Meet Dodger! He is a 9-month-old Golden Retriever from Los Angeles, CA who has joined us for our 2 Week Board and Train Program. Dodger is an overly friendly pup who loves to jump to greet people and rush up to any canine. He also has the tendency to play bite and does not pick up on social cues from any other canines. Dodger knows a little bit of recall and his sit command as well. Although he struggles to hold the commands even with no distractions present. Dodger loves to eat all food around him, even if it isnāt his from the counters! Throughout his next two weeks with us Dodger will learn all of his basic obedience commands, with distractions present and learn proper boundaries! Stay tuned for his transformation!
Pupdate 8/21/2022
Dodger spent the day setting into his new temporary home. He walked into our home with no problem and wanted to explore and sniff everything. Dodger ādemand barksā from time to come with us as well. Even though his first day of training officially begins tomorrow we are already setting boundaries with him. Such as no jumping on anyone or furniture he isnāt allowed on. As well as sitting and waiting at every doorway and waiting to be released/invited though.
Pupdate 8/22/2022
Please listen to the audio on the video for information about his Come to Sit command.
Pupdate 8/23/2022
Today we introduced a proper Heel to Dodger. With Heel we donāt want him pulling, walking behind us, or too far off to the side. Ideally, we would like his ears to be in line with our right leg. When we Heel was always want Dodger to match our pace, turn when we turn, and stop when we stop. It shouldnāt matter how fast/slow we walk, Dodger must remain in that Heel position. Heel will be implemented on all walks we go on, even if it is just from the car to the park.
Pupdate 8/24/2022
Please listen to the audio on the video for information about his Place command.
Pupdate 8/25/2022
Please listen to the audio on the video for information about his Down command.
Pupdate 8/26/2022
Today we took a trip to a local park to work on Dodgerās commands. There were plenty of distractions such as other people/children and dogs. He was very intrigued by everything around him and had some issues keeping his attention on us and at the tasks provided to him. After he got some good exercise in Dodger started to do a little better with the commands. Dodger needs constant attention/reminders or else he will go back to pulling in every direction. Anywhere outside the home/neighborhood Dodger is likely to react to commands in a protest kind of way.
Pupdate 8/27/2022
In the video above you can see Dodger practice all of his commands at a local park. Dodger is very pushy and uses the weight of his body to get away with not listening. It is crucial that you are consistent and follow through with everything. So, if Dodger gets up from a Down command, you immediately want to have him follow through with him down again. Dodger is to hold all of his commands until we ask him to do something else or release him with āBreak!ā. He knows all of the commands, but we let him do some problem solving to complete the command correctly.
Pupdate 8/28/2022
Please listen to the audio on todayās video for an update about Dodger.
We took Dodger for a vet visit to get his ears checked out by a professional. They concluded that Dodger does not have an ear infection, but he does have inner ear inflammation. Which is why we couldnāt see anything when inspecting his ears. The vet provided us with an ear cleaning solution and an anti-inflammatory topical solution. They recommended that Dodger be taken to your personal vet to have him screened on allergies as that may be the cause of the inner ear inflammation or get a Cytopoint injection to help with the allergies long term.
Pupdate 8/29/2022
We took a trip to Huntington Beach today to work on all of his commands in more distractions. It was pretty busy at the beach today so there was a lot for him to take in. Dodger didnāt mind the bikes, scooters and strollers which is good! He was very consumed with the distractions and needed extra help from us to focus on his commands. Whenever we see another dog coming near, we make that extra effort to keep Dodgers attention on us. Especially if the other dog is pulling, barking, or excitable in general. With more repetitions his commands will continue to improve more. It is all about consistency!
Pupdate 8/30/2022
When Dodger first arrived at the park, he was very consumed with all the smells around him. His nose catches his attention and is a big factor as in him being distracted. After some working time, he was able to focus some more on his commands. When he took a break and worked again the progress started over again of him being distracted by the smells. This is important to keep in mind. We need to provide reminders often to keep him focused and following through with the tasks. You can also see in the video that when Dodger is confused, we provide him with assistance to follow through with the ask. As long as we do our part Dodger is more consistent.
Pupdate 8/31/2022
At the park today Dodger was much more distracted today. This is another large park with a lot of dogs around. He immediately wanted to run up to the other dogs as soon as we took the leash off. Dodger is also less confident in himself in these areas. He is not comfortable with me walking away ātoo farā from him or for an extended period of time.
Pupdate 9/1/2022
We worked in the park with other dogs in close proximity. Dodger did well at this location as the park is more mellow. He has worked with the other pup before, so he was calmer and more comfortable around him.
Pupdate 9/2/2022
Dodger and his friend Brixton working on off leash heeling together around the park. It is fair to note that Dodger, when given direction, can and will choose to do as the handler asked despite the distraction level.
Pupdate 9/3/2022
We worked on Dodgerās house manners. These include crate manners, door manners and food manners. For car manners we would like Dodger to go in/out of the crate in the car on command. He sometimes takes his time coming out of the crate which isnāt a bad thing! As long as he doesnāt push his way out. Door manners we want Dodger to sit/down and wait before going in/out of any doorway. Even if it is left open. Food manners work similar to door manners where Dodger must sit/down and wait to be released to get his food. The same rule applies for treats too!
Greeting manners Dodger is to remain in a sit/down while someone says āhiā to him. If he gets up then the petting should stop, then have him sit/down again. He no longer jumps on people but he does wiggle around and move closer for more pets.
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