Dax | Boxer Mix | Palmdale, CA | In Training

Meet Dax!

Dax is a two-year-old Boxer mix from Palmdale, California, joining us for our Two-Week Urban Board and Train Program! He’s a sweet, playful boy with tons of love to give, but he often shows that affection a little too enthusiastically. Dax has a habit of jumping all over people, loves to nip when he gets excited, and is easily overstimulated in new environments. On walks, he pulls quite a bit and tends to bark at other dogs he spots along the way.

Over the next fourteen days, we’ll be focusing on building Dax’s obedience skills, improving his manners both inside and outside the home, strengthening his impulse control, and helping him channel all that energy in a calm, polite way. We’re excited to help him become the best version of himself. Stay tuned for Dax’s two-week transformation!

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Pupdate: 11/30/2025

After picking Dax up today, we spent some time at the park to get to know each other a bit. During our walk, he pulled quite a bit, barked at one dog, and showed plenty of curiosity toward the people around us, but overall he did a good job following along and wasn’t jumping at all in the beginning.

Once he started warming up to me, though, his playful side came out fast! He began jumping all over me and tried to nip here and there. When he did this, standing tall, keeping good leash control, and calmly ignoring him helped to ease the behavior. However, as soon as I tried to pet him again, he often went right back to jumping. That tells me that physical affection is a bit too stimulating for him in those excited moments. So anytime he jumped or nipped, we simply went back to walking, which usually helped bring his energy level back down.

It was also clear that all of this jumping and nipping was coming from a place of excitement and wanting to interact or play, not out of frustration or any attempt to hurt. He’s been extremely friendly and loving so far, and he just hasn’t learned how to express that energy politely yet. With that in mind, one of our first and most important goals will be teaching him that he can receive affection, or even play, without needing to jump or nip.

After we got home, Dax had some time to sniff around and get familiar with the house. We’ve been keeping things calm and relaxed indoors, and he’s settling in very well so far. He’s already showing me how sweet and eager to connect he is, and I’m excited to help him channel all that enthusiasm into good manners!

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Pupdate: 12/1/2025

Dax and I headed to the park today, and we had a really nice session together! We spent most of our time walking the paths and focusing on his Heel command. For Heel, I want him on my left side with his ears lined up at my leg, and he’s continuing to improve. He stayed with me well for the majority of our walk. A few dogs and squirrels definitely caught his eye, and he got excited here and there, but the big win is that he didn’t bark today—just perked up and then got back to work after.

We also put in more reps on his Sit command. Yesterday he responded about half the time, which was a solid start, but he really struggled to hold the position for longer than a couple seconds. Today we worked on increasing his duration, and he did a much better job staying put. He’s still building up his patience, but the progress is clear.

Overall, it was a productive and enjoyable day for Dax!

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Pupdate: 12/2/2025

Dax and I spent the day working on his Come To Sit command, which will be his main recall cue. For this exercise, I want Dax to come straight to my right side when called, wrap around behind me, and finish by sitting neatly at my left side with his ears lined up at my knee.

He’s picking up the pattern nicely! He’s starting to understand the path he needs to take, and each repetition is looking smoother and more confident. He still has some learning to do, but the progress is definitely there.

Check out the video above to see how it's looking!