Cozy | Aussalier | Manhattan Beach, CA | In Training
- Tanner Strong
- Aug 24
- 9 min read
Updated: Sep 7
Meet Cozy! She's an eighteen month old Aussalier from Manhattan Beach, California here for our Two-Week Urban Board and Train Program! She's incredibly sweet, although she can be a bit nervous and skeptical of people. She loves barking at people and other dogs! On her walks, she wants to pull around and go wherever she wants, making normal walks difficult. She often doesn't want to listen to any commands, and certainly has difficulty following through with most obedience commands. Over the next fourteen days, we will work on her obedience skills, help her with her manners in and out of the house, build her confidence and reliability out in public, and help her become the best pup she can possibly be! Stay tuned for Cozy's two week transformation!
Pupdate: 8/24/2025
After picking Cozy up today, we spent a few minutes at the park to get to know each other better and help her settle into this new experience. She’s starting to warm up to me, though she’s still pretty skeptical, which is totally normal on the first day. When her dad left, she barked a bit and kept looking in that direction as if she was hoping he would come back for her. Once we started moving and exploring together, she seemed happier and more comfortable with me by her side.
At the park, we practiced a few commands, and she did give me a Sit about half the time, which is a great start! Holding the position was a little harder for her—she wanted to pop right back up—but that’s something we’ll be working on to build her patience and confidence.
When we got home, I let Cozy sniff around and explore so she could get familiar with her new environment. She’s already starting to relax and seems much more comfortable. I think she’s warming up to me and starting to trust me, which is a big step for day one! I’m really excited to keep working with her and help her feel completely at ease while building her skills in the days to come.
Pupdate: 8/25/2025
Cozy joined me at the park today where we trained alongside some other trainers and their dogs! She was a little vocal at first, barking at a few of them, but once we got moving she settled in and did a great job focusing more on me. We spent most of our session practicing her Come To Sit command, which will be her recall command. She’s starting to understand what’s expected of her, and I’m happy with the progress she’s making! Check out the video above to see how she’s coming along!
Pupdate: 8/26/2025
We went to the park this morning and had the chance to work around several different types of distractions, including dogs, geese, people playing basketball, and others just out for a walk. The other dogs, even an off-leash Boxer running around chasing geese, didn’t seem to get too much attention from Cozy today, which is a big improvement! The biggest challenge for her this morning was the bouncing basketballs—they really seemed to catch her eye and made it harder for her to stay focused at times.
We continued practicing her Come To Sit command, and she’s still making progress with this one. I also put extra focus on her Heel today. For Heel, the goal is for Cozy to walk politely at my left side with her ears at my leg. This one is proving to be tough for her because she loves being out ahead of me, especially when she’s curious about what’s going on around her. To help her improve, we’ll be practicing this not only out in public but also at home and during her normal walks. With consistency and repetition, I’m confident we’ll make some great progress!
Pupdate: 8/27/2025
We visited a new park today and focused on Cozy’s Place command! She’s been doing really well with this one at home, so today was all about practicing in a different environment with more distractions. She adjusted nicely and held her positions well, which is great progress. Check out the above video to see how she’s doing with her Place command at the park!
Pupdate: 8/28/2025
Cozy had a good training day! We continued practicing all of her commands at the park, with a big emphasis on her Place command. To challenge her and build confidence, we introduced a variety of new and more difficult objects for her to hop onto. These included benches, rocks, and some higher spots that required a little extra effort. The taller objects were definitely the most intimidating for her—she wasn’t quite sure if she was ready to leap up—but with some patience, encouragement, and guidance, she eventually made the jump! Watching her overcome that hesitation was a big win for her confidence.
After a productive morning session, Cozy headed home and enjoyed a well-earned nap on her Place cot. Later in the evening, when it cooled down, we went to a different park to keep things fresh and give her more opportunities to practice in a new environment. Overall, she worked hard today and continues to make great progress with all her commands!
Pupdate 8/29/2025
Today we headed to Home Depot for a big confidence-building session! This was a brand-new environment for her, and overall, she handled it really well. There were only a few moments where something in the store—like a sudden noise or a busy aisle—seemed to make her a little unsure, but she recovered quickly each time.
She did a great job following her commands, which shows that all the practice we’ve been doing is paying off! That said, the main focus today was not just commands but helping her adjust to all the new sights, sounds, and smells. We spent a good amount of time simply sitting in different spots around the store, allowing her to observe everything and gain confidence at her own pace.
Trips like these are so important because they prepare her for handling real-world distractions while staying calm and focused. I’m excited to keep building on this progress and plan to bring her back here soon, as well as introduce her to other new, more challenging locations in the coming days!
Pupdate: 8/30/2025
We headed back to Home Depot today and continued building her confidence in this environment! This time, we introduced a little more variety by practicing her Place command on different objects around the store. She was a little hesitant at first with some of the new surfaces, but with some encouragement, she did a great job.
One of the biggest challenges of the day was getting close to the big, spooky Halloween decorations. These were a little intimidating for her at first, so we made several calm passes by them until she started to relax. By the end, she was much more comfortable and able to focus on her commands even near the decorations!
Overall, Cozy did so well today that our next big goal will be to take her to a mall or a similar busy location for an even bigger challenge!
Pupdate: 8/31/2025
Today we headed to downtown Alhambra for a fun and challenging training session! We set up in a nice shady spot near the movie theater and some restaurants, which gave us plenty of foot traffic and constant city noises to work around. There were cars passing by, people coming and going, and even a few firetrucks with their sirens blaring! Cozy handled it all very well and stayed engaged with me throughout the session.
One of the highlights was the fountains in the area, which provided some unique and interesting place objects for her to practice on. She did great with her commands overall, but we did notice that her Down command is still a little tricky for her in public. That’s understandable since it’s a more vulnerable position, and it takes confidence to hold it in a busy environment. We’ll keep working on this to help her feel more comfortable and secure. I’m proud of how well she did today with all the distractions!
Pupdate: 9/1/2025
Cozy took a big step today—we went to the mall for training! For the most part, she did really well. She was a little nervous at first and around a few new things, but she worked through it nicely. The biggest challenge was definitely the elevator rides, especially since this one had a glass wall with a full view as we went down. That was a little spooky for her at first, but we took it slow and she managed!
She was also very curious about a kiosk full of squeaky toys, so we spent some time practicing her commands and focus around that tempting distraction. Overall, she did a good job, and we’ll be coming back soon to keep building her confidence in this environment!
Pupdate: 9/2/2025
Cozy had another outing to the mall today, and she showed some great progress! She had more confidence on the elevator this time around. While she’s still a little unsure, her improvement was noticeable and encouraging. She was also very patient and polite as my girlfriend did some clothes shopping, waiting calmly without fussing while I filmed her on some camera glasses!
The biggest new challenge today was the food court, which we hadn’t gone into before. On our first pass through, Cozy definitely noticed all the different food smells and showed a bit more excitement than usual. However, after walking through a couple more times, she settled into the environment and handled it really well. This was a big step forward for her, as food courts are busy and full of distractions.
Overall, Cozy did a wonderful job today and continues to build confidence with each new experience.
Pupdate: 9/3/2025
Cozy came with me back to the park today to meet up with some other trainers and their dogs. We practiced working in very close proximity to several of them, and she did a great job handling the distractions. Some of the dogs were familiar faces she’s met before, while others were brand new, but she managed herself nicely in both situations.
After our outing, Cozy went home and enjoyed a well-earned nap on her place cot. The cot has been coming in handy more and more, not only as part of her training but also for her in-home manners. She’s been doing really well with it, especially when it comes to staying calm and not barking at things outside through the windows or door. We’ll be showing more of her indoor manners soon, but it’s been great to see how much progress she’s making!
Pupdate: 9/4/2025
Today we spent some focused time working on Cozy’s household manners—specifically her door manners!
In the video, you’ll see Cozy practicing sitting calmly in front of the door, waiting politely before entering or exiting. The goal isn’t just to have her sit every time, but to help her understand that the door opening is a non-event—no need to rush, bark, or get overexcited.
Eventually, I want her to wait calmly regardless of where she is in the home when the door opens, and only go through with me or when given permission. This concept also applies to other thresholds, like gates, fences, or even indoor boundaries (like my kitchen, which is a dog-free zone!).
We work on this a little each day, and she’s making great progress. In fact, during the video, the neighbor’s dogs are barking nonstop—but Cozy, who used to want to join in the commotion, is learning that the doorway isn’t her responsibility. Whether it’s barking dogs, people passing by, or a package being delivered, she’s starting to tune it out and stay grounded.
Pupdate: 9/5/2025
Cozy had a big day out at Santa Anita Mall today! We used the busy environment to work on building her confidence, especially around placing on a variety of objects and surfaces.
Our main focus was her Down command — which has been one of her more challenging behaviors to feel comfortable with. Today, though, Cozy showed tremendous progress! With patience and encouragement, she offered her best Downs yet, even in a distracting, high-traffic space.
It’s clear she’s gaining both confidence and trust in the process, and we’re so proud of how far she’s come. Way to go, Cozy!
Pupdate: 9/6/2025
Today, Cozy and I headed back to the mall to continue building her confidence in a busy environment. She’s becoming more comfortable with the sights and sounds, and it’s great to see her settling in more quickly each time we go.
We focused a lot on her Down command, especially with distractions around, and she’s showing solid progress. Repetition and calm reinforcement really helped her stay focused in the midst of the hustle and bustle.
We also had a few great opportunities to work on her greeting manners. Our goal here is for Cozy to remain calm when strangers approach or say hi — no jumping or pulling toward them. She’s doing really well with this! She’s learning to stay composed and is responding nicely to gentle guidance and praise when she gets it right.
All in all, Cozy had a productive outing today, and I’m proud of how she’s continuing to grow in confidence and manners.
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