Coco | HavaMalt | Los Angeles, CA | In-Training
- meganoffleashsocal
- Jun 8, 2024
- 42 min read
Updated: Jun 29, 2024
Meet Coco, she's a seven-month-old HavaMalt from Los Angeles, California! This sweet and fluffy pup is here with us for our Three Week On Leash 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 obedience commands yet, and has a short attention span which causes her to be easily distracted. She also tends to be very nervous and anxious when in an unfamiliar environment or situation. Coco hasn't been outside very much, and has no experience walking on a leash. She also comes to us with some undesirable behaviors, such as excessive barking at the door, jumping on furniture and people, and displaying selective listening. Over the next twenty-one days, we will be working on improving her obedience, socialization, and overall manners to set her on the right path to becoming a well-behaved pup. Stay tuned for her transformation!
Pupdate 6/8/2024
Today Coco and I spent the day bonding and getting to know each other at a park after her pickup. Coco's lack of understanding of leash pressure along with her inexperience and reservations about walking outside did lead to me needing to pick her up and carry her at times, as she refused to walk or move at all once we got to the park. I tried to guide her with the leash, but she resisted the guidance and refused to budge. She seemed anxious when we first arrived, and was too nervous to explore around or do much of anything besides stand still wherever she was placed down. Thankfully, after spending a bit of time here together she did eventually seem to relax slightly and opened up to the idea of moving around on her own without needing to be carried. By the end of our visit, she was able to run around and play with me a bit in an open field which was so good to see!
While at the park, I tested her current knowledge of commands and what areas may need some extra focus on going forward. I asked her basic commands such as Come, Heel, Sit, Down, and Place. She would sometimes Come over to me when recalled with lots of excitement and encouragement, though more often than not she would simply stand still and look at me. If leash pressure was used to guide her towards me she would almost always pull in the opposite direction. When asked to Heel, she didn't seem to recognize the command at all and was unable to walk beside me for any significant period of time. She didn't seem to know how to Sit on command either, but would sometimes sit randomly when she was asked to do something else. She wasn't able to perform the Down command, and seemed too nervous to enter this position when prompted. 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 would sometimes put her two front paws up on the object, but seemed to lack the confidence to jump all the way up, even with plenty of encouragement.
After our time at the park, it was time to head home and get her settled in. She's too small to jump into my car on her own, but was comfortable with being picked up and placed into the car. Anytime Coco 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. She was not so sure about entering the kennel in the car on her own, but I was able to place her inside without issue. She did have a poop accident in her kennel on the way home, but thankfully she didn't get too much on herself and was easily cleaned up with some grooming wipes. Upon arriving home, she was very nervous about walking up my driveway or up the stairs, but she was eventually able to make the small journey with lots of encouragement and patience. Once inside I placed her blanket down on a dog cot and she happily climbed on it and rested for a while. She eventually got up and explored around my home a bit, getting used to the new environment. She did have a small urine accident inside about an hour after arriving home. Since she is potty pad trained, going potty indoors will be a habit we will have to spend time on to transition her to outdoor potty. We tried to go for a small walk around my neighborhood, but she seemed very scared to even step out the front door, so we ended up just going to the front yard for a few minutes to see if she had to potty again before heading back inside. I offered her some of her food, but she didn't seem interested in eating anything. She ended up eating some treats I offered her while introducing her to the potty training bell. She hasn't quite figured out what it means just yet, so our first goal with this will be helping her to build a positive association with the bell. She seems to be settling in well overall, and we are so excited to begin this training journey together!
Pupdate 6/9/2024
Coco and I worked on her training 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 Coco 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 Coco was much more distracted and nervous during the evening session, and frequently placed all her attention in her surroundings. During both sessions, we made sure to give Coco lots of breaks during training, to let her enjoy sniffing and playing around between training, which helps keep training fun while also serving as a reward for good behavior! We focused on introducing the concept of leash pressure to Coco today, and teaching her the Place 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, Coco 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! Coco 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. She still needs lots of work with this, but with this training in place she was able to successfully walk around my neighborhood with me. She sometimes would stop and freeze, but with a nudge from the leash she was able to snap out of it and continue walking. The Place command was a good choice for her first command to practice with me, as she has shown interest in climbing onto and relaxing on dog beds and cots while at home. We want to start with a command she feels comfortable with, so that she can build confidence through training. The goal for the Place command is for Coco 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 Coco to remain calm and stationary regardless of her environment. We introduced this command today with a dog cot as our place object, as Coco is already familiar with this object and is comfortable with climbing onto and relaxing on it in her free time. Coco was happy to climb onto the dog cot when provided light leash pressure for guidance, and was comfortable with performing Sit once on it. After a few repetitions, Coco quickly began to understand what was being asked of her when the Place command was given without needing any physical guidance. While training outside, we practiced Place with a few different objects, including some stairs and other low platforms. 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 ten seconds before releasing her, to keep the training fun and engaging. Coco didn't have much interest in her breakfast today, but after our evening training session she seemed to work up a bit of an appetite. She only ate a small amount from her bowl however, so I used the rest of her food to hand-feed to her as a reward while working on her potty training bell conditioning, which she happily accepted and ate almost all of her meal during.
Pupdate 6/10/2024
Today Coco and I visited a local park, where we practiced two new commands, Come to Sit and Heel. We introduced these commands in the morning while walking around the neighborhood, where the distractions were lower. This helped her to have an easier time relaxing and focusing on learning. Later in the day, we headed 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. Coco was much more nervous and distracted while at the park compared to the neighborhood environment, but overall she did a good job today!
Come to Sit is an important command to begin practicing early on in Coco'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 Coco 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. We introduced the Come to Sit command today by combining the verbal command "Come" with gentle guidance with 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!
Heel is another important concept for Coco to begin developing early on in her training. The goal for the Heel command is for Coco 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, fall behind, 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. The most common issue noted today was Coco's habit to freeze in place and stop walking, but with consistency she began to do this less and less. She would also sometimes flail around and try to pull away at times, but this did occur less commonly as we continued training. 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. 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. Coco's potty training is going well so far! She had one small urine accident in the morning right before our walk, but no other accidents throughout the day. We have been working to develop a routine with frequent potty breaks that will help set her up for success. We've also been continuing to work on her potty bell training, and while she hasn't quite figured out how to press the button herself yet, she is beginning to associate the sound it makes with something positive, which is a good start! She didn't seem interested in eating her meals out of a bowl, so we ended up hand feeding both meals while incorporating it into her bell training as a reward.
Pupdate 6/11/2024
Today we began our training at home, and then we made our way to a park to continue working on her training while around distractions. We met up with some other OffLeash SoCal trainers at the park, which was a great opportunity to work in close proximity to dog distractions! Overall she did a good job, and while she was a bit overwhelmed at times, the longer we spent there the more she seemed to open up, relax, and enjoy her time at the park. We also introduced Coco to the e-collar today, which is a great tool for communication and reinforcement. Since leash pressure is the most simple form of communication, we have spent these last few days helping Coco develop a solid understanding of it before introducing the e-collar. Since she has been making good progress with understanding the concept of leash pressure, we were able to begin conditioning her to the e-collar today. With time, the goal is for Coco to understand both forms of pressure to have the same meaning, allowing for less need for the leash in order to communicate with her and provide reinforcement and guidance for commands and behaviors. She seems to be catching onto it pretty quickly, and made some great progress today! I have also included a e-collar tutorial in today's pupdate, so be sure to check it out! Coco was introduced to two new commands today, one being the Off command. The goal for the Off command is for Coco 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, jumping on furniture, or any other behaviors that are undesirable or inappropriate at that time. The Off command 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 perform an alternative behavior will help keep her attention away from what initially distracted her or caused the undesirable behavior and encourage her to default to the good behavior instead. Coco 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.
The other command introduced to Coco today is the Down command. The goal for the Down command is for Coco 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 occasional food motivators to guide Coco 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 more readily at home as she was much more focused and relaxed overall, however while at the park, she was more hesitant and needed some assistance to get her into position. Not bad for her first day with Down, but much more work will be needed before she can reliably perform it while outside of the home. Coco had no potty accidents today! Our potty routine seems to be working well so far, and she has had no issue going potty once brought outside to the grass and prompted to go with the cue "go potty!". She is starting to get an idea of how to use the bell, however she seems to have difficulty with actually pressing it and getting it to make noise. She is curious about it and will sometimes push her nose into it or bump it with her paw, but the bell needs a good amount of pressure applied downward to make it actually work, so getting her to understand this will still need more time.
Pupdate 6/12/2024
Today Coco and I visited an outdoor mall, where we practiced her commands around distractions. The mall was quite busy when we visited, so there were lots of people, dogs, and other distractions to train around. Coco was very nervous when we first arrived, though with time she did seem to calm down slightly. We made sure to take it slow, and spent some time warming up in a quieter area of the mall before gradually moving to busier areas throughout the session.
Today's session was focused on exposing Coco to many different kinds of distractions, and helping her to create a positive experience around them. We ended up finding a nice bench to sit at together, and this provided her with a safe place to observe our surroundings. Often times, having a pup sit on a raised surface helps to promote confidence as it helps them feel less exposed, so Coco seemed to feel much more relaxed while on this bench as opposed to on the ground. We reinforced calm behavior by encouraging her to stay neutral to distractions, praising when she calmly observed rather than fixated, and using the Off command to help her disengage and refocus when needed. While working with the bench during training, Coco began to see it as a safe and relaxing place to be, which helped with introducing a new command, Send Away to Place. The Send Away to Place command is similar to the normal Place command, though the goal is to have Coco be able to Place on an object from a distance, without her handler having to walk all the way up to the object with her to guide her onto it. We essentially want to be able to point and cue Place towards an object, and have Coco walk towards it on her own and Place on it while her handler remains at a distance. We introduced this command by practicing Place as normal with the bench using the "Place" verbal cue, though with each repetition we slowly added more distance between myself and the object while asking her to Place. Today, I was able to get about five feet away from the object without her getting confused about what to do. If I was too far away, she didn't quite feel comfortable walking by herself all the way to the object and Placing on it, and needed me to come a bit closer before she understood what to do. We will continue practicing this with gradually increasing distances to improve her understanding and reliability.
Pupdate 6/13/2024
Today Coco and I visited the Santa Monica Promenade, where we practiced all of her commands around distractions. We met up with some other OffLeash SoCal trainers and their pups as well, which was another great opportunity to work on her training while around other dogs. The promenade wasn't overly busy, but busy enough to make Coco feel a bit uneasy. She was nervous, especially when we first arrived, and would often become spooked by loud noises and sudden movements. When startled, she was quick to break positions or try to hide behind me or other objects. We ended up spending some time sitting on a bench together letting her observe our surroundings, which seemed to help her relax a bit and feel less overwhelmed.
We began working on a new command today, Come to Heel. The Come to Heel command is another variant of a recall command, though instead of having her come to us, circle around, and sit on the left side, she instead comes to us, approaches our left side, and begins walking alongside us in the Heel position. Since this is a different command than Come to Sit, instead of using the "Come" verbal cue, we will use the "Heel" verbal cue to provide distinct instruction on what form of recall is being asked. To introduce this command, we had Coco hold a stationary position, then walked away a few feet and faced away from her. We then asked for the Heel cue, encouraging her to get up from the position and enter into a Heel as we began walking together. We started off with a small distance from her for today, though as we practice more we will gradually increase the distance from which she is recalled into a Heel. Coco did well with her other commands overall, though it took her some time before she felt confident enough to perform them in a reliable manner. Her Heel was good for some portions of time, especially if we were walking through a quiet area, however she was quick to lose focus or become spooked by her surroundings, causing her to veer off, freeze in place, or try to switch to my right side. When this happened leash pressure seemed to be difficult to get her attention with as she would often try to ignore it, but gentle e-collar stimulation was useful in helping to refocus and settle back down, which is great to see! Her Come to Sit was pretty decent, though she would sometimes stop behind me instead of coming fully around to my left side, so she often needed some help to complete the command in its entirety. Coco did great with her Place and Send Away to Place commands today, and showed a lot of confidence and enthusiasm about jumping onto different objects around the promenade. She was even able to make some pretty big jumps onto high up objects, which was impressive considering her small size! Coco was able to Sit anywhere asked of her without any guidance, and was also able to perform Down without too much issue. She sometimes needed some light guidance for Down, but compared to previous days she has made significant progress with this command. Her duration still needs a lot of work, as she was frequently breaking position before being prompted to, so this is something we will start spending some extra time focusing on in the coming days. Coco has not had any potty accidents, and is continuing to do well with the potty routine we have established. She is able to wait around five hours during the day between breaks, and can sleep through the night for around eight hours without any issue. Coco is still having difficulty with the potty bell however, and seems to struggle with pressing it down to make the noise. She has become curious about it and seems to understand it as a good thing, however her attempts to use it thus far have not been successful as she does not put enough weight onto it to activate it. Before we can begin teaching her that the bell means she can go outside, she must first be able to properly press it, so we will continue spending time working on this every day so we can hopefully see some progress soon. If by next week she is still struggling to this degree, we may need to switch to more traditional type bells that she can simply bump or gently tap to make noise with, instead of the smart button type bell she was sent to us with.
Pupdate 6/14/2024
Today Coco and I visited a shopping mall, where we practiced all of her commands around distractions. The mall had a good amount of distractions present, but there were also some slightly quieter areas as well. We ended up beginning the session in these quieter places, to give Coco some time to warm up to the new environment and her obedience commands. When moving to the more busy areas, she was still nervous at times but overall did a good job with most of her commands which was good to see!
Coco did very well with her Heel overall today, and seems to be developing a solid understanding of what this command entails. She was good about sticking beside me as we walked, though every now and then if something spooked or distracted her she would pause momentarily and begin to fall behind. Despite this, she was able to correct her positioning with minimal to no leash pressure needed, which is a good sign of progress! Coco's Come to Heel is also showing promise as well, and she seems to be catching onto this command quickly. Her Come to Sit was reliable and she always came right to me when called, and while she made occasional mistakes with her positioning for the Sit, she was often able to correct herself with very minimal to no physical guidance needed. Coco did great with both her Sit and Place commands, and was able to perform both of these positions without any physical guidance needed. She was able to hold these positions for around one minute consistently as well, even when moderate distractions were present. She also did well with her Send Away to Place command, and once she was comfortable with an object she was able to be sent to it from a distance of around six feet away. Coco did struggle a bit with Down when around distractions however, as she didn't seem to feel comfortable enough to enter this position when prompted, so she usually needed guidance to assist her. Once in position she was prone to standing up the moment something else caught her attention, but as always we held her accountable and ensured she returned to the position until released. When on a Place object Coco did seem more comfortable performing Down however, and was better about staying in the position. Giving her lots of reassurance and praise while in the Down positioned seemed to help her feel more at ease also.
Coco was also introduced to another command today, the Under command. Under command is an advanced variation of the Down command, where the goal is for Coco to crawl, lower, or walk underneath a suitable object, such as a bench, chair, or table, and perform and hold the Down position. To introduce this command, we used a bit of leash pressure to guide her under the object, pairing it with the "Under" verbal cue. Once she was under the object, she was then asked to perform a Down. She actually seemed more comfortable performing Down while underneath an object more so than she was performing it out in the open while on the ground. She was a bit hesitant about getting under objects at first, though with some more practice she understood what was being asked of her and relied less on physical guidance. We kept the duration of this command short for today to keep the training fun and rewarding, though as with all stationary positions, we will continue gradually increasing the length of duration she is asked to remain in the position.
Pupdate 6/15/2024
Today Coco and I visited a park, where we practiced all of her commands around distractions. The park was decently busy today, with lots of people, children, and other dogs. Similar to previous days, Coco was pretty nervous when we first arrived, though the longer we spent here the more calm she began to feel. We also brought along another board and train pup, Leo, who spent some time training alongside her during our visit. Coco gets along very well with Leo, but sometimes she can get a bit excited when around him and struggles to focus due to this. Apart from her few moments of excitement and attempts to play, today he was a good addition to her training and helped to set good examples for her. He is a very calm and well behaved pup, and Coco seemed to gain a lot of confidence when around him which was good to see! Even around distractions that normally spook her a bit, such as loud noises or sudden movements around us, she seemed to notice that Leo wasn't worried about it, and as a result neither was she! Even when Leo wasn't actively training with us or working alongside us anymore, she seemed to remember these moments and showed a lot of courage and confidence when encountering these distractions again.
Coco did very well with her Heel today, and always stuck right beside me when the command was given. She did need occasional guidance when she was distracted, however more often than not she was able to correct herself with just the e-collar and verbal cue to communicate. Her Come to Heel is also doing good, and she seems to be getting the hang of this command. Coco did great with her Place and Send Away to Place commands today, and was able to confidently jump onto a variety of objects. Her duration and consistency with holding Sit and Down were better while on Place objects rather than on the floor out in the open. She was able to Down without too much issue today also, and her Under seems to be making good progress as well. We spent some time focusing on emphasizing the different verbal cues and hand signals for Place vs Under, so that she can understand which command is being asked of her when approaching an object with the possibility to go under or on top of it.
Coco has had no potty accidents, and is continuing to do well with our potty routines. She is still struggling with the potty bell however, and has yet to show an understanding of how to make it work properly. She will sometimes try to nudge it with her paw or nose, but has been unable to press it with enough pressure to make the noise activate.
Pupdate 6/16/2024
Today Coco and I worked on her training around the neighborhood and at home. We practiced each of her commands around some distractions, and spent some time focusing on house manners. She did well with her commands overall, and seems to be getting the hang of everything for the most part!
One area of manners we have been working on is Coco's Door Manners. The goal of Door Manners is for Coco to hold a stationary position while near a door and remain there until released or given a new command, such as Come or Heel. She is asked to hold the position at the location asked of her, and not break the command even if the door is left open, if someone is knocking on it, or if people walk in or out of it. This practice teaches important boundaries and the importance of thresholds. These manners also discourage impolite and possibly dangerous behaviors, such as trying to escape through open doors, running under people's feet when walking through doors, barking at the door, or rushing over to jump on people who enter through the door. She seems to be getting the hang of this and is showing good progress, though more work will need to be done before she is reliable with holding her positions around doorway distractions. Coco is showing good progress with her Door Manners, though a lot of our training thus far has been focused on creating a positive association with the door and the act of walking through the door and going outside. When she first came to me she was very nervous when approaching the door or walking out of the door, and would often try to run away from the door. With practice and reassurance, she is now much less nervous but will still have some moments of hesitation that we will continue working on. This training also ties into her potty bell training, as we want the bell to signal something positive, and if she is nervous about going outside then she will not be as motivated to use it. We have also ordered a new potty bell that should be easier for her to use, so when that arrives we will switch over to the new device!
Pupdate 6/17/2024
Today Coco and I visited an outdoor mall, where we practiced each of her commands around distractions. The mall was pretty busy today, so we had lots of different distractions to work around. We visited here last week and Coco did seem to remember it a bit as she wasn't quite as anxious compared to her first visit. She still needed some time to adjust to the environment, but after a few minutes she seemed to begin having an easier time focusing on her commands. She never seemed fully relaxed while around the distractions, but she was able to maintain enough composure to follow instructions with decent reliability.
Coco overall did a great job with her Heel, and generally was focused on sticking close to me as we walked around. Since Coco tends to get anxious, having her stick in a Heel is a great way to take some stress off her little shoulders as she does not have to make decisions about where to go, how fast to go there, etc. and instead can put her trust in her handler to lead her around. She did make some mistakes here and there and would sometimes fall out of position, though with a reminder she was often able to correct herself without physical guidance. Her Coco's Come to Sit and Come to Heel were both good today as well, and she was pretty consistent with her recall and positioning for these commands. Coco was able to Sit, Place, and Send Away to Place anywhere asked of her at the mall without much issue. Her duration for Sit averaged around one minute which is a good amount of time! While on Place objects this duration increased slightly as she seemed more confident while higher up rather than on the ground. Her Down and Under commands were not quite as reliable, but with some guidance she was able to follow through. Her duration for Down averaged around thirty seconds, but while Under or Placed on an object she tended to hold it for closer to forty five seconds.
We also had some great opportunities to practice Coco'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 Coco to be able to meet or greet people calmly and politely, whether in public or at home. Coco came to us with a habit of jumping up onto people she was excited to say hello to, or shy away from people she was unsure of. This 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 Coco 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. When having a new person greet Coco, 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. When Coco is unsure of someone, giving her time to sniff and observe them from a distance helps to reassure her that they are not a threat, and allows her to become familiar with them. If Coco is not ready to be approached or pet by someone, it's always important to advocate for her space and give her the time she needs until she feels ready, as this builds trust and develops a positive association with greetings. Watching her body language is very important to understand how she is feeling in any given moment. Today, she did a good job of staying calm even while many different people approached her and gave her attention and affection! Some people she was a bit unsure about, but after a few seconds of me chatting with them from a small distance she became curious about them and warmed up to them easily. She was sometimes a bit wiggly and would struggle to hold still while being pet, but she didn't try to jump on anyone which was good!
Pupdate 6/18/2024
Today Coco and I visited a park where we met with some other OffLeash SoCal trainers and their pups. This was another great opportunity to practice her commands in close proximity to dog and people distractions, along with other park distractions like squirrels and grass. We had visited this location before with Coco and she seemed to remember it a bit as she wasn't quite as nervous when we arrived. As usual however she did need some time to warm up to the environment before she was calm enough to focus on her commands. Overall Coco did a pretty good job with her Heel, though she was more prone to making mistakes the more distractions were present around us, which was to be expected. When she began to lose focus, such as sniffing the ground or fixating on distractions, the Off command was useful in helping to bring her attention back to her training. Her Come to Heel was solid today, and she seems to have no trouble with this command. Her Come to Sit was good overall, though there were a few times when she would be a bit distracted or nervous, and would try to sit behind me instead of on my left side, and needed some guidance to reinforce the correct positioning. Her Place and Send Away to Place both were decent today, but a lot of the objects available at the park were a bit challenging due to being high up so she needed some time to practice and become familiar with them before she was comfortable doing Send Away to Place with them. Coco's Sit was good today and she was able to perform and hold Sit anywhere asked of her without too much issue. She was usually happy to crawl or walk Under objects when prompted, but she did struggle a bit with performing Down overall and almost always needed some physical guidance to help her into position. Coco also had the chance to work with some of the other trainers, and while she was pretty quick to warm up to them as her handler, she did appear to have some anxiety about being separated from me. If I walked away while another trainer was handling her, she would sometimes whine, bark, or stare at me instead of listening to the trainer handling her. When another trainer asked her to perform commands, she was much more prone to ignoring them, resisting guidance, and performing commands incorrectly. Though usually after working with them for around ten minutes or so, this did seem to improve. Coco did have one small urine accident indoors today, though it occurred after she drank a large amount of water after a walk. Typically after Coco eats a meal or drinks a significant amount of water, she will need to potty within about thirty minutes. This just goes to show the importance of monitoring and planning her potty schedule to set her up for success. Her new potty bell arrived today as well, so we spent the evening introducing this to her. She was a bit afraid of the noise it made at first, but by using her dinner as a lure and motivator, she seems to be developing a more positive association with it and was more willing to approach and touch it by the end of the small session.
Pupdate 6/19/2024
Today Coco and I visited a shopping strip, where we practiced all of her commands around distractions. This location was busy with plenty of distractions, including groups of people, other dogs, and loud noises from the busy street nearby. Overall Coco did a good job here, however she did take some time before she was able to focus as she was quite nervous when we first arrived. There were lots of loud sounds and sudden movements from our surroundings, which caused her to feel spooked. She did however recover quickly from these moments and was able to regain focus and composure to refocus on her training.
We spent some extra time focusing on helping her to overcome the small fears she had, such as the loud noises buses made, walking past fire hydrants, or walking over grates or panels on the sidewalks. At first she would react by being visibly spooked by these triggers, but after some reassurance and more exposure she would progressively become more neutral to these distractions until she would no longer seem to mind them at all.
Overall Coco did great with her Heel, and she was able to stick beside me without much issue. She understood to walk right next to me and stay in the correct positioning once the command was given. When spooked she would sometimes freeze or try to run away a few feet, but once reminded of the command she was able to snap out of it and return to position. Her Come to Heel and Come to Sit were both good today, and her recall and positioning for these commands were both solid. Her stationary commands were also good today, and her Sit, Place, and Send Away to Place were especially great. She did well with going Under objects when prompted, but similar to previous days she did struggle a bit with her Down. She was slightly less hesitant to perform Down when Under or on a Place object, but she still often needed some guidance for this position.
Pupdate 6/20/2024
Today Coco and I visited the Santa Monica Pier, where we practiced all of her commands around distractions. This location was extremely busy and distracting, with large crowds of people, many other dogs, loud music, food, and birds. As expected, Coco was quite nervous while visiting the pier and needed a significant amount of time adjusting to the new environment. She never fully relaxed here, however she was able to maintain enough focus to follow through with commands with decent reliability despite her nervousness. Coco did good with her Heel overall, and while she did get spooked by various surroundings sometimes, she generally was able to stick in the correct position as we walked around and past distractions. Her Come to Heel and Come to Sit were both reliable as well, and her recall was always solid. Sometimes her positioning for Come to Sit needed some adjusting, but she was often able to correct herself with very minimal to no leash pressure needed. Her Place and Send away to Place were both great, and she seemed to feel much more relaxed and confident when on a Place object. She was able to Place on objects she was familiar with from a distance of around six feet away, which was great to see! Some objects we practiced with were a bit high up and sometimes needed an attempt or two for her to jump up successfully, but her confidence remained high and she never let this discourage her from trying again! Her Sit was good as usual today, and surprisingly her Down wasn't too bad either considering the large amount of distractions. She was able to Down either on Place or Under objects or when asked without physical guidance several times successfully. She was able to Down on the ground as well, though her reliability with this command decreased compared to when on Place or Under. While she wasn't always able to hold it for an extended period, this is good progress nonetheless.
Coco also got some more great opportunities to practice her Greeting Manners today, as lots of nice people stopped to watch her train, and give compliments on her cute looks and good behavior. She seemed a bit less nervous when meeting people today, and ended up being very polite and calm when greeting people. She didn't try to jump on anyone, run away, or even leave her position while being greeted or petted. As always though, we kept a close eye on her body language to ensure she was feeling up to the greeting. We also made sure to inform each and every person who approached her of her training, and ensured that each person understood when and how it was appropriate to pet her so they could properly reinforce the behavior we want from her during greetings. Coco has had no further potty accidents since the last update, and has successfully been going potty on our usual schedule. She is also beginning to get the hang of the new potty bells which is great to see! She now is beginning to associate touching the bells and the noise it makes with good things, and has even gone and touched the bells on her own without being prompted a few times. Each time she touches the bells either when prompted or on her own, I always make sure to reward her with praise and/or a treat to continue the reinforcement. Coco still isn't the biggest fan of going outside yet, but she no longer seems to hesitate or resist when going out for potty breaks or walks, which is good progress. Soon, we will begin opening the door and taking her out when she rings the bells, to help her understand the bells as a means of communication that she would like to go outside. The goal is for her to soon be at the point where she associates going out as a good thing, and becomes encouraged to ring the bells to communicate the desire to go outside.
Pupdate 6/21/2024
Today Coco and I visited a local shopping street, where we practiced all of her commands around distractions. This location had groups of people, dogs, bicycles, strollers, and other kinds of distractions along the sidewalk. There was also a busy street nearby, and we encountered some loud vehicles like motorcycles, sports cars, and a fire truck with sirens on. We visited this location in the evening today to avoid the extreme heat of the day, so we spent the morning working around my neighborhood and the afternoon working on her manners and potty bell training at home.
Coco is still easily spooked, especially by sudden or loud sounds. There were a few times when something would scare her, and her first instinct was to flee in the other direction, often causing her to reach the end of the leash before being able to recover and calm down again. She was always quick to focus back on her training after these moments occured, though this flight response is a good example of why Coco is remaining on leash for her training program, as her safety is our number one priority.
Coco overall did well with her Heel, and apart from the few moments when she attempted to flee something that spooked her, she did great about sticking right next to me as we walked around this location. Her Come to Heel and Come to Sit were both good, and she didn't have trouble with either of these commands today. Her Place and Send Away to Place were both fantastic as usual, and she was always eager and confident about jumping onto any object she was asked to, even while I was at a distance away pointing to it. Her Sit was good today as well, and she was able to maintain the position for about two minutes today consistently, which was great to see! Her Under was also good today, and she was able to go beneath various objects like benches, tables, and chairs without any issue. Her Down was pretty good today as well, especially while on Place or Under where she felt more calm and confident. She sometimes needed some guidance for Down when an object was not in use, but overall she averaged being able to hold a Down for around a minute and a half which isn't bad at all considering where she started!
Pupdate 6/22/2024
Coco and I visited an outdoor mall today, where we practiced all of her commands around distractions. The mall had some groups of people, other dogs, birds, food, and music to serve as distractions. There was also an area by a busy street with noisy traffic where we also spent some time training near to continue exposing her to different stimuli as we work on her desensitization and socialization. As today was another hot day out, we limited our outdoor time to the morning and evening, spending the afternoon training and resting at home.
Overall Coco was a bit nervous when we first arrived, though with time she did seem to settle down and have an easier time relaxing. She generally stayed pretty focused as we trained, apart from a few moments when something would spook her and cause a momentary loss of attention on her commands. She did well with recovering when something spooked her however. We spent some time focusing on helping her to overcome different fears she seems to have, such as loud noises, by exposing her to the distraction and giving her lots of reassurance and rewards anytime she was able to stay calm and neutral, as this will help her build a more positive association with the stimuli.
Coco's Heel was pretty solid today, and even with very minimal to no leash pressure she was able to stick right beside me. Whenever minor mistakes were made she was always able to correct herself quickly once prompted. Her Come to Sit and Come to Heel were both good as well, and she very rarely made any mistakes with these commands. Her Send to Place and Place commands were strong again today, and she was happy to Place on objects a good distance away from where I was standing without any issue. Her Sit was good today as usual, and she almost never broke the position once she was asked to perform it, even with distractions around and while I was at a distance away from her. Coco's Down was great today also, and she was able to perform it when asked without any guidance more often than not. There were only a small handful of times when I needed to guide her for the command. Her Under was also good, and she had no issues performing this command with any object we practiced with.
Pupdate 6/23/2024
Today Coco and I visited a park, where we practiced all of her commands around distractions. The park was pretty busy today due to the weekend, so we had lots of people and dog distractions to work around. There was also a sports game going on in one of the fields, which was a good noise distraction to train near due to the loud cheering and shouting during it. Overall Coco did a great job with her Heel, and had no trouble sticking near me as we walked around. She was able to maintain her position with no leash pressure needed. Her Come to Heel and Come to Sit were both solid as well, with no leash pressure needed for either command. Her Send to Place, Place, Under, Sit, and Down were all good today as well, and she was generally very consistent about performing and holding these commands anywhere around the park. Coco has had no further accidents since the last update, and has continued to make good progress with the potty bells as well. She now understands how to ring the bells, and has been ringing them on her own without being prompted. We have begun working to associate ringing the bells with going outside, so each time she rings the bells, we immediately go outside and offer a potty break. She isn't always interested in actually going potty each time, but doing this consistently will help her understand that ringing the bells always leads to going outside, which is the goal for the bells as a communication tool for potty training.
Pupdate 6/24/2024
Today Coco and I visited an outdoor mall and a Lowe's, and we practiced all of her commands around distractions at both locations. She did a great job with all of her commands today overall, and while some small mistakes occurred from time to time, they were easily corrected and served as good learning opportunities for Coco. We began our day at the mall in the morning, and it was decently busy. There were some crowds of people, other dogs, music, and other kinds of distractions around. Overall she did well here, and was able to follow through with everything asked of her without much issue. Every now and then a large crowd passing by would startle her momentarily, but she rarely broke commands and generally did a very good job staying focused on her training. As the afternoon heat began to roll in, we moved the session indoors to a nearby Lowe's, where we met up with some other OffLeash SoCal trainers and their pups to continue working on her commands around different distractions. This was another great location to work on building Coco's confidence and desensitizing her to distractions such as loud noises. Notable distractions included shopping carts, loud bangs and clatters from items being moved around, and machinery like forklifts moving around the store. At first Coco was quite startled by each of these distractions, and would sometimes break commands momentarily. However, with continued exposure, reassurance, and encouragement to focus on obedience commands, she began worrying less about the noises and distractions around her. By the end of the session, she was able to remain calm and neutral as we trained around the store without being startled by anything we encountered, which was really great to see from her!
Pupdate 6/25/2024
Today Coco and I went to an indoor mall, and we practiced all of her commands around distractions. The mall had a good amount of distractions present, including crowds of people, strollers, music, food, and some other dogs. Overall Coco was a bit nervous when we first arrived due to the unfamiliar environment, however after spending some time walking around she seemed to adjust fairly well. She was able to focus on her commands without too much issue, and while some distractions did make her a bit uneasy for brief moments, she was able to keep her composure, remain neutral to her surroundings, and follow through with her commands. Coco did very well with her Heel, and remained beside me as we walked throughout the mall. We were able to walk past a variety of distractions without her breaking the position, and she was able to correct herself when needed without any use of the leash to guide her. Her Come to Sit and Come to Heel were both solid and reliable, and she had no trouble recalling to me or performing the specific maneuvers for either command. Her stationary commands were all great as well, and she was able to perform Sit, Down, Under, and Send Away to Place all with no issues. Coco was able to hold each of these commands for two or more minutes, and was able to remain in the position asked of her until released or given a new commands.
Coco has had no further indoor accidents, and continues to do well with the potty schedule we have developed. After drinking a large amount of water or eating a meal, she is taken out to potty within around thirty minutes. Apart from this, a schedule of every five hours seems to work well, and she has no trouble going potty outside when prompted with the cue "Go Potty". She is also able to sleep for eight hours throughout the night without any accidents in her kennel. She is beginning to understand that ringing the potty bells means she will be taken outside, however as a result it has led to her ringing the bells less often. While she is not necessarily scared of going outside anymore like she once was, this is still not an activity she particularly enjoys, and as such she is not very motivated to ring the bells to communicate a desire to go outside. We are still ensuring to reward her through other means whenever she does ring the bells, though at this point we are still relying on a schedule for her potty habits rather than her communicating this need via the bells.
Pupdate 6/26/2024
Today Coco and I visited a Petco, where we practiced all of her commands around distractions. The store wasn't overly busy, but there was still a wide variety of distractions to train around, including people, other dogs, treats, toys, and shopping carts. Coco was slightly nervous when we first arrived, especially when we first entered as the sliding glass doors spooked her a bit, but after spending some time around the store she calmed down a lot and began to have an easy time focusing on her commands. We spent some extra time desensitizing her to shopping carts, as this was another distraction she was uneasy about. Anytime someone pushed a cart past us, she would tend to break command to run or move away from it. We started by getting a cart out and keeping it stationary as we worked around it, which she ended up doing well with after a few minutes. We then began moving the cart slightly, getting her familiar with the noise and movement it made. By the end of the session, she was able to walk alongside me as I pushed a cart without issue, and no longer was concerned about people pushing carts past us.
Coco did well with each of her commands while at the store, and didn't seem to have any issues with commands in particular. Her impressive obedience commands earned her lots of compliments from employees and shoppers, and she got to say hello to several people. She was confident and calm when greeting people, and did not try to shy away from anyone nor become overexcited and jump on them. She happily held her position, and seemed to enjoy all the attention!
Pupdate 6/27/2024
Coco and I took another trip over to the Santa Monica Pier today! We practiced all of her commands around distractions. As usual, this location was extremely busy and full of all kinds of distractions, including crowds of people, other dogs, bicycles, strollers, carts, food, birds, and music. Coco seemed to remember this location, and was able to adjust to the environment fairly quickly. She did still get spooked or become nervous from time to time, but she was quick to regain composure and refocus on her commands.
She did a great job with each of her commands today. Her Heel was solid overall, and any minor mistakes made were quickly solved with a reminder of the command. Her Come to Sit and Come to Heel were both great, and she had no issues with either of these commands. She did great with Send Away to Place as well, and was always eager to jump on any object she was prompted to. She sometimes needed a second attempt with some of the higher up objects, but she was always determined to try again until she succeeded! Her Under, Down, and Sit commands were all good as well. She did occasionally break commands if something spooked her, but generally she was able to hold her positions for at least two minutes at a time.
Coco’s potty training continues to go smoothly with no accidents indoors. She is doing well with the potty bell overall and does ring it throughout the day at which point she is brought outside each time. She only actually goes potty on occasion however, so sometimes we go outside just to come back in after she sniffs around a bit. She still seems to be doing well with our potty routine, so even if she does not ring the bell for a few hours, she consistently goes potty when brought out and prompted to go when it’s time for scheduled potty breaks.
Pupdate 6/28/2024
Today was Coco's last full day with me, so we spent the day putting to use all of her learned skills to have a great day together! We visited a park, where we spent the day playing, training, and exploring the area. She did great with all of her commands, and had no issues with any of them. Coco is not only excelling with her skills and manners while out in public, but she has also made huge transformations in her behavior inside the home as well! House manners are something we have been working on little by little each day since day one. Even seemingly mundane day-to-day tasks can provide excellent opportunities for training! These manners include areas such as Door Manners, Food Manners, and Car Manners.
We touched on the topic of Door Manners earlier in her program, and she has made amazing progress since then! She now has great manners with every door in my home now, including bedroom doors as well as the front door. After Coco has been asked for a stationary command, a door can be left wide open, and she understands to not get up or walk through the doorway unless given permission to, and when invited she can walk nicely through the doorway without hesitation or trying to run underfoot. I can even leave her sight completely and walk in and out without her feeling the need to get up and follow me, and she has also been doing great with holding her position calmly while people other than myself enter or exit through the door which sets her up for success with Greeting Manners!
The goal for Food Manners is for Coco to be able to hold a stationary command while her food is prepared and set in front of her. She is then asked to remain in that position until she is released before she can get up and eat her food. In the early stages of her training, she would often jump on me or rush to her food once it was in front of her. As she progressed in her overall obedience, she quickly learned to replace these poor habits and instead be polite and patient even when faced with tempting distractions such as food directly in front of her!
Having good Car manners makes transporting Coco easy, safe, and as hassle-free as possible. The goal for Car Manners is for Coco to be confident and able to jump into the car when prompted without needing any physical assistance. Once in the car, the goal is for her to willingly enter a kennel when asked, without needing to be physically guided or lured inside. Coco came to us very underconfident, and was not initially able to jump into the car on her own, however with all of our Place practice came a new level of confidence within her, and she is now confident with her jumping skills! My car is a bit high up, so she isn't quite big enough to make the entire jump consistently but she is now able to make the jump into my car with just a small height boost from a place cot to help her up! She also used to need some guidance to get her loaded up into the kennel, but now that she is familiar with the kennel she has learned to see it as a safe and relaxing space, so she happily enters it on her own when asked, which makes the entire process much more smooth! Coco has made such an amazing transformation in these past three weeks, and the differences in her are truly night and day! She came to us with little to no knowledge of any commands, and had a tendency to become anxious, distracted, and overstimulated by everything around her. She has since learned to stay calm, focused, and neutral to her surroundings even in the most busy of places. Her confidence, patience, discipline, and overall manners both in public and at home have all improved so much! She came to us as pup who was too scared to walk outside, and now she is able to experience all the joys of the world without the constant fear that she once felt. Coco has done an excellent job learning every command taught to her, and is able to perform them with great reliability. She has also mastered her potty training, and is no longer prone to having accidents while indoors. She has a good understanding of the potty bell as well, which is another way she can now communicate her needs. While she may seem like a whole new pup, she is still the same sweet, loving, and playful pup she always has been, and with her new obedience skills she is even more of a joy to be around and take with on all sorts of adventures! Coco has been such a pleasure to train and share my home with, and I am forever grateful to have had the opportunity to help this good girl become the best version of herself! The sky is the limit for Coco, and I know she has a very bright future ahead in her continued training journey with her family!
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