Meet Figgy! He is a two year old Boxer mix and he joined OffLeash for our Two Week Board and Train Program. He is a very happy dog, but his excitement can be hard to control. He knows some commands, but does not follow through with them. He is easily distracted, tends to pull on the leash, and is especially reactive towards men. Figgy is a rescue so he has gotten into a few scuffles with other dogs in the past which left him with some scars and a scuffle with his housemate. Figgy also likes to jump on people to greet, and jump on cars to see who is inside. Over these next two weeks, we will be working with Figgy to teach him basic off leash commands and obedience in and out of the house. Stay tuned to see his transformation!
Pupdate 10/2/2023
Figgy settled in perfect into our home. He got to meet all of our pups, which went very well! He had the best time running around and getting familiar to this new environment. He did try to jump on me a few times, but I had told him 'off' which is one thing we will be working on in his training. Figgy was very excited when I brought out a ball for him to play with. I thought he would want to play fetch, but Figgy thought it was more fun to have me chase him around to try to get the ball. I had also started getting him use to the e-collar so we can implement it into our training. We will be usuing titanium contact points on his collar.
Pupdate 9/3/2023
Today Figgy and I trained at Adventure Park in Whittier and met up with the other pups in training. For his first day, Figgy did very good! In the video I give verbal feedback on how he did and also the commands we worked on. He was quick to learn come to sit but he is very stubborn when it comes to us asking him to sit. We had to ask him multiple times to sit while giving correction before he followed through. I also noticed he can not hold his sit for long and gets easily distracted. We will be working on not only his duration but also distance. Figgy can be fearful and insecure, so adding distance between us as he sits is difficult for him right now. As we continue to work around distraction and have more repetition, Figgy's confidence will grow, allowing for him to be more comfortable with the distance. With heel, Figgy tends to pull on the leash, so with different techniques we were able to slowely break that habit. For example, when Figgy started to lead the walk, we would make a sharp left turn, kicking our right leg out in front of him. This causes him to run into our leg and it makes him have to turn with us. As we continued to do this over and over, Figgy learned he did not want to keep running into our leg, so he would began to make those sharp turns.
As for his reactivity, we had noticed he was okay walking past all the dogs. The only thing that triggered him was when the little dogs would bark or yelp then he would wanted to go after them. With men, Figgy is fine to walk past them, but when the trainers gave Figgy attention, he became unsure. His tail would tuck between his legs and he pulled away from them. One of the trainers began to work with Figgy, even though he was still unsure, and as they worked together we can see that Figgy was no longer scared. Figgy is learning to build relationships and trust so he does not have to be fearful around unfamiliar people and places.
Pupdate 10/4/2023
Figgy and I worked at Hacienda Park today. He learned place and down and in the video I explain how we worked on these new commands. We still continued to practice come and heel which he is getting better at already. Figgy is still working on coming around my right side to sit on my left but he is doing great walking towards me when I ask him to come. He is also learning not to be as stubborn when I ask him to sit. I got to add in some duration and distance to Figgy's sit as well. Figgy is a quick learner and is off to a great start in his training!
Pupdate 10/5/2023
Today Figgy and I trained at home. We went over all his commands but this time we added more duration and distance. I wanted to practice this with Figgy so he can get better at it before we worked in a high distraction area. His duration sit has gotten a lot better but he struggles with holding a down. It also takes me a couple times of asking Figgy to do a command before he follows through. It seems he is trying to push his boundaries. I notice he goes into a sit very slowly and adjusts his sitting position. This maybe be because of hip issues, but this is just something to keep in mind. But I still want to hold him accountable to following through the first time we ask the command. We also worked on his come to sit, especially the positioning of his sit. He tends to turn towards me or leave a gap in between. To correct this, I moved close to a wall on my left side, so when he comes around to sit, he is in a position where he has to be lined up with my leg, facing forward. After a few repetitions he started to understand where he needs to go, but we still need to practice to break his stubbornness.
We are also working towards breaking Figgy's jumping habit. When he tries to jump, I correct him with the e-collar and say 'off'. He is starting to understand that it is not okay to jump, even when he is excited. He is just looking for love and attention, so instead of giving it to him when he's overly excited and jumping, I give it when he is more calm.
Pupdate 10/6/2023
Today Figgy got to work around distractions at Lowe's. He was very distracted, looking around at all the people but he stayed in his heel, not pulling on the leash. We still want to work on him not being so focused on everything around him so when he starts to fixate on something, I tell him 'off' and correct him. He does well bringing his focus back on me when I do give the off command. He has improved on his duration sit and place, now with lots of distance! After a hard day at work, Figgy had some fun in the hot sun, playing in the sprinklers with his friend!
Pupdate 10/7/2023
Today Figgy and I worked at the Whittwood Town Center. He is starting to work through his commands without me having to hold the leash! Although in the high distraction areas, Figgy did tend to get frightened by things around him, so I held onto the leash as we heeled through the crowds. He had gotten scared of the sliding doors and also people pushing grocery carts. I made sure to work through his axiousness so he can become more confident around these distractions. We even did some shopping in Pet Smart to get Figgy a new ball since he tore up all the tennis balls. There was a dog who was barking at him but Figgy did well staying focused on me and followed through when I asked him to sit. Also, Figgy loves to play with his new ball!
Pupdate 10/8/2023
Today Figgy and I worked at Hacienda Park. I wanted to focus more on him holding his commands, especially down. We also practice more on dragging the leash so we can work Figgy's way up to being off leash. He does great heeling, although sometimes he starts to walk ahead but when I correct him he stops leading. He also had gotten better at come to sit. Before his positioning was off, but now he lines up next to my leg.
Pupdate 10/9/2023
Today Figgy and I met up with other trainers at Belvedere Community Park. At first he was very nervous to walk around the trainer and his pup. He had trouble following through with commands when he was close by. As we worked through his nerves he was able to heel with out me holding the leash around Christian. We are still working towards building his confidence, so going out in busy, public areas will only make him better. Although, he needs to get familiar with his surroundings and calm his nerves before we can expect him to follow through with commands right away.
Pupdate 10/10/2023
Figgy and I headed to Century City Mall to train. At first, he was anxious around all the distraction so we worked on leash. I started off by going to a less crowded area, and worked on his come to sit and place. A women had came up to us and complemented Figgy on how good he was being. She asked to pet Figgy, but he was unsure of her and backed away as she put her hand out. I let her know he was nervous since he is in an unfamiliar area. After a few mintues of us working, he started to become less anxious and we were able to walk around the crowds. He did great walking past all the people and he even paid no attention to the little dogs that barked at him. At times Figgy tends to lose focus on his heel since he is always on edge about his surroundings. This causes him to lead the walk. To fix this I do a sharp left turn, putting my right leg in front, which causes him to run into my leg. After a few turns he corrects himself and stops leading. He does very well with every command and with distance and duration, but his nerves take over sometimes and cause him to break those commands. Figgy still has come a long way and is showing that he is becoming more confident. Even though his nerves can get in the way, he still is improving each day on all his commands! We will continue to work in high distraction areas to keep building up Figgy's confidence!
Pupdate 10/11/2023
Today Figgy and I worked on Birch Street in Brea. We practiced more on leash dragging. I am using a light leash so when I do drop the leash, he does not notice because there is no weight. He is doing a lot better being out around distractions. I notice he is not as anxious and fearful of people, but he is very curious and likes to look around at any movement. I am very happy to see his confidence growing! He is doing great following through with his commands, but we are still working on him holding his down. Each time he tries to get out of the down before I break him, I make sure to put him back into the same position. I am also happy to see that Figgy is improving on his heel! He does not try to lead as much like before, but when he does, I correct him with the e-collar and he brings himself back into the correct position. Somebody had came up to Figgy and she complemented him on how cute he is and had asked to pet Figgy. I had asked him to sit and even though he was very happy to get attention, he sat calmly as the woman pet him.
Pupdate 10/12/2023
Today Figgy joined me to run errands. We put his off leash skills to the test while going into different stores. He did so good following through with commands and he showed no signs of anxiousness or fear! When we had gone into Ulta, all the girls working came up to Figgy and gave him complements. When I needed to shop for an item, I asked Figgy to either sit or down and he did not break command. I had even created distance as he held command. I am happy to see that Figgy is improving! His off leash heel still needs practice, but he recovers from his minor mistakes when he is corrected. I had also walked him off leash in the Halloween store and he was not frightened by the people or the moving monsters.
When we had gotten home, I wanted to work with Figgy around my brother. Normal Figgy will do a short growl or a small bark when he sees in through the kennel or front door. I had my bother come outside while I had Figgy on a leash and the e-collar. I walked Figgy around by bother so he can sniff him, and I had my brother ignore Figgy. Shortly after, Figgy was happy to be around him and was no longer unsure of my bother.
Pupdate 10/13/2023
Today Figgy and I worked on his food and door manners. He is doing so well holding his commands. Door manners is great to avoid Figgy from running out the door right when it opens. When guests come over or you need to take a step outside, you can ask him to sit or down, and he should wait patiently. Food manners can be great for avoiding Figgy from eating things he should not. He will also wait patiently until you break him and he can get his food.
Pupdate 10/14/2023
Today Figgy and I worked at Brea Mall. He did so well being off leash around lots of distractions. He still is unsure about his surroundings, but he no longer tries to run away or fixate on people. There was only one time Figgy had gotten scared and broke command and it was not his fault. A young boy jumped toward Figgy on purpose and he had gotten frightened and ran towards me. Overall Figgy is doing a great job not only with his off leash commands but even with his confidence.
Pupdate 10/15/2023
Today Figgy and I took a walk around the
neighborhood and worked in his greeting manners and car manners. He does great waiting patiently to load up instead of rushing into the car. He is also doing great greeting new people calmly and especially no jumping. He has been working so hard, so Figgy spent the rest of the day running around and playing in the yard. He can't wait to come home and show you everything he has learned!
Comments