Emma | Mini Labradoodle | La Hambra Heights | In Training

Meet Emma, an 8-month-old mini Labradoodle from La Habra Heights, CA, and the reigning queen of chaos. This fluffy little firecracker has been living life completely off the rails—no collar, no potty training, and absolutely no concept of personal space (especially when it comes to her favorite pastime: turning her owner into a human chew toy). Rules? Never heard of them. Boundaries? Don’t know her. Emma operates on pure puppy energy and a mischievous streak a mile wide.

But all that’s about to change! Over the next two weeks in our board and train program, Emma will be trading in her wild child ways for some much-needed structure. She’ll be learning basic obedience, house manners, and how to greet people without using her teeth. With the right guidance, Emma is going to go from adorable little troublemaker to the well-mannered companion her family knows she can be. Stay tuned—this transformation is going to be a fun one!

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Pupdate 2/27/2025

Emma wasted no time letting me know she has zero concept of potty training—she went #2 in the kennel on the ride home with no warning or signal whatsoever. Once we arrived, the next challenge became simply getting her inside. Since she’s never worn a collar or leash before, she had no idea how to respond to even the gentlest tugs or encouragement. Instead of following along, she either froze in place or stared off into the distance, completely unphased by my attempts to guide her.

I attempted a short walk in the park, but it was highly unsuccessful due to Emma’s complete lack of cooperation. She had no understanding of leash pressure, refused to move with me, and was more interested in resisting than following. 

At this stage, Emma isn’t receptive to any commands, whether on or off leash, but that’s to be expected given her lack of prior training. Once inside, I introduced her to the rest of my pack. She was hesitant and unsure at first but quickly became curious and kept up her usual high-energy puppy antics.

Tomorrow, we’ll be introducing her to the e-collar to start holding her accountable for her follow-through. This will be a big step in helping her understand structure, boundaries, and expectations.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's pupdate!

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Pupdate 2/28/2025

Emma is proving to be quite the little rebel when it comes to potty training. Despite being taken outside countless times and given every opportunity and encouragement to go, she outright refuses. Instead, she’s decided that her bed or crate is the ideal bathroom—definitely not the habit we’re aiming for. We’ll continue reinforcing proper potty behavior, but for now, she’s holding her ground (and unfortunately, not her bladder).

On a more positive note, today was Emma’s introduction to the e-collar, along with foundational obedience commands like “sit,” “down,” and “heel.” While she still has a short attention span and a stubborn streak, she actually made great progress with heel. She’s no longer resisting the walk and is far more willing to stay by my side rather than planting herself in protest. Interestingly, she’s started offering a sit on her own whenever I stop—something that’s great for leash manners but also something she does when I try taking her outside to potty (nice try, Emma, but that’s not how this works!).

To keep her engaged and set her up for success, we’ll continue working in shorter but more frequent training sessions to reinforce her commands.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's pupdate!

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Pupdate 3/1/2025

Today, we doubled down on Emma’s obedience training—sit, down, place, and heel were all on the agenda. And guess what? The lightbulb is starting to flicker! She’s showing solid improvement, especially with heel. Looks like our little renegade is finally realizing that walking with me is more fun than flopping around like a fish on dry land.

Now, let’s talk about Emma’s signature move—jumping up for attention. If enthusiasm were a sport, she’d take gold. Since she’s so affection-driven, I’ve been getting down to her level and dishing out praise when she gets it right. The goal? Teach her that keeping four paws on the ground gets her the love she craves.

And then there’s the great potty standoff. We had a breakthrough—Emma finally went #2 outside on our walk! But when it comes to peeing, she’s holding her ground (literally). Her current stance: inside or nothing. I appreciate the commitment, but we’ll be working hard to shift her potty preferences to more socially acceptable locations.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's pupdate.

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Pupdate 3/2/2025

Emma is making steady progress in her obedience training, proving once again that she’s got the brains—she just prefers to use them on her own terms. Today, we worked on all of her commands, and I started extending her place duration. We’ve made it to about 30 seconds, which, in Emma time, is a lifetime. Baby steps!

Now, onto the ongoing saga that is her potty training… Emma remains deeply committed to her personal protest of outdoor bathroom breaks. Despite every opportunity, she continues to hold strong, opting only for her crate (or right outside of it) as her designated restroom. Her conviction is impressive, if not slightly exasperating.

This morning, after yet another incident, she had her third bath—because apparently, being stubborn is exhausting, but being clean is optional in her world.

We’ll keep at it, and I’ll keep you posted on her next move in this ongoing chess match of wills. 

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s pupdate! 

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Today, Emma continued sharpening all her obedience skills, and let me tell you—her heel is looking good. That said, we did learn that our girl is a bit of a drama queen when it comes to loud or sudden noises. Cars driving by? Kids playing too energetically? A leaf rustling just the wrong way? Emma says, “Nope!” and dives straight behind (or between) my feet—adorable, but also a potential trip hazard. We’ll keep exposing her to different environments so she learns to take her cues from her handler instead of her instincts.

Now for the BIG news… Emma peed outside today! Not once, but multiple times! It all started this morning when, mid-head rub, she got a little too relaxed and—whoops—peed out of sheer excitement. Not exactly an intentional potty decision, but hey, we took the win. Then, later in the day, she did it again. And the grand finale? She actually walked herself over to the grass and peed ON PURPOSE. Cue the confetti!

Huge milestone for Emma today.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s pupdate!