Meet Cleo! A sweet and confident 20 month old Beagle mix from Los Angeles, CA has joined our Two-Week Board and Train Program. Cleo has come to us to work on behaviors such as learning how to walk nicely on a leash, coming when called, house training to prevent her digging, and overall obedience with commands. Cleo is familiar with Sit, Down and Stay but struggles with remaining consistent. Over these next two weeks we will be building a strong foundation for her training to help Cleo be the best pup she can be! Stay tuned for her Two-Week Transformation!
Pupdate 1/30/2023
Cleo and I spent the day getting her familiar with her new environment. We strolled around the neighborhood letting her sniff around and explore, then went to hang out in the backyard. We got her all settled in and played together to work on building a bond. We will begin introducing her to some new commands tomorrow!
Pupdate 1/31/2023
Cleo and I started our day by introducing her to a few communication tools such as the slip lead and e collar. The slip lead is used to guide Cleo with directional changes of the leash. I apply leash pressure in the direction I want her to go and the second she follows the path created for her, I turn that pressure off. Any time I apply leash pressure, I apply stimulation from the e collar as well. Cleo did not resist the pressure at all and followed it rather quickly to come and Sit by my left hand side.
I introduced her to Come to Sit which is the action of Cleo coming around behind me to Sit on my left hand side ready to Heel. She was a natural at this and learned quickly that all of the good stuff came to her when she Sat on my left side. This is how I begin to build value with Cleo in a specific position. I Cued Cleo’s name frequently, rewarding her when she offered me her attention. This is called the name game and is a great game to practice around distractions to build engagement during training. A focused dog is a dog that is ready to work!
Pupdate 2/1/2023
Cleo and I took a trip to the park where we worked on her Heel, Come to Sit, Extended Sit, and introduced her to some new commands such as Place and Down. Cleo did well her Heel and Extended Sit. She is able to hold it for up to a minute long which is halfway to our goal! She did need help her Come to Sit, choosing to Sit behind me instead of by my side. I guided her through this applying leash pressure forward with a few steps.
Cleo had the chance to work on Place with another trainer today. She caught onto this fairly quickly and voluntarily hopped onto the elevated surface. As soon as she hopped on we marked it with a Yes and rewarded the behavior. She then naturally began to settle into the Down position which is great since Place is often used to help create a calm state of mind. It is also used for house training, preventing unwanted behaviors like begging for food or jumping on guests. She was able to hold her Down while in Place for a minute until we released her with the Cue Break. Cleo took a liking to my cat Nala. They often choose to hang out near each other, playing together through the window and sun bathing.
Pupdate 2/2/2023
Cleo and I ventured out to The Citadel Outlets where we worked on her Heel, Come to Sit, and Place paired with Down. It took about 20 minutes before Cleo appeared more confident and consistent with all of her commands. She can be a bit overwhelmed, panting heavily when near big crowds. We began to utilize a wall to help keep her closer to my left hand side when coming to Sit. She tends to Sit behind me which is why luring her with hand signals has helped guide her to stay closer to my left hand side.
We are emphasizing our work on her Place command as well to help build her confidence when in new environments. She was able to perform Place for a minute and a half which means we’re almost at our goal!
Pupdate 2/3/2023
Cleo and I ventured out to The Block to work on proofing her Come to Sit, Heel, Extended Place, and Down near plenty of distractions such as kids running wild, dogs, crowds of people, etc. After we took a stroll around the stores together, she acclimated to her new surroundings and was fluent with her commands. We are emphasizing our work on helping Cleo gain more confidence closer my left hand side. At times she Sits behind me. We have been utilizing more hand visuals to help guide her into position along with leash pressure.
She now holds her Extended Sit and Place for two minutes. She enjoys Place, confidently jumping up onto new surfaces on cue. We will now start building distance between us utilizing a 15 ft leash, while in new environments!
Pupdate 2/4/2023
Cleo and I began to work on all of her commands utilizing a 15 ft leash to create distance between us and start dragging the leash. In the beginning of the session, she needed some guidance of the leash to stay on my left hand side and not Sit behind me. After some guidance she began to stay closer to my side for her Come to Sits utilizing more hand signals and less leash pressure. We worked on her Extended Sit and Down as well, creating distance between us which at first she was unsure of, wanting to get up to follow me. I stimulated her with the e collar cuing her to lay Down again until she waited for my release. Is important for her handler to release her before she releases herself.
I then rewarded her for holding her position every now and then if she did not get up before released.
Pupdate 2/5/2023
Cleo and I began to work on proofing all of her commands as we Heeled together around the neighborhood, working with the leash dragging. Cleo has demonstrated consistency with all of her commands hardly needing any guidance of the leash to follow through with commands. She is quite adventurous, loving to smell and soak in her surroundings. I give her frequent breaks to let her explore, then practice her recall from a distance of 15 ft away . Good work Cleo!
Pupdate 2/6/2023
Cleo and I went on a trip to The Block today where we worked on building distance between us utilizing a 15 ft. leash for all of her commands. She did well with this and is appearing more confident when near loud noises or large objects passing by her. Cleo has remained consistent with her Heel while we drag the leash, making frequent turns. At times when she passes me up, I cue her to Come to Sit. If she sits too far away I have her repeatedly practice it until she corrects herself to be right by my side. We will keep proofing her commands with more duration, distance and distractions present. Good job Cleo!
Pupdate 2/7/2023
Cleo and I spent the day at the Outlets of Commerce working first on proofing all of her commands with the leash dragging. After about 15 minutes of dragging the leash, I then took the leash off and Heeled with her making frequent turns. We worked on her Come to Sit from distances of 10 to 15 ft between us. Initially she took her time to Come. After a few repetitions she worked up more confidence to reliably come every time. Cleo lacks confidence in new environments when first arriving, so we have been primarily focusing on building her confidence with Place on new surfaces and Extended Sit with distance between us. She sat for two minutes and held her Place for two minutes as well which means we have reached our goal! We will continue to build off that with more distractions present, adding more duration for her commands.
Pupdate 2/8/2023
Cleo and I continued to work on her Off Leash skills while at the park near plenty of distractions. We worked on her Come to Sit, Heel, Extended Place, Sit and Down while circled by different dogs. At first Cleo was unsure of her environment, breaking her Sit to follow me. After a few repetitions, she was confident enough to hold her Place command as I was at a distance. We will begin filming for her Final video tomorrow as she has demonstrated she is ready for it. Excellent work Cleo!
Pupdate 2/9/2023
Cleo and I began filming for her Final video at The Citadel Outlets! After taking a lap around the outlets together we worked on her Come to Sit from a distance of 15 ft away. This was Cleo’s biggest challenge as often times if I was further away from her, she would struggle to come right away and seek affection from anyone near her. We have been working on that by repetitively practicing her Come to Sit in new environments to build confidence. Today she demonstrated much more confidence and Came when called reliably.
We then worked on her Greeting Manners with friendly new people and kids that wanted to say hi. I remind Cleo to Sit and communicate to whoever is petting her to only pet her if all four paws are on the floor. Cleo stayed in the Sit position as she received all the love!
Pupdate 2/10/2023
Cleo and I ventured out to Santa Monica where we worked on proofing her Off Leash skills near plenty of distractions. She did great with her Come to Sit, not cowering behind me or going to the person nearest to her to seek comfort anymore. After warming up to perform Place on new surfaces, she hops on more and more confidently. Cleo appears confident in a moderately distracting area, as we have been working on desensitizing her to new environments. She has a neutral response towards other pups, and waits for the release from me to say hi!
Pupdate 2/11/2023
Cleo and I spent our day together working on all of her commands as we strolled around the neighborhood. After about 10 minutes of acclimating her new environment, she appears very confident and consistent with her commands. We emphasize our work on distance away from each other, which I recommend keeping up with to prevent her separation anxiety from escalating. It is best to never make it a big deal when you come and go so Cleo doesn’t see it is a big deal either. Crate training also greatly helps with separation anxiety, especially when at home with Cleo. Periods of time alone throughout the day helps prepare her for time apart.
Cleo has overall become more confident, can hold her Place and Extended Sit for a minimum of two minutes, and can Come to Sit from about 15 ft away. I recommend constantly taking Cleo to new environments. Since she can be a nervous girl at times, desensitization to new places will only further improve her training. She is a loving girl who needs a lot of guidance, structure and leadership to thrive and follow instructions. She has come a long way and we can not wait to show you what she has learned. Thank you for trusting me with Cleo!
