Chopper | Belgian Malinois | Santa Monica, CA | In-Training
- Reine Melnick
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Meet Chopper, a 7-year-old Belgian Malinois from Santa Monica, California, who has officially joined Offleash SoCal for our Two-Week Board and Train Program!
Chopper is a smart and capable boy who already has a foundation of basic obedience, but like many intelligent dogs, he sometimes chooses to ignore commands when something more exciting grabs his attention. He also knows he's a strong, athletic dog and has a habit of pulling his owners around on walks—especially when a squirrel catches his eye!
While Chopper is an affectionate and loving companion, he can become overly reactive toward other dogs while out on leash, making walks more stressful than they need to be. Over the next two weeks, we'll be focusing on building reliability with his obedience commands, improving his leash manners, and teaching him how to remain calm and respectful around other dogs.
We're excited to help Chopper reach his full potential and can't wait to show off his progress. Stay tuned over the next few weeks as he transforms into a more focused, well-mannered pup!
Pupdate 5/31/26
Today was Chopper’s first day with me, so I wanted to keep things simple and stress-free by taking him on a relaxed walk around my neighborhood. The goal was to help him decompress, explore his new surroundings, and build confidence in an unfamiliar environment. During our walk, I really let Chopper take the reins—allowing him to choose the pace, decide where we went, and stop as often as he wanted to sniff and investigate. Giving him that freedom helped him understand that this new place was safe and allowed him to settle in comfortably.
Chopper did an excellent job throughout the walk and was incredibly respectful. As he became more comfortable, he even started checking in with me on his own by looking back to see where I was and what I wanted from him. These little moments of engagement are always a great sign that a dog is beginning to build trust and confidence.
After spending some time exploring, we slowly introduced the "Heel" command. Right away, I could tell Chopper is a very respectful and thoughtful dog. He required very little leash guidance and was quick to adjust his pace right back to my side whenever needed. He also showed off a very nice "Sit" and seemed eager to work without needing much encouragement.
Since he was doing so well, I decided not to overload him with too much training on his first day. We headed back home where Chopper continued to impress me by settling into his new crate with very little fuss and relaxing comfortably inside.
I’m incredibly proud of Chopper and how well he handled his first day. He has been an absolute pleasure to work with so far, and I’m excited to see what we accomplish together over the next two weeks!
Pupdate 6/1/26
Today, Chopper and I met up with a few other trainers and their dogs at a local park for a training session focused on exposure and observation. Since this was only Chopper's second day with me, I wanted to keep things relatively relaxed and use the outing as an opportunity to gauge his comfort level around other dogs while they worked nearby.
Rather than jumping into a lot of obedience exercises, we focused primarily on his Extended Down while on "Place." I used the Place command as a central point of focus for Chopper, encouraging him to concentrate on the task he had been given rather than the activity happening around him. This allowed him to experience the presence of other dogs without feeling any pressure to interact with them.
Throughout the session, my main priority was monitoring Chopper's body language and making sure he remained comfortable as the other dogs trained nearby. I wanted to watch for any signs of stress, tension, or discomfort and adjust accordingly if needed. Thankfully, Chopper handled the situation beautifully. He remained calm, relaxed, and committed to his command despite the distractions around him.
What impressed me most was how little interest he showed in the other dogs. Even as a playful Golden Retriever was running back and forth with its trainer nearby, Chopper stayed focused and unbothered. He did an excellent job remaining in position and showed great self-control throughout the entire exercise.
I am incredibly proud of Chopper for how calm and composed he was today. Exposure sessions like these are an important part of helping dogs feel confident and neutral around distractions, and Chopper showed us that he is already off to a fantastic start. Great job, buddy!
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