Charlie | Golden Mix | Torrance, CA. | In Training.
- heatheroffleashsoc
- Jan 25
- 15 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
Meet Charlie! š¾
Charlie is a 4-year-old golden mix from Torrance, California who has just joined us for our two-week Community Board & Train program, and weāre so excited to have him! Charlie is a fun-loving pup with plenty of energy, but that enthusiasm sometimes gets the best of him. Heās been described as having zero boundaries when greeting peopleāoften jumping up and bumping into themāand he can be a bit unpredictable when encountering other dogs out in public. Add in some selective listening (especially when it comes to coming when called), and Charlie is ready for some guidance and structure.
Over the next two weeks, weāll be working closely with Charlie on his basic obedience and house manners, helping him channel that high energy into calm, reliable behaviors. Our focus will be on building strong off-leash reliability, improving his response to commands, and teaching him polite greeting manners so he can say hello without trying to tackle his new friends. Our goal is to give Charlieāand his familyāthe tools they need for a calmer, more stress-free life, opening the door to many more enjoyable adventures together. We canāt wait to share his progress!
1/25/2026
Today Charlie and I headed out to the park so we could take a walk around and get familiar with each other. This gave me the perfect opportunity to assess what he already knows while also introducing the heel commandāand oh my goodness, this guy is goofy. I love him already!
Charlie showed absolutely no reservations about getting to know me and decided we were buddies right out of the gate. He responded very well to gentle leash corrections as he began learning the heel command and even went as far as offering me a little handshake while we workedāclearly eager to show off his charm. He did so well that by the time we were ready to leave the park, he was walking very nicely right alongside me.
From there, we hopped back into the car to head to his home away from home for the next two weeks. Once we arrived, Charlie immediately got to checking things out and seemed to approve of his new surroundings. The only thing that truly threw him for a loop was my cats! All he wanted to do was play, but he just couldnāt understand why they had reservations about such a big, silly guy bouncing around near them.
All in all, for his very first afternoon with me, Charlie is doing wonderfully and seems genuinely happy to be hereāand we absolutely love to see it! š¶š
1/26/2026
Today Charlie and I headed out to the Century City Mall to continue laying a strong foundation for his training, and he truly impressed me from start to finish. Our main focus for the day was continuing to work on his heel command, reinforcing his sit on command, and introducing his come to sitāand Charlie took everything in stride.
While he was understandably excited when we first arrived (which is completely normal, especially on a pupās very first day of training), he handled himself incredibly well. This was a big outing with lots of sights, sounds, people, and movement, and the fact that Charlie was able to settle in and work through all of that speaks volumes about his temperament and potential. Once we got into our rhythm, he proved to be a great listener and performed each command with ease, almost as if these were skills heād been practicing long before I came along.
Charlie stayed engaged with me throughout our session, showed great willingness to learn, and responded nicely to guidance. His heel work is off to a solid start, and he picked up on the sit and come to sit commands beautifully. For a first day in such a stimulating environment, his focus and effort were truly impressive.
One of the highlights of the day was an unexpected encounter with two dogs that were off leash. Charlie handled the situation calmly and confidently, showing no signs of being overwhelmed or threatened. He took the interaction in stride, which was really nice to see and a great indicator of his resilience and balanced mindset.
Charlie brings such happy, upbeat energy to every moment, and it makes him an absolute joy to work with. Today was a perfect blend of work and play, learning and confidence-building. All in all, it was a fantastic first day of training for Charlie, and I couldnāt be more proud of how well heās already doing. Iām so excited to see where this journey takes him! š¾
1/27/2026
Today Charlie and I headed back out to the Century City Mall to continue expanding on his commands in a distraction-filled, real-world environment. This busy setting gave us the perfect opportunity to build on his training while testing his focus around people, noise, and movement.
During todayās session, we introduced Charlie to his extended sit and place commands. He did a fantastic job taking these new concepts in stride and showed a solid understanding right from the start. Even more impressive, he continued to respond well to the commands he already knows, smoothly transitioning between familiar cues and new expectations.
One of the highlights of today was just how unfazed Charlie seemed by everything going on around us. The crowds, sounds, and general mall chaos didnāt distract him, which is a huge win and speaks volumes about his growing confidence and focus. He remained engaged, willing to work, and kept his signature goofy personality without letting it interfere with his training.
All in all, this goofy guy did an excellent job today. He showed consistency, confidence, and a great attitude throughout the session. Iām incredibly proud of the progress Charlie is making and canāt wait to continue building on this strong foundation! š¶š
1/28/2026
Today Charlie and I headed out to the park to continue working on all of the commands heās learned so far, while also introducing a new oneāhis extended down command!
When we first got to the park, Charlie of course was beyond excited and could barely contain himself. And when he saw the water? Oh dearā¦ š He immediately wanted to take off and go explore every inch of it!
So we made a compromise: Charlie can explore, but only if he heels nicely with meā¦ and absolutely no toe dipping! Charlie didnāt exactly agree to these terms, of course, but he went along with it anyway (after giving me a bit of attitude about it).
It took us a little while, but once Charlie got his fill of sightseeing, he was finally ready to focus and get to workāand he did pretty well!
As we continue working on his extended commands, weāre starting to add more time and distance, which is definitely challenging for him. Charlieās instinct is to pop right up and run to me as soon as I step back, but every time he breaks, we simply guide him back to the original spot and start again. With each repetition, Charlie is learning just how capable he is of being patient and holding that position.
With come to sit, Charlie has also started doing this hilarious thing where instead of coming around my right side and sitting neatly on my left, he wants to go around and try to wedge himself right between my legs. What a silly goose! š So weāre working on correcting that and encouraging him to follow through properly by sitting nicely at my left side.
Charlieās heel is also coming along really nicely! He still gets so excited that he wants to bite the leash, but this has been a great opportunity to teach and reinforce the āoffā commandāwhich in this case means, āplease get your mouth off the leash!ā
All in all, Charlie is making great progress with each session. His goofy nature makes every outing so much fun, and Iām really enjoying watching him learn and improve! šš¶
1/29/2026
Today Charlie and I headed back out to continue working on all of the commands heās learned so far, but our main focus for today was come to sit, along with his extended sit and extended down commands.
Iāve noticed that Charlie gets a bit excited and doesnāt always love staying in one place for too long, so weāve been consistently working on teaching him patience while waiting. Heās definitely not the biggest fan of that part (because sitting still is so unfair, right? š), but he is learning a little more each time we practice and making steady progress!
His come to sit was also much better today ā he stopped trying to wedge himself in between my legs, which was really nice to see. Heās starting to understand exactly where he should be landing and holding that position more confidently.
Another thing weāve been working on is Charlieās urge to jump when heās excited. When he goes to jump, I simply disengage with him to communicate that if he keeps all four paws on the ground, then we can continue the love fest. We are in no way, shape, or form trying to take away his goofy streak ā weāre just putting some boundaries in place so he can make better choices when heās feeling extra excited.
All in all, Charlie is doing really well and continues to make progress each day. What a good boy! š¶
1/30/2026
Today Charlie and I headed back out to the park to continue working on all of the commands heās learned, this time with plenty of distractionsāand Charlie did well! We are still working on building more patience with his extended commands, as holding them for longer periods can be challenging for him, but Iām happy to say he improves a little more each day.
Charlie is also starting to really understand how his come to sit is supposed to look. No more wedging himself in between my legs anymore (although I wonāt lieā¦ he definitely looks tempted from time to time). Silly goose! His heel is improving tooāhe does have moments where certain distractions get him extra excited and he tries to pull, but itās becoming easier and easier to regain his attention and get him right back into work mode.
As far as boundaries go, we are still working through his jumping and his strong desire to rub his entire being on me for affection. Heās improving though, and heās beginning to understand that if he wants love and attention, he needs to be polite about it. After the park we headed home for some supervised playtime with not only my dog, but also my other board and train pup. Everyone did great together and truly enjoyed getting to run around and just be dogs! Overall, today was a very productive day full of both work and playāCharlie is making great progress and we love to see it!
1/31/2026
Today Charlie and I headed back out to the park to continue working on all of the commands heās learned so far ā and let me tell you, he definitely brought the sass to todayās session! Instead of being ready to work, Charlie decided heād much rather play, and he made that opinion very clear with a bit of a tantrum at the start. But when in doubtā¦ āheelā it out! So thatās exactly what we did. We spent some time heeling around the park until he was calmer and in a better headspace, then we got right back to business.
Our main focus today was continuing to strengthen Charlieās extended commands and his come to sit, since these are still a little challenging for him. That urge to pop right back up is strong, but we stayed consistent and vigilant in reminding him that patience is key. Each time he wanted to break position early, we worked through it and encouraged him to hold the command just a little longer.
With Charlieās come to sit, heās still occasionally trying to wedge in between my legs or even stop behind me entirely ā even though I know he understands whatās being askedā¦ he just sometimes has his own agenda! Silly guy. We continued encouraging proper follow-through and rewarding him when he completed the command correctly. Overall, we made good progress today ā Charlie is just learning that a little structure is okay, and that working first means playtime comes after!
2/1/2026
Today Charlie and I headed out to the park to continue practicing his commands, and he did a great job! Our main focus for todayās session was Come to Sit and Place. With Place, we are really working on building his patience and ability to stay put, and Iām happy to report that by the end of our session he was doing much better with holding it calmly instead of trying to pop right back up.
For Come to Sit, Charlie is still working through the follow-through portion of the command. He definitely understands what is being asked, especially with a little leash guidance, but our goal now is to encourage him to complete it more independently so we can smoothly transition into the off-leash portion of his training. This is totally normalāCome to Sit is one of the more complex commands we teach, and Charlie is absolutely not the first dog to need some extra practice with it!
Outside of those two main focuses, Charlie continues to do very well with his other commands. His heel is looking really nice, and his extended sit and down are improving every day. Heās also learning that patience is key if he wants to earn rewards! On top of that, heās been making great progress with his mannersāheās starting to understand that staying calm and polite gets him the love and attention he craves much faster than jumping up on me. Overall, Charlie is making excellent progress, and we are getting so close to off-leash workā¦I can feel it!
2/2/2026
Today Charlie and I headed back out to the park to continue practicing all of his commands, and Iām SO happy to report that Charlie did a great job! Right when we got started, I decided to begin with come to sit, since thatās been one of our bigger strugglesā¦ and oh my goodnessāhe did it! š We took a moment to celebrate that win together before continuing on with the rest of our session.
As we worked our way through the park, we focused heavily on heel, and I gradually started giving Charlie more and more slack on the leash to test whether heād choose to wander or stay engaged with me. And before he even realized itā¦ Charlie was leash dragging! This is such a huge next step because itās a vital bridge into future off-leash work. Is it perfect yet? Not quiteāhe still needs reminders not to creep in front of meābut the best part is that he listens to those reminders, and thatās what matters most!
Charlie also did an awesome job with his extended commands today, which is a sure sign that all the consistent effort weāve been putting in is really paying off. Iām so proud of this big goofy boy! Today was a major step in the right direction, and seeing him truly understand whatās being asked of him was such a wonderful thing. Overall, I would absolutely call today a successāand the way he looked leaving the park, so proud of himself, was honestly too adorable! š„¹š¶
2/3/2026
Today Charlie and I headed back out to the park to continue practicing all of his commands while leash dragging, and he honestly started the session so strong. Even with distractions that would normally grab his attention, Charlie really surprised me by staying engaged and choosing to stick with me instead of wandering off. As we heeled around the park, he checked in with me often and performed each command right on cue ā such a proud moment because it shows how much his focus and reliability are improving!
Right when I was about ready to wrap up our session thoughā¦ Charlie decided extended sit? Whoās that? š He started making the choice that extended sit was not something he wanted to do, frequently trying to follow after me as soon as I stepped away. This isnāt the first time Charlie has tried this ā itās his classic way of saying āI donāt want to do this, letās go do something else!ā But staying consistent is so important, because giving in would teach him that if he throws a fit, he can avoid anything he doesnāt feel like doing. So as many times as it took, we repeated the command until Charlie understood that ignoring his handler is simply not an option. I usually would edit that part out of the video, but I left it in as a great example of how important it is to stay firm and consistent even when things get frustrating. Iām calling that segment āThe Battle for Extended Sitā ā and after lots of repetition, we finally got an extended sit that was just as beautiful as the ones we got at the beginning of the session.
Other than that little moment of stubbornness, Charlie performed his commands beautifully and I am so proud of this big goofball. We also spent time working on boundaries and teaching him that he doesnāt need to body slam people to show love (even though his big boy love is definitely coming from the sweetest place!). Youāll see at the end of the video how weāre teaching Charlie that calm, polite behavior gets him all the rewards ā when he starts pushing boundaries, I simply disengage until he makes the choice to sit politely, and then he gets all the affection he could ever want. Overall, Charlie is making awesome progress, and itās been so fun watching him think things through and grow more confident in his work each day! šš¶
2/4/2026
Today Charlie and I headed back out to the park to continue practicing all of his commands off leash, and he did an excellent job from start to finish. Right away, Charlie showed great awareness and commitment to staying with me, choosing engagement and guidance over everything happening around us. Despite the park being full of movement, sounds, and distractions, he remained focused and responsive throughout our entire session.
We worked through all of his commands, and Charlie performed each one just as weāve been practicing. His recall was strong and consistent, and he showed a clear understanding of his expectations even without the leash for support. Charlie also did a fantastic job with his extended sit, holding the command calmly and patiently while activity continued around him. This was a great example of his growing impulse control and confidence in his training.
Overall, today was a big step forward for Charlie. He showed wonderful self-control, reliability, and maturity during our off-leash work. Iām incredibly proud of how hard he worked and how well he listened, especially in such a stimulating environment. Charlie continues to make impressive progress, and today was a great reminder of just how capable he is when he puts his training into action! šš¶
2/5/2026
Today Charlie and I headed back out to the park to continue practicing his off-leash work, and he truly showed how far heās come! We also experimented with a new way of recording videos using a selfie stick. Charlie wasnāt quite sure about it at first, which explains why he hung back a bit and looked a little unsureāand honestly, I donāt blame him! Even with the new and slightly suspicious gadget, a little encouragement went a long way and Charlie did a great job pushing through his uncertainty.
Despite the selfie stick, Charlie stayed right with me as we walked past ducks, water, and other dogs. I couldnāt be more proud of his self-control. When we first visited this park, Charlie made a very determined attempt to drag me into the water after the ducks, so seeing him calmly choose to stay engaged with me instead is incredibly impressive. It really goes to show that with patience, consistency, and hard work, anything is possible.
I also love seeing that Charlie is performing his commands when heās askedānot just when he feels like it. Weāre still working on boundaries, as he loves to rub himself all over me, but heās beginning to understand that being a calm boy earns him all the love and attention he wants. Overall, Charlie put in some wonderful work today, and Iām very proud of himā¦ and he should be proud of himself too! šš¶
2/6/2026
Today Charlie and I headed back out to the park to continue practicing his commands off leash, and he truly had a great training session. Right from the start, Charlie showed that heās becoming much more confident in working alongside his handler, even with all the exciting park distractions around him. While he did make a few bold attempts to wander off and explore on his own, he was easily redirected. Each time I called him back, he responded quickly and with very little effort, which is incredibly exciting to see. This shows that Charlie is really starting to understand the importance of his recall and that staying connected to his handler is always the best and most rewarding choice.
Throughout our session, all of Charlieās commands were looking very solid. He was able to perform them on cue and with good clarity, even while working off leash in a stimulating environment. His focus continues to improve, and heās doing a much better job of choosing to engage and check in rather than getting lost in the excitement of the park. This level of reliability is a big step forward in his training journey.
Charlie is also making noticeable progress with his greeting manners. When meeting passersby, he did a nice job responding to reminders to sit politely before receiving affection. This helped prevent him from overwhelming people with his big, affectionate personality and showed that heās learning how to channel that love in a calm and respectful way. Itās wonderful to see him practicing self-control while still getting to enjoy positive social interactions.
Overall, Charlie is making wonderful progress with his training. His responsiveness, growing impulse control, and improving manners are all coming together nicely, and itās clear that heās really starting to understand whatās being asked of him. Iām incredibly proud of the strides heās making and excited to keep building on this success! š¶š
2/7/2026
Today Charlie and I headed out to the park to continue practicing his commands off leash and to film his final videoāand wow, did this happy boy show up! Charlie did a wonderful job performing his commands just as weāve been practicing and showed beautiful focus throughout our session.
In just two short weeks, Charlie has come such a long way and learned so much. His boundary work continues to improve as well. While he may initially get excited about all the love (becauseā¦ Charlie š„°), once reminded, heās able to sit politely so he can receive his pets. His manners overall have come a long way too!
Charlie now knows to sit politely before being asked to load up, and he goes straight into his crate in one smooth, graceful motion. He also sits nicely at the door instead of rushing out like heās late for work, and he patiently sits and waits to be released before eating his dinner. These are some big wins for this goofy guy!
All in all, Charlie has made incredible progress, and I couldnāt be prouder of him. Where he once wanted to do everything his way, heās now a much better listener who responds to direction beautifullyāall while keeping that silly, lovable personality we all adore.
Iād also like to take a moment to thank you for trusting me with Charlie and giving me the opportunity to work with this big bundle of love. It has truly been a joy. My biggest hope is that the work Charlie and I have put in together continues to benefit you both as you move forward in this crazy, beautiful thing we call life. š
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