Buddy | Lab/Husky Mix | Whittier, CA

Meet Buddy! Buddy is a 4-month-old Lab/Husky Mix from Whittier, CA. Buddy came to join Off-Leash SoCal's 3-Week Puppy Board and Train Program. Buddy is quite the handful and is exhibiting lots of puppy behavior. Currently, Buddy likes to nip at the legs of humans, jump on them, pull on the leash, bark at people and dogs and has started counter-surfing for treats. Although Buddy has been taught a few commands, he is inconsistent with them. Buddy is here for a lot of structure, obedience, and consistency. Buddy will also be potty trained during his 21-day stay with Off-Leash. Over the next few weeks, Buddy will be trained and socialized to be a great pup around humans, young and old, and around other pups, big and small. Stay tuned for his 3-Week Transformation!

Pupdate 4/9/23

Today Mr. Buddy was introduced to my family pack before they headed out for Easter Sunday. Everyone loved Mr. Buddy and Mr. Buddy was kind to everyone as well. I did stop at the park on the way home to see what Mr. Buddy would or wouldn't do. It was mostly what he wouldn't do. That's ok because I like to see how he behaves and what kind of behavior he is giving me.

Before we came inside to meet everyone, I decided to put Mr. Buddy on the pinch collar. This collar allows universal pressure to be applied to the dog's neck area and makes them uncomfortable when they pull too hard or try to jump. I did this because he was all over the place at the park. Was he a fan of the pinch collar? Not really. Did he figure out that if he behaved, it wouldn't apply pressure? Absolutely.

I then introduced him to everyone including Mr. Ozzy and Ms. Toji. Mr. Buddy wasn't too happy with Ms. Toji as she is bigger than him and that set the tone for meeting Mr. Ozzy. There sometimes is a different dynamic when boys meet boys than when boys meet girls. I'll keep an eye on that to ensure that Mr. Buddy gets along with both.

Lastly, I took Mr. Buddy out for a walk around the neighborhood to try to get him to potty, continue working on the pinch collar, and introduce the "heel". I gave him plenty of chances to go potty and he didn't take them. That's fine! We stay persistent and consistent with asking him to "go potty" and eventually we will get there. We finished our walk using the pinch collar and practicing the "heel".

Food Note: I have attached a picture of the bag and the weight references. I am going to give him 2-ish cups, two times a day(he's about 35 lbs). This is going to help ensure that he is eating in the AM and then pooping and then I can expect the same thing in the PM. It makes it more regular for me and for him. He should be going about 1-2 hours after eating if he's out and active. When potty training we are just pairing his natural behavior(uncontrolled response) with a new unconditioned stimulus ("go potty"). Eventually, he learns that when we say "Go Potty" and he goes, it has now become a conditioned stimulus that elicits a controlled response. With that being said, we control when we give them water(we don't withhold anything just monitor and control how much we give versus how much he drinks) and food to exploit those behaviors and start to pair them with our command "go potty". We will get there!

Pupdate 4/10/23

Today Buddy and I stayed in the backyard "lab" and worked on what we started yesterday. I continued to work with the pinch collar to start. Mr. Buddy was in full puppy mode and this is one of the easiest ways to get him to participate in the training. He did resist a few times but by using the appropriate leash pressure and leash manipulation I can decide how much pressure is applied which will then gain his compliance with the training. The great part about a pinch collar is that I can just hold the leash where I want him to be and if he deviates from that, the collar applies the proper pressure to let him know that he's not supposed to be doing that. I can loosen my hold on the leash or tighten it depending on how he's behaving but all the input comes from the collar. In the end, I switched over to the flat collar and he seemed to do well with that. I will continue this switching back and forth for a few more days and see how quickly he picks up on the other commands.

Potty Training: Mr. Buddy had no accidents in the house yesterday and didn't really go at all even though I took him out several times. When I let him out to go potty this morning, he actually went in the dog run which is all concrete. However, subsequent trips in and out of the house have resulted in a few leakage incidents. I'll monitor his water intake and food intake to ensure that he understands that he only goes potty outside.

Pupdate 4/11/23

Today Buddy and I headed over to Rynerson Park in Lakewood, CA. I worked on the "heel" and "sit". Mr. Buddy was also introduced to the "come" to sit". We also continued to work on the pinch collar to establish the parameter. Once again, I can use this to control how much pressure is put on him depending on how he reacts or follows the commands. Mr. Buddy needs lots of structure and consistency. He still thinks he is in charge and I have to slowly wean him off of that.

I did let him out to play with Ms. Toji and Mr. Franklin. They seemed to get along just fine.

Potty training: Mr. Buddy is still being stubborn about going potty outside in my little patch of grass. He has been willing to go potty in the dog run with the other pups. I'll have to go out there with him and monitor his schedule and try to capitalize on his natural cycle to reinforce the "go potty" command. He has let himself pee in the house a few times on the way to the dog break.

Pupdate 4/12/23

Today Buddy and I took a long walk to the park by my house, Mayfair Park in Lakewood, CA. I worked Mr. Buddy on a slip lead and continued to reinforce his "heel". He is not a fan of this command and can be quite vocal about his displeasure with performing simple obedience tasks. He is capable of learning the tasks and performing them but as a puppy, he decides to break off and keep trying his own thing. I worked with reinforcing his "sit" and "heel". I tried to work on his "come" to sit a few times but he is still inconsistent with the "sit" and "heel". I'd like to see better clarity from him before progressing too much. I did introduce "heel" and tried to take him up on a few higher objects like a bench but he is pretty intimidated by those objects still. We will have to start low and slow and work our way up to larger and higher objects. It is a great thing he is here for three weeks so we can have plenty of time to modify his puppy behavior in a positive and meaningful way.

Potty Training: The conditioning you performed with him using puppy pee pads was successful. He really only wants to go inside the house. The trick is now that I have to counter-condition that behavior and let him know it's okay to go potty in the great wide world outside. The good news is that he has no problem going in the dog-run area and has been consistent about going out there each morning and at night after dinner. The middle of the day is a little trickier. It is important to monitor his water consumption and when he wants to go to the bathroom after consuming various amounts of water. Some pups are particular about where they go. Hopefully, he catches on pretty soon.

Pupdate 4/13/23

Today Mr. Buddy and I continued to work on his obedience in the backyard. I used the pinch collar again to ensure that he knows what we are doing. This is his sign that it is time to behave and be a good pup. The goal is to mix it up with the pinch and slip lead until he shows good mastery with them and then transition to the flat collar which is a lot less pressure on his neck. Today he did well. We worked on "heel", "sit", "come" to sit, "place" and "down". I even worked on moving away from him and working to the end of the 15' lead. He didn't quite make it but that's fine because he was willing to stay in place as I made it about 10' away. I'll take that for the first few days of training.

Potty Training: Once again, he is doing well going outside in my dog break area when given the right timing and opportunity. I took him out first thing this morning before letting out any of the other pups and he went potty all by himself and I gave him lots of praise for doing a great job! We will continue to expect him to go outside and hope he becomes more and more comfortable with it. He can stress pee when we are moving too quickly or he breaks off a command but we can work on that by using lots of praise and positive reinforcement training.

Pupdate 4/14/23

Today Mr. Buddy and I went over to Liberty Park in Cerritos, CA. Mr. Buddy got to meet President Lincoln but he wasn't a fan of having to jump up on the bench with Mr. Lincoln. I was able to get him up there, gave him a treat, and then he was fine. Overall, Mr. Buddy has learned and is showing proficiency with the commands he will need over the next few weeks. Mr. Buddy; however, still thinks he's like Scrappy-Doo and is in charge of everything. It is important to stay persistent and consistent. Another good reminder is that when he is distracted or performing unwanted behavior we use "Off!" which is always with stimulation and then we give them something to do where they can exhibit wanted behavior such as "sit", "heel" or with Mr. Buddy, I am using "come" to "sit" as his primary reset. He seems to do well with this one and it requires his undivided attention.

Potty Training: No incidents in the house but as stated before, I am getting his schedule down. As of right now, he goes around 645-0700 in the AM. Nighttime is a little trickier because it depends on if he eats all his food or not. But he still has plenty of time outside to do his thing. He still won't do it on a leash but will do it in the dog-run area.

Pupdate 4/15/23

Today Buddy and I worked on his door manners. Buddy did pee a little bit when I asked him to "place" but once we got going with the training, he did great! He was eager to please. This is good for week one and we will continue to work on exercises like this. He will have to subdue his will and perform what I am asking him to do. This is always challenging for a pup especially the husky in Mr. Buddy that wants to do whatever he wants.

With that being said, it seems like Mr. Buddy inherited all husky vocal cords. Mr. Buddy is whiny in the crate, outside, in the car, and basically everywhere else. This can be frustrating in that it is hard to tell what he is whining for. Is it for food? Is it for a potty break? Is it for being uncomfortable? Excited? I am not sure because he does it all the time. I'll try to decipher it to the best of my ability so that his needs can be met. I ensure he has plenty of water, food, and break time. Ensuring the pup's basic needs are met helps ensure effective and meaningful training sessions.

Potty Training: He still hasn't fully gone potty in the house. He does have the nervous pees that leak out of him whether I am bringing him in or out or with a family member. If I go super fast, he can make it outside without the leaking. It's not going potty it's just the stress pee. Once again, as soon as I let him out this morning, he went potty and pooped in the dog run without any issues. He is learning and understanding that it's ok to do this on the concrete and outside. I'm hoping that continuing to go outside will become an outside generalization and indoor discrimination.

Pupdate 4/16/23

Today Mr. Buddy and I headed over to Discovery Park in Downey, CA. We worked on the slip lead. Mr. Buddy knows all the commands but he doesn't like to do them very much. His "heel", "place" and "down" on an object are his biggest struggles. Surprisingly, his "come" to sit is really good. That's the task that pups struggle with the most. I'll have to work on his agility and confidence going up on to things because although he is small, he can definitely get onto benches and higher objects. Hopefully, with some confidence building, he can figure out how to go up and down. I did continue to work on his "down" and extending his "down" (once in position) and "sit".

Potty Training: Today he went outside at 0600 which he kindly let me know by all the noise he was making. Next, we went for another break around 0900. At the 0900 break time, he had a small accident in the house. This was because I didn't have him on a leash and I had switched sides with him on where to go for his break. He was confused and when I went to pick him up and show him which side to go to, he did his nervous pee right in the middle of the room. This was more my fault than his. I was hoping he would follow Mr. Franklin outside but he decided to stop right at the door. As a very wise dog trainer once said, "Hope is a bad plan". I'll start using the leash to get him outside and inside and then transition away from it when I think he can try again.

Pupdate 4/17/23

Today Mr. Buddy and I headed over to Liberty Park in Cerritos, CA to work on his "place" and extended "down" and "sit". Today, I only worked him on the flat collar and maybe 3-5 treats for reinforcement. If I give him too much praise, his puppy brain goes to level 100. So a small treat or pet on the head or chin is enough to reinforce his good behavior for now.

As you can see in the video, even though Mr. Buddy is still puppy size, he is capable of doing all sorts of agile activities. He was going up and down on those benches like he was a two-year-old sport dog. Mr. Buddy is really excited to experience new things which can also be a little distracting for him. He is interested in every new smell, bird flying, or people walking by. This is typical puppy behavior as he is becoming accustomed to the world. You'll see that he breaks his commands frequently and that's likely due to the overstimulation that is happening in his developing brain. He is trying to listen and perform the task to make me happy but at the same time, his puppy brain is telling "What is that smell?", "What is that thing doing over there?" "I've never seen that before, I want to go smell it", "that person looks nice, let me go say hi" and so on. Meanwhile, I am asking him to ignore all those urges and to patiently "sit" or "down". It is a lot to ask of him so as a stress reliever he will get up and move. We will work on extending him but this is something that will have to be continually reinforced as he grows into a full pup. The more things we condition and counter-condition the pup to, the better behaved they will be because they will know what a bird is, they will know what a skateboarder is and they will ignore it. Lastly, we worked on his "heel" some more. I noticed that if I walk too fast he tries to race ahead, so I slowed way down and ensured that he understands to stay next to me. This seemed to be a lot easier for him to understand.

Potty Training: The interesting thing is that no matter how much he sniffs or investigates a tree or area where another dog has marked it, he won't go potty. In my backyard, off-leash and free, he goes almost instantly when I let him outside. The good news is that he still hasn't really had an accident in the house and he continues to poop and pee outside without much issue. He may not have the "go potty" command paired with his potty breaks but he now has a consistent schedule to go to the bathroom and continue to understand to go outside and not inside. As mentioned yesterday, around 0600 he lets everyone know he needs to go outside. Overnight, he makes no sound and is a good pup. So now I know what that whiny means and he knows that if he makes that noise, I come to let him out. He's manipulated me with his whining and I've manipulated him to let me know that he needs to go potty. Now we're both on the same page. This helps with the crate training as he knows to relax, eat and sleep in his crate and when he's ready to come out for a potty break he lets me know. Currently, I am taking him on a leash outside so as to not let him get distracted or off-task and let himself go. I'll do this for the next week and then try to give him a chance off-leash following me outside. Good thing is that we get plenty of opportunities a day to practice this.

Pupdate 4/18/23

Today Buddy and I worked on his agility. As you can see we practiced going up and down on my porch. We worked on his "place" and extended "down". He's doing really well once we get into that "work" mode. It usually takes about a minute or two for him to realize that it's time for him to behave and to lock in.

Once we were done with the agility and warming up a little bit, I transitioned to finally working on his car manners. I have been attempting to get him to do it when we go out but it usually requires a lot of assistance from me. As you can see in the video, I started with the ramp straight across, then used treats to get him to climb up the ramp, and then eventually since he knew he would get a treat going in there, he jumped up on his own! I use treats to make the learning experience positive but I don't rely on them. I prefer to use my praise and petting and the "Break!" command to give the most praise. But a pup that will work for treats is a pup that is willing to learn and work for them so I have no problem using that to my advantage to make it a positive experience!

Potty Training: Still no accidents in the house. With that being said, he still does the leaking when we are heading out or starting the door manners like today. I think it's excitement and anxiety and his only response is to let it out. He hasn't matured enough to stop it from happening. It should diminish as he gets bigger and gains more self-control.

Pupdate 4/19/23

Today Mr. Buddy and I headed over to Rynerson Park in Lakewood, CA to work on Mr. Buddy's obedience. The good thing is that Mr. Buddy has learned all his commands well. He is good at the "come" to "sit" which I use as a reset for him. He is good with this command and it gets his attention. His "heel" isn't as nice as I would like it to be but we still have lots of time to work on it. He's not pulling excessively or going too wild but since he's a puppy if I walk too fast, he goes too fast. For the next few days, I'll have to work on the "heel" and slowing him down so he's in the correct position. When we left for the training, I had him "sit" at the door and he didn't even pee! That was a huge victory before we had even left. Combine that with how well he did at the park and I couldn't be more pleased with Buddy's progress.

Potty Training Update: Today was the first time he wasn't crying at 0400 or 0600 AM. I let him out at 6 AM, on the leash, with my door open so he wouldn't get slowed down. He went right outside and took care of his business. I was super proud of him and how well he did. At lunchtime, I took him out again on the leash and he went straight outside and took care of business. He is good with going potty outside; however, he still hasn't done it on the leash but at least he's going outside and not inside. It is important to give him frequent breaks throughout the day. The common rule of thumb is, however, many months they are is how long they need in between potty breaks. With him being 4 months that means about every 4 hours. He might need more or less depending on how much water he consumes or how active he is. If you have an accident and it's been less than 4 hours then maybe he drank too much water and couldn't hold it. With that being said, we haven't had any incidents in the house other than the nervous/excited pees which will likely continue until he's more mature.

Pupdate 4/20/23

Today Mr. Buddy and I reviewed all his commands in my backyard. Specifically, I wanted to focus on extending him out. He is a puppy and has the attention span of a puppy. An example is that although he is performing the "down" he is sniffing the bed, licking his paws, and keeping his mind active. He still hasn't figured out how to ignore those puppy impulses and stay focused on sitting or laying there and ignoring those impulses. I will continue to push him and keep him on task for the next week but your journey with him will only be beginning. It will be up to you to remind him and reinforce the foundation I am laying for him. Overall, a really great day of training for Mr. Buddy.

Potty Training Note: Still no accidents in the house. He has made it outside from his crate without any issues and now that he understands what to do, he is pretty good about going out there. He will even pull me on the leash to get there. Although he isn't going on command with the "go potty", he is still become conditioned to go outside. He just needs time to do it and he will. Once again this morning, at 0600, there was no crying or whining but was excited to go outside and went straight out there.

Pupdate 4/21/23

Today Mr. Buddy and I headed down to Main Street Huntington Beach in Huntington Beach, CA. What a great day to be outside. Mr. Buddy was fascinated with all the sights and sounds of being in such an area. Overall Mr. Buddy performed most of his tasks with good proficiency. I am pleased with where he is and how far he has come. He did urinate in his crate on the way home. I am not sure what the cause of this was because he had plenty of time outside before we left and while we were there. He didn't drink much water after his training session either. Accidents happen I guess.

Potty training: no accidents. Only submissive or anxious urinating such as when I put him on the scale. But it's just a little bit, not like in the morning when he empties his tiny puppy bladder.

Pupdate 4/22/23

Today Mr. Buddy and I conducted a small review at the house. It was extraordinarily warm today so we kept it short. I decided that after the beach day and his accident in the crate yesterday, it was time for a bath. Also, it was warm enough that it would probably be refreshing for a quick bath. Yes, I am a part-time groomer but I think I'm better at training pups! After the bath, we conducted a quick grooming session and then I let them all back out so they could continue to air dry and work out the stress of the bath.

Potty Training: If you watch the part at the end where they are all playing together, you can see Mr. Buddy urinate outside without any issues. I was about 5' away from him and he had no issue letting it out. Good job, Buddy!

Pupdate 4/23/23

Today Mr. Buddy and I took a nice long walk to my local park, Mayfair Park in Lakewood, CA. Mr. Buddy is doing great with his commands. Although Mr. Buddy is going to come with an extended 15' leash, I would recommend walking Mr. Buddy on a shorter 6' leash. The reason for this is that on the long lead, you give up a lot of control and the pup can break off to do more things. Today at the park, there were two pups who were misbehaving. They were barking and barking at Mr. Buddy. In order to control Mr. Buddy and to make sure he stayed on task, I had to wind up all the leash in my hand to get back control to keep him on the task. I tried counter-conditioning him a little bit but at that point, he was already tired from the walk, heat, and all the distractions. He was willing to listen and obey but was highly distracted. I know that pulling on the leash during walks was one of your biggest concerns which is why I am suggesting the shorter leash for most of your walks. It will give you the most control and ensure that he doesn't have an opportunity to perform too much unwanted behavior such as the one I described above. I would also like to take this time to remind you that Mr. Buddy is a puppy and he has a long way to go in regard to his maturation. You will need to be persistent and consistent in his obedience and setting boundaries on what he can or cannot do. He will try to be the boss or do his own thing quite frequently. I would even recommend using a slip lead or pinch collar the first week you have him back. I will show you how to use these tools as they were integral to setting his foundation. I might even use some of these tools again this week so that the neck pressure + obedience commands are clear and fresh in his mind. We will continue to expose him to more and more environments that will challenge him to focus and stay on task.

Pupdate 4/24/23

Today Mr. Buddy and I headed over to Los Cerritos Center in Cerritos, CA. Mr. Buddy overall did great with all his commands. He still pulls a little bit on the long line. He was looking at the other pups that were walking around but spent more time looking at them and kept walking along. An "off!" and a reminder to continue to "heel" kept him moving along. Mr. Buddy will be practicing his extended "sit" and "down" all week. We will continue to expose him to areas with distractions and reinforce his good behavior.

I noticed what felt like a hair knot on Mr. Buddy's neck but it appears that when he was rough playing with either Mr. Franklin or Ms. Toji, he got a scratch on his neck. I have attached a few pictures for your reference. I'll treat it with anti-septics and keep an eye on it. Even my wife said, "How did you notice that?" which is how small it is but I wanted to let you know. The other pups pulled off Mr. Buddy's GPS tracker the other day and then they got his collar off so I know they are playing as puppies. Mr. Buddy wasn't in any pain when I was checking it out and it doesn't seem to be bothering him. See pic below:

Pupdate 4/25/23

Today Mr. Buddy and I headed over to Rynerson Park in Lakewood, CA. The focus for today was his extended "down" and "sit". All of this is looking good. Today I used my 6' leash for a little more control. It's also nice because it's lightweight and doesn't give much input or tangled with Mr. Buddy. I used a few treats today to reinforce some of his behavior as I won't be able to use the pinch collar this week. As you can see in today's video, I don't hold the leash much as he knows what to do. The only issue is when he doesn't listen, there is no way for a negative consequence. Overall, he's doing well.

As you can see in the pictures below, Mr. Buddy has some irritation on the front of his neck. I sprayed his other red spot and this one with antiseptic. I also switched out his collar with a different one. I'll also be taking the collar off whenever he's inside so that it doesn't get worse. I will keep you updated on his skin condition.

Pupdate 4/26/23

Today Mr. Buddy and I performed a comprehensive review in the "lab". Mr. Buddy is doing amazing. I had my mini-trainers help me out with trying to distract Mr. Buddy. He has been doing really well. His biggest issue right now, which isn't necessarily a big deal, but his main obedience challenge is performing the extended "sit" without getting distracted or going into a "down". Is this a problem for what you will need out of him? Probably not, but we want to make sure he understands that when we ask him to do something, he should be performing that task until we ask him to perform another task or give him the "Break!" command.

As you can see, he sat there nicely while my kids and I played with the soccer ball. I had the leash in my hands for more control but as I've stated, I've tried to push him this last week with performing things without my input or me holding the leash. It is setting the foundation for continued growth with his training.

Neck update: Everything seems to have dried up so it was most likely a skin irritation of some kind. I think after the bath and the incoming heat, his collar was extra dried up and not as supple so I think that's what irritated his skin. I will continue to treat it with anti-septic and keep an eye on it daily to make sure it doesn't get worse. I will continue to keep the collar off whenever we are home or not training.

Pupdate 4/27/23

Today Mr. Buddy and I performed another backyard session before we hit the high distractor areas this weekend. Mr. Buddy did much better today staying in one place and maintaining his focus. He has a lot of puppy energy. He will need a lot of consistency and persistence when performing obedience. As a good practice and reminder, it's ok to do a quick practice session with him before going to high distractor areas. Also, remember to ensure all his needs are met such as water, potty, food, and adequate rest such as a nap. Just like a fussy baby that's overstimulated, Mr. Buddy can become overwhelmed which leads to unwanted behavior.

Neck update: It appears to be hot spots on his neck. Everything is dried up but needs some cream or medicine. They sell OTC medications and ointments but I always recommend to check with your vet. I've continued to keep his collar off and minimize contact with rough surfaces.

Pupdate 4/28/23

Today Mr. Buddy and I headed to Los Cerritos Center in Cerritos, CA. Mr. Buddy did well. We reviewed all his commands around the distractors. Mr. Buddy can get excited and overwhelmed but after a few minutes, he will calm down and get in the groove. For example, he kept trying to pull ahead of me but I held my ground and used resets such as "come" to "sit" or going in the other direction. Mr. Buddy is calm and quiet while training and being out but is still vocal in the vehicle and crate at home. As long as all his needs are met, we can just let him whine it out. If it goes on for more than 10 minutes or so, he might still have the energy that he needs to burn up. When he's been playing or training, he goes straight to sleep. Mr. Buddy is all ready to come home in a few days. We can't wait to show you what he has learned!

Pupdate 4/29/23

Today Mr. Buddy and I worked on his house manners, car manners and food manners. Mr. Buddy is quite intelligent and has picked up on what to do and he does well with the tasks. He enjoys pleasing and loves all the attention he gets when it's his turn to train. A few things to keep in mind for Buddy's return; stay consistent and persistent with his obedience and he will be a great pup, remember for potty training and when you get home that taking him out consistently and frequently are extremely important, and that he is really well trained on a leash- which means that if he is doing something unwanted and he's not on a leash, its difficult to make "Off!" meaningful with no way of mitigating that unwanted behavior. Here are all the commands that Mr. Buddy has learned while with me (all on-leash):

1) Sit/Extended Sit

2) Down/Extended Down

3) Place/Extended Place

4) Heel

5) Come to Sit

6) Off!

7) Break!

8) Car Manners - "Load Up"

9) Door Manners

10) Food Manners

11) Greeting Manners

In addition to these things, he was potty trained, socialized with other pups, and was frequently around my mini-trainers amongst many other distracting locations with varying amounts of stimulus. Tomorrow Mr. Buddy comes home to show you how he's transformed!

Buddy | Lab/Husky Mix | Whittier, CA | In-Training

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