Meet Cali, a 1 year and 4 month old French bulldog coming from Los Angeles, CA. Cali is here for our 2 Week and Board train program to become a well mannered dog for her owners. I will help educate Cali to learn her overall obedience commands, proper leash manners, and proper house manners.
Cali comes to OLSC with no proper obedience training, so she will learn everything with me starting with the basic sit working up to offleash obedience.
Cali is sweet and very affectionate at home but can still be stubborn and hard headed sometimes. While walking she can initially start to pull and lets her surroundings distract her when trying to walk. Cali likes to eat her poop as well thinking its food. My goal is to set up Cali as a well mannered, obedience dog for her owners and a good citizen amongst his peers. Check out her progress with us as trainers!
Pupdate 3/5/2023
Today is the first day meeting Cali and we spent some time getting to know each other going for a walk. I noticed immediately she has no awareness for me and wants to lead regardless of the situation. I tried to see if she knew any of her obedience commands but even her basic sit was very difficult to keep consistent. Once she seemed tired I took her home and let her settle in meeting my brother and parents. She was very calm to see them and was very happy to see more humans in her new house she's gonna be staying in.
I had Cali meet my personal dog Hunter, who had a lot of interest in Cali but unfortunately she seemed uninterested in him walking around him and away from him. I continued to let them roam around each other but the only thing Cali would do towards Hunter is smell him. As the days pass by I will monitor how they behave around each other.
Once I put Cali in her crate she was full force on crying and yelping to get out. I ignored the crying by continuing any task I'm doing in the house. As much as Cali cries in the crate I don't want to engage at all with her until she can settle which I can reward her for. Later I took her for a walk and started to crate train her by asking her to go in and immediately come out. She would always struggle to go in but when it comes to going outside the crate she would come to me each time. This seems like a big threshold for Cali so I will monitor her progress in the crate day by day. Cali ate all of her food with no issue.
Pupdate 3/6/2023
Last night while training Cali I noticed her hips always rise up from going into a sit. I was able to have her place on the scale and go into a sit from there but she would still raise her hips.
Today I took Cali to La Bonita park in La Habra, CA to work on her obedience commands. We also got to meet up with some of the other trainers from offleash to train the dogs around each other. When Cali would see a dog she immediately started walking towards them but I redirected her with her off obedience command. Cali listened and stayed neutral letting dogs pass around her. As time passed by we worked on fixing her heel since Cali likes to move all around and stay distant while walking.
In the video above I keep Cali on my left hand side and prevent her from transitioning to my right side. As I turn and change directions I ask Cali for a heel and she ignores me. The second time I ask for a heel I administer the remote to e-collar at the same time I say heel. Cali acknowledges the e-collar and turns faster to come towards my directions. I will then change directions walking in a circle going left or right. Cali follows me and I praise her each turn we make.
I took Cali to the Veterinary because of the odd way her belly is, also to check her hips since she won't sit properly. The visit at the Vet went fine and gave me proper instructions on how to monitor Cali. They advised me she is still ok to train but not to let her overheat, jump onto or off things high, and monitor her eating and bowel movements.
Pupdate 3/7/2023
Last night Cali had an accident in the crate going poop which was easy to clean. Cali is known for eating her poop so it was a surprise to see her poop in the crate.
This morning I took Cali for a walk and she maintained her heel better today. I've noticed she doesn't like to walk on grass and would rather pee or poop on the sidewalk. I will work on trying to get her to use the potty on grass and take her out every 2 hours to use the restroom. Once we got back home I started to condition her door manners. I will use a place pad for her to place on then sit since this is very comfortable for her. We practiced this very early in the morning and tried again around 10 AM.
In the video this is her 2nd training session with the door and she goes into a sit faster than before once she's placed. She does take her time going into a sit at times due to her hips but I still try to keep everything at a pace and gently add pressure from the leash to assist Cali with her sit. She starts to give me space and lets me walk around the house. I don't want to go too far from her which makes her get up from her sit. We will work on this everyday to work up to an extended sit. I will only have Cali keep a extended sit for no longer than 45 seconds.
Pupdate 3/8/2023
Cali pee'd in her crate again last night when I left to take my dog for a walk, but in the morning there wasn't any pee or poop in her crate. I took her outside again and instead of going on the grass she went on the sidewalk. She did go on the grass to poop and I praised her for doing that on the grass rather than the sidewalk.
I took Cali to one of the local pet stores near my house to work on extending her sit around distractions. We first walked around the store and Cali kept her heel staying next to me on my left hand side. I would stop and ask for her to go into a sit and start to separate myself as we practiced at home. At the store she would take her time going into the sit but eventually she would maintain her sit and we would work up to a 30 sec hold, then I would break her to come to me. She started to pick up her sits faster and we would keep practicing throughout different areas of the store.
Once I brought her home I tried letting her and Hunter play. She shows no interest besides smelling him sometimes but not always. Hunter tried his best to encourage her to play today, but she actually corrected Hunter to leave her alone and just give her space. Hunter ended up laying next to her and just watching her from afar wanting her attention.
Pupdate 3/9/2023
This morning I noticed Cali didn't have an accident sleeping in the crate. Once I took her outside she didn't even walk, she peed right where I placed her on the ground. I took Cali for a walk around the neighborhood. I noticed most dogs that bark from their houses, she has no issue ignoring them and will continue to keep a pace with me.
Later on we started to focus on her recall, which is the words come to sit. The goal is to have cali come all the way around my body and end up in a sit. I will keep Cali in a sit and start to walk away from her. Once I stop I ask her to come to me but use the leash to guide her around me for practice. She still has issues sometimes going into a sit right away but she seems more neutral to trying and keeping her sit for as long as she can. I will continue to work on this and have her come to me without the use of leash pressure.
A behavior that has changed is Cali being in her crate. She was very vocal the first day and kept crying each time she had to go into her crate. Now I can motivate her to go in just with her food alone and she won't back away compared to before. She will let out some cries if I leave the house but my family informs me she cries very little while I'm gone. She will poop on a normal schedule but her peeing has been every 2 - 3 hours. I will monitor her to see if this changes.
Pupdate 3/10/2023
This morning I woke up and Cali seems persistent on having accidents in the crate. Even after cleaning I take her outside and she goes on the ground immediately. Ive notice she can pee every 2 - 3 hours and if she doesn't want to be in the crate at times she will pee on command. It seems she's aware if she doesn't want to spend a certain amount of time in the crate she will pee.
I took Cali to Cerritos Mall to work on her obedience. Cali did very well keeping a heel with me, but I had to keep a more steady pace since she is so small. I went into several stores to see if any smells distract her to make her want to pee or poop. She ended up having to poop in one of the stores but was easily cleanable. As we walked around and shopped we had several encounters with people who were amazed at how calm of a frenchie Cali is. A group of people told me they had a French bulldog that was the same as Cali in size and color, but their dog is not as calm as Cali. I tried to have Cali sit for greeting manners but she was having difficulty with her hips so I picked her up to be greeted just for the moment. I will continue to focus on her greeting manners in a way she is more comfortable to let someone approach her.
Once We arrived back home we had some play time with a cat toy. This is the only toy in my house that gets her attention and brings out her drive. Even though we are just playing I can still introduce her to the drop it obedience command and off obedience command. In the video is the progress so far of her letting the toy go and waiting for her break command to get it. I cut the audio for a bit for the viewers to hear how frequent with Cali I have to say off. Day by day she will understand I only need to say it once rather than repeating myself.
Pupdate 3/11/2023
Cali had another accident in the crate while sleeping. It was very little but at the end of her crate she is still going in the usual spot. She is pooping on the grass which has been a good improvement. When I ask her to go potty each time on the grass it always poop instead of pee.
She has this rash from scratching herself under the neck a lot. I have to watch her and tell her to stop, which she will but it's unknown if it's from allergies. I applied a spray and lotion to help prevent it from getting any worse.
It was raining so we did a lot of obedience in the house today. I had Cali wait for me in my room and find me throughout the house. She was very consistent in looking for me and each time she found me I praised her. Afterwards we focused again on her door manners. Cali has shown an improvement identifying her place pad and going into a sit faster. In the video I leave and walk towards the street and come back only to find cali still waiting for me. I don't release her until the door is closed and I will still make her wait about another 5 - 10 seconds before giving her the break command.
We worked on Cali's recall which has been improving. She knows to come around me and sit without the use of leash pressure as before. I will constantly repeat the word until she walks around me to my left hand side. I will then create space by walking away until a certain point.
Pupdate 3/12/2023
Last night Cali threw up in her crate in the middle of the night which was very unusual. She seemed ok after and went to sleep in another crate while I cleaned. Once I finished I took her for a walk and she used the restroom as usual on the cement then grass. Cali hasn't been scratching her neck as much since i've been asking her for the off obedience command, she seems to acknowledge it better now.
I took Cali to Hillcrest Park in Fullerton to work on her leash dragging. Cali surprised me and did very well. If she branched away from me I could redirect her and she would listen every time coming back into a heel. We passed by some dogs and when I told Cali off she listened and continued the walk. We found a small area to work on her leash dragging. We've been working on down but Cali seems to not want to go into a down due to her hips. I will continue to work on this and find a variable to show Cali how to go down since this is Cali's biggest challenge so far.
Cali has shown no interest in playing with my dog and they will constantly smell each other without issue. Hunter will still lay by Cali and follow her around to try to play but Cali seems uninterested.
Pupdate 3/13/2023
Cali and I went for a meet up at Legg Lake park in El Monte to train with some of the other trainers from offleash. I brought Cali's place pad because this helps her with most of her obedience training when she's on it. She does very well waiting once she's in a sit. Cali will sometimes break her position because of her hips but she manages and completes the tasks I give her. We had no issue working on her recall while practicing. Later on other trainers started to come and two are seen in the video above.
Scott and Jose are seen passing by us acting as distractions for Cali and I. Cali only breaks her position once and as she's redirected each time Scott and Jose pass by us, Cali is acknowledging me more than them. Even when I want to be distant Cali will keep her place on the pad until she's given her break command. After we walked around the park practicing offleash walking. She did really well but I have to be very slow with her since I walk faster than she does.
Cali had no issues last night going potty but is still consistent on peeing the moment she has her paws on the floor.
Pupdate 3/14/2023
In the morning I took Cali to a park nearby my house for some obedience training before it started raining. Once we went back home I chose to work on Cali's down since this has been a challenge for her due to her hips. This is the progress of Cali's down so far. She is very able to hold her downs for an extended amount of time but the issue on her learning was getting into a comfortable position for her down. I had to teach Cali how to put her front paws down first then she would put the rest of her behind down following through with her down. Each time she was getting used to that I would alway praise her for doing it. Now she's able to acknowledge her down but she might take some time placing herself because of her hips.
We also practiced recall and Cali has shown she knows she has to go behind me rather than stopping in front of me. I use my right hand as a signal to help identify with Cali that I'm asking her to go around me. She does this well at times but can still end up walking in front of me. We will continue to work on this with no leash
Cali still isn't playing with Hunter. She is smelling him or looking at him but won't bother to fully acknowledge him.
Pupdate 3/15/2023
This morning Cali and I went to Lowes in La Habra, CA to work on leash dragging working up to offleash obedience. The main focus today was Cali's extended sit and down while people shopping pass by. We were also with other trainers from offleash so Cali was with other dogs as well. Cali did really well walking with me throughout the store staying by my side. She did go potty in the store however but I cleaned it up and we continued our training.
While training inside the store each time Cali was in a down she had a tendency to get up and follow me as I walked to other aisles of the store. Each time she was redirected and we continued the practice with Cali letting me walk around until she's given her break command. For her sit she would only have to hold it for 45 seconds until I break her. While she was in a down I had my coworkers walk around her with their dogs to challenge Cali from getting up. At times she would get up but when redirected she started to hold her downs for a longer period of time until she's given her break.
Pupdate 3/16/2023
This morning I woke up and found pee again in Cali's crate. It seems like she went multiple times throughout the night. I gave her a shower then took her for a walk after.
We worked on all obedience commands but offleash only.
We focused on her crate manners which is something we practice everyday. Cali at first would do anything to keep distance from going inside. During the first week I would always get her food ready and when she would get excited I would put the food in the crate and as she walked in I would take it out and feed her outside. I made this a routine and started to teach her to go in without the food. Now she's aware and capable of even going into a sit while waiting. She will still get overly excited for food or the sound of food so I'll have to redirect her and hold her accountable until she waits.
Cali's behavior in the crate before she used to cry regardless if I was home or not. As the days passed by she was slowly getting used to being crate with less howling. At times when I would leave the house to do errands I would ask my brother daily if Cali keeps crying. The first 4 day Cali would cry but by Thursday she was quiet even if I left the house.
The issue still is her still going potty inside the crate during the night. Throughout the day I'm keeping eye on her making sure she isn't sniffing the ground too much. I take her out every 2 hours and she's been consistent on going outside. At night while I'm asleep she still takes the initiative to pee in the crate.
Pupdate 3/17/2023
Today Cali and I went to Santa Monica today to work on her offleash obedience. She did really well staying by my side for most of the visit. While walking around it started to get more busy with foot traffic and Cali didn't mind it at all. I kept a leash on her at certain moments when necessary. We took some pictures then found an area to practice all of her obedience commands. There was a moment when practicing her place she got distracted by a bird and almost chased it. I had redirected Cali and any other bird that passed by her she was neutral towards.
While practicing Cali's command people came up to us to greet Cali. They were amazed by how small Cali is and having the ability to listen when asked. When Cali first got greeted by two women she got up once and was redirected. After that she kept her sit while both women pet her under her neck for almost an entire minute.
Cali ended up getting tired quickly after practicing all her obedience commands so I let her rest and take a break. We walked back to the car and she had no issues walking back after training for so long.
Pupdate 3/18/2023
Today early in the morning I took Cali and Hunter for a walk at Hillcrest. I kept Hunter on a leash and had Cali offleash the entire time. She did really well walking and keeping a pace. Since Cali is small we were at a slower pace than normal. She had enough energy for a 45 minute walk before getting tired. I took Cali and Hunter home and worked on Cali's offleash obedience at home.
We practiced Cali's obedience commands seen in the video above. Cali acknowledges everything she has been taught now. Her sit is faster now but her down obedience command does take some time to get into. It's in best interest that Cali holds her sit for only 45 seconds, but she can hold for an extended amount of time since this doesn't affect her hips as much. Cali's recall is usually spot on, as this was one of the easiest obedience commands to teach. Cali has been more patient with being around doors once she's given her sit command before opening a door.
Cali has completed her two week board and train program. She has been able to perform daily and complete the tasks I have set for her. She has shown a improvement towards obedience and a willingness to listen once we have started a training session. Cali is now a well mannered dog after 14 days of training.
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