Meet Chloe! She is a twelve week old Golden Retriever here for our Three-Week Puppy Board and Train Program! Chloe is very young and she will be boarding with me for about two weeks before we begin working on her commands. Chloe is a very sweet pup, who is just beginning her training journey! Her first couple weeks will entail working on her potty training, and setting her up for success in the future! She likes to nip her owner and hasn't gotten the hang of walking on leash yet, but those are things we will cover in due time! For now, I want to get Chloe started down her path to become the best pup she can possibly be! Stay tuned for Chloe's training transformation!
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Pupdate: 6/27/2023
After picking up Chloe, we stayed at Highlands Park for a little while, to spend some time getting to know each other! Chloe is such a sweet little angel, I'm glad I get the opportunity to begin her training journey! Most of our time will be spent getting Chloe set up for success with her potty training and household manners. These first two weeks will be important stepping stones for Chloe to eventually progress to working on her basic commands! She has started nipping her owner recently, however she hasn't tried to nip me yet. Once we got home, I let Chloe sniff around my house, and we started to get settled in. She seems to be adjusting to the environmental change very well, and she seems to like me a lot so far!
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Pupdate: 6/28/2023
Chloe went to Almansor Park today! She got tons of playtime and nap time. She piddled a little bit in her crate, but then for the rest of the day she went potty each time I took her to grass. A great start to her potty training! While walking on leash, she loved to try to bite the leash and play with it, but she generally did a good job of walking around me for short distances.
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Pupdate: 6/29/2023
Chloe went to Santa Monica Pier today! She had a fun day. We worked on walking around on leash, to prepare her for her Heel command in the future. This mostly consists of me guiding her in the right directions and then giving her a lot of praise when she moves well on her own. Chloe got tons of attention from strangers. She's very sweet and friendly, but she loves to jump and play bite. When she does this, we use a small amount of leash tension to show her she shouldn't jump, as well as use the Off command. Off is our "do not do" command, which Chloe will slowly be introduced to during her time here. Chloe didn't seem to be nervous around the noises and people on the pier, and if we keep up with her exposure to these environments, she will be an amazingly confident dog when she's all grown up!
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Pupdate: 6/30/2023
Chloe went to Garfield Park today! We worked more on getting Chloe comfortable on a leash, and I set out a low cot for her, so we can start getting Chloe comfortable on a slightly raised object for her "place" command. She had a fun day, and she seems to be getting more comfortable walking around.
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Pupdate: 7/1/2023
Chloe and I worked on her Sit command and I continued to get her comfortable on a place cot. She is doing an amazing job for a puppy her age. I'm using a bit of her kibble to lure her into a specific position then rewarding her with that kibble! She's doing great!
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Pupdate: 7/2/2023
Chloe and I went to Almansor Park today! We had a lot of playtime and started working more on her Down. To start practicing this with her, I use some kibble or her toy to try to lure her into a Down position. The second her tummy touches the ground or the place cot, she gets rewarded with a lot of praise, kibble, and she gets to play with her toy! For such a young pup, Chloe is doing an amazing job with everything so far!
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Pupdate: 7/3/2023
Chloe went to Veterans Memorial Park today! We were with some other trainers and their dogs for most of the morning. Chloe often would get excited if another dog or person moved close to us, but she generally did a good job! After some of her energy was expended, she started doing a really good job of sitting and laying down on her place cot, only occasionally trying to jump off. Great job!
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Pupdate: 7/4/2023
Happy 4th of July! In today's video, Chloe and I are practicing some of her basics simply using a few pieces of her kibble! Using her kibble as a lure can be a great way to show her the positions we would like her to take, and slowly teach her the command words we will eventually expect her to know. Using one or two bits of kibble, I like to hold it right in front of her face, which "sticks" it to her nose and makes it easy to direct her into whatever position we're practicing. For example, I slowly pull the kibble up and back to show her how to sit, and then down and forward to show her how to lay down! Chloe doesn't seem like she will have any issue with the fireworks tonight, but I will be keeping a close eye on her while they happen around the neighborhood.
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Pupdate: 7/5/2023
Chloe and I went to Almansor Park today! We also went to a pet friendly restaurant for lunch! Chloe was her normal, friendly self during lunch. She was very jumpy and outgoing, however, we were able to eat lunch at the restaurant without much trouble from Chloe! Afterward, we went to the park for our normal exercise and playtime!
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Pupdate: 7/6/2023
Chloe went to Santa Monica Pier today for training! She did pretty well around all of the distractions! She gets a lot of attention from people, and she is slowly starting to get better with her greeting manners. We started introducing her to her Come To Sit command! For this one, I want Chloe to come to my right side, walk around my legs and sit at my left side! It seems like she's starting to understand the motions I'm looking for!
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Pupdate: 7/7/2023
Chloe went to her veterinarian appointment this morning to get her booster shots! She was a little sore and lethargic from her shots, so she spent most of the rest of the day napping! We spent a few minutes walking around the park, but other than that she had a nice, relaxing day today!
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Pupdate: 7/8/2023
Chloe and I went to the park this morning, but it quickly got hot outside so a lot of our day was spent inside. After a nice play session, I had Chloe lay on a place cot while I played with her toes. She sometimes still doesn't like her paws played with, but she's getting much better about it! Ideally, this will make it much easier to trim her nails in the future. If she goes to put her teeth on my hands I offer her something appropriate to chew instead, like her toy, then praise her if she takes it instead of my finger. Another thing I like to do is offer her the toy with my hand fully around it, and if her teeth touch my skin, I take the toy away. When she grabs the toy part without touching my skin, she gets to play with the toy! This should help her learn the difference between what is appropriate and inappropriate for her to put her teeth on. Later tonight, Chloe will also get her first bath with her new shampoo!
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Pupdate: 7/9/2023
Chloe and I went to the park today and we worked more on some of her basic commands! She still has very little impulse control, but she's getting better every day at being able to sit still. She also still loves to try to pull grass from the ground and pick things up from the ground, which we're working on helping!
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Pupdate: 7/10/2023
Chloe's training program has officially started! Today I wanted to start asking Chloe for her basic commands without using any kibble or toys as lures. She is much more easily distracted without the kibble, but she did a very good job! She still has moments where she prefers to goof off and tries to grab the leash, but she's also pretty good about working through it and getting back on track after mistakes like that.
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Pupdate: 7/11/2023
Chloe and her friend, Harley, went to Petsmart today to continue her training! Chloe did a much better job than I expected. She tried to play with her friend and jumped on her a few times, but for a lot of the day she behaved very well! As you can see in the above pictures, she was able to hold her sit and down positions long enough for pictures, even when right next to her friend! Her potty training is also going very well. Upon arriving at the store, I asked Chloe to potty outside, and she did so immediately. Very good job today, Chloe!
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Pupdate: 7/12/2023
Chloe and I went to the park early this morning, then worked inside for the hottest parts of the day. Chloe has been spending a lot of time working alongside Harley, and they've both been doing well! Chloe's Heel command has been coming along very well! Especially considering some of the time she is Heeling right next to another dog! Working with Harley has been doing wonders for Chloe's impulse control. She's starting to understand when it's okay to play and when it's time to behave!
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Pupdate: 7/13/2023
Chloe and I went to the Santa Monica Pier today! She behaved very well, although she still wanted to pull on her leash every once in a while. She was able to hold her sit and down positions very well, but there were a couple times a stranger would come up to greet her, which at which point she still gets up to move. Great job though!
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Pupdate: 7/14/2023
Chloe and I went to the park this morning and we'll be going again tonight! For her video today, I thought it might be fun to show part of Chloe's bath! The video starts after Chloes anti-itch shampoo has been sitting on her for a few minutes and begin rinsing her. Chloe does a wonderful job during her baths, she doesn't squirm too much and she doesn't try to jump out. The one thing to be wary of while bathing Chloe, is she sometimes tries to lick the soap from her fur. I have to be diligent in keeping her head up so she doesn't get any soap in her mouth. Other than that, Chloe seems to be much more comfortable with bath time than most dogs, especially her age!
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Pupdate: 7/15/2023
Chloe went to Garfield Park today! We worked more on her placing on objects other than the place cot. She still has a lot of progress to make, but she's well on her way! I'm seeing her slowly respond to her commands more reliably and she's starting to understand the difference between playtime and work time.
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Pupdate: 7/16/2023
Chloe and I spent the day at Almansor Park for training! She got a lot of playtime, and a lot of work done! Chloe's best friend, Harley, went home today, so we'll have to find her another suitable playmate. While working on her commands, Chloe kept getting sappy leaves stuck to her paws which was distracting for both her and me, and also means she'll be getting another bath tonight. Her performance with her commands keeps getting better and better, though!
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Pupdate: 7/17/2023
Chloe went to Eugene A. Obregon Park today! After some exercise, Chloe ended up doing well with her commands, even around some other trainers and their dogs! Chloe's potty training is going very well, and she hasn't had an accident inside or in her crate in a very long time. I've noticed, however, that Chloe tends to squat very low when she pees, almost fully laying down sometimes, which leads to her sometimes getting her pee on her belly and paws. She needs to be cleaned very frequently because of this, but I believe this is a behavior that she will grow out of as she gets bigger.
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Pupdate: 7/18/2023
Chloe and I started working with a fifteen foot leash today! So far we've mostly been using a six foot leash, but I believe she's progressing enough for me to start adding some distance between us when she's asked to hold her position on the place cot. This also let's me add some distance between us when I ask her for her Come To Sit command, making it slightly more challenging for Chloe. She still sometimes gets distracted by smells in the grass, but she runs all the way to me roughly eighty percent of the time!
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Pupdate: 7/19/2023
Chloe went to Garfield Park today with a friend! Despite his size, he's very gentle and a great playmate/working buddy for Chloe. Chloe did a great job of behaving near him, although she did want to play a little more than she wanted to work. I believe having Chloe perform her commands next to all of these other friendly dogs will be the best thing for her. She's allowed to play enough to where she is developing proper social/play habits, but is still asked to perform her commands when next to such great playmates.
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Pupdate: 7/20/2023
Chloe went to the park with her buddy today! She did a pretty good job staying on task again around the other pup. She was actually much more distracted by sticky leaves getting stuck to her paws than she was by her friend. She did really well with her Come To Sit command today, and I had to use very little leash tension when asking her for her commands.
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Pupdate: 7/21/2023
Chloe went to the Santa Monica Pier today for training! She did a good job for about half the time there. Most of her commands were performed well. While walking, she managed to Heel alongside me with a fine degree of accuracy. When asked to lay down on a bench, she wanted to hop up and try to play and put her mouth on me instead of holding her Down position. This is something Chloe has been getting better and better at each day, so I believe it was because I didn't give her enough playtime and exercise before asking her to sit still. That being said, before and after that, there were several people who wanted to stop and say hi to Chloe, and out of the dozen or so people who wanted to pet her, she only got up and tried to jump for two or three of them. This is quite an improvement for Chloe's greeting manners!
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Pupdate: 7/22/2023
Chloe and I spent most of the day home working around the house! We went to the park for a little while, but much of our time was spent on her household manners. She loves the place cot and seems to do very well when asked to hold her positions on it, however when she is on the floor, she doesn't like staying put and wants to play around. Other than that, her behavior around the house is improving each day!
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Pupdate: 7/23/2023
Chloe and I spent the day at the park! She spent most of her time playing and then spent a little bit of her time working with her new friends. She had a hard time focusing while around her new friends for the first half of the day, but she ended up doing a good job! All of her commands are coming along very well, she just needs a little bit more work around distractions.
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Pupdate: 7/24/2023
Chloe and I went to Whittier Narrows Park today for training! She spent most of her time working around her friend and nearby some other dogs. She did a good job listening today, and she performed most of her commands well. She had some trouble heeling right next to the other dog, especially through the grass, but she was able to hold her positions quite well.
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Pupdate: 7/25/2023
Chloe and her friend went to Whittier Narrows Park today for training! She did a much better job walking next to the other dog without jumping on her nearly as much. After the park, we spent most of the day inside to avoid the afternoon heat. Chloe got some indoor playtime and time napping on her place cot which she usually enjoys!
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Pupdate: 7/26/2023
Chloe went to Almansor Park today! Walking and performing commands is becoming easier for Chloe next to the older dog, but I was particularly impressed with Chloe around the other animals, like the geese, ducks and squirrels. She didn't seem to mind being near them, and they didn't seem to add to her distractions very much. Again, we left the park once it started getting too hot, and we will go back out tonight when it's nice and cool!
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Pupdate: 7/27/2023
Chloe and Ivy went to the Santa Monica Pier together today! Both girls did a great job around the crowds and noises. They even got some greeting manners caught on camera. Chloe got excited and popped up from her sit a few times, but generally did well at receiving her pets without very much trouble!
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Pupdate: 7/28/2023
Chloe went back to the pier today! She's continuing to get tons of exposure to crowds of people, loud music, and other great distractions. She stuck close to me and did a wonderful job with her commands. Several strangers wanted to stop and pet her and her greeting manners continued to improve. Working around the other dog is also becoming more natural for her, even with all the other distractions.
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Pupdate: 7/29/2023
Chloe and I spent the cool parts of the day at the park! In the afternoon, we stayed home and worked on her household manners. Today we focused on her door manners! For this, I want Chloe to understand that just because I open a door, doesn't mean she's allowed to run through it. I'd like her to sit patiently at the door and wait for me to give her the all clear to move in or out. She's been working hard on this, and had trouble waiting for quite a while, but now she seems to be getting the hang of it!
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Pupdate: 7/30/2023
Chloe and I went to Home Depot today! There were lots of new noises for her, but she did a great job! All of the carts and forklifts moving around didn't seem to bother her. It's especially noisy in the lumber section, but Chloe seemed to do just as well back there. As usual, she got several compliments on her cuteness and sat nicely for most of her admirers!
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Pupdate: 7/31/2023
Chloe went to Belvedere Park today! A lot of her time was spent surrounded by other dogs, some of them new to her! She did pretty well throughout the day, although she was clearly sometimes distracted by the other dogs. In the above video, Chloe has other dogs on all sides of her, and we are going through her commands. She gets the job done, albeit a little more slowly than usual.
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Pupdate: 8/1/2023
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Chloe went to Belvedere Park today! There weren't as many dogs today, but she still had her friend, Ivy! She did a good job of staying on the place cot with Ivy when asked, although she wanted to get up and play a few times. When not near tons of other dogs, Chloe does a much better job of staying engaged with me and performing each command. After the park, we went home where Chloe got a bath and a nap! We'll be going back out to the park again tonight!
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Pupdate: 8/2/2023
Chloe and I went to Almansor Park today for training! We went by ourselves for some one on one practice with her commands. I could tell she missed her friend who is usually with us, but I thought practicing by herself would be good for today. She's doing well with all of her commands and she was able to hold her Place on the place cot with very few mistakes!
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Pupdate: 8/3/2023
Chloe had a mostly relaxing day today, we went to the park during the cool parts of the day, and will go back out tonight! She got playtime today and we practiced her commands! At the park, she was a little more interested in the geese than she usually is, but other than that she had a great day.
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Pupdate: 8/4/2023
Chloe went to the Garfield Park this morning! She did an amazing job for her age. She responded well to most of the commands I asked of her, and she responded to a minimal amount of leash pressure. She is finally starting to grow large enough and grow the thigh muscles to jump onto place objects without my help up! In the above video, she hops onto the bench with very little help from me!
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Pupdate: 8/5/2023
Chloe went to the park with me today! Most of her day was spent with her friends at my house. I noticed she was very interested in her new friend, Sasha, which isn't unexpected. Her behavior around this new dog was markedly more impressive than when she first met her other friends while she was a bit younger!
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Pupdate: 8/6/2023
Chloe and I went to Almansor Park today! She did particularly well with her commands. A lot of the time Chloe still needs some amount of leash tension to complete her commands, but in today's video, everything she does is her responding only to my verbal command and hand gestures! Great job!
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Pupdate: 8/7/2023
Chloe went to Garfield Park today for training! We worked more on having her perform her commands with no leash pressure. She was a little more excited today than yesterday, so she needed a little help to perform her commands, but she still did a great job!
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Pupdate: 8/8/2023
Chloe had her vet appointment today, and she was pretty tired after that, so we just went to the park for a little while afterwards! She still managed to keep up with her commands and even hop up on the benches multiple times with little issue! After the park, she settled down at home for a long nap.
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Pupdate: 8/9/2023
Chloe went to Brea mall today for training! She behaved well and performed each of her commands. There were times she got excited by people passing enough to break her commands, but she did a good job for the most part! Usually the people she would get the most excited for were children.
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Pupdate: 8/10/2023
Chloe and I went back to the mall today to get her more exposure to the crowds! She did a wonderful job heeling around and mostly focusing on me and her commands! She still got a little playful at times, but did great nonetheless. In the second part of today's video, Chloe is showing off how far she's come with her greeting manners! I'd like Chloe to sit politely when approached by a stranger for pets. Once the person is done petting her, I release her and give her lots of love and attention, she's been doing pretty well with this recently. Also, I forgot to in yesterday's Pupdate, but Chloe got her simparica trio last night with her dinner.
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Pupdate: 8/11/2023
Chloe and I went to Rancho Cienega Park today for her training! Back at a relatively secluded park after going to crowded areas the last few days, she was on top of her game! She listened closely, followed me, performed her commands, and still had enough puppy energy for some playtime after. At the park, there was a skatepark with a couple skateboarders there, which I believe is a distraction she's never seen. We didn't get very close, but still, she didn't seem to pay them any mind at all. After the park, Chloe's been taking a nice nap at home until we go out again this evening.
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Pupdate: 8/12/2023
Chloe and I spent our day mostly at home working inside. We went to the park for some playtime, but the majority of our time was spent indoors working on her manners! Chloe got a lot of exercise today walking around our neighborhood as well. At home, she hopped onto her place cot for a nap without me even asking!
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Pupdate: 8/13/2023
Chloe and I went to Almansor Park today for her last full day with me! She made the most of it and had a fun time! We mostly worked on her Heel command, but tried each command around distractions such as a basketball game, and geese and ducks! It looked like she wanted to join the basketball games, but calmed down after walking around for a few minutes. The geese and other birds didn't seem to bother her at all. Chloe will be going home tomorrow, and I'm going to miss her once she's gone! She's been such a sweet girl to work and play with, and I'm glad I got to start her on her journey to becoming a great dog!
