Cash | Labrador Retriever | Rancho Mission Viejo, CA | In-Training
- Scott Hansen
- Jul 25
- 17 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
Meet Cash! Cash is a seventeen-month-old Labrador Retriever here for our Two-Week Community Board and Train Program. Cash is an energetic, loving young pup who has a few unwanted behaviors. Cash has poor leash manners and unreliable obedience. Cash likes to pull on the leash, counter surf, and jump up at times. Cash can perform a command or two with proper motivation; however, he lacks structure and performs tasks inconsistently. Over the next fourteen days, Cash is going to learn to be an obedient pup through consistent, clear communication and balanced training at home and by discovering new people and places. Cash will learn to perform all these things on and off leash through a positive and balanced training environment. Through structure and consistency, Cash will demonstrate how great a pup he can be! Stay tuned for Cash’s two-week transformation!
Cash | Labrador Retriever | Pupdate 07/25/26
Today, Mr. Cash joined me for his Two-Week Urban Board and Train Program. On the way home, we stopped at a local park to see what commands Mr. Cash could perform. He performed a sit. That was it. He kept trying to sniff the ground and was interested in the people at the park. I think you know all that, and that's why he's here. After I tested his skills, we had a mini photoshoot for his profile picture for his blog. I don't know if you know this, but as soon as dogs see a phone or camera in front of their face, they are now invisible to them, and they must ignore you at all costs. Once we got what we needed, we loaded up and headed to Mr. Cash's temporary residence for the next two weeks. Overall, Mr. Cash had no issues with the car ride; he did whine off and on, but nothing too bad.
Once we got home, I let Mr. Cash smell Ms. Toji, Ms. Nixie, and Ms. Lola through the front gate. All the pups were excited to meet Mr. Cash. Mr. Cash sniffed them through the fence with his tail swaying. Mr. Cash had no problems coming to the house. I let him explore each room and meet everyone. Throughout the introductions, Mr. Cash showed a little skepticism but was curious enough to investigate the new environment. He was excited to meet everyone. I took Mr. Cash outside to meet Ms. Toji, Ms. Lola, and Ms. Nixie. Mr. Cash had no issues with meeting the pups. Ms. Nixie, who is going to be here for another week, was barking at Mr. Cash, but she’s a little skeptical of everything. It was not aggressive, and they seemed to be fine together. Ms. Lola goes home tomorrow, and she paid Mr. Cash didn’t mind her either. I think Mr. Cash, Ms. Toji, and Ms. Lola (for one day), and Ms. Nixie will be fine hanging out with each other.
We then went on a long walk around the block so that he could get used to the sights, sounds, and scents of her temporary new neighborhood. He didn’t pull too hard or lag. He mostly walked in front of me. He did try to mark multiple trees throughout the walk, but he ran out of ammo. He only tried to pull away from me when I had him on a shorter leash. He investigated all the usual dog spots around the neighborhood. He ignored all the other dogs in the houses that barked at us as we went around. He did have some saliva hanging out from his mouth by the time we finished the walk, possibly from the excitement and change in environment, but he didn’t show any other signs of aversion while adjusting to the new setting.
I expect to see him work well with the structure and positive reinforcement. I’ll use the prong collar with him since you have conditioned him to it already. I also expect him to respond well to treats if he isn’t overwhelmed. He ignored some of Ms. Nixie’s kibble when I tried to get him onto the scale when we got home. He took some of Ms. Lola’s but then ignored it due to being distracted by the various new smells. With clear, persistent communication and expectations, she will learn to be a well-mannered pup!
I gave him dinner and observed how much he ate. I keep track of his weight and will ensure that he maintains her weight while he is with me.
I've attached the e-collar familiarization video. Please review the video a few times before Mr. Cash's turnover. We'll practice together to make sure you are comfortable with the system before using it with Mr. Cash. I will introduce the e-collar for tomorrow’s training while also using the prong collar.
Cash | Labrador Retriever | Pupdate 07/26/26
Today, I introduced Mr. Cash to his e-collar. I started by trying to play with Mr. Cash. I did not have the e-collar on Mr. Cash. Once we were playing for a little bit, I went ahead and slipped the e-collar on. I had it on loosely. Back to playing. Then I put it on snugly. Back to playing. I then started at level 0 and slowly made my way up. At about level 10, I noticed the first indication for Mr. Cash. I tried level 15, and Mr. Cash gave a more noticeable reaction without overreacting. I worked my way up to about level 25 to see his various reactions. We do need to know his range where he can tolerate it. Level 15 seems to be about the proper level for him for now. This is in a low-stimulation environment. We might have to go up as the stimulus goes up or if Mr. Cash becomes more distracted. We need to know this range for off-leash work as well. It doesn't mean we can't go higher as needed or in extreme situations, but anything higher than level 30 we will have to check the equipment. We need to ensure that it has proper contact with his skin and that it is properly paired and charged. I removed the e-collar and then worked on his other commands.
We then introduced "sit", "down", "place", and "heel." I used the prong collar since he has been conditioned to this collar already. It is important to remember when using the prong collar that we don't want Mr. Cash to be pulling on it constantly. It's designed to apply pressure quickly and then be released. A strong-willed pup like Mr. Cash can work through steady pressure, even on the prong collar. We focused mostly on Mr. Cash's ability to hold the commands for duration rather than my distance from him. If I moved too far away, he would break. As time goes on, we will work on duration and distance.
Cash | Labrador Retriever | Pupdate 07/27/26
Today, Mr. Cash and I headed over to Klingermann Park in Rosemead, CA, to meet up with our fellow Off Leash trainers and their pups. I kept the prong collar on while also using the e-collar. We have to be consistent with Mr. Cash. He was quitting a little bit by stopping and sitting due to the barriers I am putting up with the structure. I used some encouragement to keep him going. We worked on his ability to "place" and "down" in the presence of various distractions. I was able to let him practice his "place" and "down" while leaving the leash on the ground. I think we are making good progress.
He's eating all his food and getting along with Ms. Toji and Ms. Nixie. He is quite vocal and loves to bark at everyone coming and going; sometimes he just barks at nothing. He wants to make sure everyone knows he's here. He also can come into the house a little recklessly, but we're working on that with his door manners and keeping him calmer consistently. I still want him to be a puppy and have all his happy attributes, but there will be structure to it.
Cash | Labrador Retriever | Pupdate 07/28/26
Today, Mr. Cash and I headed out to Rynerson Park in Lakewood, CA for a review of his commands in a public place. Mr. Cash is coming along nicely. I started with the prong collar and e-collar combo. As he is showing me more and more progress, I will be switching from all the collars to only the e-collar. As we were working today on his "heel", I went ahead and switched him from the prong collar to the flat collar. I kept the prong collar on him, as he is pretty aware of the prong collar since you use it at home with him. We want him to understand that pressure means do this or do that. I am pairing that pressure with the stimulation of the e-collar. Eventually, we will fade out the input from the flat collar and only rely on the e-collar. Once Mr. Cash can perform his commands simply using the e-collar remote with the leash dragging, then he will be ready for off-leash work. That was good progress; we were working on the flat collar and e-collar combo by the end of the training session.
We reviewed "heel", "sit", "down", "place" and "come-to-sit". Some changes that we will be focused on tomorrow and going forward. The first one is that I will charge up the e-collar you put in the bag. This is a quality e-collar, and we might as well put it to use since you already purchased it. I'll work with that one going forward. We will ditch the prong collar going forward. If he regresses or gets too squirrely on me, I'll simply use a slip lead. I will also try to use treats to lure him into a better position with the "come-to-sit." That is the hardest and most complex command, so it will take a little longer to master.
Cash | Labrador Retriever | Pupdate 07/29/26
Today, Mr. Cash and I stayed at home and worked on getting him to perform his commands using the flat collar and e-collar as his primary form of communication. I did switch over to the Dogtra collar that you sent him. We were operating at about level twenty-five. He didn't have any issues with it since I have already conditioned him to it with the other e-collar. I dropped the leash and gave him little input from me. I worked on duration. I wanted to see him perform his commands for at least one minute or more without input from me. This is the pathway to getting him off-leash. The only command I didn't really drop the leash on was his "heel," as I needed to guide him and hold him in position. He's progressing nicely. He wanted to rush over to his "place" command when I was done with the "sit," but I had not asked him to do that, which is why we continue with the "heel" until I ask him to perform the "place" and "down". At the end, we reinforced his "come-to-sit". I was able to drop the leash and use little leash pressure on this one.
We also continue to reinforce his door manners, food manners, and car manners almost every day. I will be showing you those tomorrow.
Cash | Labrador Retriever | Pupdate 07/30/26
Today Mr. Cash and I worked on his manners around the house. We practiced the two types of door manners, his food manners, and his car manners.
Remember that Mr. Cash needs to perform a sit before opening a door. Everyone else goes through the door first. Mr. Cash can go through with us or after us, but never before us. We can also put Mr. Cash in a "place" and/or "down" at the door, and he needs to wait there while people come in and out. He is not to move from the "place" until we allow him to. He is a sentient being and will want to get up at some point. How long he can hold the "place" will grow over time, but it will not be unlimited.
Next up, we displayed the food manners. Once again, Mr. Cash needs to perform a "sit" and wait patiently for us to put his food down to serve him. He can eat his food once we say "Break!" He has been doing fantastic eating twice a day, two cups a day, likely due to the amount of playtime he has been getting with the other pups.
Lastly, I displayed the car manners for you. The car manners require Mr. Cash to perform a "sit" while we open the door to the vehicle. Once the door is open, we say "Load Up!" and he is allowed to jump into the vehicle.
Cash | Labrador Retriever | Pupdate 07/31/26
Today, Mr. Cash and I headed over to my local Home Depot. I switched Mr. Cash over to a slip lead for our training today. I use in combination with the e-collar. As we prepared to get closer to being off-leash, I use this style leash to be more strict with Mr. Cash while relying on the pressure of the slip lead in combination with the e-collar stimulation. I stood around level 25 throughout the training. Mr. Cash's "heel" is still not quite where I would like it to be, but we're getting much closer after today. I'd like to be performing most of his commands with the leash dragging by Sunday of this week and pushing towards off-leash work by Wednesday of next week. I let him perform a "come-to-sit" without holding the leash, and it was not too bad. I didn't let the leash drag while performing the "heel" as I was being much more strict with where he needed to be during the "heel". We did encounter a cat and a small dog that he tried to avoid more than anything, but he broke the "heel" when near them, and that was not ok.
Once again, I continue to monitor his time outside due to these hot days. He loves playing with Ms. Nixie, but she goes home tomorrow.
Cash | Labrador Retriever | Pupdate 08/01/26
Today was another scorcher!! Sheeeesh, this heat is just relentless. I decided to keep it simple at my house today. Simple doesn't mean challenging or that learning isn't happening, just means that we keep the expectations and tasks simple by eliminating distractions and the pressure of public places. I also used a handful of his kibble as a primary motivator. Lastly, my biggest focus today was to complete all the tasks with the leash dragging and little physical input from me.
I started with reinforcing the "heel". Once we reinforced the "heel" by using a few kibble here and there to motivate him into the correct position and to choose to stay there. The more he stayed in position, the more frequently I reinforced him with a piece of kibble. I then worked on his extended "sit", extended "place," and extended "down". Lastly, I reinforced his "come-to-sit" by using treats to motivate and shape his behavior. It is important that he feels like he is choosing to perform the commands and that we are simply reinforcing it so that he can repeat the wanted behaviors. I mixed in the stimulation of the e-collar when I could.
You can also see that I worked on his stability by using different distractions such as my kids' scooter, a volleyball, a soccer ball, and a basketball. He broke his "down" a few times because of the bouncy basketball, but I just reset him with the e-collar. Nothing too serious, and then he reset, so we kept on going.
Now, we need to go practice leash-dragging commands out in public. That will be our goal over the next few days: to make sure he is stable with the commands.
Ms. Nixie went home today, but we pick up another Board and Train tomorrow to hang out with Mr. Cash.
Cash | Labrador Retriever | Pupdate 08/02/26
Today, Mr. Cash and I headed over to Liberty Park in Cerritos, CA. I tried to get out to conduct Mr. Cash's training before it got too hot outside. There was a cricket game going on, some pickleball, a few people working out on the track, and a gathering at one of the picnic areas. I did see only one pup walking around, but they were not too close when we started. I let Mr. Cash mark a few trees prior to our training since he likes doing this. Mr. Cash did let me know that the ground was a little too hot for him; however, we were able to get most of our training done quickly, but I wanted to reinforce his "heel," so we went to the shade and had some additional practice.
This is a friendly reminder always to check your equipment when Mr. Cash is misbehaving or not performing his commands well. It turns out, I never turned on his neck unit. Which, in hindsight, Mr. Cash performed quite well with the leash dragging and only relying on the occasional leash pressure and kibble reinforcement. I rarely use the Dogtra units, and that was my mistake. With that in mind, we will continue to practice his leash dragging skills over the next day or so. I will introduce full off-leash work in my backyard where there are no distractions or chances of Mr. Cash wandering off. I am also considering reducing treats or kibble reinforcement going forward as Mr. Cash is clever. He will get his treat and then not perform his task to the level that I would like to see. The treats have been incredibly motivational for his "come-to-sit". We want to keep the e-collar numbers down and use positive reinforcement as often as possible, but not so much that he gets a treat for every little thing that he does well.
Before we departed the park, I did swing by the one pup that was at the park. I wanted to see if Mr. Cash would react to the pup and if I could redirect him as needed. Mr. Cash only gave the German Shepherd Mix dog a few looks over his shoulder despite the other pup lunging and barking. I gave Mr. Cash a few "Off!" commands and redirected him to the "heel". This is a good sign for his off-leash work. We do always have to be diligent about monitoring our pups for signs of stress or disliking another pup, especially when we are letting them be off leash.
Cash | Labrador Retriever | Pupdate 08/03/26
Today, Mr. Cash and I headed over to Klingermann Park in Rosemead, CA to meet up with our fellow Off Leash trainers and their pups. Well, actually, it was one other trainer and one other pup. I focused on training Mr. Moose while Mr. Mike worked with Mr. Cash to determine why Mr. Cash doesn't like Mr. Moose. Surprisingly, Mr. Cash was much more well-behaved.
Mr. Mike observed the cut and confirmed that it was superficial and did not need stitches. We did discuss the efficacy of the Dogtra e-collar. Mr. Cash did not seem to respond to it in a way that supported his training. We switched Mr. Cash over to an E-Collar unit. Mr. Cash had a much more consistent response to the E-Collar system. With that being said, I did order the titanium contact points for the Dogtra system to see if the upgraded contact points will be more effective. Those came in today, and we'll see how he responds to those. If I don't see a good, consistent response, then we will just use an E-Collar system. This is the system I started Mr. Cash with. We only have a few days left and need to get this cleaned up so we can push him to be off-leash in the next day or two.
Mr. Mike controlled Mr. Cash while I monitored Mr. Moose during our training. Mr. Cash showed no adversity when out of the crate and performing his training. Mr. Moose paid Mr. Cash no mind. We even had Mr. Gunter join us, and Mr. Cash, although observant of Mr. Gunter, showed no aversion to him.
Cash | Labrador Retriever | Pupdate 08/04/26
Today, we finally ventured into the off-leash territory! I think we are headed in the right direction! I did upgrade your Dogtra system to the titanium contact points. I was a little worried that it was for naught as I did a full systems check of your unit. With the same pressure that I use for an e-collar system on my hand, I didn't feel any stimulation until about level 40. With your unit going up to 100, I was worried that it wouldn't give us a lot of wiggle room. However, once I put it on Mr. Cash, he was responsive to level 25 and 20, and we wound up finishing most of our training at level 15. I relied on the e-collar system to communicate with Mr. Cash. I did sprinkle in some treats when he made good choices, but I didn't rely on the treats. The treats I have been using are a small handful of his food. Overall, I'd say a great day of training leading into his final days here.
Tomorrow, we will venture back to the park to practice off-leash activities with a few more distractions. I'll likely start with the leash dragging just to be certain that he's doing well, and then we'll cut him loose.
I continue to apply Neosporin to his cut multiple times a day. Everything looks like it is healing up well. It does not appear to bother him.
Cash | Labrador Retriever | Pupdate 08/05/26
Today, Mr. Cash and I headed over to Liberty Park in Cerritos, CA to push Mr. Cash to his first off-leash training session in a public place! So exciting for Mr. Cash! As you can see in the video, I performed a trial run with the leash dragging to make sure he was locked in and ready to go. He performed at about an A-. He executed all the commands but wandered off onto the grass. All his other commands were well executed. Then we reset and performed the tasks again but with no leash. This means that I had to entirely rely on the e-collar stimulation to communicate with Mr. Cash. We operated at higher levels today, possibly due to being off-leash and the stimuli at the park. We went up as high as level 35-40 but ended around level 15-20. He is driven and stubborn. We have to be more distracting than the distraction. I had allowed him the opportunity to potty before starting, so any additional sniffing or desire to check out a pole or trash can was simply because he wanted to investigate and mark it. I did not give him the "Break!" command, and it was not time to be distracted, so he did receive a few "Off!" commands. "Off!" is applied at the same level as any other command and is meant to mean "stop doing what you're doing". We have to let him know what we want after giving the "Off!" command.
Overall, a really good day of training for Mr. Cash! Great job!
Cash | Labrador Retriever | Pupdate 08/06/26
Today, Mr. Cash and I continued his full off-leash training. We focused on his manners around the house, such as door manners, food manners, and car manners. Overall, nothing out of the ordinary. He was a little excited when we started and also tried just to perform a "down" several times. It is important to be consistent in those moments. I asked for a "sit," not a "down". Allowing that to happen too many times will result in a disobedient pup in other areas. I tried to reset him as best I could by moving my body and not reinforcing the unwanted behavior in any way; however, when he is stuck or refuses to perform the command, we have to move up on the e-collar remote until he performs the task. Be cautious of asking Mr. Cash to perform a task if you are unwilling or unable to hold him accountable for that task. The only time that I allow the pups to get away with this behavior is when they are clearly overstimulated, need to go potty, need water, or are exhausted. It is important to make sure your pup is well rested, well fed, and well hydrated before any activities so that you can minimize the chance for one of those to be the reason for his failure to perform a task.
A couple more days left for Mr. Cash!
Cash | Labrador Retriever | Pupdate 08/07/26
Mr. Cash and I headed over to Rynerson Park in Lakewood, CA for a fun off-leash session. I think you guys will really enjoy today's video. I worked on Mr. Cash's extended off-leash recall and various other tasks. As you can see, I was extremely far away from him while he held a "down" or "sit". I would then recall him. I ran around with him in the "heel" and then had him perform a "sit" or "down" while I kept moving. I recalled him to "heel," which is usually a task reserved for our three-week board and trains. Mr. Cash has been excelling these past few days, and I wanted to push him. He met all the challenges. I even tossed treats on the ground at about six inches apart towards the end. This is a good stimulation exercise as he has to use his nose to track the food. This is a good use of his nose as a field line pup. It could lead into scavenging for food if you allow him to do it all the time, but when it's for a purpose, it can be very stimulating and a good, healthy use of your dog's built-in drive.
As a reminder, here are the obedience commands that he has learned while with me:
Sit/Extended Sit: Press the black "S" button + say "Sit".
Down/Extended Down: Press the black "S" button + say "Down".
Place/Extended Place: Press the black "S" button + say "Place".
Come-To-Sit: Press the black "S" button + say "Come" + use your hands to guide him into place and say "sit" when they are on your left side.
Heel: Press the black "S" button + say "Heel".
Food Manners/Refusal: The pup must patiently wait in either a "sit" or "down" while you prepare the food and then say "break," allowing the pup to access the food.
Car Manners: Press the black "S" button + say "Load up!"
Greeting Manners: Have the pup "sit" then allow for the new person to say hi
Door Manners: Place the pup in a "sit", open the door, and then allow the pup to go through with you, or say "ok" and let the pup inside
"Off" + black button "S" to stop the pup from performing unwanted behavior. Always press the black "S" when using this command.
"Break!" - no stimulation, and the pup can freely sniff or go potty.
We will be reviewing how to perform all this tomorrow during the turnover! We can't wait to show you how much he has learned and how great a pup he will be in the future!
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