Meet Flossie, she is a 2 year old German Shepherd from Sherman Oaks, Ca. Flossie has joined us for our 1 Week Board and Train Program to learn her obedience training. Flossie comes with a habit of jumping on people, barking at dogs passing by her house, and even though Flossie lives with cats she can be fixated at cats outside of her house. Flossie is sweet and loving but needs to be well mannered amongst others. Check out her progress during the next week!
Pupdate 2/5/2023
Today I met Flossie and got to take her for a walk and practice some obedience training. She only knew her sit command; everything else needed to be practiced. While we were still at a park she was barking and lunging so I knew she had to be redirected right away. We left the park and made our way back to my hometown to put on the e-collar and start her training.
Once we arrived at my house I put her belongings inside my house and went for a walk with the e-collar. She wouldn't let me lead so we started obedience training with the heel command. This only took 10 reps of the command before she started to stay by my side and let me continue the walk. We went to another park close to my house to focus on place and keep a consistent heel. Anytime She tried to pass by me I would use the e-collar and have Flossie end up back in her heel position to continue the walk. As we kept walking I noticed she wouldn't try to pass by me as much and would give me eye contact as if she was happy and more relaxed. Flossie saw one dog across the street and didn't react once I asked for a off obedience command. Even though Flossie is unaware of what off means, she still listened so I praised her with pets.
Once we arrived home again after a 1 hour walk I provided Flossie with water and introduced her to Hunter, who is my personal dog. When she saw him she didn't bark at all and I was able to place her in her crate with no troubles. She hasn't barked or cried being in the crate so far but will still be monitored. So far she seems to be enjoying everything!
Pupdate 2/6/2023
Today I took Flossie to a park in El Monte with some of the other trainers to work on obedience around distractions. Flossie reacted towards Amanda and her dog once they arrived in the parking lot of the park so I started putting Flossie into obedience training. Flossie did go up on higher numbers of the remote but was quickly responding and was able to finally be around another dog without barking. We walked together around the park and when Flossie would get overly excited from seeing her dog I would always administer the remote, and Flossie would pay attention to me rather than not listening.
In the video myself and Amanda are just training the dogs when an unsuspecting guest arrives which was an older Weiner dog mix. He was very calm but I had Flossie training and also took this opportunity to use this dog as well as a distraction and just put Flossie into a heel and walked her around. Flossie seemed to get tired fast but would keep her pace with me so I would often give her breaks and a lot of water. After working with Amanda we found a table to work on Flossies place command which is to get up on a certain platform. She was very motivated to try but couldn't bring her back legs up easily so I helped her as much as I could until she finally did it by herself. We also took breaks with the other trainers and their dogs and Flossie would just look at the dogs amazed that they were there, and eventually go into a down taking a nap next to a puppy.
Pupdate 2/7/2023
Today I took Flossie and my personal dog Hunter on a walk together. They had no issues staying by each other's side since it was the first time that they were around each other. Flossie would often look at Hunter turning her head and just glancing at him on the walk seeming interested in him. We passed by a lady also walking two dogs, and Flossie started to get overstimulated so I redirected her with an Off obedience command and she listened. Something that was noticeable in this situation was that when one of the dogs started to bark when they passed by, Flossie started to get excited.
Later on I took Flossie to the local Home Depot close by my house. When we arrived we first used the potty and shortly walked into the store. Before going in or passing any doors I asked Flossie for a Sit and then Heel to enter or pass any doors. While inside the store Flossie was doing really well being calm and letting anyone pass by us. The only issues we had was when practicing extended Sits and downs she would often get up after 30 seconds. I would work up to a longer duration but she would often break her position and try to come to me. As much as she would do that I would always redirect her and restart the practice as many times as I would need to.
Overall, Flossie did well going to Home Depot but we will continue to practice more of her extended Sits & Downs.
Pupdate 2/8/2023
This morning, Flossie and I met up with my boss and his dog and went for a long walk going to a Starbucks in La Habra, CA. Flossie did really well keeping her pace each time I asked for a heel. If we would have to cross the street we would stop and I would ask for a sit and Flossie would listen sometimes or other times I would have to redirect her with the e-collar. Once we arrived at Starbucks we practiced her going into a down which was taking some time because of being in a new area. This took numerous times until she finally decided to commit to being down and eventually staying down too while me and my boss were having just conversations. Before leaving I had Flossie in a sit and would walk around the Starbucks to see if Flossie would get up and she did. We continue to practice this until she let me leave her sight and when I came back to her she was still in her sit and I gave her a break while giving her praise
On the way back, Flossie was in a perfect heel again but when we would cross the street I would often still have to ask Flossie for a sit even though she should automatically go into one but this is something we will still work on together. Later on me and Flossie would go pick up my little brother from school and try to work on some obedience until he is released from school.
There is a park next to my brother's school so we worked on all obedience commands while more parents were arriving at the school. Flossie seemed to be doing ok but as we walked towards the area where I was waiting to pick up my brother she seemed nervous but I had her in a sit while parents were passing by us. Flossie would keep her sit for an extended duration of time but would break her position for no reason. I would redirect her back into a sit or move around while heeling and ask for the sit again. There was a child with her mom that stopped by us and it didn't affect Flossie. We saw a owner with a small dog across the street and Flossie kept her eyes on the dog. Flossie was in a sit not breaking her position but was starting to lean forward and bring her body slowly up so I redirected her with heeling and asking for the sit again.
Once my brother arrived we walked back to the car with no problems. We continued to work on obedience commands back at home as well as door manners and understanding boundaries inside the house as well.
Pupdate 2/9/2023
This morning I took Flossie to the Block of Orange in Orange, CA to work on her obedience in a public setting. We met up with another trainer I know and focused Flossies ability to hold her sit while a dog is walking around her. She actually did really well even though she would break her position she would come to me directly and ignore the Australian pup. We walked around the shopping center and found an area to practice her downs. Flossie does really well going into her downs even when she jumps onto an object to place herself. As we took a break I provided Flossie with water and started practicing keeping distance from her without her moving. She wouldn't move at all, and when 2 minutes or more passed by I would break her and she would come directly to me.
I took Flossie with me to my little brother's school and she did well ignoring everyone passing by as we waited for him. A child stopped in front of Flossie which caught her attention but it didn't bother her at all nor did she get up from her down. On the way home we went to a dog store and got some items and during the visit Flossie didn't seem bothered at all. As we waited in line Flossie would try to sniff around a lot so I would ask her for an off obedience command and she would listen.
I noticed Flossies nail had this overgrown part. Flossie seems to be fine with her other nails but they are long as well. They have not affected her ability to train but this seems concerning for how long they are getting. The length of her nails may cause some discomfort long term as they hit the ground when she walks and pushes up into her nail bed. The extra nail growth will likely need to be removed by a veterinarian.
Pupdate 2/10/2023
This morning Flossie didn't want to eat and as I tried to hand feed her she didn't want the food. Today I took Flossie to Santa Monica to walk along the Santa Monica pier with some of the other trainers. Flossie had a good experience of being in an area with a lot of people. The only thing Flossie had trouble with was working around a dog while practicing obedience and someone kicked a soccer ball towards us which made Flossie react but was redirected and ignored the man that had the ball. While we kept working around one of the other trainers Flossie kept trying to hide between my feet but I would walk around in a circle and turn into heels to distract Flossie from the dog and when I asked for a down near the dog, Flossie eventually listened and ignored the dog. We walked along the pier and there were some people walking their dogs and Flossie didn't bother to give any of these dogs attention and kept her head straight while these dogs barked at us.
We took a break and I provided Flossie with water giving her some time to relax before continuing our walk around again. Going around a second time Flossie was very confident and relaxed but was getting tired quickly. When we left on the way back to the car we passed by 3 dogs and each time Flossie saw them she didn't pay any attention to them at all. When we arrived home I fed Flossie again and she had no issue eating but she did leave some food left in the bowl. I will monitor her next time she eats to see if she will or not. After the long day she'd had she may be hungry later.
Pupdate 2/11/2023
This morning I took Flossie on a walk and during the walk I would run at times with Flossie to keep her energetic and active. She did well keeping a pace with me anytime I would start to run. Flossie would still seem to tire out quickly but was willing to push through. Later on I took her back one last time to Home Depot to see how she is being in a public setting. Flossie did well walking with me throughout the store, even greeting a lady who thought Flossie was the calmest Shepherd she'd ever seen.
After visiting the store we practiced Flossies door manners. We have been practicing this since she first came, but Flossie always had the initiative to just pass by me each time so everyday we worked on this. Now Flossie is willing to wait and before I pass the door I ask Flossie for the heel obedience command to let her know to stay with me rather than taking off. I let Hunter and Flossie engage with each other again but Flossie had no interest besides smelling him and then keeping her distance from him. Hunter would often try to convince Flossie to play with him and even tried to consistently bug her but she would ignore him and come to me. They will stay together in the same room but will still not interact.
Flossie has completed her 1 Week Board and Train and has learned all of her obedience commands. Flossie was able to complete all the tasks I have set for her on a daily basis. Her ability to learn something new each day is what kept me happy during her visit and the outcome for her everyday was positive.
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