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!