Emmy | Cavapoo | Santa Monica, CA. | In Training.
- heatheroffleashsoc
- 6 days ago
- 10 min read
Updated: 5 hours ago
This sweet little lady is Emmy, a 7-month-old Cavapoo from Santa Monica, CA, who has just joined us for our Two Week Urban Board and Train Program!
Emmy has been described as a true little love bug with plenty of the typical puppy behaviors that come along with her age, including some separation anxiety and selective listening. Add in a touch of uncertainty when it comes to new people and places, and it’s safe to say Miss Emmy is ready for some guidance to help her navigate the world with more confidence.
Over the next two weeks, we will be working closely with Emmy on her basic obedience, house manners, and building a stronger foundation of communication between her and her handlers. Our goal is to help Emmy gain confidence, learn how to make better choices, and understand that listening can be both rewarding and fun!
We are so excited to get started with this sweet girl and watch her personality shine as she learns and grows throughout her training journey. Stay tuned for Emmy’s transformation!
7/3/2026
Today was Emmy’s first day with me, so we kept things simple by starting with an introductory walk through the park. This gave us a chance to get better acquainted while also allowing me to assess what she may already know. I quickly discovered that Emmy definitely knows how to sit—she just doesn’t quite understand doing it on command yet, so that’s something we’ll be working on throughout her program.
When we first got started, Emmy was understandably nervous about both me and her new surroundings. She spent a lot of time trying to walk behind me and would occasionally sit in protest, hoping I’d scoop her up instead. Rather than giving in, I gently encouraged her to keep moving forward. Before long, she began to relax and even started walking nicely at my side.
We also introduced her sit command by applying gentle leash guidance behind her ears. At first, she responded by trying to jump up into my arms again, but once she realized that wasn’t an option, she offered a nice sit. We celebrated that success with plenty of praise and affection, which she absolutely loved and responded to very well.
After our walk, we loaded up in the car and headed to my house so Emmy could begin exploring her home away from home for the next two weeks. She wasn’t thrilled about getting into her travel crate at first, but once she was inside, she settled down nicely and stayed quiet for the entire ride.
Once we arrived, I gave Emmy plenty of time to explore both inside and outside until she felt comfortable. She definitely wanted me by her side every step of the way, which is completely understandable with everything being so new. While she’s still unsure about the crate itself, she was able to settle once inside, and I’m confident that with a little time and consistency she’ll continue becoming more comfortable.
Overall, Emmy handled her first day very well. New environments can be overwhelming, but she showed me that she’s willing to work through her nerves, and that’s a wonderful place to start. I’m excited to watch her confidence grow over the next two weeks and can’t wait to see how much progress we make together!
7/4/2026
Happy Fourth of July!
Today Emmy and I kept things close to home as we continued building on the progress we started yesterday. We also added two new commands to her growing skill set: down and come to sit!
Emmy started today’s session still feeling a bit unsure about me and the leash pressure, so we began with a nice walk around the neighborhood. As expected, she frequently tried to stop behind me and sit in protest of continuing the walk, but with some gentle encouragement I was able to get her moving again.
Once she got going, she did well! However, whenever a car drove by or another person came near, she would often revert back to stopping and sitting. Each time, I calmly encouraged her to keep moving forward, and little by little this became easier for her.
I certainly don’t blame her for feeling uneasy. She’s just a little lady, and the world is still so big and new to her. During these moments it’s important that we encourage the behaviors we want to see and avoid giving in by picking her up, even though that’s exactly what she’d prefer. Building confidence comes from helping her work through these situations, and she took some nice steps in that direction today.
When it came time to practice commands, Emmy’s first instinct was to jump up into my arms. Once she realized that wasn’t an option, she happily sat and received lots of love before we moved on to learning something new.
We introduced down using gentle leash guidance paired with a treat to help guide her into position. At first she didn’t understand what I was asking and was not very happy with me for a moment, but as soon as she figured it out she was showered with praise and affection. After a few repetitions she began to understand the concept, although she’s still a little pouty about it—which is completely normal! I’m confident that once she settles into her new routine, that attitude will fade.
We also introduced come to sit, where Emmy walks around my right side and finishes sitting neatly on my left. I can already tell this one will take a little extra time, as she’s still adjusting to leash pressure, but that’s perfectly okay. With patience, consistency, and practice she’ll get there. Emmy is a smart little girl, and she’s already learning so much.
After our training session, I let her relax for a while before taking her back outside for another walk. This outing wasn’t focused on commands as much as it was helping her burn off some extra energy in hopes that she’ll be nice and tired when the fireworks begin tonight.
I’ve also created a cozy little spot for her to spend the evening, complete with calming music to help muffle some of the noise from outside.
As for crate training, Emmy definitely had something to say about sleeping in her crate for the first night! She spent a little while trying to negotiate whether she really had to stay in there all night. The whining and barking came in short waves, but after a while she realized I wasn’t giving in to her protests and settled down beautifully. Smart girl!
Overall, Emmy is learning so much already, and I’m very proud of the progress she’s making. As her confidence continues to grow and those first-day nerves begin to fade, I think we’re going to see her blossom even more.
Lastly, we hope you enjoy today’s festivities if you’re celebrating. Have a fun, safe, and Happy Fourth of July!
7/5/2026
Today Emmy and I headed out to Home Depot to continue building on her progress with her commands around distractions. We also introduced a brand-new command today: place! While the store wasn’t especially busy, there was still plenty of noise from forklifts and all the other sounds that come with a trip to Home Depot, making it a great opportunity to expose Emmy to new experiences.
When we first arrived, Emmy was feeling pretty nervous. She would stop during our walk and even jump up at me, hoping I’d pick her up instead of asking her to continue forward. Because of that, our first objective was simply encouraging her to keep moving. With a little patience and encouragement, she began walking nicely at my side and eventually made her way confidently through the entire store!
Once she had settled in, we got to work on her commands. At first, holding her extended sit and down was difficult. Anytime a loud noise caught her off guard, she would pop up and try to scurry away. Each time, we calmly reset and tried again. As the session went on, she became much more comfortable and found it easier to remain in position despite the distractions around her.
Next, we introduced the place command by asking Emmy to hop up onto a stack of boards. She was definitely hesitant at first and offered quite a bit of resistance, but after a few patient resets, she found her courage and hopped right up! Once she was on top, I asked her to lie down, and she did a wonderful job.
Her come to sit is already looking very nice, too! She’s catching on quickly and is beginning to understand exactly where she should finish the command.
Overall, Emmy made some wonderful progress today. Although she started our outing feeling nervous, she left with a little more confidence than she arrived with, and that’s exactly what we’re hoping to build with each new experience. We love seeing this brave little girl continue to grow. Keep it up, Emmy!
7/6/2026
Today’s outing took Emmy and me to a park in Rosemead, where we met up with some fellow trainers and their pups to continue building on her training around real-world distractions. When we first arrived, Emmy was very excited to meet all of the new dogs! After allowing her a few calm introductions, we got to work.
At the beginning of our session, Emmy tried to fall back into her familiar “I don’t want to heel, please pick me up” routine. Since we’ve been steadily introducing leash pressure over the past several days, today we decided to try a new training tool: a prong collar. Because leash pressure is still a relatively new concept for Emmy, she initially wasn’t very fond of it and made it clear she’d rather not participate. We took things slowly and gave her time to understand what was being asked. Before long, she realized the pressure was simply information rather than something to worry about, and she relaxed considerably. Once she understood that, she settled into a much nicer heel position and walked calmly at my side for the remainder of our session.
With so many exciting things happening around us, Emmy found her extended sit, down, and place commands a bit more challenging today. Holding position while other dogs, people, and trainers were nearby required a lot of self-control! After a few reminders, however, she began to understand exactly what we were asking and did a wonderful job staying put. One of my favorite moments from today was watching Emmy comfortably share a place exercise alongside another pup on a place cot. It was such a sweet moment and a great example of her growing confidence around other dogs while remaining focused on her job.
Overall, Emmy continues to learn something new every day and is making steady progress. She’s becoming more confident with leash communication, more reliable with her commands, and more comfortable working around distractions. I’m proud of the effort she put in today, and I look forward to seeing her confidence continue to grow!
7/7/2026
Today’s adventure took Emmy and me out to Santa Monica, where we met up with another trainer to continue building on her commands around distractions. During our outing, I had the other trainer take Emmy for a spin practicing everything she’s been learning. This is an important part of her training because it helps her understand that no matter who is holding the leash, that person is the one giving direction. Emmy definitely has a habit of thinking she’s the one calling the shots, and she loves to play the role of, “I’m just a baby, I don’t know anything,” whenever she meets someone new. While she is still a baby, she’s also an incredibly smart one, which is exactly why holding her accountable is so important.
Despite trying to test the waters a little, Emmy did a fantastic job with her commands today. The only hiccup she had was popping up from one of her down commands a single time before quickly getting back on track. Considering she’s only been in my care for a few days, the progress she’s making has been outstanding. Of course, being the little smarty pants that she is, she still likes to test the boundaries every now and then, almost as if she’s asking, “Do I really have to?” The answer is always yes!
Overall, Emmy had another great day, and I couldn’t be prouder of this sweet little lady. She continues to gain confidence, learn quickly, and show just how much potential she has. I’m excited to keep building on everything she’s accomplished so far!
7/8/2026
Today Emmy and I headed out to Home Depot to continue practicing her commands around real-world distractions, and she did a fantastic job! We saw some significant improvement with her heel command today. Instead of trying to trail behind me, Emmy spent much more time walking right at my side where she belongs. It’s been so rewarding to watch her confidence grow and see everything starting to come together.
We also spent some time working on her place command by asking her to hop onto a variety of different objects. Emmy wasn’t entirely convinced that she was physically capable of jumping onto them and gave me a few looks that seemed to say, “I’m just a tiny baby… that’s way too high!” But after a couple of brave running starts, she realized she was more than capable, hopped right up, and happily held her down position. It was a wonderful confidence-building moment for her.
Her extended sit and down commands were no trouble at all today, and she did a great job remaining patient until released. She also navigated through the busy store very nicely, taking all the sights, sounds, and people in stride while staying engaged with me.
All in all, Miss Emmy is making wonderful progress. She’s becoming more confident, more focused, and more willing to take on new challenges every day. I’m so proud of this little smarty pants, and I can’t wait to see what she accomplishes next!
7/9/2026
Today Emmy and I headed back out to Century City Mall to continue building on the progress we’ve been making with all of her commands, and she did a wonderful job!
Of course, she’s still a little lady navigating a great big world, so she was a bit nervous about her surroundings and occasionally tried to scurry away as we heeled through the mall. That’s completely understandable, and her confidence will continue to grow with more practice and exposure to new environments.
Emmy did an excellent job with her extended sit and down commands, patiently holding each position until she was told otherwise. Her come to sit is also looking lovely! I have been pleasantly surprised by how quickly she picked up the motion for this command, and she’s showing a great understanding of what’s being asked of her.
We also worked on her place command, which needed a little extra encouragement today. Emmy was still convinced that hopping onto different surfaces just wasn’t her thing. Instead of jumping up, she’d place her two front paws on the object and then look back at me as if to say, “You’re going to help me the rest of the way, right?” Unfortunately for her, I’ve already seen her launch herself onto the couch with plenty of enthusiasm, so I knew she was more than capable!
Rather than giving her a lift, we took as many running starts as she needed until she realized she could do it all by herself. The moment she finally hopped up, we celebrated with lots of praise and excitement so she could understand what an awesome accomplishment she had just made.
We’ll continue showing Emmy just how capable she really is as our training progresses. Today she put forth a fantastic effort, worked through her uncertainty, and kept trying even when things felt a little challenging. I couldn’t be prouder of the progress she’s making. Way to go, Emmy!
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