Clover | Rhodesian Ridgeback | Santa Ana, CA | In Training
- Tanner Strong
- Aug 24
- 8 min read
Updated: Sep 7
Meet Clover! She's a nine month old Rhodesian Ridgeback from Santa Ana, California here for our Two Week Community Board and Train Program! Clover is friendly and playful once you get to know her, but she often barks at strangers and can be quite skeptical when meeting people for the first time. Once she likes you, she can be very pushy, and likes to jump on people! She is very strong and loves pulling on the leash to try to get where she's going! She is familiar with some commands but often decides for herself whether or not she'll listen, especially if she wants to play! Over the next fourteen days we will work on Clover's obedience skills, help with her manners in and out of the house, help build her confidence, and help her become the best pup she can possibly be! Stay tuned for Clover's two week transformation!
Pupdate: 8/24/2025
After picking Clover up today, we spent a few extra minutes at the park to get to know each other better and give her time to feel comfortable with me. She’s starting to warm up, though you can tell she’s still a little skeptical about this new experience. That’s totally normal for the first day, and it’s great to see her slowly building trust!
While we were at the park, we came across a big flock of geese, and Clover was very interested in them! They definitely grabbed her attention and made it harder for her to focus on me. Even with the distraction, I was able to get a Sit from her about half the time, which is great for a first day around such excitement. Holding the Sit was a little more challenging—she didn’t want to stay in position for long—but that’s something we’ll work on together as we build her patience and impulse control.
After the park, we headed home, where I gave Clover some time to sniff around and explore the space at her own pace. She seemed curious and began settling in nicely. I think she’s already starting to feel more comfortable and maybe even starting to like me! I’m really excited to keep working with her and help her gain confidence and consistency with her commands over the next few days.
Pupdate: 8/25/2025
Clover had a fun day at the park where we met up with several other trainers and their dogs! She was definitely curious about all the activity around her, especially in the beginning, but she settled in nicely once we got to work. We spent some time off to the side focusing on her Come To Sit command, which will be her recall command moving forward. She’s starting to understand that when called, she should come straight over and sit politely in front of me. Check out the video above to see how she’s doing—she’s making great progress!
Pupdate: 8/26/2025
This morning we went to the park and worked around as many distractions as we could find! There were plenty of things going on, which gave us a great opportunity to practice staying focused. I started to see a little more confidence from Clover today, which is a big step forward. She seemed more comfortable exploring the environment and was quicker to engage with me when I asked for her attention, despite still showing plenty of signs of nervousness.
We continued working on her Come To Sit command, which is her recall. She’s getting better at responding promptly, and I’m really happy with the progress she’s making. Today, I also put more focus on her Heel. For Heel, my goal is for Clover to walk politely at my left side with her ears lined up with my knee. She’s doing much better with this overall and can stay in position for longer stretches, but she still struggles with wanting to move ahead when there are distractions around. With consistent practice, I know she’ll continue improving and become much more comfortable staying right where I need her.
Pupdate: 8/27/2025
Today we headed to a brand-new park to switch things up! We focused mainly on Clover’s Place command, which she’s been doing really well with at home. The goal was to see how she handles it in a more distracting environment. She did a great job adapting to the new setting and getting comfortable holding her position even with all the sights and sounds around us. Check out the above video to see how she’s doing with her Place command in the park!
Pupdate: 8/28/2025
We had a great training day with Clover! This morning, we continued working on all of her commands at the park, putting extra focus on her Place command. To really challenge her and build confidence, we introduced a variety of new and more difficult objects for her to hop onto. These included benches, rocks, and even some smaller surfaces that required a little extra balance. The smallest objects gave her the most trouble—she was unsure at first if she could manage it—but with patience, guidance, and lots of encouragement, she eventually trusted herself and hopped right up. Moments like that are huge for confidence building, and we love seeing her push past her hesitation!
After our morning session, Clover headed home and enjoyed a well-deserved nap on her Place cot. Later in the evening, once the weather cooled down, we headed out to a different park to change things up and keep her engaged with new sights, smells, and challenges. Overall, Clover worked hard today and continues to make steady progress with her commands!
Pupdate: 8/29/2025
Today we started working on Clover’s commands with the leash dragging! This exercise helps me see how she might perform off-leash while still giving me the ability to pick up the leash if needed. Her Heel command was looking really good today, even without the leash in my hand! Her recall still needs some practice before she’ll be fully ready for off-leash work, but she’s making progress. As for distractions, she stayed pretty composed around a few dogs and lots of geese passing by, though a squirrel definitely caught her attention! Overall, Clover did a good job today, but we’ll keep putting in the work before taking that next step.
Pupdate: 8/30/2025
This morning we headed to Rosemead Park for a training session! We continued working with the leash dragging, but this time we switched to a smaller leash to better simulate the feeling of being off-leash. Clover was noticeably more uncomfortable with this setup, and I had to step on the leash a few times to keep her on track. I’m not completely sure whether the new environment or the smaller leash played a bigger role in her hesitation, so we’ll keep practicing to build her confidence.
Despite feeling a little unsure and not being quite as tight with her commands as usual, Clover handled herself well overall—especially when we walked along the track, which was busy with plenty of people, other dogs, and even a few squirrels! This was a great opportunity for her to practice staying focused around distractions. We’ll keep working on building her comfort and consistency with this exercise in the days ahead!
Pupdate: 8/31/2025
Today we focused on improving Clover’s recall, especially at longer distances. She’s been doing well at close range, but I noticed she can be a little hesitant to close the gap if she’s more than five to ten feet away. To help with this, I tried to make recall super fun and rewarding by using lots of excitement and plenty of tasty treats! I also incorporated very light e-collar reminders to guide her when needed. With this approach, she’s starting to understand that coming all the way to me—even from dozens of feet away—is always the best idea. She’s making great progress, and I’m excited to keep building her confidence at greater distances!
Pupdate: 9/1/2025
Clover got a big step forward today—she was allowed to go off-leash for a few minutes at a time! She did really well overall and showed great manners in a challenging environment. We were surrounded by tons of geese, and she ignored them completely, which was fantastic. Other dogs and people out on their walks didn’t phase her much either.
The real challenge? Squirrels. Clover seems absolutely fascinated by them! While she didn’t misbehave or try to bolt, her focus and responsiveness definitely took a hit whenever one of those little critters appeared. We’ll keep working on improving her attention around that distraction, but overall, I’m proud of how well she handled herself today!
Pupdate: 9/2/2025
Clover had a great day today spending time around some other trainers and their dogs! A few of the dogs were ones she’s already met, while others were brand new introductions. Clover handled the mix of familiar and unfamiliar faces really well. She stayed relatively relaxed and confident throughout our time, showing that she’s becoming more comfortable in these kinds of social environments.
It was especially nice to see her offering me a few tail wags during the session, which is always a good sign of her feeling happy and engaged. She observed the other dogs calmly, showed good manners, and never seemed overwhelmed by the activity around her. Clover had a fun day, and her good behavior stood out. Each time we work in these kinds of group settings, she continues to build confidence, and today was another strong step forward.
Pupdate: 9/3/2025
Today we’re giving you a look at Clover’s off-leash adventure from a brand-new perspective—through camera glasses! This gave us a chance to capture exactly how she worked alongside me as we moved around the park.
For most of the session, Clover did an excellent job maintaining a Heel all across the park. She stayed right with me as we passed by geese, other dogs, and plenty of people walking and running along the track. Her focus and consistency in these situations really showed the progress she’s been making.
The toughest challenge today came when another dog started running full speed around a baseball diamond. That kind of movement can be very tempting for a dog, but Clover only gave it a quick glance before refocusing on me and continuing on with her job. I was really proud of how quickly she redirected her attention and stayed engaged.
Overall, Clover handled today’s off-leash session very well, showing confidence and composure in a busy park environment.
Pupdate: 9/4/2025
Today, Clover and I spent some more time working on her household manners—and the focus was door manners!
In the video, you’ll see her sitting patiently in front of the door. While that’s a great start, the real goal is for the door opening to become a non-event, no matter where she is in the house. I want her to wait calmly before going in or out, and not move through the door until I say it's okay.
This kind of calm behavior around thresholds doesn't stop at doors—it can be applied to gates, fences, or even indoor boundaries. For example, my kitchen is a no-dog zone, and this same mindset helps reinforce those rules too.
We’ve been practicing a little each day, and Clover is doing really well! She’s learning that waiting patiently and following my lead earns her more freedom and makes the environment feel calmer overall.
Way to go, Clover!
Pupdate: 9/5/2025
Today, Clover and I headed back to the park for another off-leash training session! We focused primarily on her recall skills, especially around a variety of real-world distractions.
The park was lively, with people dancing, practicing tai chi, and walking their dogs — perfect opportunities to challenge her focus. Despite all the activity, Clover did a great job staying engaged and responsive. She showed impressive progress in coming when called, even when there were plenty of tempting sights and smells around.
We’ll continue reinforcing her recall in more distracting environments, but today was a big step forward. Great work, Clover!
Pupdate: 9/6/2025
Today was an adventure for Clover as we explored a brand new location — Maple Park! It was a calm and peaceful environment, not too crowded or challenging, which made it a perfect spot for a relaxed training session. Clover enjoyed taking in the new sights and smells, and she did very well throughout our time there.
After our morning outing, we headed home for some downtime and rest. In the evening, we went back out for a second training session. It was a great way to reinforce the day’s lessons and keep building her consistency in different environments.
Overall, it was a well-balanced day full of positive experiences and steady progress for Clover. She handled the new setting with ease and stayed engaged during both sessions — great work today!
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