Creed, a one year old Belgian Malinois/Labrador Mix, has joined OffLeash SoCal for our Two Week Board and Train program. Creed comes to us with previous training when he was a puppy, so he does know his basic obedience commands. His owners say it is hard for him to follow his commands when overly excited or distracted. He will jump to greet, not walk properly on leash, has separation anxiety, and is weary of new people. Over the two weeks Creed will be working on his off leash obedience and manners. Check in to see his progress!
Pupdate 1/7/2024
Creed is getting settled in at my home. He is very nervous with his new surroundings. It took a little time for him to come out of the car. He growled and stayed in the far back of the crate, but I waited patiently giving him treats and reassuring Creed that he was okay. Once out of the car I let him walk around and see his new surroundings. He got to meet one of my personal dogs. He was very shy and nervous around her. As she approached him, Creed would try to move get away from her. After some time he got some courage to go up and smell her. Creed is warming up to me but still very cautious, so I am leaving the leash on him so I am able to control him when I get him in and out of his kennel. He wouldn’t let me put my gps collar on him. He would growl every time I showed it to him in my hands. This is another reason why I cannot let him off the leash yet. I am letting him decompress and adjust to me and my home.
Pupdate 1/8/2024
Today Creed and I trained at home. We practiced commands Sit, Down, and Place. He did very well and caught on to the Place command quickly. He is starting to come around and warm up to me, showing me his true personality. He allowed me to pet him, mess with the collars and leash around his neck. We even played and chased each other around in the yard. Creed still growls a little when I approach him in his kennel, but once I open the door he comes right out and wants attention from me.
Pupdate 1/9/2023
Today Creed and I trained at home again. We practiced more of his Sit, Down, and Place commands. We also started to work on his Heel command. It is still a work in progress, but he is walking much better and staying close to my side. I did incorporate the prong collar in our training, since he is comfortable with it and understands what it means when he feels the collar pressure. I should be able to start incorporating the ecollar tomorrow during our training. Creed is becoming more comfortable with me, allowing me to touch his neck and take on and off collars.
Pupdate 1/10/2024
Today Creed and I went to the park to work on his obedience. I introduced and conditioned him to the ecollar. We worked on his commands: Sit, Down, Place, and Heel. It’s a little hard for him to hold his commands, especially if I try to distance myself from him. We will continue to practice. He is doing great at the house! He has been friendly with all of my family members, without any issues. He is having a blast playing with all his training buddies!
Pupdate 1/11/2024
Today Creed and I went to the park to work on his obedience. We practiced all his commands and worked on his duration. We practiced a new command, Come to Sit. For this command, Creed will come around my right side and sit on my left in the heel position. This command is a little tricky, but Creed is starting to get the hang of it.
Pupdate 1/12/2024
Today Creed and I went to The Hollywood Walk of Fame to work on his obedience around high distractions. He was definitely overwhelmed and nervous with all the commotion going on around us. It was hard for him to focus in the beginning, but as we walked around and train, he was able to settle down and little and focus on his commands. He did very well walking through the crowds of people and passing by other dog distractions.
Pupdate 1/13/2024
Today Creed and I went to Lowes to work on his obedience. He did much better today with less distractions. We were able to work semi-off leash. I let Creed drag the leash around while we practiced. He got a little distracted anytime he heard someone speak over the intercom. He would stop and stare up at the ceiling trying to figure out where the voice was coming from. We need to tighten up a few of his commands and then he will be ready to work completely off leash.
Pupdate 1/14/2024
Today Creed and I went to a local shopping center to work on his obedience. He was a little distracted at first, but after walking around and training for about 5-10 minutes he was able to settle down and focus. We more semi-off leash with his commands. Creed is doing very well with his heel and duration sit and downs.
Pupdate 1/15/2024
Today Creed and I went to the park to work on his commands. We met with other OffLeash SoCal trainers and their dogs, so he had dog distractions to work around. He wanted to say hi to the other dogs, but I made sure he stayed focused and followed his commands. He did well with dragging the leash and working around the other dogs. Creed did a great job today!
Pupdate 1/16/2024
Today Creed and I went to the mall to work on his obedience around distractions. He was very anxious when we first arrived. It took a while for him to settle down. We tried working off leash, but it was too hard for him to focus. He would fixate on other dogs when they would pass by and not pay attention to his commands. We will continue to practice around more distractions so Creed can be desensitized with his surroundings.
Pupdate 1/17/2024
Today Creed and I went to the mall again to work on his obedience around distractions. He did better today, because there were less distractions. He was more relaxed, able to focus on me and listen to his commands. Creed is a smart boy and knows what he is supposed to do, but can be stubborn when he doesn’t want to do what he’s told. Towards the end of our training Creed was starting to be a little stubborn and trying to ignore my commands, but I made sure that he followed with what I asked of him.
Pupdate 1/18/2024
Today Creed and I went to the mall again work on his obedience around more distractions. It wasn’t too crowded today, which made it easier for Creed. He responds much better with the mild distractions. In high distractions or crowded areas he becomes anxious and overwhelmed where he cannot focus. Creed did very well in the beginning, listening to all his commands and walking by other dogs and people perfectly. Once he started getting tired, he became a little testy and tried throwing some fits and being mouthy when he didn’t want to follow a command. We took a little break and let him rest at Starbucks while I had a coffee. After our little break we did a few more training reps, which he responded better after his rest, then called it a day and went home.
Pupdate 1/19/2024
Today Creed and I stayed home to train. We practiced all his commands and worked on his duration. We practiced his food manners, teaching Creed he needs to wait patiently until given permission to eat his food. We also practiced his door manners, teaching him to not pass thresholds until told.
Pupdate 1/20/2021
Today Creed took the day off from training and spent the rest of the day socializing and playing with his friends before he goes home tomorrow. I wanted to give him a bath so he could be nice and clean when he sees you, but the rain came. I apologize if he’s a little stinky when you see him. Creed has done a great job with his training. He can’t wait to go home and show you everything he has learned!
