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Charlie | Goldendoodle | Downey, CA | In-Training


Meet Charlie, a 1-year-old Goldendoodle from Downey, CA. Charlie joins us for our Two-Week Board and Train program because he pulls on leash, gets easily distracted, chews on things he shouldn’t, pees wherever he wants, and isn't the most confident boy. While Charlie is with us, we will focus on basic obedience, manners, confidence building, and potty training. Stay tuned for his fourteen-day transformation!


 

Pupdate 12/26/2021


Charlie was a bit nervous meeting me. His tail was tucked and he had wide eyes as I got closer to let him sniff me. I did not stick out a hand as dogs have excellent noses, much better than ours, and can sniff us from a distance. He approached at his own speed and I was soon able to take his leash and start working on walking nicely on leash. He showed me he can sit when given a verbal cue, but he would not down, loose leash walk, or place on the dog bed. I let my dog, who is very friendly and good with nervous dogs, approach him, but he lunged at her. I used the leash to block him and allowed her to sniff and then him to sniff her back. He barked at one of the other puppies from inside the crate but settled down once we started moving. I'll let him settle in his new environment and begin training tomorrow.




 

Pupdate 12/27/2021


Charlie and I went to a local park to work on his commands. When he hit the end of the leash and felt pressure he got on his hind legs and started spinning in circles to try to remove the weird sensation. I pulled up gently on the leash and helped him into a sit. He was able to calm down and we continued walking slowly. When I would stop walking I would ask for a sit, which Charlie was good at doing. His body language is very hunched over and he will submissively pee, but it’s only his second day and he may need more time getting used to things. He is no longer barking at the other dogs from inside his crate. I had to mix a spoonful of canned dog food to get him to eat, but when I did, he gobbled his food right up.


 

Pupdate 12/28/2021




Charlie and I worked on his commands on my property. We focused on e-collar conditioning and loose leash walking. During social I introduced him to the other dogs, and while he was more playful with the female dogs, he would get aggressive or uncomfortable with the male dogs. He ate his food but had diarrhea so I will not be adding wet food.


 

Pupdate 12/29/2021


Charlie and I worked on heeling, come to sit, place, and break. He is very resistant to leash pressure, and acts like a dog who hasn't had a collar around his neck. If you add slight directional leash pressure, he throws a tantrum by screaming, jumping up on his hind legs, trying to grab the leash with his two front paws, and spinning. We worked through the resistance and Charlie began following through with his commands. He doesn't seem to like his food but has eaten all of the ham. I added a different kind of wet food to try and get him to eat and he gobbles his kibble right up.



 

Pupdate 12/30/2021


Charlie and I worked on his commands at the Carlsbad Outlet Mall. He's starting to loose leash walk/heel and will come to sit 80% of the time. He's a quick learner! He struggles with holding a down stay and will sometimes default to it when I stop. If he does, that's when I apply leash pressure or take a step forward and then add slight pressure upwards to get him to sit. He's super playful if you bring out a toy, but then he will try to guard it if it's on the ground and another dog tries to come near it. I was able to use the "off" command and a tap of the e-collar to get him to move away from the toy.


 

Pupdate 12/31/2021






We worked on Charlie’s commands at the mall. He is nervous around people but relaxed when someone would invite him over for pets. His come to sit is getting better, but his heeling and extended down still need work.



 

Pupdate 1/1/2022


Charlie and I worked on his commands at The Strand in Oceanside. It was really busy so we focused on loose leash walking/heeling and his extended down. He was able to pass by dogs without any trouble but still breaks his down part of the time.



 

Pupdate 1/2/2022





Charlie and I worked on his commands at a park. He was a little nervous around children and started visibly shaking. I don’t think he likes his food, so I tried giving him some of my puppy’s food, which is Acana Puppy, and he ate it right up.



 

Pupdate 1/3/2022


Charlie and I worked on his commands at a shopping center. He is doing well in busier environments and is holding his commands better. He is still nervous at times and will break commands, but overall I see much improvement in his demeanor. While he didn't eat his food, I did offer him a quarter cup of the dog food I had and he did eat that.


 

Pupdate 1/4/2022




Charlie and I worked on his commands near a shopping area. He’s had issues jumping up on people in the past but was able to sit politely while three people waited their turn to pet him. Charlie is doing better holding his positions and isn’t trying to bolt towards me as he did when we first started training. He is still nervous when there is a lot of activity and skittish around a lot of noise.


 

Pupdate 1/5/2022


Charlie and I practiced his commands by the beach since there’s a lot of activity going on. Skateboards, bikes, and scooters startle him but after sitting and watching for a while he was a little less skittish. He doesn’t mind dogs, and his heel is improving. Charlie wanted to chase birds while I sat down for lunch so I used the “off” command and tapped the top left black button until he stopped fixating on them.



 

Pupdate 1/6/2022


Charlie and I worked on his commands at the beach while construction was going on behind us, and people skated in the arena next to us. He did much better with the noises, using his nose to take in information rather than just run from whatever he thought was scary. Charlie is holding his extended sit and down now, and completing his come to sit.


 

Pupdate 1/7/2022




Charlie and I worked on his final video at the beach. We went for a run to get some his jitters out around skateboards and bicycles, which seemed to help, but he was still nervous in the environment. Charlie is completing his come to sit, holding his extended sit and extended down, but still struggles with noises. He's progressed quite a bit since he arrived, but he will need his humans to continue to take him out to see normal everyday life so he can realize nothing bad is going to happen to him.


 

Pupdate 1/8/2022


Charlie was a rockstar today! He completed all of his commands while off-leash as we filmed his final video. Attached is a preview of his video. It was a pleasure training Charlie and building up his confidence, and I wish him and his family a happy life together.



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