Elsa | German Shepherd/Border Collie Mix | Ft. Irwin, CA | In-Training
Updated: Oct 3
Meet Elsa! Elsa is a six-year-old German Shepherd and Border Collie Mix here for our Three-Week-Reactive Board and Train Program. Elsa came to establish a solid foundation of obedience. She is a loving pup that has a few unwanted behaviors. Elsa can bark at other pups on walks and plays too rough with other pups at times. Her obedience is unreliable and inconsistent. Elsa can perform a command or two with proper motivation; however, she lacks structure and performs tasks inconsistently. Over the next twenty-one days, Elsa is going to learn to be an obedient pup through consistent, clear communication and balanced training at home and by discovering new people and places. Elsa will learn to perform all these things on leash through a positive and balanced training environment. Through structure and consistency, Elsa will demonstrate how great a pup she can be! Stay tuned for Elsa’s three-week transformation!
Elsa | Shepherd/Border Collie Mix | Pupdate 09/13/26
Today, Ms. Elsa joined me for her Three-Week Reactive Board and Train Program. On the way home, we stopped at a local park to see what commands Ms. Elsa could perform. She jumped out of the car, very excited! So excited that she performed zero commands! She performed about as well as you would think, which is not very well. She was running all over the place and checking everything out. She ignored my command at all costs, even though there was no one else at the park. I think you know all that, and that's why she's here. After I tested her skills, we had a mini photoshoot to obtain her profile picture for her blog. I don't know if you know this, but as soon as dogs see a phone or camera in front of their face, you are now invisible to them, and they must ignore you at all costs. Once we got what we needed, we loaded up and headed to Ms. Elsa's temporary residence for the next two weeks. Ms. Elsa was fine during the car ride home.
Once we got home, I let Ms. Elsa smell Ms. Toji and Mr. Beans through the front gate. Ms. Elsa had her tail wagging and was interested in the pups. Ms. Elsa sniffed them through the fence. I observed for reactivity in this initial meeting. Mr. Beans did bark at Ms. Elsa, but she didn’t care. Ms. Elsa had no problems getting into the house. I let her explore each room and meet everyone. Throughout the introductions, Ms. Elsa showed a happy, excited interest in everything in the new environment. She was excited to meet everyone. I let her get some water after the long drive home and the stop at the park. She drank almost the entire water bowl!
Then, I let Ms. Elsa smell Ms. Toji and Mr. Beans through my screen door to the dog run area. Here, I did not observe any adversity. I took Ms. Elsa outside to meet Ms. Toji and Mr. Beans. I tethered Ms. Elsa to a post on my gazebo while I went and brought one dog at a time to meet her. I started with Ms. Toji, meeting Ms. Elsa. This meeting went well. Then I went and tried to get Mr. Beans, but he did not have it. Ms. Elsa hung out with Ms. Toji and Mr. Beans for a while tonight, and they seem to get along fine. I’ll allow Ms. Elsa, Mr. Beans, and Ms. Toji to hang out together more tomorrow.
We then went on a long walk around the block so that she could get used to the sights, sounds, and scents of her temporary new neighborhood. She didn’t pull too hard at all. She did stop occasionally and sniff a few spots and stubbornly wouldn’t leave them. She ignored all the other dogs in the houses that barked at us as we went around.
I expect to see her work well with the structure and positive reinforcement. I expect her to respond well to treats if she isn’t overwhelmed by the structure and e-collar. With clear, persistent communication and expectations, she will learn to be a well-mannered pup!
I gave her dinner and observed how much she ate. I keep track of her weight and will ensure that she maintains her weight while she is with me.
I've attached the e-collar familiarization video. Please review the video a few times before Ms. Elsa's turnover. We'll practice together to make sure you are comfortable with the system before using it with Ms. Elsa.
I have also added the pictures of her ears that I took while at the park earlier. I'll keep an eye on the redness and see if it calms down in the next day or two.
Elsa | Shepherd/Collie Mix | Pupdate 09/14/26
Today, I introduced Ms. Elsa to the e-collar in a quick backyard session. She did quite well with the e-collar. I tried to get her to play with me before starting and during, but she just wanted to be loved on or go back inside. I usually start with it on loosely and slowly build up to it being on firmly before using the e-collar remote, but since you guys have introduced a form of the collar to her, I just put it on her. She had no objections. I start at level 0 and work my way up until I see a physical reaction from the pup. It looks like a fly or something is bothering them on the initial reaction. They are experiencing something that they have never felt before and are wondering what's going on. I got a slight reaction at levels 10 and 15. I went up to 20 and 25 to see if that was too much for her or a better signal to her. I kind of like level 20 for her to start. If it's too low, it can feel like a tickle and distract from the training. Level 20 is just slightly stronger to be consistent in communicating with her. If she gets proficient at level 20, I can attempt to go lower and see if she will continue to execute the commands. The good news is that level 20 and 25 didn't bother her. I didn't go up much higher than that for now.
We then headed over to Klingermann Park in Rosemead, CA, to meet up with our fellow Off-Leash trainers and their pups. Ms. Elsa had no reactivity or issues with the other dogs! We went up and said hi to the Off-Leash owner, Mr. Mike's two pups, Ms. Ruby and Mr. Oso. They paid her no mind, and neither did she. She said hi and went about her business.
We have a lot of time to work with Ms. Elsa, and I think it's going to go great. If she continues to be less reactive and locks in with her commands, we're going to have a fun time training and challenging Ms. Elsa to be a great pup. I didn't use any treats today, just to see how well she would perform the commands. I did introduce "heel", "sit', "down", "place", and door manners. She already knows "load up," which is awesome!
Elsa | Shepherd/Collie Mix | Pupdate 09/15/26
Today, Ms. Elsa and I headed over to Liberty Park in Cerritos, CA. We practiced all of her commands. We reviewed "heel", extended "sit", extended "place", extended "down", and "come-to-sit". Even though we were at the park, there were no other pups or major distractions. There were a few kids at the park, a few pickleball matches, and a few others working out.
She did a great job with all of her commands. She is responding well to all the commands. We worked on level 15 for the day on the e-collar. She is coming along nicely for only being on day two of her training. She is getting along well with Ms. Toji and Mr. Beans. By "get along," I mean she mostly ignores them and does her own thing. She likes to hang out near my computer desk while I am in the room.
Elsa | Shepherd/Collie Mix | Pupdate 09/16/26
Today, Ms. Elsa and I reviewed her manners around the house. I formally introduced and demonstrated her door manners, food manners, and car manners.
I started by demonstrating the two types of door manners. The first version involves having her "sit' at the door while we open it. She has to sit patiently while we go through the door. She can go through the door with us or after us, but never before us. She had no issues with this task. Next, we can have her perform "place" and "down" near the door. This method is to allow guests to come over without her jumping and meeting people at the door, allows you to go in and out to get the mail, bring in packages, or make multiple trips to the car for groceries. She did surprisingly well with this one. She was jumping on my door before we started filming as I was going inside and outside to get stuff out of the car for the video. Although you can't hear it, I did close the door and knock on the door, as well as ring the doorbell. No barking. She did not break the "down" either.
Next, we reviewed her food manners. She knocked this out of the park. Great job!
Lastly, we reviewed her car manners. She already knows "Load Up!" so this one is more of an exercise in her waiting patiently for us to actually say "Load Up!". We go so many places over the next few weeks that she will have this locked down without any issues. She was disappointed that we weren't actually going anywhere.
I did notice her going for food on the ground in my house. This is going to make for a perfect opportunity to work on "Off!". I'll continue to mitigate the behavior, but I'll definitely put together a video and training session working on this so you can see her progress.
Elsa | Shepherd/Collie Mix | Pupdate 09/17/26
Today Ms. Elsa and I headed over to Heartwell Park in Long Beach, CA. I continue to look for things that will trigger Ms. Elsa. She does not seem interested in exhibiting those reactive behaviors. This is a good indicator that she might be able to handle the off-leash work. I was very loose with the leash and let it drag behind her while still loosely holding it. She had no real issues. If anything, she was lagging and needed encouragement to keep up.
She is doing great with all of her commands so far. I will keep looking for things that may elicit a response from her. So far, she has been pretty calm.
Elsa | Shepherd/Collie Mix | Pupdate 09/18/26
Ms. Elsa and I headed over to my local Home Depot in Lakewood, CA. We reviewed "sit", "place", "down", "heel", and "come-to-sit." She ignored the local cat on the way in. She said hi to a few strangers. She didn't let the Halloween decorations bother her. She is doing so well!
I'll keep pushing her and taking her to busier and busier environments to test her skills with more distractions. I haven't seen any adversity to this point.
Good job today, Ms. Elsa!
Elsa | Shepherd/Collie Mix | Pupdate 09/19/26
Today, Ms. Elsa and I headed over to Liberty Park in Cerritos, CA. It was nice and busy this afternoon. There were a ton of kids on the playground, a bunch of people working out and playing pickleball, several parties were wrapping up, and quite a few pups at the park.
I introduced leash dragging with Ms. Elsa. Overall, it was a good start. It wasn't perfect, but I didn't expect it to be. She did great with all the basic commands.
After we were done, I headed around the park looking for pups. I found a lady with three Shih Tzus that were quite rambunctious. I walked right towards them. Ms. Elsa perked up and stared right at them. I gave her the "Off!" command and reminded her to "heel," and she went right back to performing the "heel" without any issues. I went past them and then came back and let Ms. Elsa take it in. I tried to get her to react, and she wouldn't. This is a good indicator of her ability to be pushed to off-leash work.
Good job today, Ms. Elsa!
Elsa | Shepherd/Collie Mix | Pupdate 09/20/26
Today, Ms. Elsa and I headed over to El Dorado Park in Long Beach, CA, to continue her leash-dragging obedience tasks. I'd say she did pretty well again! I even introduced "come-to-heel". I had her perform a "come-to-sit" from about 20' away.
I gave her a good brushing, and as you can see, it was everywhere! Much better to leave it at the park than all over my house. We don't call them German Shedders for no reason!
When we were leaving, there was a small pup heading towards us. Ms. Elsa perked right up with her ears and focused on it. I gave her an "Off!" and she left the pup alone.
Good job today, Ms. Elsa!
Elsa | Shepherd/Collie Mix | Pupdate 09/21/26
Today, Ms. Elsa and I headed over to Klingermann Park in Rosemead, CA. We met up with our fellow Off-Leash trainers and their pups.
Ms. Elsa had no issues, as usual. We walked by all the other dogs to see if she would show any reactivity, and she didn't. We reviewed her commands, then had another good brushing session to keep as much as possible out of my house.
I'll keep taking her to as many places as possible to expose her to as much stimuli as possible. She has been really chill everywhere we go. I do still need to set up training to teach her not to eat the food on the floor in the kitchen. She's doing well with all her basic commands, so we can mix in a few other things along the way. We also have to help condition her to the Paw Force Ones you sent with her.
Good job today, Ms. Elsa!
Elsa | Shepherd/Collie | Pupdate 09/22/26
We reviewed Ms. Elsa's manners around the house today. I reviewed both types of her door manners and her food manners. She is very, very good at "Load Up!". I didn't want to demonstrate that for you today, as last time she was not happy that we didn't actually leave.
Today was a little warmer, so we kept it in the house and kept her nice and cool throughout the day.
Tomorrow, Mr. Beans goes home, and it's just me and Ms. Elsa for the second half of her training. As you can see, I had Ms. Elsa perform almost everything off-leash today. In zero- or low-distraction environments, I feel comfortable with her off-leash. I'll continue to gauge her reactivity in other areas to determine if we can push her further off-leash. She will be good on and off leash in zero- to low-distraction environments based on my assessments at this point.
Great progress, Ms. Elsa!
Elsa | Sheperd/Collie Mix | Pupdate 09/23/26
Ms. Elsa and I headed over to my local Petco in Lakewood, CA. I continue to try to track down triggers for Ms. Elsa. The most I get is a look and ears perked up when a pup barks. She will excessively linger and try to sniff pee spots. She will hunt for food on the ground. We will address this at some point, but the good part is that when she performs these behaviors, she gets an "Off!" with a stimulation. The "Off!" command is the only command that always requires a stimulation. It is meant to disrupt the current behavior. It can be the vibrate function if the distraction is minimal, or a level 10 stimulation where we hold the black "S" down for a second or so, but regardless of the method, it always comes with a stimulation from the e-collar to disrupt her unwanted behavior.
All in all, a good trip to the pet store!
Elsa | Shepherd/Collie Mix | Pupdate 09/24/26
Today, Ms. Elsa and I had a good old-fashioned backyard session. We did this session to see how well Ms. Elsa could handle off-leash work. I think you can see from the video that she handled it quite well! I even had her perform a "come-to-heel" from the "sit" position, and she nailed it. As we head out to busy locations, we will see how she handles it. I have not seen her react at all up to this point. She doesn't bark when the doorbell rings.
We practiced all of her commands off-leash today. We reviewed "sit", "down", "place", "heel", "come-to-sit", and introduced "come-to-heel".
Also, Ms. Elsa got a bath today! She's nice and fresh but still shedding like crazy!
Coming up over the next few days, we'll continue to head out to busier and busier locations. I have a plan for the food to practice her trying to get food off the ground. At these locations, we'll start using the booties.
Good job today, Ms. Elsa!
Elsa | Shepherd/Collie Mix | Pupdate 09/25/26
Today, Ms. Elsa and I headed over to Rynerson Park in Lakewood, CA. We introduced the booties you sent with her and continued to work with her off-leash in low-distraction environments. Well, it was a low-distraction environment until some random dude pulled up and camped out with his pug while we were training! It works for her training, though. We used it as a distraction and worked through it.
We reviewed all of her commands again. I also had her go to a "place" from a long way away. She didn't quite go all the way onto the cot, but she did come running back to me. One thing I might do is use a slip lead for a day or two to help her lift her head off the ground. She's sniffing and looking for food. The flat collar isn't enough to fix this behavior, and when I use the e-collar to say "heel", she's putting herself physically in the proper position; however, her head is still down towards the ground looking for food. I need something more meaningful to get her to understand to put her head up and walk around.
Another good day! Great job, Ms. Elsa!
Elsa | Shepherd/Collie Mix | Pupdate 09/26/26
Today, Ms. Elsa and I went to the Los Cerritos Center in Cerritos, CA. The mall was BUSY! There were lines for the new iPhone and at a store called Lunch Box. I'm not sure what that was about. I had to park all the way in the back! Anyway, Ms. Elsa didn't care about any of it. She was perfectly fine. She tried to say hi to a few people, but we kept on trucking. We walked from end to end without issue.
We reviewed "heel", "sit", and "down". I even squeezed in a "come-to-sit". All the benches were taken by shoppers, so there wasn't anywhere to practice "place". We did encounter two or three pups, but she took a look at them; I gave her an "Off!" and on we went. I also used the slip lead for today, as I said I would. This keeps her head up a little higher and in a better place than trying to sniff everything on the floor. Overall, great job today!
Elsa | Shepherd/Collie Mix | Pupdate 09/27/26
Today, Ms. Elsa and I headed over to Liberty Park in Cerritos, CA. We continued to review all of her commands around distractions. It was a busy day. Kids on the playground, people working out, BBQs, lots of pickleball, people working out on the track, volleyball players, and people walking their pups. I let her show me what she can do off-leash. She's doing great! On the way over to where we practiced, I had Ms. Elsa on the slip lead to keep her head up. She's figuring it out quickly. She's smart. We walked past a few dogs, and she was fine.
At the end, when I was grooming her, she did see a Rottweiler-looking pup and actually growled. It's the first time I've heard that from her. I put the leash back on her after telling her, "Off!" I wasn't holding it, but just in case.
Once again, another good day for Ms. Elsa! This will likely be the last time we head over to Liberty Park as we focus on getting her ready to head back next week!
Elsa | Shepherd/Collie Mix | Pupdate 09/28/26
Today, Ms. Elsa and I headed over to Klingermann Park in Rosemead, CA, to meet up with our fellow Off Leash trainers and their pups. I was very loose with the leash to see how Ms. Elsa would respond to the other pups. She was happy and interested in all of them. She behaved well around the other pups. She even let one of the little ones climb on the place cot with her! As always, I wish I had more to tell you about Ms. Elsa, but she just keeps on trucking right along, doing everything so well. I did brush her again to try to minimize the hair at my house, but alas, it's just for looks at this point since she's part German shedder and the hair just keeps on shedding.
Over the next week, look for a final review of her commands at home, and a review of her commands at a public place like the mall or Citadel Outlets. I have been really consistent about not letting her hunt for food on the ground, but she's had a lifetime of self-rewarding for that behavior that it is hard to counter-condition in just a few weeks. I think if you guys stay consistent, she'll do much better over time.
Good job, Ms. Elsa!
Elsa | Shepherd/Collie Mix | Pupdate 09/29/26
Today, Ms. Elsa and I reviewed all of her commands and manners around the house. We reviewed the two types of door manners, food manners and car manners. I demonstrated them on leash and off-leash. Just remember that when it comes to off-leash work, she has more freedom to make her own choices. As a result, we may need to set the e-collar remote higher than when she is on leash, and we can use leash pressure to guide her. She is a tough cookie and can handle higher levels of stimulation without shutting down. If we go too high, like above 50, we might need to check our equipment or check in with Ms. Elsa to make sure she clearly understands what we are asking of her. We don't want to unnecessarily go much higher than 50-60 with her. That doesn't mean you can't or shouldn't go higher if the situation calls for it.
Good comprehensive review today, Ms. Elsa!
Elsa | Shepherd/Collie Mix | Pupdate 09/30/26
Today, Ms. Elsa and I headed to Petco in Lakewood, CA. Just because we have been somewhere once doesn't exactly mean she's going to be a poster child at the next visit. It's important to habituate dogs to places. This is why I have been visiting the same spots over and over again to ensure that she is adjusting well to them. This ensures that she can handle the different environments. It's not fair to assume that our dogs are going to love and be comfortable in every new environment. We need to take our time, be respectful of their weariness in new environments without babying them. We must be strong pup parents and encourage them to adapt without overstimulating them. Now, with Ms. Elsa, this isn't too much of an issue. However, she does look to me for support. I put her in a "sit" in a place like Petco, and she's focused on me and trying to stay close to me. She wants the comfort and doesn't want to do the wrong thing. These are the small signs that she might need some reassurance from us in these types of environments.
We went to Petco to look for more of Ms. Elsa's food. I improperly read the Google results that it was available at my local Petco but it made for a good day of training. I checked that it was at PetSmart before we drove over there, and it was only available at a local Walmart. Anyway, she'll have plenty of food to finish out her time here.
Lastly, when we got home, I went ahead and wiped down her ears and cleaned out some of the gunk. She definitely had some sticky stuff in her left ear. Her right ear was pretty clean.
Tomorrow, we'll head to Rynerson Park for a full off-leash session in the grass with the booties on again. Once again, one time does not mean she's fully acclimated or adjusted to them. I also want to show off how well her recall is from far away when she's off doing Ms. Elsa things.
Good job, Ms. Elsa!!
Elsa | Shepherd/Collie Mix | Pupdate 10/1/26
I planned to go to Rynerson Park in Lakewood, CA, today, and not to Liberty Park in Cerritos, CA, but I had to change my plans. Apparently, Rynerson Park is closed for a few days for construction. So back to Liberty Park we went. The mission was still accomplished! We practiced everything fully off-leash while she was wearing her booties. I jogged with her, walked with her, and had her recall from far away. I tried to get her to wander off by giving her the "Break!" command way off in the distance, but she was staying close by. I wanted her to start sniffing the ground and leave my side so I could do a real recall while she was distracted. I'll take a dog who chooses to stay close just as well as one that would venture off with a proper recall. She didn't mind the booties at all.
I think Ms. Elsa is locked and loaded to be the pup that you always wanted her to be. Will she still bark at stuff? Yes. Will she stop if you tell her "Off!"? Also, yes. Will she sniff the ground intensely at times? Yes. Will she follow your commands when distracted? Again, yes. Will she shed incessantly no matter how many times you brush her? Definitely yes!
Great work, Ms. Elsa!
Elsa | Shepherd/Collie Mix | Pupdate 10/02/26
Today, Ms. Elsa and I had a quick trip to Home Depot. It was beyond hot today all over the place, and I didn't want her to be out for too long. Luckily, it was nice and shady in the plant area of Home Depot while being nice and cool inside.
The only thing that was going through my mind while at Home Depot was that Ms. Elsa is such a well-behaved pup. I was thinking about how you guys should be able to take her wherever you want. I know that might make the other dogs jealous, but she's a model citizen. She is friendly and reacts well to all the commands. She loves to jump in the car and go on adventures. I mean, she's got everything going for her.
Tomorrow, we will head to the mall to conduct a final review of all of her commands in a public place, likely with a lot of people avoiding the heat.
Another great day for Ms. Elsa!
Elsa | Shepherd/Collie Mix | Pupdate 10/03/26
As promised, today, Ms. Elsa and I headed over to Los Cerritos Center in Cerritos, CA, to review all of her commands at an extremely crowded mall. I knew it would be busy, but it was Christmas-level busy. Everyone who wasn't watching MLB at home came to the mall today. It was a great environment for Ms. Elsa's training. There were several other pups around, and she paid them no mind.
We reviewed "heel", extended "sit", extended "place", extended "down", "come-to-sit", and her greeting manners. Great job, Ms. Elsa!
I have attached the pictures of the e-collar you will be receiving tomorrow. This is the collar I have been using with her this entire time.
As a reminder, here are the obedience commands that she has learned while with me:
Sit/Extended Sit: Press the black "S" button + say "Sit".
Down/Extended Down: Press the black "S" button + say "Down".
Place/Extended Place: Press the black "S" button + say "Place".
Come-To-Sit: Press the black "S" button + say "Come" + use your hands to guide them into place and say "sit" when they are on your left side.
Heel: Press the black "S" button + say "Heel".
Food Manners/Refusal: The pup must patiently wait in either a "sit" or "down" while you prepare the food and then say "break," allowing the pup to access the food.
Car Manners: Press the black "S" button + say "Load up!"
Greeting Manners: Have the pup "sit," then allow the new person to say hi
Door Manners: Place the pup in a "sit", open the door, and then allow the pup to go through with you, or say "ok" and let the pup inside
"Off" + black button "S" to stop the pup from performing unwanted behavior. Always press the black "S" when using this command.
"Break!" - no stimulation, and the pup can freely sniff or go potty.
We will be reviewing how to perform all this tomorrow during the turnover! We can't wait to show you how much she has learned and how great a pup she will be in the future!
Comments