Meet Frank! A sweet and energetic 7 month old pup from Monrovia, CA who joined us for our Two Week Board and Train Program. Frank is here to work on behaviors such as running away, barking excessively, recalls, and walking with the ultimate goal of being Off Leash! Stay tuned for his 14 day transformation!
Pupdate 5/29/2022
Today Frank and I worked on getting him all settled in and comfortable with his new environment. It took Frank no time to get comfortable with playing fetch and tug of war. We played a bunch and worked on introducing him to the Sit command as well as his recall. I practiced calling Frank and the second he offered me his attention I rewarded him with praise or treats. He caught on to this quickly and came to me consistently for his first time practicing this. We will introduce him to more commands tomorrow and work some more on obedience.
Pupdate 5/30/2022
Today I introduced Frank to the E collar and prong collar for the first time. He responded quickly to the prong collar and performed a nice Heel. Heel is the action of Frank walking on my left hand side, turning when I turn and sitting when I stop walking. I guide him with directional changes of leash pressure and the second he follows it I release that pressure and offer him a lot of praise. He caught onto this quickly and followed the pressure path I created for him. Once Frank got used to the prong collar I worked him with the E collar stimulating him along with leash pressure so he can pair the two together. Frank paired the two together quickly and responded well to it. Once he began to catch on to the E collar he became consistent with his Heel. I noticed Frank is reactive to movement for example kids riding around in a toy car. He wanted to chase them which is his instinct considering his breed has a strong prey drive. I corrected this with a few leash pops which helped Frank fight the impulse to react. We will keep working around these distractions to teach Frank impulse control. I also introduced Frank to the Down command. I guided him with the leash towards the floor and gave him a lot of praise when he went Down. He got up quickly so the next thing we will work on is him holding that position which is an Extended Down. The goal is to get him to hold it for 2 minutes. Towards the end of our session he hardly needed any leash pressure to go Down. Great work Frank!
Pupdate 5/31/2022
Frank and I took a field trip to the local park today. He was very excited to be there initially and curious of his surroundings. Frank tends to be intimidated by loud noises and crowds of people. We will work on this through desensitization and going to different environments together. We began to work on his Heel command. He stayed on my left hand side as I made frequent turns with him. Every time I turned I gave him a heads up we were turning by reminding him to Heel. If he turned with me I offered him praise and if he didn’t I stimulated him with the E collar. I then introduced him to the Place command. Place is the action of Frank jumping onto a surface and staying there until released with the cue Break. This helps create a calm state of mind for Frank. He learned to stay there for a minute consistently, in the Down position. I rewarded him in intervals of 30 seconds as he stayed in Place, even as a dog passed by. We will continue to proof this by building duration, distance and distractions with this command .
Pupdate 6/01/2022
Today Frank and I ventured out to the Brea Mall. There were a lot of new distractions there for Frank and he worked through it. His Heel is something we have primarily been focusing on because at times he struggles with staying by my left hand side. I make frequent turns with Frank which helps him check in with me more often during walks. I did not have to guide him as much with the leash or E collar today for his Come to Sit. Come to Sit is the action of Frank coming around me to Sit on my left hand side. This is the command I use with him prior to Heel to get him into position. He Comes to Sit next to me quickly, now we are working on cleaning it up and getting him to sit facing the same direction as me. I use a wall to help position him nicely next to me. He holds Sit and Down for up to a minute consistently which is great! We will keep building duration and distance with that. Once we got home we played fetch together which is Frank’s favorite game! He can play that game all day and is so good with bringing it back to me! Excellent progress Frank!
Pupdate 6/2/2022
Frank and I took a trip to the Outlets today! There were other trainer’s dog that we had the chance to train around. We all Heeled together around the outlets. This was a great opportunity for Frank and I to work on our Heel. Frank is becoming more consistent with staying by my side. I do take frequent turns with him to make sure he stays engaged. Today was his first day on the 15ft leash. I use the 15ft leash to prepare him to be Off leash and figure things out on his own from a distance. He was able to Come to me and Sit on my left side from a distance. If he struggled with figuring out where I wanted him to go I would guide him with the leash. He did not need too much guidance with the leash because he began to catch on to the commands which is what I am looking for. Frank reached his 2 minute mark with his Extended Sit, Down and Place commands. We will continue to add distractions, distance and duration to everything!
Pupdate 6/03/2022
Frank and I had the chance to expose him to a very distracting environment today, the Santa Monica Pier! There were loud noises, crowds of people, and dogs which was a lot for Frank to soak in at first. We walked around the whole pier together then began to work on all of his commands. Frank improved his Heel and was able to stay by my left side more consistently. If he strayed away I would stop walking and have him Come to Sit by my left side. This teaches Frank to fix his Heel all on his own and prepares him to be Off Leash. He is able to hold his Extended Place command for two minutes. Now we are proofing it with more and more distractions. Good work Frank The Tank!
Pupdate 6/04/2022
Frank and I Heeled together to the local park where we began to work on everything he has learned so far, with the leash dragging. We put an emphasis of our work today on the Heel command and Come to Sit. Frank knows to come on my left side and Sit when I say Come. At times he struggled with facing the same direction as me so I use a wall every so often to have him Come and Sit in between me and the wall. This helps Frank keep a good position facing forward. We Heeled together to the park and worked on changes of pace. I want Frank to stay by my side if we are going fast or slow. I began to run with him and he got very excited initially. I stimulated him with the E collar when he got ahead of me or jumped on me. At times I went up to 3 to 4 levels in the dial on the remote to help grab his attention quicker. Frank caught onto this and stopped jumping on me, staying by my left side no matter the pace. I use hand signals often instead of the leash to help transition Frank to being Off Leash. Great progress Frank!
Pupdate 6/5/2022
Frank and I began to work on everything he has learned so far Off Leash! Since it was his first time Off Leash we worked on his commands in the backyard first. Frank struggled most initially with his Come to Sit. Since there was no leash he relied on hand signals, body language, and a lot of problem solving. Every-time he sat too far away from me or passed by me when I said Come, I stimulated him with the E collar. The stimulation stopped when he was going in the right direction, towards me. It is important for Frank to reposition himself around me and fix his errors because this is how he learns to rearrange himself. I rewarded him the most with his Come to Sits whenever he performed it correctly. His highest value reward is a game of fetch! I train with him during fetch as well, cuing him to wait to get the ball until I release him. If he goes after the ball before I release him, I cue Off. Frank caught on to this and left the ball alone every time I said Off, becoming more and more patient. We will continue to work on behaviors Off Leash, increasing distractions.
Pupdate 6/6/2022
Frank and I took a trip to the local park where a dog park was near. We worked on all of his commands, Off Leash. Frank was consistent with his Come to Sit, even from a distance! There were a few dogs Off Leash running around which at first got Frank’s attention, but after cuing Off and changing direction with him, he began to focus on his Heel. We practiced his Extended Place command, and he was able to hold it for two minutes and 15 seconds which is already past the goal set for him. Great job Frank!
Pupdate 6/7/2022
Frank and I continued to proof all of his Off Leash work at the local park today around a lot of distractions and other trainer’s new dogs that Frank has never met before. Frank has a lot of energy and needs an outlet to release that energy which is why I always go on long walks with him before we work on his Extended Down, Sit, or Place. Frank has improved greatly with his Heel command, staying by my left side and sitting when I stop walking. If he ever gets ahead of me, I stop walking and have him reposition himself with a Come to Heel on my left side. He did well working around the other trainers dogs and although was curious, did not approach them. As we were Heeling around the park Frank did notice a group of people playing basketball. He decided to run over there and bark for attention. I stimulated him with the E collar and went up levels until he responded and came back to me which didn’t take him very long. We used this as a training opportunity! I continued to Heel with him around the basketball court reminding him to Heel and Cuing Off whenever he focused too much on the ball. It is okay for him to look but it is not okay for him to fixate. Once he is fixated on something chances are he will run after it. Frank fought the impulse to approach the basketball players anymore and stayed by my side. My coworker brought out a tennis ball and we began to play fetch. I am getting Frank in the habit of sitting while I bounce the ball around him, then throw it. I start off with small throws behind me then progress to faster throws that get closer and closer to him. Frank does well with sitting until I release him to get the ball. If he does take off after the ball I bring it down a notch to set him up for success with a smaller throw. This exercise teaches Frank impulse control which will help him fight the impulse to chase after movement. We will continuously work on this so Frank can continue to build that impulse control!
For Frank’s weight the calibration on the scale was not correct which I was able to fix today. I weighed him again and his correct weight came out which was 44 pounds.
Pupdate 6/8/2022
Frank and I worked some more on proofing all of his commands at The Citadel Outlets today. There was a lot going on at The Citadel today. Workers were putting together new decorations which was very loud. At first Frank was very startled by the noises, getting up from his Extended Sit or Place every time he heard a loud noise. I began to Heel with Frank around these loud noises to desensitize him to it. Once Frank showed signs of being more confident we began to work him through his Extended Sit and Place. Frank was able to perform the Extended commands for up to two minutes but it was not consistent. He is very aware of his surroundings. Anytime he offers me his attention I praise him and mark it with a Yes. When Frank hears Yes he knows he is doing good and will be rewarded with affection or a toy which helps him stay more focused. I am using the wall every so often to keep Frank in good position for his Come to Sit because at times he sits far away from my side. After using the wall I slowly transitioned him away from the wall and Frank stayed in position. We will keep cleaning up all of his commands and working around loud noises to build Frank’s confidence.
Pupdate 6/9/2022
Frank and I ventured out to The Home Depot today. This was a lot for Frank to soak in at first. We began by training in a less distracting area like the garden area to work on his Heel. When Frank initially arrives somewhere he is very excited and needs a good walk with frequent turns to keep him engaged. I cue Frank to Heel every turn I make and if he turns with me I praise him. When Frank gets distracted and strays away I stimulate him with the E collar at a level he responds to. This level can change according to his environment and how distracted he is. After getting some energy out with a good Heel around the store we worked on his Extended Sit and Down while I made loud noises near him. Frank was spooked at first but we worked through it. Every time he got up I repositioned him back where he was and stimulated him with the E collar. He began to become more consistent and comfortable with the loud noises around him. His Come to Sit has become very consistent, with not much distance between us and while I am 15ft or more away from him. Frank’s biggest distraction today was another dog that was not neutered. He has never met this dog before and wanted to approach. I stimulated him with the E Collar right away and Frank came back immediately. At times like this it is important to go up in levels to make sure that we get his attention immediately. Frank came and Sat by my side, correcting himself. We will keep exposing and working Frank through these challenging scenarios.
Pupdate 6/10/2022
Today Frank and I worked on building fluency with all of his commands at the local park. We worked on his Come to Sit, building more distance away from each other. We repeatedly worked on his Heel and Extended Sits as well. A reliable Come to Sit means he will be reliable Off Leash. His Heel is consistent. Frank is an energetic, fast walker so I challenge him by changing my pace with him. If I walk slower he needs to walk slower, if I walk faster he naturally walks faster. Frank sits whenever I stop walking and slows down whenever I slow down, always staying on my left side. I Cued Off to Frank often when we were at the park because the ducks and birds caught his attention. If I noticed him fixating on anything I called his name and rewarded him for looking at me, especially around highly distracting environments. If calling his name wouldn’t get his attention I would stimulate him with the E collar Cueing Off.
Frank is consistently at two minutes with 15 seconds for his Extended Sit and Place. Place is great for Frank to use often because it really helps him calm down in excitable situations. Great work Frank!
Pupdate 6/11/2022
Frank and I took a trip to the Santa Monica Promenade today where we worked on his Final video, Off Leash. I do hold on to Frank’s bungee leash whenever we are crossing a street or whenever we are passing by reactive dogs. This is for safety reasons to prevent Frank from approaching these distractions. At times he can get overstimulated when he sees other over stimulated dogs. If I see Frank fixating on anything I cue Off and if he doesn’t stop staring I stimulate him with the E collar. Reactive dogs and any kind of ball tends to get his attention very quickly. It is important to pay attention to Frank around these triggers and give him extra guidance with commands. Frank has met all of the goals we have set for him for his Extended Place and Extended Sit. We were able to practice his Greeting Manners with friendly people that wanted to say hi. Frank stayed sitting the entire time while being pet. His Food Manners and Door Manners are consistent. Frank knows to wait to eat or cross the doorway until I release him with the cue Break. These are all important boundaries to keep with Frank to maintain impulse control with Frank. Frank Has improved with his impulse control which is a huge behavior I have been working on with him. Since Frank is a hunting breed he can be very impulsive with a very high prey drive, which is why I focused a lot on teaching him to be patient and fight the urge to approach other dogs or things that catch his attention. Continuously working on boundaries and structure with Frank will keep helping him be less impulsive. Thank you for the opportunity to work with your furry friend, we can’t wait to show you what he has learned!
