
Meet Duke! He's a two-year-old German Shepherd from Torrance, California here for our Two-Week Board and Train Program! He’s a handsome young pup. However, Duke does not like meeting new people, he pulls on the leash and can be intimidated by new things. Duke may know a command or two, however, he is highly inconsistent and can be easily distracted. Over the next fourteen days, Duke is going to learn a lot of structure and consistency through basic obedience tasks and proper manners in areas such as at home, in the car, and in meeting new people. Duke is going to learn how to do all these things on and off leash in a balanced training environment. Duke will demonstrate how great a pup he can be! Stay tuned for Duke’s two-week transformation!
Pupdate 12/1/24



Today Mr. Duke joined the Hansen pack for the next two weeks! Unfortunately, Mr. Duke did get a little car sick on the way home (maybe he's not a country music fan like the rest of my family). No worries! We cleaned it up and carried on. I let Mr. Duke meet the rest of the family and our pup Ms. Toji. Mr. Duke was not overly interested in Ms. Toji and she paid Mr. Duke no attention. He did well in meeting some and for others, he was a little intimidated. When I took him on his free walk around the neighborhood to get used to the smells, sights, and sounds, he did a growl at my 5-year-old. She loves to help me train the pups but we're going to make sure Mr. Duke is better behaved before she gets to be around him more. Going forward, this behavior will not be allowed. She had even offered him a treat and he was too distracted to take it from her so maybe next time when he's more comfortable and calm we'll try again. Overall on the walk, I noticed that Mr. Duke wanted to mark everything, and sometimes would get fixated on certain spots. This is fine when we allow him those opportunities but going forward it will be on our terms.
Attached to this pupdate is the video on how to use your ecollar. Please review a few times before the turnover. Also, anyone else that may be walking or training with Mr. Duke should review the video and features of the ecollar.
He was much more friendly with me once we got home and is getting used to the new environment. We will hit the ground running tomorrow and begin the new structure with Mr. Duke! Stay tuned for his two-week transformation!

Pupdate 12/2/24
Last night, Mr. Duke and I went on an extra walk around the neighborhood so that he could use the restroom before bedtime. This second walk was the beginning of Mr. Duke's training. I introduced the door manners where he has to sit and wait until I open the door and allow him to go through. I only had him on a flat collar but did not allow him to go until he was sitting properly. If he broke the sit, I would close the door and start over again. During the walk, I introduced the "heel" and the "sit" when we stopped. He did pretty well with this walk and eventually got into the "heel" position. Also, during this walk, I introduced the "off" command. This command lets the pup know to stop doing what you are doing. Mr. Duke gets fixated on certain places in the ground and can be stubborn in trying to leave those places. Once again, unless I give him the "break" command to go potty or investigate something, then he shouldn't be stopping on his own, smelling things on his own, or even stopping. I had asked him to "heel" and that's all he should be focused on.
Today I introduced the e-collar to Mr. Duke. As you can see in the video, I start at 0 and work my way up to see where I can get his attention. He was in a high-drive state playing with a ball and you can see him drop it several times. This was about a 10 and 15. Great starting points! As I stated when I picked him up, we want the level to be as low as possible to get the pup's attention but the pup determines that level. Throughout today's video, while we practiced the commands, Mr. Duke was primarily around 15. I wanted to see how much he could handle on the flat collar. He was able to perform all the tasks with the flat collar. I tried for an extended "sit" but he kept going into a "down". The problem was that I was too far away to address this before he went to the "down" so I moved closer and held the leash to prevent him from going into a "down". He performed an exceptional 2-minute "place" and "down". Tomorrow all we have left to introduce is the "come-to-sit". This is the most challenging task but I'm sure Mr. Duke will figure it out.
We will continue our walks around the neighborhood practicing the "heel", "off" and automatic "sit" when we stop. I did go on one walk around the neighborhood this morning and I think I'll be using the pinch collar for a little bit starting this evening. It will help refine some of his behaviors as I had to go significantly higher on the e-collar during the walk. I will also be switching over to 3/4" contact points versus the 5/8". This is purely to ensure that we are having solid contact with Mr. Duke's skin through the fur. I think this will help ensure the numbers stay as low as possible. Mr. Duke is always on the alert during the walks but I believe a lot of it is timidness. With more confidence and counter-conditioning, I believe Mr. Duke will be doing amazing things!

Pupdate 12/3/24

Today Mr. Duke and I headed over to Rynerson Park in Lakewood, CA. This is one of my favorite parks to train in due to the abundance of space and the amount of distractions varies so it is always a good place to stop by. Today there weren't too many distractions around - tree trimmers, a few people on their early morning walk, and a small gathering on the picnic tables. We'll have to go back when the kids are out and about and all the bikes, scooters, and dogs are around. He did throw up on the car ride over (I promise no country music was involved in this ride).
As of today, Mr. Duke has been introduced to all the commands he needs to succeed at the end of this two-week training. We introduced "come-to-sit" today at the park. Surprisingly, it did not go so well. I say surprising because I have tried it here and there on the walks and he has naturally done it. He is doing well with the "place", "down", and "sit" and is still shaping the "heel". Mr. Duke has no fear of going into the car. He is doing well with the door manners and learning to sit and wait. The food manners are a work in progress as he hasn't gone after his food too much since he gets distracted by every little sound and movement. I will keep leaving it out for him throughout the day to see if he will eat more.
I believe the key to success with Mr. Duke is going to be micro-managing his behaviors for the first week or so. He can become easily distracted. We need him to stay focused on the task at hand. Mr. Duke believes he's in charge of a lot of things and in order for us to establish a well-behaved pup, we need structure. We obtain this structure through constant communication of what our expectations of him are. Even after a long extended walk around the park, Mr. Duke was still willing to try to break the "heel" and go check out stuff on his own. With enough walks and him trusting me to give him breaks and let him go free to check stuff out, he will learn that the more he behaves, the higher the chance of him getting to go investigate and check some stuff out. This only happens when we allow it though; not when Mr. Duke wants to do it.

Pupdate 12/4/24
Today Mr. Duke and I worked on his manners around the house. We focused on his ability to be in the "place" and then "down" while the door opened and closed thanks to my mini-trainer. I didn't use the pinch collar for this exercise, but I will use it for his walks and other behavior-shaping training. Mr. Duke is responsive to the e-collar and that's all we needed for today's focus. I did ensure to switch over to the 3/4" contact points, which has significantly increased the contact with his skin and the effectiveness of the e-collar. I can keep the stimulation levels in the 20s and much more consistently get Mr. Duke's attention.
Last night we went on another walk where we have been playing around with different pace speeds as everyone walks at different paces. I tend to walk a little faster than most so I'm trying to make sure Mr. Duke understands "heel" means "heel" whether I'm running, walking, or dragging my feet. I enjoy going on walks with Mr. Duke as he is doing well with them. My goal is to introduce the leash drag "heel" by this weekend.
My main concern I have with Mr. Duke is that he still doesn't like being told what to do. After this morning's walk, I attempted to put him back in his crate, and he did attempt to nip at my hand. This is majorly unwanted and undesired behavior. We don't want to do negative + negative but we also can not allow this kind of behavior. I'll be keeping an eye out for this behavior to see if it gets any better over the next few days. I can't leave the e-collar on him all day to address this behavior either so we're in a little tricky situation at the moment.

Pupdate 12/5/24
Today, Mr. Duke and I headed to Whittier Narrows in El Monte, CA, to meet up with our fellow trainers. Mr. Duke did well being around the other pups and performed his commands well. We introduced the leash drag "heel" while we were walking around. Mr. Duke is doing well with this. One of the only things that seems to be distracting is that Mr. Duke will get fixated on a spot on the ground and start licking it. Even high levels of stimulation are sometimes not enough to get him off of it and the only option is to pull him off. The key is not to let him get any "wins". When we ask Mr. Duke to "off" or perform any command, we must ensure that he performs that task. The only exceptions are if he is hungry, thirsty, or has any other biological or medical reasons. Once we are sure that he has all his basic needs met such as water, food and bio breaks, we have a reasonable expectation that Mr. Duke is in a good state of mind and can perform the tasks we are asking of him. If he chooses not to perform those tasks, then we step in and ensure that he performs them.

12/6/24
Duke and I are making a lot of progress these days. It appears we have finally turned the corner and Mr. Duke and I are getting along much better. Mr. Duke is paying more and more attention to me and understanding the tasks. From here until next Sunday, it is going to be more, more, and more practice. I switched to my lightest leash for today's training and really didn't need it other than when Mr. Duke goes into a "down" instead of a "sit". Mr. Duke is doing this because he is taking the easy way out and figures if he does "down" instead of a "sit" he won't be bothered. However, when we ask him to perform a task, he needs to do the one we are asking for, not what Mr. Duke wants. I didn't perform any excess stimulation, all I did was pick up the leash, take one step forward which made him get up and move, then I reset the "sit". Overall, Mr. Duke is coming along nicely!

Pupdate 12/7/24
Today, Mr Duke, me, and my mini-trainer headed over to Liberty Park in Cerritos, CA. I switched Mr. Duke over to the slip lead which is lighter and shorter than the usual 15' lead I let drag behind him. We are still at a leash dragging "heel". The leash is a safety measure in case he wanders off or isn't responsive and I need to step on it for his safety. We are working closer and closer to getting him fully off-leash. Overall, he did great with all his commands! "Come-to-sit" is still a work in progress but today he performed a sit for over two minutes and a down for over two minutes with all the kids running around the park, people running around the track, and birthday parties going on. All without me holding the leash. Great job, Mr. Duke!
Last night, during our nightly walk, we walked the entire block with him in a leash drag "heel" with my mini-trainer helping me out. We even did the "Grinch" walk, walking slowly and pretending to be the Grinch stealing presents. Mr. Duke slowed down and was like the Grinch's pet - Max, right by our side the whole time.
This is your reminder to follow all leash rules and regulations wherever you go with Mr. Duke. Also, just because I can get him to perform off-leash doesn't mean that when I turn him over to you, you should run out and take him off-leash. I have been practicing with him every single day, usually multiple times a day. Structure is all around him while he's with me to ensure that you get a well-behaved pup back. I will show you the steps and the foundations to ensure you can practice and prepare for off-leash activities with your pup. When you practice with him, it will be imperative to start on the leash and feel comfortable with that first before you venture beyond that. You get a follow-up lesson for Mr. Duke even if you move to another city or state as part of your program! So if you feel like you have the on-leash activities down but don't feel confident bridging the gap to fully off-leash, a trainer can meet with you again and review everything.
This next week is just going to be practice, practice, practice!

Pupdate 12/8/24




Today, Mr. Duke and I went to a barbecue at Discovery Park in Downey, CA. Mr. Duke did great! He had several people come up and say hi to him. Many people commented on how well-behaved he is. We did go on a short walk around the park, reinforcing the off-leash "heel" and "come-to-sit". I got him to "place" on the dugout bench even though it was a little tricky initially. Mr. Duke is capable of a lot of amazing things and I like seeing how much we can ask of him. Unfortunately, he threw up most of his breakfast on the drive over to the park. He had nothing left for the drive home but did have excessive drool. This has been his regular for our car rides and I am prepared to clean it up each time. The good news, he has been consistently eating all or most of his food each day. Good job, Mr. Duke!

Pupdate 12/9/24
Today, Mr. Duke and I headed to Whittier Narrows in El Monte, CA, where we met with several of our fellow Off-Leash trainers. Mr. Duke has been performing better and better each day. I would say that Mr. Duke's two weakest areas are his "come-to-heel" and his distractibility. These two go hand in hand. Mr. Duke wants to sniff and investigate new areas thoroughly to ensure he is comfortable with the area. There isn't anything wrong with this; however, he does do it while walking and in new areas. A sign that he's not paying attention on our walks is that he will sniff the ground for more than 3 seconds consecutively or about 10 steps. This is symptomatic that he might be about to break off pattern. When I see this behavior, I give him a low-level stimulation + "off". This disrupts the focus that he has and then I give him one more low-level stimulation + "heel" and we get back to work. This is the same for the "come-to-heel". Mr. Duke starts to perform the command but will get distracted. For this command, I find that if I simply press the stimulation button and say "come" this is enough to disrupt his focus. This means that I will say it initially when I ask him to "come" and then press it several more times along the way to ensure that he is following through.
Trainer tip of the day! Be sure to always inspect and check your equipment and how well it is fitting. When Mr. Duke stops listening or training isn't going as well as it usually should, it is most likely linked to the equipment. As you can see in the first few seconds of today's video, I stop and adjust the e-collar position to ensure that it is in the correct location. If it shifts too far down to his neck and throat area, it is not as effective. Also, if it is so loose that it is moving that far, that means there is not adequate contact with the skin which then makes the e-collar less effective. Sometimes, we forget to pair the collar with the remote and it seems like the pup isn't listening. This happens frequently since the e-collar and remote become unpaired every time you charge them. No big deal but it is something to be aware of when conducting your daily training or walks with Mr. Duke.
P.S. No throwing up in the car today! Yay!

Pupdate 12/10/24




Today Mr. Duke and I headed over to Los Cerritos Center in Cerritos, CA. The mall wasn't overly busy since it was earlier in the day. Despite this, it was a new area for Mr. Duke. We were able to be mostly off-leash in the limited areas we explored so I was really proud of Mr. Duke. As I have mentioned before, he is vigilant in all areas and in a new area like the mall, he was on it. This being said, with that much new stimulus around, he did show signs of being overwhelmed. Those signs include not listening, and performing at about a 75% level. I was ok with this as this was the first time I had observed him being overwhelmed. I would be on the lookout for those signs and be ready to leave the environment. Give him a moment to reset away from all the stimulus and decide if you want to continue training or try again another time. The more you try to push when he is overwhelmed the more challenging it will be for him and you. Also, maybe a short break with water and going potty could get him back on track so you don't have to leave completely but don't push him too far. We have seen that when he is stressed out or overwhelmed he will resort to fight or flight and Mr. Duke is definitely a fighter. We don't want to capitulate but we also can't overwhelm the pup and then wonder why he's behaving poorly. As long as he has his bio breaks, water, food and he can breathe freely, we should expect Mr. Duke to perform all his tasks. Lastly, something as simple as putting him on the leash (if he wasn't already), helps relieve a lot of that stress by letting you take charge and leading him. Show him that there is nothing to be nervous about and that you will be there for him. Great progress Mr. Duke!

Pupdate 12/11/24

Today, Mr. Duke and I focused on his house manners. We worked on his "load up" command, door manners, and food manners. Mr. Duke likes going places, which means that the "load up" has been pretty good since the beginning. His door manners are exceptional, as you can see in today's video. Lastly, we get to practice his food manners twice a day, which means that he has become proficient with this task as well.
Your e-collar came in today! I put the 3/4" contact points I have been using on the collar for you and ensured a 15' leash for you to practice with is inside the case.
Trainer tip of the day! Consistency, consistency, consistency! Mr. Duke needs good consistent structure to remain a well-trained and well-behaved pup. I have built the foundation and it will be up to you to practice and maintain that foundation through clear, consistent training. Whether it's a walk around the neighborhood, a backyard practice session, going in and out of doors, or using that 5-minute mealtime, you should ensure that there is good structure in place for Mr. Duke. Take advantage of those opportunities throughout the day to maintain and reinforce Mr. Duke's training. The e-collar can be on for a few hours at a time but that doesn't mean that it has to be on for Mr. Duke to follow through with a task. We just have to be persistent and consistent in what we are requesting of him. Make sure to let him know when he does something that you want or something that you don't want and this will go a long way in clear communication with Mr. Duke.

Pupdate 12/12/24
Today Mr. Duke and I headed over to Los Cerritos Center in Cerritos, CA. We worked on all his commands in a public place. We worked on his off-leash obedience. Once again, due to Mr. Duke's hyper vigilant nature, he often gets overwhelmed in these environments. Be patient but firm. He can perform all commands but sometimes when it's this overwhelming, he has a hard time focusing without our leadership. As you can see in today's video, I used the leash when Mr. Duke became confused on his commands. In fact, many dogs prefer to have a leader and someone guiding them. We accomplish this through the e-collar as a communication device when performing off-leash.
This is another reminder to follow all leash regulations, laws, and ordinances. Remember to practice and review all the commands before performing off-leash activities. Practice in your backyard or a secluded area prior to trying in public, open spaces.
Mr. Duke is doing well overall and we can't wait to show you all the wonderful things he has learned!

Pupdate 12/13/24
It's another week for Mr. Duke, meaning he has to learn a few more commands. I introduced those new commands today. Those commands are "under", send away to "place" and come to "heel". I also introduced using some treats to encourage wanted behavior. Mr. Duke now trusts me enough and I can get his attention so I figured I would give them a shot. They seemed to work out well! I will continue to use those for the next few days to reinforce the new commands.
His come to "heel" is still shaping so this next week will be beneficial. He knows the command but sometimes gives up. I'm hoping the treats will be helpful and reinforce the commands, especially this one. I think this will make the training more rewarding and shape his wanted behavior. Check out his progress on the new commands and reinforce all the old commands!

Pupdate 12/14/24
Today we continued to practice and reinforce all commands, emphasizing the new ones. We did everything off-leash to avoid getting the leash caught on the obstacles I had in place for him. As you can see in today's training video, Mr. Duke is picking up on them pretty well using the treats! He really wasn't interested in them at first so I hadn't used them but they sure are working wonders! Even though I am currently using the treats as a reinforcement and enticement tool, I will start to slowly fade the treats out by the end of the week.
Furthermore, even though I am using the treats to entice Mr. Duke to the proper positions for these commands, I am still using the remote to give low-level stimulation + verbally saying the command. Although I will fade the treats away to ensure Mr. Duke comprehends the commands, you are more than welcome to use them as reinforcers whenever you want. I will show you the timing of when to give them during the turnover next week.

Pupdate 12/15/24
Today Mr. Duke and I headed over to Los Cerritos Center in Cerritos, CA to get outside and work on his commands around busier environments. He can get overwhelmed in these busier environments so I want to keep getting him to them as much as possible but once he's overwhelmed sometimes it's hard for him to focus on the task at hand. I had tried to make it to The Citadel Outlets but it was way too busy. Mr. Duke did throw up again in the car but we were driving for a long time.
Once we got to Los Cerritos Center, Mr. Duke was a good co-shopper as I browsed through some stores. My oldest came with me and helped too. Mr. Duke has grown rather fond of her too and when she goes into a store he starts to look for her. We were in and out of a few shops and he was well behaved throughout. That was a lot to ask of him and he performed well!

Pupdate 12/16/24
Today I wasn't feeling too hot so we stuck around the house for our last backyard session. We took a walk around the neighborhood completely off-leash. Mr. Duke is doing so well! So well in fact that he has become super attached to me. When I picked Mr. Duke up, I mentioned that German-shepherds usually have their person that they are obsessed with. I have become that to Mr. Duke which has been a blessing and struggle. Take for instance, today, that he decided to go through the window screen and into the dog run so he can find me while I was training my other pup. It has led to other unwanted behaviors such as whining, scratching, and pawing at doors. What I have been doing is leaving the e-collar on more frequently throughout the day and making sure I have the remote with me. This ensures that I can give a low-level stimulation anywhere in the house. This helps disrupt that behavior and allows him to refocus and calm down. This is similar to how I mentioned that if he has his head down sniffing the ground for too long on our walks, it's only a matter of time before he will break off and try to do his own thing. The sooner we disrupt that focused mindset of his, the sooner we get him back on track.
Mr. Duke does have long fur and sometimes the e-collar does slip to the slide and we have to move it back to its proper location. This can cause two problems, 1) if it is always moving and we are always sliding it back into place, his skin can get irritated and then we can't use the e-collar. It is important to make sure it is nice and snug and making good contact with his skin. 2) If it is in the incorrect location, Mr. Duke requires a much higher stimulation to get his attention and we don't want that. If you find that you are above 40 for any reason, I would advise to stop and look at the placement of the e-collar, verify there is solid skin contact and ensure everything is paired up.
As you can see today, his come to "heel" is looking good, his come to "heel", and even his "under" are coming along nicely! The send-away to place is still kind of getting there. If I press the stimulation button too early he will get distracted and not make it there and if I press it too late, he will think he's not supposed to go to it and will break off the pattern. I'll use some more treats and we'll clear things up for him!

Pupdate 12/17/24
Today I was feeling a little better so we headed out to the outdoors. Maybe some sunshine and fresh air will speed up my recovery. Either way, Mr. Duke loves being outside and going anywhere with me. We swung by Petco to grab some more treats. I tried to let him pick his own but he wanted everything. We then headed over to Rynerson Park in Lakewood, CA for some fun practice. I mentioned that on our walk the other day we went off-leash the whole time. This gave me the idea to show you what he's capable of these days. As you can see in the video, his recall is pretty solid over large spaces. His come to "sit" is even good! His send away to "place" was not very good in the video but we went and practiced that afterwards. Much better!
Mr. Duke still has his quirks like barking when someone is at the door, watching people through the blinds, and he will even pull you hard on the leash when we give him the "break" command. These can all be mitigated if you are giving him something to do. Take for example the barking at the door, when he's in the down or place in the house, then I am ok with a little bark as long as he isn't getting up and running to the door at max level. If he gives a little bark because he's startled, it's only reactionary and I am not going to give him the "off" command. If he does it several more times, I will give him the "off" command and remind him to "down" or something that doesn't mean barking at the door. Also, the pulling on the leash after giving the "break" command. "Break" means being free and doing your own thing. He loves "break". If he does start pulling extra hard or licking pee/poop spots in the grass as he loves to do, I give him a low-level stimulation + "off". Then he can go back to his break. We are only telling him to stop doing that one thing. We haven't asked him to do anything else. Once he's done with his potty break or investigating, we simply ask him to "heel" + low-level stimulation again and continue our day.
Last note, he performed the video tasks after riding in the car to Petco and the park. Although he didn't throw up, he was excessively drooling like he was getting sick. Once he got his bearing back and was more locked in, he was doing even better than in the video. Be cognizant of his state of mind when practicing with him. For daily tasks, you won't be putting him through the marathon of tasks I ask of him. I am asking him to do all the tasks in a short period. You can work with him practicing one or two commands at a time every day for a few minutes. This will be more than enough to maintain and build upon the foundation. A reminder that you have a free follow-up lesson if you are struggling or Mr. Duke is not cooperating as much as you would like.

Pupdate 12/18/24
Today Mr. Duke and I worked on all his house manners. As you can see, he sometimes messes up because he anticipates what we're going to ask him. I don't know why he didn't want to "load up" today but we stayed persistent and made it happen! Mr. Duke is capable of so many things. The sky will be the limit when you get him back. I look forward to showing you how to guide him to the future and what he can do.

Pupdate 12/19/24




Today Mr. Duke and I headed to Los Cerritos Center in Cerritos, CA to practice all his commands in a busy public place. We have been focusing on his send away to "place" and "under". Usually, we would have the full three weeks to work on these but with some treats, and carefully timed low-level stimulations, we have been making good progress. We are at about 5' away when we send away to place as long as it's clear what we want from him. This is called generalization in dog training. The issue is that if a pup overgeneralizes items, they will anticipate and try to "place" on all kinds of things similar to benches. We temper that by only asking them to perform the send away to "place" when we want and not when they decide. Also, Mr. Duke may occasionally be confused about whether he is supposed to "under" or "place" on objects about three feet high. This will come with more time and practice. For now, he is doing a good job with both of these commands and I am happy with his progress. Mr. Duke received several compliments while we were walking through the mall.

Pupdate 12/20/24
Today Mr. Duke and I headed to Los Cerritos Center in Cerritos, CA to keep working around distractions. Today we went fully off-leash around the last-minute Christmas shoppers. We also had an opportunity to work on his greeting manners. When meeting new people, place Mr. Duke in the "sit". Then I have the new people just scratch under his mouth/neck area. The reaching out with a hand and having the pup smell the new person makes it awkward. Reaffirm to people that he's well-trained and that it's okay to pet him. Dogs have incredible noses and can smell everyone and everything around them. Presenting your hand to them when they could smell you from a long distance is a little unnecessary in my opinion. Be confident and rub his neck and chest and allow him to be rewarded for being a good pup.
Mr. Duke did somehow manage to get car sick on our 10 minute drive over to the mall but he was over it pretty quickly and performed well as you can see in today's video.
Mr. Duke has been doing so well with all his commands! Two more days until we can show you everything he has learned!

Pupdate 12/21/24



Today Mr. Duke and I headed over to Home Depot to check out the sights and sounds. Mr. Duke is fantastic when it comes to training. I really think there is very little you couldn't teach Mr. Duke with the foundation he has. He is loyal and willing to do just about anything. He was a little trepid about the carts at first and goes into a glue-like "heel" when he's nervous but as a good, confident leader, we show him that there is nothing to be worried about and carry on.
Below is a list of all the commands that Mr. Duke was trained on while he was with me:
Sit/Extended Sit
Down/Extended Down
Place/Extended Place
Send away to Place
Come to Heel
Come to Sit
Under
"Break" - this means that he can go be himself and do whatever he wants to do
Car Manners - "Load Up"
Door Manners - sit, place, or down at a door. He should not go first through the door. He can only go in and out of doors when we say "yes" or "ok". He should not go out the door just because you open it either. He should wait patiently until you are ready for him.
Food Manners - sit or down patiently until the food is ready. Then "Break" to eat the food.
Greeting Manners - Have Mr. Duke in a "sit" and allow new people to greet him by rubbing under his chin and neck area. Don't make it awkward.
I tried teaching him "out" for his toy and that he can't go get the toy until we say "yes" but that's a work in progress. I also tried to teach him to "crawl" but I didn't push that one too hard. He loves this rope tug that I have. I'll be sending it home with Mr. Duke. Your pup is capable of incredible things if you take your time, make it clear, practice, and reward him properly. It also helps that he's kind of obsessed with me and will do anything to make me happy. I am sure he feels the same way about you guys and you can get him to do incredible things. Thanks for letting me train your pup!

Comments