Meet Cooper! Cooper is a one year old Golden Retriever from Los Angeles, CA. He has joined us for our 3 Three Week Board & Train Program. Cooper comes to us with habits such as leash pulling, jumping on people, and lack of engagement when being asked for his obedience commands. Cooper also just has an overall personality of being happy but needs to learn how to minimize that behavior and start to understand the boundaries around him if socialized. Cooper can be possessive with other dogs when they are done playing so Cooper will become bothersome until Cooper gets what he wants even though it's just play. Over the next three weeks, Cooper and I will be working on his obedience and social manners as we spend time together. Come check out his progress with me as his personal trainer!
Pupdate 3/3/2024
Today I got to meet Cooper at his home before taking him with me to start his obedience training. Before heading home I took him to a local park near my house to bond and spend some time together. We walked near the dog park and even though there weren't many dogs Cooper was locked in on them and couldn't engage with me at all. I introduced him to leash pressure and he started to give me some eye contact at times so I would praise him for looking at me. We stayed a few minutes just standing still working on his engagement and slowly heeling him back and forth along the gate. He started to slowly keep his pace with me trying to figure out what I'm asking. After this visit we headed back to my house.
Once we arrived at my house we went for a walk around the neighborhood before going inside and Cooper seemed fine seeing everyone in my house but once we made our way into my room he saw my personal dog Hunter. Cooper remained silent but when passing his crate he had his head turned but Hunter had interest and kept his composure for Cooper but Cooper wanted to stay by my side. After a few days of seeing Hunter constantly through the crate and small introductions we will work up to a proper greeting when Cooper seems more confident and interested in Hunter. Overall he seems to have settled in quickly and met my younger brother without jumping on him. Later on I will introduce him to his e-collar and start his offleash obedience journey!
Pupdate 3/4/2024
Today I took Cooper to his first visit at Santa Monica for training and to hang out around some of the other trainers. He tried to leash pull but each time he would I would use the e-collar and redirect him with his heel. Cooper slowly started to pick this up along the way and once we were on the pier I took the time to properly teach him how to heel with all the distractions around us. He did well with this so we made our way at the end of the pier to practice more of our obedience. This is where Cooper started to make training hard but only because how attached he is being outside with a human. Creating space makes him uneasy to the point he will always get up to follow me. I took much time to work on his impulses and get him to a point where he would wait for more than 10 to 15 seconds.
In the video above in the first video clip Cooper and I had practiced already for a while and was able to finally walk around him. The second video there's more of an open space and less people so Cooper was able to be confident during this practice, even next to Debbie and her dog that she's training. Cooper did really well being confident here for how packed it was for a Monday but we need to work on creating space away from him since he has this habit of always getting up.
Pupdate 3/5/2024
Today Cooper and I focused at home today with our obedience training. We started off practicing each of our commands and Cooper seems aware of what to do but his impulses always take over the moment he starts to get excited. Another thing I've noticed about Cooper is his habit to go into a down when training so I have to get him used to not redirecting himself into a down for being overly excited as well. When creating space with him today he seems to acknowledge what I'm asking. We continued to focus in the front before going into my backyard and starting a new practice.
In the video above the second video clip is of our door manners practice. When asking for his place I would always follow up with his sit or down and try to walk past the door momentarily to see if he would get up. Once I walk back and close the door I break Cooper to make this memorable and fun for his praise. If Cooper was to put himself into another position I would redirect him back into what I've previously asked and start over. As we were able to progress with the door I was able to walk all the way in the front of the house without him breaking position. Cooper did really well with this since he was already awake for most of the morning and the previous training session before helped desensitize him.
Pupdate 3/6/2024
Late Yesterday I took Cooper to Cerritos mall to meet up with our friends from offleash and their dogs. When walking to our friends Cooper did well until he saw the other dogs. Cooper started to overstimulate and wouldn't keep his attention off of them. I had to take the time to keep Cooper engaged with me while distant from the dogs to help desensitize him. After walking around and practicing our obedience throughout the mall I started to get closer to my friends and their dogs. We picked an open area to work around each other and as the time went by Cooper started to ignore the dogs and pay more attention to me. We also practiced our sit and down command next to the dogs to take pictures but Cooper was so impulsive so I was able to get one as close as I could. When being told to break rather than going towards the dogs Cooper came to me directly for his praise. When walking in front of the dogs or close behind them Cooper had this habit of always keeping his head towards them so asking him to disengage I would use the obedience command "off". By the end of our visit Cooper was calmer but only when being close to the other offleash trainers with their dogs he always seemed to get excited.
Today followed up with more obedience training at home conditioning all of our commands before the rain took over. I took the time to focus training Cooper around Hunter which went well. When practicing the same way as yesterday we used Hunter as a distraction by having him place himself on a place pad that I have. Cooper did better not having his head turned so much and could keep a calm pace with me when walking. As we kept working on his impulses that he displayed yesterday at one point I asked Hunter to heel with us and this is where Cooper started to act silly and thought Hunter wanted to play. I kept walking him and redirecting him for jumping and trying to kiss Hunter as we all walked together. After a few redirections I was able to walk the both of them together, even going down the street. I didn't have them greet each other just yet since Cooper gets overstimulated at times but we are still taking the time to work towards it being as calm and normal for Cooper.
Pupdate 3/7/2024
Today I took Cooper to a park in Los Angeles, CA to hang out around the offleash team and practice more of our obedience training. We hung out with our friend Tanner seen in the video above as we trained our dogs around each other. Cooper had his habit of not knowing what to do and became overly excited seeing another dog again.
In the video above we practice many obedience commands and variations of practices around Tanner and his dog to see what would help Cooper get desensitized. We walked around and had Cooper sit in the direction of Tanner and his dog. When breaking Cooper rather than going to them he makes his choice to come towards me for his praise acknowledging what I'm asking and doing it correctly. When creating distance with Cooper he was doing well with certain practices but when I petted Tanner's dog Zelda. Cooper gets up once and I redirect him immediately. He was able to wait after and let me pet Zelda without being clingy.
I took the time to walk Cooper with another dog besides him which was Oso the chocolate lab, our friend from who is owned by Mike. Oso is very gentle and obedient and when he would try to stay by our side Cooper was getting overly excited the same way he would with Hunter. After some time passed by and a few redirections with the "off" obedience command I was able to walk the both of them with ease. By the end of the visit Cooper didn't mind any of the dogs around us.
Pupdate 3/8/2024
Today I took Cooper to La Mirada Regional Park in La Mirada to get some exercise and to enjoy a nice day out. When we first arrived we walked around the park and took the time to practice our obedience throughout the park until we made it to the small lake. Once we were here we focused on all of our obedience commands and Cooper was doing ok but had his moments of trying to come towards me instead of holding his position. We were able to work through this and also gave him time to just sit or lay down to help him get used to this habit rather than always getting up. When we saw the ducks and geese at the park Cooper was getting excited but not in the way he does for other dogs. When asking for his off obedience command he would redirect his attention back towards me so I could praise him. After we walked along the small lake and practiced placing Cooper on all platforms along the way which he did well with.
By the end of our visit he seemed neutral to everything but if there is something he is unfamiliar with still he can show that he's a little nervous. This is random at times but the most common abnormality to Cooper is car noises. Modified cars or loud ones in general seem to make him uneasy. I'm going to see if walking him along a busy main street could help desensitize this behavior.
Pupdate 3/9/2024
Today I focused on Cooper's impulses while socializing around the house. He seemed overly excited as if we were gonna play but I started walking him around the house to keep him engaged and prevent any jumping when walking near my family members. Shortly after I had my little brother help me with some training and act as a distraction for us since Cooper does get excited to see children more than adults.
In the video above it's clear to see that Cooper wants to play and act on his own trying to be distant from the place pad. Once he settles he begins to let us continue our practice and my brother Nick is able to come inside to pet him. I would have Cooper say hi without the place pad but since he overstimulates too fast placing him on the pad right away can help desensitize his behavior and calm him down faster. There's one moment Cooper tries to follow my brother out but redirecting him as usual always helps in the long run.
After we practice, send away to place outside using distance to challenge Cooper. Cooper tries to go to my brother and stay with him when I say place but quickly follows through back toward his place pad. Cooper tries to act silly throughout the practice but comes to a point where he's coming towards the place pad without any leash pressure. At times I have to point at it so Cooper can physically see what I'm asking for. We continued to practice this until we tried something different which my brother wanted to help me with.
The last video clip is Cooper and my brother jogging just in the front of our house. Cooper knows how to jog with me and not go onto grass but when it comes to someone new he could go back to his ways of running. I had Nick jog with him back and forth and sure enough Cooper wanted to go at his own pace. Nick is aware of how to train dogs so he keeps Cooper close to him and makes sure Cooper doesn't go onto grass unless he is being asked to go potty. When Cooper is on the grass Nick is asking for Cooper's off obedience command which helps Cooper go back toward him. Just a few turns and Cooper adjusts himself for Nick the same way he would for me.
Pupdate 3/10/2024
This morning I took Hunter and Cooper on a walk together early in the morning. They seemed to become really neutral on their walks with Cooper being less affectionate and obsessive. Once we returned home I gave them the time to hang out in my backyard and start interacting with each other.
In the video above Cooper is excited about Hunter but doesn't know how to express himself besides wanting to be chased. Hunter tries to show Cooper some play behaviors but Cooper over exaggerates and stops entirely in his tracks but if Hunter stops Cooper goes back into trying to have Hunter chase him. After twenty minutes of hanging out in the back they came to a point of being tired and laid down close to each other. The second video clip is more send away to place practices with a recall and one moment of distraction when my Mother comes back home. Cooper is picking up his send away to place going from a decent distance but his environment still seems to distract him even for little things such as the neighbors passing on walks. When my mother comes out of her car Cooper actually barked towards her which is highly inappropriate and needs to be situated right away. The moment he barked I asked for his off obedience command, which is a universal no for all distractions and negative behaviors, Cooper was able to settle himself and let my mom pass without issue. Something to take note of is that anyone who is coming over doesn't always have to say hi to Cooper, they can simply walk by. We are going to start his leash dragging to offleash training soon since he's doing very well staying close to me with no leash pulling.
Pupdate 3/11/2024
Today I took Cooper to Hillcrest park in Downtown Fullerton for more obedience training and to start leash dragging working towards offleash obedience. When we first arrived Cooper was excited to be somewhere new and wanted to smell his surroundings right away. It took some time redirecting him in the beginning of our walk but eventually adjusted himself back into his obedience and acting proper with me. We made our way around the park once to familiarize it with Cooper. Once we made our way back to my car we grabbed some water before walking around the park again but letting the leash drag. For our first time trying this Cooper had his moments trying to be distant from me but each time he tried to branch away from me I would use the remote on a low level setting and say heel to have Cooper come back towards me. When passing by people on their walks Cooper had his attention on me and at times we saw squirrels which Cooper had no reaction towards. As we made our way back to my car I would often stop randomly and ask Cooper to sit just for creativeness. By the end of our visit we made it all the way back to my car with the leash dragging.
Pupdate 3/12/2024
Today I took Cooper to the Citadel Outlets in Commerce, CA for exposure and more obedience training. When we first arrived Cooper was keeping a consistent heel and didn't seem overly excited being somewhere new. We picked an open area to practice our obedience commands and started to condition some of our commands we haven't tried in a public space.
In the video above we practiced our down obedience command with duration. Cooper was able to hold it for about two minutes before giving him his break. Cooper did this with ease and we continued to practice this throughout the outlet to condition him from being impulsive outside. As we walked around we didn't have many issues even when passing by people with dogs. Cooper can seem excited but as long as I communicate and tell him off when he makes eye contact with a dog he can begin to settle himself. By the end of our visit I took the time to practice leash dragging since Cooper seemed desensitized entirely to everything around us. We only focused on heeling in a small area which went well but Cooper was tired at this point so we made our way back home.
Cooper spent the remainder of the day practicing more of his leash dragging to offleash obedience and playtime with Hunter.
Pupdate 3/13/2024
Today Hunter and Cooper had their walk together in the morning with some play time followed up once we made it home. We stayed home to practice offleash obedience inside the house and make sure Cooper doesn't overstimulate from going into another part of the house since he typically gets excited for everything. We have practiced Cooper's food manners everyday and by now I can patiently leave Cooper's sight without having to worry about him breaking position. At times while feeding him inside his crate he can devour his food fairly quickly. If his food bowl is outside he can sometimes be uninterested even when placing it in front of him on the floor. Once I walk around the house and finish with my variation of distractions I will release Cooper with his break. In the video above you can see Cooper take his time to eat his food but as long as I stay near and continue to motivate him while sounding positive he eventually eats.
Pupdate 3/14/2024
Today I brought Cooper back to the Santa Monica pier for more exposure and to hang out with some of the Offleash team. When we first arrived Cooper was excited to be here but was able to keep his composure throughout the walk. In the video the pier was somewhat busy this morning so I kept practicing heeling with Cooper with his leash on for safety. I dropped the leash and walked around naturally to see how Cooper would be but he remained calm and confident. We practiced Cooper's sit command as many people walked by him and he remained still until being given his break. Cooper had many people pass us commenting how well behaved he was or giving comments on how good of a boy he was. We focused on all obedience commands but the only two commands Cooper had some issues performing was his under and send away to place. He took some time performing these commands but we are going to continue conditioning what Cooper has trouble with. Our last objective of the day was offleash walking so when the time came I took his leash off near the arcade and trained with a friend of ours. Cooper did well just walking with me offleash until we made it back to the main street, but we will continue conditioning all his commands offleash now.
Pupdate 3/15/2024
This morning Hunter and Cooper went for a one hour walk with me early in the morning. Once we got home I gave them time to play which Cooper seems to have adjusted more with Hunter showing more playful expressions when engaging with him, even playing more in my room. They both ended up falling asleep next to each other with Cooper always petting Hunter's face. Once they had their nap and woke up I practiced more of Cooper's send away to place. In the video above we are practicing as always pointing at the place pad without any leash tension going towards our objective. Cooper is acting hyper and happy as always but even these moments keeping him redirected will help with his consistency.
Something I noticed today about Cooper was his fear of trash cans or the noise that comes from it. When moving the trash cans around in my backyard to the front Cooper ran away immediately and seemed uneasy when seeing a trash can move. I waited for my brother to come out of school to help with the practice I was going to set up Cooper for. In the video above we spent much time doing variations of movements to see what Cooper would do and as shown he runs away. The longer we practiced around the trash can we could come to a point of understanding for Cooper. By the end of the video I was able to make my way around him without him reacting so I gave him his break for good behavior towards this. After practicing for some time I didn't want to take too long with this so I will work on these issues every few hours a day to help desensitize this abrupt behavior.
Pupdate 3/16/2024
Today I took Cooper to one of the local pet stores near my house for more obedience training. When we first arrived we were stopped by two kids and their mother who wanted to say hi to Cooper. I was Happy to see Cooper not jumping and actually went into a down position for the kids since they were smaller and he went to their head level so they could pet him with ease. The kids even asked me where they should pet him and I had them pet under his mouth and at his chest area.
After his engagement we walked into the store and practiced with ease today. There were a lot of people shopping bringing in their dogs so I kept his leash attached just in case. Even though some dogs barked at Cooper today he didn't mind and was able to follow me throughout the store with the use of his e-collar. One of our main practices was keeping Cooper stationed in a down far away while I pretended to shop. Cooper did well with this and few people passed by him without breaking position while they looked at him or spoke to him. Each time this happened, I would break Cooper to mark these moments as memorable and fun. Whenever he behaves well we want to let him know, so the constant praise and reminders help keep him motivated. We practiced all other commands in other aisles before leaving.
Pupdate 3/17/2024
Today we had our usual routine of a walk in the morning and playtime in the backyard with Hunter which is always going well with Cooper behaving more accordingly than my own at times. I practiced being silly and running around in my own room while trying to keep Cooper placed and every time he thought I wanted to play. After some time he started to settle and let me act as comical as I wanted.
In the video above is some training we did throughout the day but offleash. I walked Cooper in and out of my house and he always stayed by my side. We started off with our recall practice which went well. If Cooper makes a mistake redirecting him with the remote and maintaining my position I'm able to have him achieve his goal still. I use both of my hands as signals to help him identify what I want when directing him behind me as I'm saying come. Once he's next to me I ask for his sit and repeat as always.
Our second practice we practiced our door manners offleash. When coming up to the gate I ask for his sit followed up by his down without saying the word stay. I make my way around the backyard first then make my way towards the front. When I used to turn around and look at Cooper he used to get up most of the time but now he's confident enough to remain in his obedience until I return. I ask for his heel and he comes with me without being overly excited.
Pupdate 3/18/2024
Today I took Cooper to Wilderness Park in Downey, CA to hang out with the offleash crew and their dogs. When we first arrived I gave Cooper time to relax and be himself on some grass and constantly kept rolling over with his big happy smile. Once I asked for his heel we made our way around the park for some exercise before heading to a bench near our friends for some obedience training.
In the video above we are practicing our send away to place and under command since Cooper can sometimes get these two confused. I used the place pad solely for place and for the table I would point with my finger and say under to keep these specific for Cooper. We go back and forth conditioning these two while distractions are around until we start to do other practices.
Second video clip is of us heeling offleash near everyone while having a small conversation. Since all the dogs were close together I would walk by them to see if Cooper would act on his impulses but he didn't. He does get happy to see everything and everyone but when needing him to disengage himself by asking him for his off obedience command he can listen. When asking for his sit or down by the dogs he remains obedient keeping his attention on me. Overall experience today went well but Cooper has moments he's jealous if I say hi to another dog or will try to sneak up towards them when given the chance.
Pupdate 3/19/2024
Today I took Cooper to Cerritos Mall to work on socializing him amongst people while shopping. When we first arrived and entered the mall Cooper was consistent with his heel and seemed confident throughout the visit. When entering stores he could ignore everyone around him but when I would create space he had moments of getting up. Each time he did this I would work through it if he happened to get up. When training inside the stores we had two employees come and greet Cooper and he didn't jump on them at all. I also let him say hi on a break and let him go up to them freely and he just rubbed his body into them for more pets. We continued to make our way towards the movie theatre which has an open area just to practice our basic obedience. Cooper did very well and seems to be confident doing everything now. The last thing we did was focus on our under obedience command for about 15 minutes. We focused on having Cooper place himself properly under a bench which he was able to do with time.
Pupdate 3/20/2024
Today I took Cooper to Citadel Outlets to hang out with a few of our friends from offleash. When we arrived Cooper was confident and able to keep a pace from the beginning. When Amanda and Adrienne came Cooper seemed excited to see their dogs but asking for his off obedience command always disengages him from being overly excited. He had his moments trying to say hi to the other dogs but everything else we practiced today went with ease.
In the video above we train around Amanda and her dog Kai who is not the most confident when being outside. Other dogs who are calm and neutral typically don't get Cooper to react but dogs like Kai can set off any dog nearby just from his anxiousness. When redirecting Cooper for getting up I don't baby talk him and just set him back up into his down to restart our training. The second video clip is greeting manners with two people who saw Cooper and were amazed to see him outside offleash. After talking to them for a short moment I gave them the opportunity to say hi Cooper and he broke his obedience once but setting him back into a sit he showed his confidence throughout the greeting. I advised them not to talk to Cooper since he can be capable of overstimulating if someone baby talks to him. Once he's done greeting Cooper I follow up with a break just to praise him for another moment of not jumping on someone.
Pupdate 3/21/2024
Today we headed back to Santa Monica for some training and to enjoy the day. Cooper did well making his way with me down the pier with a consistent heel. We walked towards the middle of the pier to practice some of our offleash obedience and Cooper had his moments of acting on impulse but quickly redirecting him sets him up for success. He let many people pass by him without breaking position when in a sit or down. Many people were giving him comments as they passed by which used to get him to break his obedience but now he can remain calm and confident for me until I say break. As I break him he comes directly to me for his reward which has always been praise and affection.
Second video clip is of my brother who Cooper adores and loves to spend a lot of time with him at home. With my supervision I watched Nick walk with Cooper and Cooper himself tries his best to listen to Nick when he has the leash in hand keeping a slower pace for him. He places Cooper in a down for a short moment when many people pass around him and Nick waits for the perfect moment to break Cooper and praise him as always.
Pupdate 3/22/2024
Today I brought Cooper to Heritage park for some offleash training and exposure to geese and ducks who are walking around every morning in this park. We practiced a few of our commands before walking around the park and getting exercise. When walking near the ducks and geese I walked at a slow pace as we passed by. Cooper didn't seem too interested after hearing his off obedience command but I made sure to supervise him entirely since he is offleash. We were able to get close enough to them and I had Cooper sit while I took the second picture seen above. After walking through and passing by them I made sure to break Cooper for being able to get close to them while walking. We went into the open grass field and I gave Cooper time to run around and as I did he had zoomies going back and forth around me. I gave him plenty of time to be himself offleash and he did really well not wanting to run away or run towards something he sees. We practiced the last of our obedience near a playground with a platform Cooper could place on and go under. He did fairly well with some moments of being silly when practicing under. Since Cooper knows all of his obedience commands well I'm gonna take the time to be creative and show him new tricks or boundaries to respect.
Pupdate 3/23/2024
Today it rained early in the morning so I took the dogs out quickly to potty before taking them back inside. We had some playtime but I put Hunter back into his crate to train Cooper. We practiced door manners, food manners, and conditioning Cooper to stay behind the kitchen door. Cooper did well with the first two practices but when practicing for the kitchen he can try and follow me through. In the video above being adamant about placing him on another side is important since there is no barrier to block him. After two redirections he stays in the hallway waiting for me to complete all the tasks that I'm doing. When ending the practice I walk back into my side of the house and say break as I walk back in.
Cooper spent the rest of the day hanging around the house and going for his last walk with Hunter around the neighborhood. We followed up on training and more play time until the dogs tired out completely.
Over the 3 weeks Cooper has improved significantly and has been very respectful as the days went on. We had some ups and downs but Cooper is smart and quick to fix his problems as long as they are addressed. Everyday he made it possible to learn and improve on a command a day as long as there was consistency. Cooper is still the same happy puppy he always has been but now he is more sociable and aware of what to do when going out for daily adventures. Cooper is ready to go back home to his family!
