Meet Daisy, she's a seven-month-old Goldendoodle from Los Angeles, California! This sweet and playful pup is here with us for our Two Week 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 any basic commands yet, and has a short attention span which causes her to be easily distracted. She comes to us with some common issues, such as having potty accidents indoors, pulling on the leash, and jumping up on people. Daisy also tends to lack confidence at times and can get a bit anxious when in new or unfamiliar situations. She has also lived her whole life with her sister, so this will be her first time living apart from her temporarily. Over the next fourteen days, we will be working on improving her obedience, confidence, and manners to set her on the right path to becoming a well-behaved pup both on and off leash. Stay tuned for her transformation!
Pupdate 7/20/2024
Today Daisy and I spent the day bonding and getting to know each other at the park after she was dropped off with me. While walking around the park, she seemed bit overwhelmed by all the distractions around, and was constantly on the lookout for where her sister went once they went their separate ways. Her attention span is definitely on the lower end, and she struggled to pay attention to me for more than a fleeting moment, which is to be expected for her young age! Generally she was much more focused on everything around us, and was very easily distracted by smells, people, dogs, and anything else she found interesting.
While at the park, I tested her current knowledge of commands to see if he's had any prior training, and what areas may need some extra focus on going forward. I asked her basic commands such as Come, Heel, Sit, Down, and Place, but she was more focused on her surroundings rather than anything I was asking of her. She would sometimes Come over to me when called with lots of excitement and encouragement, though she would rarely come all the way to me, and mostly ignored the recall cue and her name. When asked to Heel, she didn't seem to recognize the command at all and was almost always at the end of the leash walking around or trying to pull wherever she pleased rather than staying next to me. She was able to Sit a few times when asked, though it was very inconsistent if she followed through or not. If she did happen to Sit, she would always stand back up and start walking away after a second or two. She wasn't able to perform Down on command either, and seemed too overwhelmed to enter this position. 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. She didn't seem to have any understanding of leash pressure either, and was often trying to pull against the leash in an attempt to get where she wanted to go. There were even times when she would jump up and flail around trying to resist the leash pressure when she wanted to go in the opposite direction she was being guided towards.
After our time at the park, it was time to head home and get her settled into my home. She was unable to jump into my car on her own, but was comfortable with being picked up and placed into the car. She wasn't quite sure what to make of the kennel, but she was able to go inside with some gentle guidance, and settled in for the ride home, which is a good display of Car Manners. Anytime Daisy 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. This may be a useful tool in her potty training journey as well, as pups are instinctually discouraged from going potty inside their sleeping area. Upon arriving home, she was very hesitant about walking up the stairs, but after lots of encouragement, she made her way up, entered my home, and began exploring the new space. After some time had passed, we went out for a walk around my neighborhood to let her go potty and become familiar with the area. She seemed hesitant to potty at first, but after spending about ten minutes standing around in a grassy area repeating the "go potty cue" she eventually decided to go. Upon doing so, she was praised heavily to encourage this good behavior! Starting tomorrow, will be taking walks around the neighborhood multiple times daily to work on potty and obedience training. When exiting the house to start our walk, Daisy kept trying to run out the door as soon as it was opened, so we will also be working to improve her Door Manners to make sure she can respect the boundary a doorway creates as this will help keep her safe. After our walk she found a nice comfy spot on the floor to curl up on beside my desk, and enjoyed a nice nap. When she woke up, I offered her some food in a bowl, but she only had a few nibbles before seeming to lose interest. She did however seem interested in taking food from my hand, so she ended up eating about half of her meal via hand feeding it to her. During her program we will be working on her Food Manners as well as this is a great way to improve her patience and obedience. Overall she seems to be settling in nicely, and we are so excited to begin this training journey together!
Pupdate 7/21/2024
Today Daisy and I spent the day working in various areas around my neighborhood. She was introduced to the concept of leash pressure and e-collar pressure, along with the Come to Sit command. We began the day in a quiet, distraction-free area along my neighborhood streets to provide Daisy the best opportunity to learn and focus as we begin her training journey. Later in the day the neighborhood got more busy with some people and other dogs out on walks, which helped serve as distractions during our evening session. She was a bit nervous at times, but when around minimal to no distractions she showed an increased level of focus on me compared to yesterday.
Pressure is a fundamental tool used in teaching basic obedience commands. The idea is that whenever pressure is applied, be it from a leash or an e-collar, it is paired with a command. The pressure then remains present until Daisy follows the pressure and the command being given. The moment she follows through, the pressure immediately turns off and a reward is given. Yesterday, whenever the leash was used to apply pressure, she would firmly resist it, try to pull in the opposite direction, and made no attempt to turn the pressure off, so it was clear she didn't quite understand the concept of leash pressure just yet. We spent a good amount of time focusing on teaching her what leash pressure means, and how to turn off the pressure once it's applied. She learned that trying to resist it was not successful or rewarding, and that simply following the directional pressure and paying attention to what I was asking of her was very simple and rewarding! After a while of practicing with this, she did much better and began showing a good understanding of leash pressure! In order to properly introduce the e-collar, it's very helpful for Daisy to first have a solid understanding of leash pressure, as this is the most simple form of pressure due to the clear directional guidance it provides. Once she understood the leash pressure, we began adding in a new form of pressure from the e-collar. By pairing these two forms of pressure simultaneously, she will come to understand that each pressure has the same meaning. With time and practice, this will allow the leash and e-collar to be used interchangeably, and eventually allow the opportunity to begin training with the e-collar only, without the need for a leash! Be sure to check out today's video for an in-depth e-collar tutorial!
Come to Sit is another important command to begin practicing early on in Daisy's training journey, as it will be our main form of recall. Having a solid recall is important for any pup's obedience training, though this will be especially crucial for her to master if she is to be allowed off-leash. The goal for Come to Sit is for Daisy to come directly to me when called, and circle around to perform a Sit on my left side. The Come to Sit command when performed in its entirety, ensures that she not only comes when called, but also requires her to sit beside her handler and not leave that spot unless released or given a new command. By having her sit on the left side facing forward, we are setting her up for success to begin walking in a Heel as she is already in the desired position for it. We introduced Come to Sit today by combining the verbal command with leash and e-collar pressure to grab her attention and guide her towards me. Once she followed the guidance and approached me, the leash was used to then guide her around to my left side, where she was then asked to perform a Sit. As we practiced more, she began to rely a bit less on the leash pressure to grab her attention and guide her, which is a good sign of progress! She would tend to sit slightly out of the desired position once she got to me, though for her first day, she did a great job overall! With each successful repetition, I made sure to reward her with lots of praise and affection, to build up a positive association with the command and coming to me when called.
Pupdate 7/22/2024
Today Daisy and I visited a park, where we met up with some other OffLeash SoCal trainers and their pups. We also met up with her sister Padme who is being trained by Tanner, so this was a good opportunity for Daisy to work around her sister as a distraction. The other dogs and trainers were also good distractions to train around. Understandably, Daisy's biggest distraction was her sister, as she often wanted to pull towards her, stare at her, and try to play with her whenever they were within sight of each other. When they were apart, Daisy did seem a bit more timid, but generally was more focused on her training.
Daisy is often easily distracted, as she tends to focus on her surroundings even when asked to perform commands. Moments like this are a great opportunity to implement the Off command. The goal for the Off command is for Daisy to stop whatever she is doing, and focus on his 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, or any other behaviors that are undesirable or inappropriate at that time. The verbal Off command when paired with leash pressure and the e-collar allows us to interrupt the behavior and help 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 set her focus on a task will help keep her attention away from what initially distracted her or caused the undesirable behavior. Daisy 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.
Heel is another important concept for Daisy to begin developing early on in her training. The goal for the Heel command is for her 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 he 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, fall behind, pull ahead, or otherwise leave the position, she was given some guidance with the leash and e-collar, 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 his environment, which will definitely take some practice to accomplish. 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. We practiced making lots of turns as well, which helped to keep Daisy engaged and focused on her positioning. 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. Overall she did a good job today and seemed to catch on pretty quickly, though more work will need to be done before he can Heel reliably, especially around distractions as she tends to get nervous and stop moving instead of consistently following along when walking.
Daisy has had no potty accidents as of yet, and seems to be getting more comfortable with going potty outside in my neighborhood. She also went potty at the park, which was good to see. Daisy's appetite does seem to be a bit low however, and she still isn't very interested in eating her kibble. Hand feeding does seem to help a bit, as well as mixing or topping her kibble with treats, however she tends to lose interest and refuse to eat her entire meal. We will continue to monitor this along with her weight, as her health and happiness is our number one priority!
Pupdate 7/23/2024
Today Daisy and I began our training session at home, where we introduced two new commands, Place and Down. Once she made some progress with these commands, we moved outside to train around the neighborhood with more distractions present. We encountered distractions such as dogs, people, cars, strollers, bicycles, and small animals like birds and squirrels. We also continued working on each command she has learned thus far. She is doing well with the e-collar, and seems to be understanding the communication it provides. She was a bit nervous today when working around distractions, and seemed to get anxious around loud noises so we spent some time working to desensitize her to these distractions which did seem to help over time.
The goal for the Place command is for Daisy to jump or climb onto a designated object, such as a bench, a bed, or another object with defined borders, and hold a stationary command while remaining on the Place object until released or given a new command. We introduced this command at home using a familiar object, a dog cot. She is comfortable climbing onto and relaxing on the cot in her own time, so this was a good object to use and help set her up for success. We used some leash pressure to guide her onto the cot while giving the verbal Place cue, which she quickly picked up on. After a few repetitions, she understood on what was being asked of her and was able to Place with minimal to no leash pressure. We brought the dog cot outside to continue working on Place around distractions, and while she was a bit more hesitant, she eventually got the hang of it. We then practiced on a variety of objects we found outside, such as rocks, low walls, and a small bench. She was more hesitant about these objects as she seemed to lack confidence, but with enough motivation and encouragement, she was able to follow through. We will continue practicing this command with different objects in a variety of environments to improve Daisy's confidence and overall skills with this command!
The other command introduced to Daisy today is the Down command. The goal for the Down command is for Daisy to lay down completely when asked, and remain in that position until released or given a new command. To begin working on this command, we used leash pressure and physical guidance to guide Daisy into the Down position while the verbal command was given. After some practice, she seemed to catch on to the concept and we began adding in the e-collar stimulation as reinforcement when needed. We practiced Down on different surfaces and objects, including on the floor, sidewalks, grass, as well as place objects like the dog cot. We kept the duration for this command pretty short at first with lots of breaks and praise, as this helps make the training fun and rewarding. As we continue to practice this we will continue increasing the duration gradually so she can learn to remain in this position for extended periods of time. We will also continue adding in more distractions so she can be reliable with the command in any situation or environment. At home she was pretty good with the Down command, but outside she tended to be a bit more hesitant and needed some extra guidance and reinforcement for her to follow through.
Daisy's potty training is going very well so far, and she has had no accidents while indoors. She is learning the go potty verbal cue, and seems to be doing well with the routine we have in place. She did have more of an appetite today which was good, but she still wasn't interested in eating on her own from the bowl so hand feeding was needed to get her to eat most of her meals.
Pupdate 7/24/2024
Today Daisy and I visited an outdoor mall, where we practiced all of her commands around distractions. The mall was pretty busy, with plenty of people, children, other dogs, and other kinds of distractions around. Daisy was definitely feeling a bit overwhelmed and anxious about the busy surroundings, and had a hard time paying attention to her commands. We ended up finding a quieter section of the mall with only a few distractions around, which seemed to help her adjust to the new environment. Once she began having an easier time focusing and relaxing, we gradually made our way closer to the bulk of the distractions, and while by this point she was slightly less stressed than when we first arrived, she never seemed to fully relax and needed lots of reassurance, encouragement, and guidance for her to perform commands correctly. Despite all the distractions around us, Daisy did a very good job with her Heel overall. She seems to be catching onto this commands pretty well, and understands that she can trust her handler to lead her when in a Heel, which takes some of the stress off of her in regards to her having to make decisions. She also seemed to more feel reassured the closer she was to me, which works in our favor for Heel as the desired positioning is directly at our side. There were a few moments when she would fall behind, pause, or veer off slightly, though this was mainly when she got spooked by something, such as a loud noise, but she was always quick to recover and fall back into position. Daisy did well with her Come to Sit command, and was always eager to Come when called, especially if there was some distance between us as she wanted to be as close to me as possible. She needed a bit of guidance from the leash, but seems to be getting the hang of the maneuver and only needed very light leash pressure. Daisy did well with her Sit command and had no trouble performing it when asked, however she struggled with Place and Down. She was able to Down with some physical guidance, however Daisy was unable to Place anywhere in the mall except for in the parking lot where there was virtually no distractions around. We attempted Place on a variety of objects at the mall, including benches, rocks, and low platforms, but she seemed very stressed about this command and was too hesitant to perform the command despite the objects being easily within her capability to climb or jump onto. The e-collar was not effective for this command as she would quickly feel overwhelmed and not respond to it as she would for other commands. Leash pressure was also not effective, as she would pull against it and flail around instead of following its guidance. We tried having me step up onto the object and encouraging her to follow, though despite wanting to be close to me, it was not enough to successfully get her to Place. We even tried using some of her favorite treats, though she was completely uninterested in them so they were not successful in luring her onto the objects. We will spend some extra time focusing on this command going forward to help her feel more confident and capable about Placing while in distracting locations.
Pupdate 7/25/2024
Today Daisy and I visited Santa Monica, where we practiced all of her commands around a high amount of distractions. This location was pretty busy, with lots of people, other dogs, birds, loud music, street traffic, food, and other kinds of distractions around. Upon first arriving, Daisy definitely needed some time to warm up her commands and become familiar with the environment. She had some tense moments where she would feel anxious and try to flee or freeze when something spooked her, but the longer we spent here the less common this became. Overall she did a good job with her commands, and even showed some good progress with Place which was great to see! We also met up with other OffLeash SoCal trainers and their pups at the pier today, so we spent some time working with Tanner and Padme again. Daisy seemed to gain some extra confidence when working nearby her sister, and unlike our first session together at the park earlier this week, Daisy was much less prone to feeling anxious when separated from her. She wasn't try to pull towards her or resisting when recalled in the opposite direction of where she was. The two pups worked well together today, and while they did distract each other at times, we saw lots of promising progress! Tanner and I spent lots of time working them around one another and walking around together. We also practiced us switching dogs, where I trained Padme and Tanner trained Daisy, to improve their handler transferability, which went very well. Daisy didn't seem to mind who was handling her, and behaved similarly for Tanner as she does for me. We also practiced having both pups walk in a Heel side by side with one handler working both of them at the same time. It took some time for them to get used to this new experience, but they did great overall and were able to Heel with decent reliability even in this scenario. We also had some great opportunities to practice Daisy'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 Daisy to be able to meet or greet people calmly and politely, whether in public or at home. Daisy 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 Daisy 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 Daisy, 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 Daisy 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 Daisy 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 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! Daisy's potty training is also coming along well, and she has had no accidents while indoors. She does tend to be a bit hesitant to potty when in an unfamiliar environment, but with enough patience and encouragement she has been able to go when asked. She is starting to feel more comfortable around my neighborhood as well, making our usual potty breaks at home much more efficient.
Pupdate 7/26/2024
Today Daisy and I visited the Santa Monica Pier again with her sister Padme! This was another great opportunity to work the two around one another with lots of other distractions around. Similar to yesterday the pier was quite busy so both girls needed some extra time to warm up to the environment, however they did seem to be a bit less nervous than yesterday which was great to see!
We continued addressing their separation anxiety from one another, working to establish independence and confidence from both of them without the other around. Daisy did pretty well with this overall, and while she would sometimes be a bit antsy when asked to move in the opposite direction that her sister was, with a reminder of the Off command followed by a command such as Come or Heel, she was able to refocus back on her training and not fixate on her sister as we moved away. We also worked them both in close proximity to one another, and practiced the double Heel with them again, which they showed some progress with! They seemed to work equally well with me as their handler as they did with Tanner.
Daisy's Heel was good overall despite the numerous distractions, both with her sister and while apart from her. She seems to have a good understanding of the command at this point which is good to see, and she is beginning to need significantly less leash pressure for guidance, allowing us to focus on using the e-collar and verbal cue instead. Her Come to Sit was good overall as well, and while she needed some guidance at times, she seems to understand what is expected of her and was able to complete the command correctly on the first try more often than not. Her stationary commands were okay, though she struggled with Placing on most objects around the pier. Objects that were low enough for her to climb onto she was able to Place on without too much trouble, though any object that required a jump, even a small one, she lacked the confidence to follow through with it and would need physical assistance to help her up.
Pupdate 7/27/2024
Today Daisy and I visited a local park, where we practiced all of her commands around distractions. The park was decently busy, with people, children, and other dogs around. There were also lots of squirrels and birds as well. Daisy did seem pretty nervous here especially when we first arrived, and would tend to get spooked by distractions such as scooters, bicycles, playing children, and joggers. However after spending some time here she did seem to settle down a bit and became more familiar with the environment and its distractions. We are about halfway through Daisy's board and train program! The next step in our training journey is to help Daisy become consistent and reliable with all of her commands, even in the absence of a leash. Today we used a long leash, which is a great way to simulate how Daisy might behave while off leash, while still having it readily available should it be needed for any reason. We also practiced a bit with the leash dragging, which helps us to get an idea of how she behaves when the leash is not being held by her handler. When asking for any command, we first give her a "freebie" by using only a verbal cue and a hand signal. If she does not follow the command on the first ask, then the e-collar is used to provide reinforcement. If after several asks she still seems confused or is otherwise struggling with the command, only then will leash pressure be used to guide her through it. By specifically reserving leash pressure for only when she truly needs it, we can encourage her to focus and use her knowledge of the commands instead of relying on the leash to physically move her through it. The goal is for the leash to become unnecessary during training, and allow it to either hang completely loose and unused, or be removed entirely! With this new approach to training, Daisy ran into some notable issues. I included some of these tough moments we captured while filming today in her pupdate to be transparent with her current progress. She was able to Heel decently well overall, and when small mistakes were made such as her falling behind or leading ahead slightly, she was able to correct herself without the need for the leash. However she would sometimes try to switch to the right side, or walk between my legs, instead of remaining at my left side. When this happened, she often needed me to pick up the leash and physically guide her back into position. She would also tend to freeze up and refuse to move at times when she was feeling a bit nervous, and when attempting to bring her back to position verbally and with the e-collar, she would sometimes try to move in the opposite direction from me, leading to me needing to step on or grab the leash to prevent her from running off. Due to this flight response, we will need to be extra cautious to only practice leash dragging when in safe environments until this habit diminishes. Daisy also struggled a lot with her Come to Sit today with the absence of leash pressure, and almost always needed me to pick up the leash or physically guide her for her to follow through with it correctly. She would tend to either refuse to come to me for the first several asks, or only come part way and stop before completing the maneuver. When she did come all the way to me, she would often try to come to the left side instead of circling around from the right like we have practiced. Daisy's stationary commands were okay, and she did well with her Sit command especially. She still wasn't able to jump for Place, but she was willing to climb onto some low objects around the park without issue. The most challenging stationary command for her was Down, as she was not willing to perform it on command when around distractions, and always needed both leash pressure and physical guidance to get her into position. We still have lots of work to do, but every day we are seeing progress in the right direction! Daisy also has continued to do well with her potty training, and has had no accidents while indoors.
Pupdate 7/28/2024
Today Daisy 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 Daisy 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 opted not to practice leash dragging at this location due to the busy street being nearby, but we did practice using as minimal leash pressure as possible.
Daisy did well with her Heel today overall, and she was able to stick beside me for most of the time without much leash pressure needed. However when spooked, she would sometimes freeze or try to run away a few feet. Once reminded of the command, she was able to snap out of it and return to position, but she often needed some leash pressure to help her through these moments. Her Come to Sit was generally pretty good however she sometimes needed a bit of physical guidance from the leash if she was feeling a bit nervous, as she tends to freeze up and struggle to complete the command in its entirety without a bit of help through these moments. Her stationary commands were okay, and once in a position she was generally good about holding it, even when practicing for slightly longer durations. She struggled a bit with Place and Down when around lots of distractions and almost always needed some guidance for it, however when distractions were on the lower end she was able to make small jumps onto low objects for Place and was also able to Down without assistance consistently.
Daisy and I also visited a restaurant patio together. At first Daisy seemed spooked by something, it was unclear if it was the table or chairs specifically, but she refused to walk closer to them when we first approached. We had initially walked up to the seating area while in a Heel, and she stopped in her tracks and began trying to pull backwards and run away. I then tried to recall her with Come to Sit towards the seating, however she wouldn't budge even with leash pressure and was instead trying to jump and flail around. I ended up having to crouch down and gently encourage her to walk towards me, which she eventually did. Once she got to where I was she sniffed the table and chairs and after that point she seemed to relax a bit. She was able to hold a Sit nicely as I sat down, and after a while she seemed a bit tired so I asked her to switch into a Down, which she happily did. She ended up holding her Down by my feet while I sat at the patio for around ten minutes, even with people, dogs, food, and other distractions passing by. When we went to leave, Daisy no longer seemed spooked and was able to walk around the tables and chairs without issue. which was good to see!
Pupdate 7/29/2024
Today Daisy and I visited a park, where we met up with some other OffLeash SoCal trainers and their pups. The park was pretty quiet apart from the distractions the other trainers and dogs provided, but there were a few other distractions such as the occasional lawn mower, jogger, or squirrel. Daisy seemed a tad nervous when we first arrived, but quickly adjusted to the environment and began focusing on her training quite well. She still had a few moments of being spooked by her surroundings however, such as if a dog or person made a sudden movement, or when a loud sound appeared such as the lawnmowers passing by.
We continued working on leash dragging while at the park today, and overall she did a pretty good job, especially compared to our previous leash dragging sessions! She was able to Heel with pretty good reliability, save for the few moments when she began feeling nervous. When distractions were minimal, she happily Heeled along next to me and engaged with me frequently as she paid close attention to her positioning. Small adjustments to her positioning were easily accomplished without needing the leash. There were still a few times however when I needed to step on or pick up the leash to prevent her from running off if she became scared of something around us, as the e-collar and verbal commands were not effective in these moments. Her Come to Sit was much better today, and she was able to perform this command without the leash being needed at all more often than not! The only times she ended up needing the leash was in the occasion that something nearby was making her nervous, as she would sometimes freeze and hesitate to perform the command unless I picked up the leash. Daisy did well with her Sit command today as usual, and also made some great progress with her Down command! She was much less hesitant to perform Down today, and more often than not was able to Down on command without needing leash pressure or physical guidance.
Daisy made some great improvements with her Place command today especially! We ended up dedicating a large portion of our time today to working on improving her ability to jump, as this is something she has struggled with significantly since beginning her training. As an underconfident pup, she tended to sell herself short and not believe that she could jump up onto objects, so we worked to build this confidence by playing training games and finding new ways to motivate her. One trick that ended up helping a lot was setting up a leash tied to two objects, that we encouraged her to jump over like a hurdle. We started it off very low, where she could simply step over it, and with time we gradually increased the height to where she had to make a small hop and eventually jump over it. When first beginning to increase the height, she would often try to go under it instead of jumping, but by continuing to play this training game she began to understand the goal and happily played along. Each time she completed the obstacle, she was rewarded heavily which kept the training fun and rewarding. Once she was jumping successfully, we transitioned to asking her to jump onto low objects around the park. At first she was a bit hesitant, but after a few tries we saw a shift in her, and she began consistently jumping onto objects when prompted! This was fantastic to see, and she very quickly was able to jump and Place onto a variety of objects with ease. She was even able to jump up into my car on her own for the first time, which made us so proud!
Daisy's potty training continues to go very well, with zero accidents. She is very comfortable going potty outside, and is able to wait for around six hours between breaks during the daytime, as well as sleep throughout the night without needing potty breaks.
Pupdate 7/30/2024
Today Daisy and I visited an outdoor mall, where we practiced all of her commands around distractions. The mall was decently busy today, with lots of groups of people, several other dogs, food, music, and flocks of birds. The mall is also near a busy street, where sounds of noisy traffic can be heard loudly. Daisy was pretty focused overall and was able to stay engaged with me pretty well, however there were a few times when she got spooked and tried to run off, so we opted to not practice leash dragging at this location. She seemed to mostly be spooked by the loud sounds we heard, such as a noisy car, someone dropping something, or a dog barking at her. We did however practice leash dragging around quiet areas of my neighborhood in the morning, and she did fantastic with this.
Daisy did great with her Heel today, and save for the moments when she was spooked and left position to move away from something that scared her, she did fantastic about sticking right beside me as we walked around. She was easily able to maintain her positioning, as well as correct herself when needed without the use of the leash. Her Come to Sit was also pretty good! She was able to perform her recall and maneuver without the leash needed to guide her almost every time. She would occasionally Sit slightly crooked or too far behind me, but she was able to correct herself when prompted.
Her stationary commands continue to show fantastic progress, and she did exceptionally with Sit, Down, and Place today. She was much more confident with these commands today, and showed no hesitation towards jumping onto objects for Place or entering the Down command when asked. She was sometimes even a bit over enthusiastic about Place today, and for one object, a ledge of a planter box, she jumped onto the ledge then tried to jump over the bushes too! While it's great to see her so eager, we gently corrected this by using a bit of leash pressure to guide her to jump onto the ledge only and not over the bushes. After a few repetitions, she understood to land on the ledge and remain there. She was able to remain in her stationary positions for nearly two minutes consistently, even with numerous distractions passing by around us. The only times she broke a command was when something loud occured nearby, at which point she would stand up prepared to run, but with a reminder of the command she was able to regain her composure and return to position.
Pupdate 7/31/2024
Today Daisy and I visited an outdoor mall, where we practiced all of her commands around distractions. The mall was pretty busy when we visited, with lots of people, other dogs, and other kinds of distractions around. Despite the busy environment, Daisy did pretty well here! She did still seem anxious, however she was able to focus on her commands with good reliability. She did still get spooked by her surroundings a few times and had a flight response at one point so we opted to keep her on leash as a safety measure, and continue working on her commands with the leash completely loose and unused.
Her Heel was great today, and she stuck by my side without issue as we walked around the mall and passed various distractions. She did very well with her Come to Sit also, and while some mistakes were made on rare occasion, more often than not she performed the entire command flawlessly without any leash pressure needed. Her stationary commands were excellent as well, and she was able to perform Sit, Down, and Place anywhere asked of her. She was also able to remain in these positions for as long as was asked of her, without breaking the position.
We also had numerous opportunities to work on her Greeting Manners, as Daisy was quite popular here! She got tons of compliments from people around us about how cute and well behaved she was. Some people wanted to pet her also, which she did very well with. She was able to remain calm and stationary during greetings, and while she was a tad wiggly at times she never broke position or behaved impolitely in any way.
Daisy's potty training continues to come along smoothly, and no accidents have occured. She is doing well with the routine we have in place, and does not seem tempted to potty while indoors whatsoever.
Pupdate 8/1/2024
Today Daisy and I visited the Santa Monica Promenade, where we practiced all of her commands around distractions. We also met up with Tanner and Padme, and did some great training together! We were able to capture some fantastic footage of them performing their commands alongside each other that will be used in putting together their final videos, so be sure to check out today's video for a sneak peek! Padme did provide some distraction for Daisy at first, however after working them around each other for a few minutes Daisy seemed to calm down and not get too excited about her sister being nearby. Overall she seemed to feel more confident with her sister around, and was less prone to being spooked by her surroundings which was great to see! While training solo she was a bit anxious at times, however she was always quick to recover and refocus whenever something made her nervous. Daisy did great with all of her commands today, including Heel, Come to Sit, Off, Down, Sit, and Place! She didn't seem to have any notable issues with any of her commands, and was able to perform all of them without any leash pressure needed to guide or reinforce.
Pupdate 8/2/2024
Today was Daisy'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. She did great with all of her commands, and had no issues with any of them. Daisy 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.
The goal for Food Manners is for Daisy 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. When first coming to me Daisy was pretty shy about her food, but quickly become a lot more comfortable and more motivated to eat her food! With this increase in drive however, she became prone to over-excitement, jumping, and rushing to the food bowl the moment it was set down even if it meant pushing me out of the way. Though as she progressed in her overall obedience, patience, and impulse control, she quickly replaced these bad habits and learned to be polite and patient even when faced with very tempting distractions such as food directly in front of her!
Another area of manners we have been working on is Daisy's Door Manners. The goal of Door Manners is for Daisy 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 prevents the impolite and possibly dangerous behaviors she once displayed, such as trying to escape through open doors, shoving past people when walking through doors, or rushing over to jump on or bark at people who are at the door. With daily practice, Daisy has made great progress with her manners related to doors, and understands to follow instructions no matter what distractions the door may create. After Daisy has been asked for a stationary command, a door can be left wide open, and she understands to not walk through the doorway unless given permission to, and when invited she can walk nicely through the doorway without shoving through or trying to rush out. I can even leave her sight completely and walk outside without her feeling the need to get up and follow me. Having proper Door Manners is also a great way to set Daisy up for success with in-home Greeting Manners as well!
Having good Car manners makes transporting Daisy easy, safe, and as hassle-free as possible. The goal for Car Manners is for Daisy 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 the kennel when asked, without needing to be physically guided or lured inside. In the early stages of training, Daisy lacked the confidence and skill to jump into my car, but now she is able to effortlessly hop up into the car! She also enters right into the kennel when prompted, and has no issues settling in and relaxing once inside.
Daisy has made such an amazing transformation in these past two weeks, and the differences in her are truly night and day! She came to us with little knowledge of any commands, and had a tendency to become overexcited, distracted, anxious, and overstimulated by everything around her. She has since learned to stay calm, focused, and neutral to her surroundings even in busy places. She has also learned a lot of impulse control, and understands when it's time for play versus when it's time to focus on her training. Her confidence, patience, discipline, and overall manners both in public and at home have all improved so much! Daisy has done an excellent job learning every command taught to her, and is able to perform them with great reliability. While her flight response prevents her from safely being off leash in busy places, she is able to perform all of her commands without leash pressure, and can be off leash when in safe and calm environments. She has also made fantastic progress with her potty training, and is no longer prone to having indoor accidents. While she may seem like a whole new pup, she is still the same goofy, 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! Daisy 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! With her intelligence and eagerness to learn, the sky is the limit for Daisy, and I know she has a very bright future ahead in her continued training journey with her family!
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