Fiona | Rottweiler | Pasadena, CA

Fiona is back with me for boarding! We'll be having fun at the park and getting her some more exposure to those squirrels she loves so much!

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Pupdate: 6/25/2025

Fiona is back, and it feels like she never left! She seemed to remember me right away and settled back in with ease. We warmed up with her commands, and I was impressed—she remembered everything immediately and was eager to work.

We headed to the park for some distraction work and got her around plenty of birds and squirrels—two of her favorite temptations. She definitely wanted to go after them at first, so we took the opportunity to slow things down and practice calm behavior. We spent the rest of our visit relaxing by the pond, which took a good few minutes before Fiona was able to fully settle with all the activity going on around us.

Overall, it was a great day back together!

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Pupdate: 7/23/2025

After picking Fiona up at the park, we spent some time refreshing her commands and navigating around typical park distractions. She handled everything well — showing that her parents have clearly been keeping up with her practice at home. Her commands were relatively sharp and reliable, and she showed great engagement throughout our session.

What stood out most was the growth in her impulse control. Last time, she immediately tried to push her boundaries and chase a bird. Today? No such thing! While she was definitely interested in the birds and other dogs, her reaction stopped at a fixated stare. A simple “Off” paired with a light E collar correction was all it took for her to break focus, check in with me, and continue Heeling like a pro.

Really proud of Fiona today — her progress is undeniable!

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Pupdate: 9/24/2025

Today we focused on helping Fiona stay calm and focused around lots of birds. She was definitely excited at first when spotting a bird or a squirrel, but she quickly settled and showed she could behave well nearby. Towards the end of the video clip we accidentally scared most of the pigeons and geese away, which naturally got her attention — but as you’ll see, she mostly just watched them fly off without a big reaction. Such great progress in building her impulse control and confidence. Awesome job today, Fiona!

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Pupdate: 10/29/2025

After picking up Fiona, we spent some time hanging out at the park! There were plenty of birds around, so we used that as a great opportunity to practice calm walking and commands in the middle of distractions. Her Heel was a little loose at first, but after just a few minutes, she started focusing more on me and maintaining her position nicely.

When the afternoon heat rolled in, we stayed home to relax and recharge, then headed back out in the evening for some more exposure to distractions. Fiona handled everything really well all day aside from perhaps her first ten minutes with me!

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Pupdate: 12/16/2025

After picking up Fiona, we kicked off our morning at one of our favorite parks, and she started the day off on an amazing note. Fiona was happy to see me, and extra happy to see my treat pouch, which is always a good sign. Even within the first few minutes of pickup, she was already doing better than ever.

The most notable moment of the entire day happened early on. We headed over toward the pond, turned a corner, and suddenly found ourselves mere inches away from two geese, with a whole flock close behind them. Normally, this would be an extremely challenging situation for Fiona. Instead, she completely surprised me in the best way possible. She did nothing. No pulling, no tension, no fixation… her forehead didn’t even wrinkle. She stayed calm, neutral, and composed. Even more impressive: zero corrections and zero treats were needed in that moment.

Fiona usually does very well with me, but this was a level of composure that genuinely impressed me and showed just how much progress she’s made.

After that standout moment, we continued enjoying the park and worked on her commands, keeping things fun and productive. While the rest of the session went well, that initial interaction with the geese was easily the highlight of the day and a huge win for Fiona.

She had a fantastic morning, and I couldn’t be happier with how she showed up today!

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Pupdate: 12/17/2025

Fiona headed back to the park today and did just as well as she did yesterday. She was comfortable in the environment, stayed engaged, and continued showing the same steady, positive behavior we’ve been seeing. It’s great to see her consistency carrying over from day to day, which tells me she’s feeling confident and settling into the routine nicely.