Finn | Golden Retriever | Inglewood, CA | In-Training
- alyssadogtrainer
- Jan 29, 2023
- 8 min read
Updated: Mar 13, 2024

Meet Finn! Finn is a 6 month old Golden Retriever from Inglewood, CA and he is joining us for our Theee Week Board and Train program! Finn has some of the basic down such as sit and down but needs help with his leash manners. Finn tends to pull heavily on leash when out for walks, gets overly excited when greeting new people and is easily distracted by passing dogs. Overall, Finn is a sweet and shy boy who is ready to learn! Check out his progress over the next 21 days!
Pupdate 1/29/2023



Once arriving to a park, Finn had a really hard time coming out of the kennel. He didn’t want to come out and planted himself on the ground. After some time, he was comfortable enough to come out and start his first lesson. We spent majority of the day getting to know each other. Finn is really shy so it did take him a bit to warm up to me. Once at the park, Finn and I worked on his first command which was heel. He was really confused and at times would dart away from me if he had the opportunity. After a couple of minutes he was able to walk calmly next to me but did try to lay on the ground and refuse to move. Once we got home, Finn settled in nicely into his kennel. Getting out of the car kennel was much easier since we bonded while at the park. Overall, Finn is such a good boy but definitely a little anxious.

Pupdate 1/30/2023
Finn and I went to La Bonita park where he was able to work alongside other trainers and their pups. Finn was really overwhelmed once he got out of the car kennel and had trouble with his heel. After some time, Finn was able to get the hang of walking at my pace. He was able to stay next to me majority of the time but does tend to dart if he finds something interesting. In the beginning Finn was really excited to see so many people and dogs but after easing our way to everyone, Finn had enough time to take in his surroundings and was able to be neutral around them. He learned place today and he did a great job getting the hang of it. He did have trouble in the beginning since he didn’t want to get up on the bench but after some time he did amazing.

Pupdate 1/31/2023



Finn and I went to Petsmart to work on his heel. He was really excited to be around so many people and dogs. He would stop to stare at them and at times would lay down. After a couple of minutes of walking around the store Finn was able to understand to ignore people. We also practiced placing on different objects and he did great! Overall, Finn is improving and is getting the hang of things really well.

Pupdate 2/1/2023



Finn and I worked on his down around distractions today. He found it really hard to down anywhere else other than my home. We worked on his down on different textures and locations but he found it really hard to down if there were other dogs, cats or people walking by. After a couple of minutes of working on down he caught on pretty quickly but wasn’t able to hold it for very long. Overall, Finn did such a great job today!

Pupdate 2/2/2023
Finn and I worked on his down and his coke to sit command today! He did great people watching at a local park and got really excited as they passed him. He didn’t make the effort to get up to greet them. Finn and I also worked on his door manners since he tends to want to bolt out the door. He is doing great with this extended down and sit and is improving every day!

Pupdate 2/3/2023



Finn and I went to Santa Monica to work on all of his commands. He is getting the hang of send away to place but still needs to work on his excitement towards people. Finn tends to become restless when people pass and will toss and turn if he’s in a down. We worked on trying to keep him neutral and he did great after some time working. Finn did get spooked a couple of times and did try to dart but that’s due to him being scared of loud noises such as car roars. Overall, Finn is such a good boy!

Pupdate 2/4/2023
Finn and I worked at Santa Monica Promenade to work on all of his commands. Finn is still having a bit of trouble with distractions but is doing so much better once we work in an environment for some time. Finn is doing great with his heel but needs to be reminded to stay at my side. Finn and I worked on his under today and he’s still getting the hang of it. It takes him a couple of tries before he can really do the command. Overall, he is being a good boy!

Puodate 2/5/2023



Finn and I went to Santa Fe Springs park to work on all of his commands and let him enjoy some free time in the grass. Finn and I worked on his commands in the grass since he tends to get distracted by all of the smells. We made sure to have some play time and work on getting back into commands. This took Finn some time to get the hang of but he did great once he realized that he still had to follow through with his commands. Finn did a great job and was able to do all of his commands with a loose leash. There are times when Finn positions himself incorrectly when doing commands such as come to sit but we make sure to do it again so he understands the correct form. Overall, he is such a good boy and is getting better with distractions each day.

Pupdate 2/6/2023
Finn and I spent time working on all of his commands around other pups and their trainers. Finn isn’t as eager to walk up to people but he still gets overly excited. Finn and I have been working on being more neutral around other dogs and people and he’s been doing great. Finn is able to get the hang of commands quickly and is doing great with his under command which is something he struggled with in the beginning. Finn also had some play time with a tennis ball and was able to run around the big grassy area! Finn is doing very well.

Pupdate 2/7/2023



Finn and I worked on all of his commands today at Stoddard Park! He did such a great job and is definitely doing so much better with distractions. We worked on building more of his confidence by going up and down some of the equipment on the play ground. Finn also had some play time with another puppy named Fennix. He did such a great job especially when we went back to working on his commands. Overall, Finn is doing great!

Pupdate 2/8/2023



Finn and I worked on all of his commands in my home today! He had a great time working on under and working on settling. Finn did such a great job and we even worked on his manners at home. Finn enjoyed some play time before eating dinner and going to bed. He is a good boy.

Pupdate 2/9/2023
Finn and I worked on all of his commands with a dragging leash! We’re working our way up to be completely off leash and Finn is doing great! We worked on all of his commands with no leash pressure or guidance and he did amazing. People passed while Finn worked in his extended down and sit and her didn’t make the effort to get up to greet them. Finn did get excited and would wag his tail but didn’t break any of his commands. Overall, Finn is doing such a great job.

Puodate 2/10/2023



Finn and I went to Santa Monica to work on all of his commands with a loose leash. He did great around all of the distractions but did get distracted at times when people made kissy noises at him! Finn did great with all of the noise and cars that passed him. Finn has definitely gained more confidence and loves trying new things. Finn did have an accident in the car kennel. He did have runny stool so he did go multiple times throughout our day. I made sure to give him some pumpkin purée to help soothe his tummy! Overall, he did great!

Pupdate 2/11/2023
Finn and I worked on all of his commands while he was being handled by another trainer! At first Finn was a bit confused and did try to see how much he could get away with but then was able to get the hang of it. Finn is doing such a great job with all of his commands but we’re still focusing on his people distractions. He is doing great overall with his greeting manners and doesn’t jump up at people but he will walk over if someone calls him. Finn is doing such a great job but still had a bit of an upset tummy today! I added more pumpkin purée to his kibble to help soothe it.

Pupdate 2/12/2023



Finn and I went to Cheviot Hills Park to work on all of his commands. Finn did such a great job with other dogs and people that passed. We worked off leash today and he did great! He did get a bit distracted when we passed grass but was able to focus overall. Finn did such a great job working with other trainers as well and adapts well to new environments.

Pupdate 2/13/2023



Finn and I spent time working on under with no leash pressure. He was really distracted today and would try to wander over to the grass any chance he had. Finn did great with under and has gained so much confidence. He is such a good boy and is definitely doing a lot better with distractions. He enjoyed chewing and playing with his toys before bed! We have a lot of fun videos planned these next couple days that Finn and I can't wait to show to you!

Puodate 2/14/2023
Finn and I spent time working on door manners today since I know he really struggled with rushing out the door. Finn did get a little excited in the beginning especially when we first started working on his door manners. We worked on his food manners as well and he did great! He was very patient before he ate all of his food and sat next to me while I prepped it. Finn is doing a great job and is definitely doing well!

Pupdate 2/15/2023
Finn and I went to Petsmart to work all of his commands. We worked with no leash pressure and Finn did great. He is doing so much better around distractions and people but still needs to be reminded at times. Finn enjoyed sniffing through the toy and treat sections before getting lots of pets from people who asked. Finn did great during his bath but was a bit hesitant about the water. After some time he settled and was patient during his bath. He is doing amazing and ended his night with some play time.

Pupdate 2/16/2023



Finn and I went to La Mirada Park where we worked on all of his commands off leash! He did such a great job and had so much fun rolling around in the grass. He was able to work around other pups and their trainers and Finn did amazing with his greeting manners! Finn ended his night with lots of rub and playing with his favorite toy!

Pupdate 2/17/2023
Finn and I worked on all of his commands off leash! He did such a great job today but was shaking his head a lot. I made sure to check his ears and they were a bit dirty so I made sure to clean them. Finn did great overall and enjoyed some play time with his bestie Mia. Finn is doing so great with her home manners and is eager to please and play!

Puodate 2/18/2023
Finn and I went to Fashion Island where he was able to work on all of his commands off leash! Finn did such a great job and got a lot of attention and compliments on how sweet he was. Finn did great with all of the different distractions and wasn’t interested at any of the dogs that passed him. Overall, Finn is doing a great job and he can’t wait to show you all that he’s learned.

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