struggled a little with his heel, especially when his friends were around. He had a hard time paying attention to me and wanted to go up to the other pups. I practiced on those tight turns and implementing corrects, and by the end of training Buddy started to heel next to me. We tried to practice leash dragging during a heel, but Buddy still needs some practice on staying focused. He is still doing great holding his commands. Today was a good day to teach Buddy around distractions and be able to fix his mistakes.

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Pupdate 4/19/2024

Today Buddy and I headed to the Citadel Outlets for training. We practice all the commands he has learned around higher distractions. Buddy did a great job following through with all his commands. I was proud to see that his heel is getting a lot better. He did not try to lead as much, and I was even able to drop the leash and let it drag as we walked. There were a few times where Buddy got distracted, but I quickly gave him correction and he fixed his mistake right away. He was able to hold his sit and down as I walked away and even as other dogs walked around him. Buddy and I also worked on the command place which he is having no problem with. The only issue I have with Buddy is trying to load him up in the car. He will put his paw front paws in the crate, but wait for me to help him up the rest of the way. I know he can jump in himself, so he may just be acting lazy. I have been working on giving him less of a boost each time so we can get him to jump in on his own. Buddy is doing a great job and I was proud of how well he handled all the distractions today!

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Pupdate 4/20/2024

Today, Buddy and I trained at the Shoppes in Chino Hills. Buddy and I practice on his leash dragging skills. His heel has been improving so much. He was following along with me and paying attention to where I was going. There were a few mistakes Buddy made which was breaking command when people came up to say hello. We are working on Buddy not jumping to greet. When he would try to pull me to go towards somebody, I would give him a correction and have him go into a sit. I also let the people know to not pet him unless he is in a sit and if he breaks it to stop petting him. We will continue to practice on Buddyā€™s greeting manners and also keep working on the rest of his commands.Ā 

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Pupdate 4/21/2024

Today, Buddy and I trained at Hacienda Park. We worked on his extended sit and down and we focused mostly on me creating lots of distance. Buddy and I also practiced his distance recall. Buddy is doing great coming back to me from a far distance. Even when distracted, he will come back to me when I call him! Buddy did such an amazing job today that I did not even have to pick up the leash! After all his hard work I let him have some fun and explore the park.Ā 

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4/22/2024

Today, Buddy and I trained at the Brea mall. We got to work completely off leash today! Buddy did amazing working through all his commands and heeling with me. He followed everywhere I went and stayed in the correct position during our walk. When he would lose focus, I would give him a correction which brought his attention back. There were lots of people giving compliments on how well-behaved he was. There was only one mistake Buddy made today, which was breaking command when someone came to pet him. I was proud that he didnā€™t jump to greet, but he was a bit overly excited. Buddyā€™s greeting manners are still a work in progress, but he is improving each day!

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Pupdate 4/23/2024

Today, Buddy and I trained at the Block of Orange. Buddy was a little upset that he had to walk next to the puppy since she doesnā€™t know any personal space, but it was great practice for the both of them! Buddy did break command a few times because of the puppy, but I still held him accountable to correcting his mistakes. I then practice with Buddy alone which today he was acting a bit stubborn. He did not want to go into a sit or down and it took a few times of asking and giving corrections until he followed through. Since he was being stubborn, I then made sure to focus mostly on his sit and down to break that stubbornness. It is important to hold Buddy accountable through each command we give so he doesnā€™t learn to push any boundaries. After some practice, Buddy was doing a lot better!

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Pupdate 4/24/2024

Today Buddy and I met up with all the pups in training at Whittier Narrows Park. Buddy started off being stubborn just like yesterday, so I tried to break his stubbornness right away. I made sure to not let him push any boundaries and again held him accountable to following each command. I was able to keep Buddy off leash the entire time. He did jump on somebody to say hello so I gave a correction, told him off, and made him sit by my side. I noticed that Buddy gets very excited when people baby talk to him. I had the other trainers help me with greeting manners for Buddy. First, they came up to him calmly to pet him which Buddy stayed in his sit. Then they came up to him excitedly while baby talking to Buddy, which caused him to break his sit and lean up against them. I had the trainers stop petting Buddy when he would break command which helps me bring back his attention and also helps him learn that he wonā€™t get attention unless he is calm and in a sit. After some practice, Buddy did well and stayed in his sit while being pet. For our training session today, Buddy showed improvement throughout the day! I also want to mention that Buddy is now getting into my car on his own and no longer waits for me to help him.Ā 

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Pupdate 4/25/2024

Today Buddy and I went to the Citadel Outlets to train. Buddy did an amazing job today and was not being as stubborn. He followed by my side with a perfect heel. There was only one incident where he ran to somebody who was baby talking to him and calling him. I let them know he was in training and to not pet him when he is overly excited. We practiced more greeting manners which Buddy did a lot better at staying calm. Overall I am very proud of Buddy and all the hard work he is doing!Ā 

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Pupdate 4/26/2024

Today Buddy and I worked at Huntington Beach. In the beginning, Buddy did try to pull and lead in front of me. He may have just been excited to be at the beach and there were quite a bit of distractions. I gave him a correction when he would try to lead and I would do the tight left turns to keep him engaged and paying attention to where I was going. After practicing Buddy started to do very well. We walked off Leash and ran through all his commands. He still can be stubborn sometimes, but holding him accountable makes a big difference!

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Pupdate 4/27/2024

After all of Buddyā€™s hard work, today he had the day off! He was also in need of a bath which was probably his least favorite part of the day. While drying off, Buddy played with his friends and ran around the yard. Buddy is so excited to go home and show you guys everything he has learned!Ā 


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