Meet Chloe, she's a three-month-old Mini Bernedoodle from Long Beach, California! This sweet and playful pup is here with us for our Three Week Puppy Board and Train Program, where we will work on teaching her basic obedience and manners, as well as provide potty training. She doesn't have much knowledge of any basic commands yet, and has a short attention span which causes her to be easily distracted. She comes to us with some undesirable behaviors that are common with puppies, such as having potty accidents, pulling on the leash, jumping up on people, and play biting. She loves people and other dogs, but can sometimes get a bit overexcited, and at times can display some barking and reactivity towards other dogs. Chloe also tends to lack confidence at times and can get a bit anxious when in new or unfamiliar situations. Over the next twenty-one days, we will be working on improving her obedience, confidence, and manners to set her on the right path to becoming a well-behaved pup. Stay tuned for her transformation!
Pupdate 4/21/2024
Today Chloe and I spent the day bonding and getting to know each other at the park after she was dropped off with me. She was very friendly and excited to meet me, but she did jump up on me a lot, which is something we will be working on as time goes on as polite Greeting Manners will be one of our goals for her training. While walking around the park, she seemed eager to explore but a bit overwhelmed by all the distractions around. Her attention span is definitely on the lower end, and she struggled to pay attention to me for more than a fleeting moment, which is to be expected for her young age! Generally she was much more focused on everything around us, and was very easily distracted by smells, people, dogs, and anything else she found interesting.
While at the park, I tested her current knowledge of commands to see if he's had any prior training, and what areas may need some extra focus on going forward. I asked her basic commands such as Come, Heel, Sit, Down, and Place, but she was more focused on her surroundings rather than anything I was asking of her. She would sometimes Come over to me when called with lots of excitement and encouragement, though she would rarely come all the way to me, and mostly ignored the recall cue and her name. When asked to Heel, she didn't seem to recognize the command at all and was almost always at the end of the leash walking around wherever she pleased rather than staying next to me. She seemed to somewhat understand Sit and Down, but more often than not she was too distracted and excited to perform these commands on cue, and if she did follow through, she would always stand back up and start walking away after a second or two. I asked her to Place on some low, easy to reach objects, but she didn't seem to understand what was being asked of her. She didn't seem to have any understanding of leash pressure either, and was often trying to pull against the leash in an attempt to get where she wanted to go instead of following it's guidance.
After our time at the park, it was time to head home and get her settled into my home. She's was unable to jump into my car on her own, but was comfortable with being picked up and placed into the car. She wasn't quite sure what to make of the kennel, but she was able to go inside with some gentle guidance, and settled in for the ride home, which is a good display of Car Manners. Anytime Chloe is to ride in a car with me, she will be secured in a kennel for her utmost safety. She will also be in a kennel at home during nighttime or any other time she is unsupervised. This may be a useful tool in her potty training journey as well, as pups are instinctually discouraged from going potty inside their sleeping area. Upon arriving home, she was a very hesitant about walking up my stairs, but after lots of encouragement, she walked inside and began exploring the new area! I offered her some food, and she was very excited to eat. She jumped on me a lot and was very impatient for her food, so we will definitely be working on improving her Food Manners. Later, we went out for a walk around my neighborhood to let her go potty and become familiar with the area. When she did go potty, she was praised heavily to encourage this good behavior! Starting tomorrow, will be taking walks around the neighborhood multiple times daily to work on potty and obedience training. When exiting the house to start our walk, Chloe kept trying to run out the door as soon as it was opened, so we will also be working to improve her Door Manners to make sure she can respect the boundary a doorway creates as this will help keep her safe. After our walk she found a nice comfy spot on the floor to curl up on beside my desk, and enjoyed a nice nap. She seems to be settling in nicely, and we are so excited to begin this training journey together!
Pupdate 4/22/2024
Chloe and I worked on her training at home and around my neighborhood today. The neighborhood was pretty quiet in the morning hours, with not many distractions around, which was a good time to begin introducing Chloe to her training as the calm environment encouraged focus and learning. Closer to the evening hours, the neighborhood got much more lively, with lots of people, dogs, bicycles, and other kinds of distractions out and about. As expected Chloe was much more distracted during this session, and frequently placed all her attention in her surroundings. Some distractions caused her to feel excited and curious, and others seemed to make her feel a bit nervous and overwhelmed. We made sure to give Chloe lots of breaks during training, to let her sniff, play, and decompress, which is an important step in making training a fun and positive experience for her. Today we focused on introducing her to the concept of leash pressure, along with the Come to Sit command. Pressure is a fundamental tool used in balanced obedience training. The idea is that whenever pressure is applied it is paired with a command to communicate, guide, and reinforce the desired behavior. When leash pressure is applied, Chloe needs to problem-solve, follow the guidance, and perform the specific behavior being asked of her. Once she follows through with what is being asked, the pressure immediately stops and a reward is then given! Chloe loves physical affection, verbal praise, and sniff breaks, so these are all great ways to reward her! We utilized a slip lead today during training, which is a great tool for teaching the concept of leash pressure, as it provides clear communication when pressure is applied which discourages pulling or ignoring the sensation the tension creates. We practiced some simple exercises by applying leash pressure, encouraging her to follow it, and rewarding her when she did! She caught onto this easily enough, and after a bit of practice she seemed to understand that pulling against the leash was not rewarding or successful, and that following its guidance was the better option.
Come to Sit is an important command to begin practicing early on in Chloe's training journey, as having a solid recall is important for any pup's safety and obedience training. The goal for Come to Sit is for Chloe to come when called, approach my right side, circle around my back, and finish with a Sit facing forward on the left side. She is asked to hold this Sit until released with "Break", or given a new command. This ensures she not only comes when called, but also that she remains stationary until told otherwise. The Come to Sit maneuver when completed in its entirety also sets her up to be in the perfect position to begin walking in a Heel, which we will introduce tomorrow. We introduced the Come to Sit command today by combining the verbal command "Come" with guidance from the leash to grab her attention and guide her towards me. Once she came over to me, she was then guided around and to my left side where she was asked to perform a Sit. With each successful repetition, I made sure to give her lots of praise and rewards to build up a positive association with the command and the action of coming to me when called. She'll need some more work with this command before she is consistent with it, though for her first day with this command, she did a good job!
On another note, Chloe seems to be happy and healthy, and has finished the remainder of the medication she was sent with. I'll continue monitoring her closely for any signs of discomfort or infection, but so far she seems to be doing well! Her potty training has also been going smoothly, and she has not had any potty accidents while indoors. She seems to have a good understanding that she is only to go potty while outdoors, and has been able to hold it while indoors and communicate when she needs to go out. I've been taking her out for potty breaks every couple of hours during the day, and as the days go on we will work on gradually increasing the duration of time in between potty breaks so that she can learn to hold it for longer periods. She also had no trouble sleeping in her kennel last night, and slept soundly throughout the night. She seems to quite enjoy the kennel, and seems to understand it as a safe and relaxing space to decompress and rest in, which is great to see!
Pupdate 4/23/2024
Today Chloe and I visited a local park, where we practiced two new commands, Off and Heel. We introduced these commands in the morning while walking around the neighborhood, where the distractions were a bit lower. This helped her to have an easier time relaxing and focusing on learning. Later in the day, we walked over to the park to continue practicing her commands around slightly more distractions. The park was not super busy today, but there were some common distractions around such as people, dogs, children, and small animals. Chloe did become pretty distracted at times, but overall did a pretty good job with her commands with some guidance, reminders, and encouragement! She did have a few moments when she would get a bit anxious about certain distractions however, and did end up barking at a few people and other dogs.
Chloe is often easily distracted and struggles to maintain focus, as she is very interested in her surroundings even when being asked to perform commands. Moments like this are a great opportunity to implement the Off command. The goal for the Off command is for Chloe to stop whatever she is doing, and focus on her handler. This is a very versatile command, similar to "no" or "leave it", and can be used in various situations, such as to interrupt fixation on distractions, barking, jumping on people, eating or sniffing things she's not supposed to, or any other behaviors that are undesirable or inappropriate at that time. The verbal Off command when paired with leash communication allows us to interrupt the behavior and get her to refocus so that she is in a better mindset to listen for upcoming instructions. Once the Off command is given, it's beneficial to immediately follow it with another command such as Sit, Come, Heel, etc. Once she stops whatever behavior she was doing, asking her to set her focus on a task will help keep her attention away from what initially distracted her or caused the undesirable behavior. Chloe has shown good progress in understanding the Off command so far, and with each repetition, she seemed to be quicker to respond and refocus when prompted. However, more work will need to be done in various situations before she is fully reliable with the command.
Heel is another important concept for Chloe to begin developing early on in her training. The goal for the Heel command is for Chloe to be able to follow directly alongside me on my left side, and maintain that position while walking unless released or given a new command. This precise positioning takes a lot of practice to master, but it will effectively eliminate pulling on the leash or veering off in different directions, and allow her handler to take the lead on walks instead of her trying to pull them around wherever she pleases. To introduce this command, I kept the leash short but loose, and ensured she stayed on my left side in roughly the Heel position as we walked. If she began to veer off, pull ahead, or otherwise create tension on the leash, she was given some guidance with the leash, and the verbal command "Heel" command was given until she returned to the desired position. During Heel, her sole focus should be following her handler's lead, and as such she needs to remain neutral to and ignore her environment, which will definitely take some practice to accomplish. She did struggle to ignore distractions around us, but she eventually began to grasp the concept, stopped trying to pull as much, and instead learned to follow my lead. When walking in the correct Heel position, the leash was loose, no pressure was applied, and lots of praise and rewards were given to create value in this position. We practiced making lots of turns as well, which helped to keep Chloe engaged and focused on her positioning. As she gets better with this command, she will have an easier time staying in the Heel position without as much guidance needed, and will need to be given reminders less frequently. Overall she did a good job today and seemed to catch on pretty quickly, though more work will need to be done before she can Heel reliably, especially around distractions, as her tendency to take interest in her surroundings often leads to her falling out of position as she loses focus.
Pupdate 4/24/2024
Today Chloe was introduced to two new commands, Place and Down. We also continued to practice her other commands, including Sit, Heel, Come to Sit, and Off. After our usual at home training session, we took a trip over to a park, where we met up with some other OffLeash SoCal trainers and their pups. This was a great opportunity to practice commands and work on Chloe's socialization and behavior with other dogs as a distraction. She was definitely interested in the other dogs and was pretty distracted by them at first, as some she wanted to approach and play with, and others she seemed a bit unsure of and wanted to bark at. By encouraging her to focus on her commands and stay neutral to her surroundings, she eventually learned to shift her focus away from the other dogs which was great to see! Also to update on Chloe's potty training, she is doing very well and has had no accidents!
The goal for the Place command is for Chloe to jump or climb onto a designated surface, such as a bench, a bed, or other defined object, and hold a stationary command while remaining on the Place object until she is released. This command is useful not only for while out in public places, but also while at home, as it encourages Chloe to remain calm and stationary regardless of her environment. We introduced this command today with a dog bed as our place object, as Chloe is already familiar with this object and is comfortable with climbing onto and relaxing on it in her free time. Chloe was happy to climb onto the dog bed when provided light leash pressure for guidance, and was comfortable with performing Sit once on it. After a few repetitions, Chloe quickly began to understand what was being asked of her when the Place command was given without needing any physical guidance. While training at the park, we practiced Place with a few different objects, including playground areas and benches. She needed a bit of leash pressure to guide her onto these objects during the first few attempts, but with a bit of practice she seemed to warm up to the idea of Placing on them when asked and gained more confidence doing so! We kept the duration for Place pretty short today, and only asked her to stay on a Place object for up to around twenty seconds before releasing her, to keep the training fun and engaging.
The other command introduced to Chloe today is the Down command. The goal for the Down command is for Chloe to lay down completely when asked, and remain in that position until released or given a new command. To introduce this command, we used leash pressure, physical guidance, and a hand signal to guide Chloe into the Down position while the verbal command was given. Once she followed through and laid down completely, she received lots of praise followed by a break shortly after. As we continue to practice we will gradually increase the duration so she can learn to remain in this position for extended periods of time, along with her other stationary commands of Sit and Place. She was able to perform Down both at home and while around the park, however while outside, she was a bit more distracted and sometimes needed to be asked a few times or given some assistance to get her into position. She was able to perform Down on a variety of surfaces today, including the floor at home, sidewalks, pathways, grass, and Place objects. Towards the end of our visit at the park Chloe got pretty tired and eventually chose to lay down and rest while I sat beside her on a bench talking to the other trainers, which is a good sign that she was feeling safe and comfortable in the environment!
Pupdate 3/25/2024
Today Chloe and I worked on her commands at home and around the neighborhood. While training outside we focused on exposing her to as many distractions as possible, and we found some great opportunities! There was a house with some noisy construction going on, so we spent some time practicing her commands around it to get her used to loud noises. We also passed by a few houses with some dogs behind fences that like to bark at passerbys, which was another great chance to work on her neutrality to distractions that Chloe is usually uncomfortable around. It took her some time to get used to these distractions at first, but over time she was able to feel more focused and at ease. While at home, we focused on practicing her house manners, including areas such as Food Manners and Door Manners. These are areas of her training we have been and will continue working on multiple times a day every day throughout her program. Chloe still gets very excited during mealtimes, and her impulse is to jump on me and rush to her food the moment it is set down, so we have been working on her impulse control and manners so that she can learn to be polite, patient, and well mannered during meals. By asking her to hold a stationary command while her food is set down, we can encourage her to focus on holding this position and waiting for the release cue to get up and eat. If she broke position before the cue, the bowl was picked up and she was reset back into the sit. We will continue working on this during every meal, and gradually begin increasing the amount of time she is asked to wait before being released. Door Manners are another important aspect to practice every day with Chloe, as they teach important boundaries which will help to keep her safe. Her first instinct when seeing a door open was to run out of it, which is definitely not a good habit to have! By asking her to hold a stationary position and continuing to work on her impulse control, we can begin to help her understand that an open door is not an open invitation to walk through it. With regular practice she is getting much better about not breaking position the moment the door is opened, but she still needs a lot of work with staying in position when I leave her sight. The goal is for me to be able to open the door and walk in or out without her getting up, trying to follow me, or trying to leave through the door.
Pupdate 4/26/2024
Today Chloe and I visited an indoor mall, where we practiced all of her commands around distractions. This was a busy location for Chloe, and she had some trouble focusing, especially when we first arrived. There were some groups of people, a few other dogs, music, food, and other kinds of distractions around which all provided great training opportunities. At first she appeared a bit overwhelmed, but over time she began to adapt to the new environment. At times she was curious and excitable, but the more we trained the easier time she had staying focused on her commands. She was able to Heel quite well, and generally wanted to stick close to me while we walked around the mall. However she did seem tempted to try to sniff people that walked past us, so she needed regular reminders to stay focused on her positioning beside me and not veer off to sniff or approach people. She did pretty good with her Come to Sit, and always understood to come to me whenever she was called, even with distractions around. She did need a bit of guidance to help her through the maneuver and to find the correct positioning, but this is something we will continue working on. Overall she did a good job with her Sit and was able to perform it when asked with minimal to no guidance needed, and she was usually able to hold the position for around thirty seconds, which isn't super long but is a good start! Place was a bit more tricky with some of the objects we practiced with, as she lacked the confidence to jump onto higher objects. She was able to climb onto some low objects, but was not able to make even small jumps onto objects that were slightly out of her climbing reach. The command Chloe struggled with the most today was Down. She seems to understand the command as she is able to perform it when in low distraction environments, however at the mall she didn't seem comfortable performing it when asked. She needed consistent guidance to perform Down, and was only able to remain in the position for a moment or two before attempting to stand or sit back up. Towards the end of the session she did become slightly better about holding her Down, though this seemed to be simply because she was feeling a bit tired and wanted to rest.
Chloe's potty training is continuing to go smoothly, and we are establishing a solid routine. She continues to have no issue sleeping throughout the night, and during the day she has been able to wait patiently between breaks for around three hours. After around three hours have passed, it's important to monitor her closely and not allow her to be unsupervised. When she does need to go potty, she does communicate this need but at times it is very subtle so attention is needed to ensure her signals are not missed.
Pupdate 4/27/2024
Today Chloe and I visited an outdoor mall, where we continued practicing all of her commands around distractions. It was decently busy today, with plentiful distractions such as groups of people, other dogs, food, and music. Overall Chloe did a pretty good job staying focused, though some distractions were more challenging than others. With use of the Off command and providing lots of encouragement during moments of focus, Chloe seemed to understand to pay closer attention to me rather than our surroundings.
Chloe did well with Heel overall, and was able to follow my lead as we walked around with only minimal guidance and reminders needed. She did veer out of position occasionally, but with a reminder she understood to return back to the Heel. She did very good with her Come to Sit, and seems to be making great progress with this command! Chloe also did a good job with Place today, and we practiced with lots of different objects to continue building her confidence. She did need a bit of extra encouragement when first working with an unfamiliar object, but after a few repetitions she became much more comfortable with climbing onto them. She did a solid job with her Sit command also, and was able to perform the command when asked as well as hold it for around one minute, even with distractions around us. The command Chloe struggled with the most again today was Down. Similar to yesterday, she had some hesitations about performing this position when asked while in a distracting environment. She had a few moments where she would vocalize, jump on me, and try to nip my hands or the leash when asked to perform the command, which is her way of trying to get out of having to do what is asked of her. It's important to work her through these moments, and remain consistent in ensuring she follows through with the command. We do not want to allow her tantrums to be successful by giving up on asking the command, as it would lead to this behavior being reinforced and encouraged. By remaining gentle and patient but still holding her accountable, she eventually was able to perform Down without any drama, at which point she was heavily rewarded for her good behavior! We spent the remainder of the session focusing on Down, and by the end of our visit she was happily laying down on both the ground and on different Place objects without issue and without any physical guidance or assistance. We will continue focusing on this command to help her feel more comfortable with performing it when in different kinds of environments.
Pupdate 4/28/2024
Chloe and I visited a local shopping strip today, where we continued practicing all of her commands around distractions. This location had a variety of distracting surroundings present, including groups of people, other dogs, strollers, bicycles, food from nearby restaurants, and loud car noises from the street. Despite the plentiful distractions, overall Chloe did a pretty good job staying focused! She seemed to adapt to the environment pretty well. There were a few fire trucks that passed by with their sirens on, and while the first one did spook Chloe a bit, the next time it happened she seemed nearly unfazed by it, which is a great example of how we can help her overcome small fears by providing support and positive reassurance while exposing her to new stimuli.
Some commands were slightly more tricky for Chloe, namely the Down command, but with consistency and guidance, she was able to follow through with everything that was asked of her. Also, Chloe is doing great with her potty training, and has continued to have no accidents within the house. Our routine seems to be working very well, and she is getting better about communicating her needs in a clear way. She also appears to be happy and healthy, and there have been no signs of her infection returning.
Pupdate 4/29/2024
Today Chloe and I visited the Santa Monica Promenade, where we practiced all of her commands around distractions. The area was decently busy, and we had plenty of distractions to work around. We also met up with some other OffLeash SoCal trainers and their pups, so we had some great opportunities to continue working on Chloe's obedience and neutrality around other dogs.
Upon first arriving Chloe did seem a bit overwhelmed by all the commotion around us, and was behaving a bit timidly. She would sometimes break positions to hide behind me when something spooked her, but with some reassurance she understood that she was safe and could focus on her commands. Some distractions also excited her a lot, and this was another training opportunity to help Chloe learn that even when something fun or exciting is nearby, she is still expected to follow through with instructions given to her. She was able to perform all of her commands without too much issue, with Down being the only command she needed some extra help with. She mostly struggled with Down only during the first half or so of our session, but the more we trained and spent time in the environment the more comfortable and willing she was to perform and remain in the position. We also had some great opportunities to practice Chloe's Greeting Manners today, as there were lots of nice people who wanted to say hello to and pet her. The goal for Greeting Manners is for Chloe to be able to meet or greet people calmly and politely, whether in public or at home. Chloe came to us with a habit of jumping up onto people she was excited to say hello to, which even with her friendly intentions, is a dangerous behavior as she could accidentally injure someone! As such, this is an important area of her training and is something we have been working on whenever the opportunity arises, whether it be at home with me or my guests, or out in public with new people. To help Chloe learn the desired manners, we first have her perform and hold Sit or Down directly beside us, as this gives her a task to focus on and discourages her from breaking the position to jump on anyone. If she tries to jump up, any affection being given abruptly ends, the Off command is given, and she is immediately asked to return to position. When having a new person greet Chloe, it's important to inform them of her training and the expectations set for her, that way they can help reinforce the training appropriately. All praise, attention, and affection should be reserved strictly for when she is stationary, calm, and following instructions. If she is rewarded when behaving poorly, then the training will be inconsistent and be detrimental to her progress. Staying consistent with these manners is key to her success, as she will come to understand that jumping on people is not a rewarding behavior, and only delays or prevents her from getting what she wants, which is to say hello to people and get attention from them! Today, she did a fantastic job being polite even while many different people approached her and gave her attention and affection! She did not try to jump on anyone at all, which was very good! She did sometimes break her position or wiggle around a bit, but the more we practice this the less common this will become. She also got to say hello to some children, which she had a blast with and the kids did a great job petting her nicely and understood to only pet her while she was behaving well.
Pupdate 4/30/2024
Today Chloe and I visited an outdoor shopping mall, where we practiced all of her commands around distractions. There were some crowds of people, food, music, other dogs, and a variety of other distractions. Overall she did a good job staying focused and on task throughout our visit. Some distractions were more challenging than others, but she responded very well to the Off command and understood to refocus when prompted. Chloe did well performing all of her commands today, and overall seems to be making great progress with all of her commands! She did great with her Heel, and only needed occasional reminders to stay in position as we walked around. Her Come to Sit was also quite consistent, and she did a good job always coming to me when called and finding the correct position beside me. She did very well with her Place command today, and was willing to jump onto objects slightly higher than usual, which is a great sign of her growing confidence. She also did well holding both Sit and Down, and was able to remain in either position for a little over a minute, even with distractions around. She did need some guidance for getting into the Down position at first, but with time she was able to preform it without any assistance. At the end of our session, we stopped for a lunch break at a restaurant patio, and Chloe did a fantastic job staying calm and relaxed in the Down position underneath my table as I ate. She did not get up to beg or try to approach people who passed by, which was very impressive!
Chloe's potty training is also going smoothly, and no indoor accidents have occurred. She also seems to understand the cue "go potty" when we are outside, and shortly after this cue is given she understands to sniff around and find a spot to go, which makes the process very smooth and easy!
Pupdate 5/1/2024
Today Chloe and I took a trip to a park, where we met up with some other OffLeash SoCal trainers and their pups! This was another great opportunity to work on her commands around distractions such as dogs and people, and overall she did a good job! She seemed pretty confident today and did not seem shy or overwhelmed. She did however seem to be in a playful mood and often wanted to play with the dogs and people, so when working she did need some reminders to stay focused. She did well with her commands overall, and apart from needing some guidance for Down, she was able to perform all of her commands with relative ease! She also got to say hello to some of the trainers, which was a great opportunity to work some more on her Greeting Manners. She was a bit wiggly at times and did occasionally break her position, but she did not try to jump on or play bite anyone which was great to see!
Pupdate 5/2/2024
Today Chloe and I took a walk over to a local park, where we practiced all of her commands around some mild distractions. The park wasn't super busy, but still had a few distracting surroundings such as grass, people, children, a few other dogs, and some small animals like birds and squirrels. Overall she did a good job focusing today, and generally was very obedient and quick to follow through with instructions given to her. We spent most of today's session focusing on the Down command, to help her become more consistent about performing the position without needing physical guidance. She did well with this, and around halfway through the session she was consistently performing Down on cue with only the verbal cue and a hand signal, and was no longer relying on physical assistance or leash pressure.
Chloe's potty training is continuing to go smoothly, and she has not had any accidents while inside the house. This morning when taking her out for her first potty break of the day, she wasn't quite able to make it all the way to the grass where she usually goes and did end up peeing on the driveway, but this is definitely better than it being inside! This is just a reminder of how important it is that she is let out first thing in the morning after waking up, as her bladder is usually very full after sleeping all night.
