Frankie | Cavapoo | Los Angeles, CA. | In Training.
- heatheroffleashsoc
- Jan 5
- 16 min read
Updated: Jan 18
Meet Frankie! š¾
Frankie is a 9-month-old Cavapoo from Los Angeles, California, and this sweet little lady has just joined us for our two-week Urban Board & Train program! Frankie has been described as quite the little nibbler ā always eager to chew on anything and everything she can get her tiny mouth on. Along with her love for nibbling, sheās also shown a bit of a mischievous side, especially when it comes to digging into furniture fabrics, and she could use some extra support in the obedience department.
Over the next two weeks, weāll be working closely with Frankie on her basic obedience and house manners, with the goal of channeling those classic puppy behaviors into healthier, more appropriate habits. Weāll also be giving her the tools she needs to grow into a confident, well-mannered pup. Weāre excited to get started and canāt wait to see her progress ā letās get to work, Frankie!
1/5/2026
Today Frankie and I headed out to the park for a nice, easy walk to get better acquainted with one another and to see what she already knows. When we first got started, Frankie did show some initial uneasiness with me, which is completely to be expected. We took things slow and let her check everything out first ā and there were plenty of enticing smells to investigate!
As we continued walking, Frankie began to feel a bit more comfortable, so we started gently introducing the heel command. Any time she pulled in another direction, I used the leash to softly correct and changed direction, encouraging her to walk at my side. Before long, she started to catch on and showed us just how smart she is ā such a little cutie! Once she made some nice progress, we offered her a break and a treat. While she doesnāt quite understand the break command yet, Iām confident sheāll pick it up in time.
By the end of our park visit, Frankie seemed noticeably more at ease with me, which was really nice to see. From there, we loaded up in the car and headed to check out her new home away from home for the next two weeks. The new surroundings understandably made her a bit nervous at first, so we explored the yard and the house together, giving her time to sniff and take everything in.
Out of everything she experienced today, the one thing that really caught her off guard was my cats! When she saw them, she looked at me like, āWhat the heck are those?!ā ā which definitely gave me a good chuckle. After finishing her full sniff-check of the house and yard, she seemed a little more comfortable, and Iām sure in a day or two sheāll feel right at home.
All in all, today was a big day for Miss Frankie, but she handled it very well in my opinion. What a brave girl! š
1/6/2026
Today Frankie and I stayed close to home and worked around my neighborhood so I could introduce some new commands while also getting her familiar with the e-collar in a calm, low-stress environment. This setup worked beautifully for her.
We continued working on her heel command, which sheās already doing a great job with, and then began introducing sit, down, and come to sit. Iāll be honestāthatās a lot of new material to cover in one session, but Frankie handled it like a champ. She is incredibly smart and took everything in stride. Her come to sit in particular was very impressive. This is a command that many dogs really struggle with, but Miss Frankie was so easygoing and cooperative that she followed my leash guidance with ease.
As for the e-collar introduction, she seemed completely unbothered by the corrections, which was wonderful to see. She took everything in calmly and confidently, showing us that sheās able to learn without becoming stressed or overwhelmed.
At home, Frankie is continuing to settle in nicely. Sheās still a bit wary of new things, but sheās gradually becoming more comfortable with her surroundings each day. Regarding the crate, she did protest for quite a while last night, but sheās already starting to realize that the crate isnāt such a bad place after allāa great step in the right direction!
All in all, Frankie is already making excellent progress. Sheās proven just how smart she is, and as a bonus, sheās cute as a button too! Weāre off to a great start with this sweet girl šš¶
1/7/2026
Today Frankie and I headed out to an outdoor mall to practice all of the commands sheās learned so farāheel, sit, come to sit, and downāwhile also introducing a brand new command: place!
When we first arrived, I was expecting Frankie to show a little anxiety in the new environment, but she surprised me in the best way. Instead of nerves, she showed pure curiosity and wanted to check everything out, which is a great sign. To ease into the session, we started with heel and allowed her a bit of freedom to explore and satisfy her puppy curiosity. Once she settled and focused a bit more, we began sprinkling in commands along the way.
Frankie did a nice job practicing her sits and downs, and we worked on building duration by seeing how much distance I could put between us before she would pop upāleading us into her extended commands. From there, we practiced her come to sit. Overall, she did very well! She did have a few moments where she wanted to pop up and run back to my side, but we simply guided her back to her original position and tried again. With repetition, she began to understand what was being asked of her.
Next came the introduction of the place command! This involved having Frankie hop up onto different objects like benches and chairs and then asking her to sit or lay down. At first, she showed a little hesitationāalmost as if to say, āI canāt do that.ā But once I showed her that it was no different than hopping up on the couch, she gained confidence and had no problem hopping up onto whatever I asked. What a brave little lady!
Not only did Frankie learn a lot today, but she also got in some great socialization. She met a pup or two while we were out and was thrilled about itāeager to let them check her out. They shared a few playful zoomies together before we went back to our training.
As far as settling into the home goes, Frankie is doing well. She definitely enjoyed a cozy snuggle on the couch while I had my morning coffee. While she clearly misses home, sheās adjusting nicely and continuing to come out of her shell.
All in all, Frankie had a great day full of training, confidence building, socialization, and exploration. Sheās doing such a wonderful job!
1/8/2026
Today Frankie and I headed back out to an outdoor mall to continue working on all of the commands sheās learned so far, while also beginning to add both distance and duration to her sit and down commands. As expected, once we arrived her curiosity immediately kicked in and sniffing everything in sight became the main priority. To set her up for success, we spent some time working her heel command and allowing her to move through the environment in a structured way until she was able to get those initial distractions out of her system.
Once Frankie was more settled, the real work began. We started sprinkling in a few sit commands and slowly added distance between us. At first, I wasnāt able to get very far before she wanted to pop back up and run straight to me. When that happened, we simply redirected her back to the original spot and tried again. With a little repetition and clarity, Frankie began to understand what was being asked of her and started holding her sit for longer periods of time.
From there, we moved into the down command and followed the same processābuilding distance gradually and reinforcing the idea that staying put was the correct choice. She showed nice effort here and improved with each repetition. After working her extended commands, we transitioned into come to sit, asking Frankie to walk around my right side and finish by sitting on my left. This is still a newer skill for her, but she continues to make steady progress and shows improvement each day.
As we continued walking through the mall, I asked Frankie to place on several different benches. From there, I had her lay down and added some distance between us. She handled this beautifully and showed no issue maintaining her position, which was wonderful to see and a great sign of growing confidence and understanding.
Overall, we had a fantastic day of training. Frankie continues to impress me more and more each day with her willingness to learn, her resilience, and the progress sheās making. This little lady is working hard, and it truly shows! š¶āØ
1/9/2026
Today Frankie and I headed out to Santa Monica to work on her commands around higher-level distractions. When we first arrived, all of the hustle and bustle made Miss Frankie feel a bit quiet and anxious, so we took things slow and set her up for success. We started with her heel command, calmly walking around and allowing her to investigate her surroundings at her own pace until she began to feel more comfortable and settled.
As Frankie gradually relaxed, we began working through the commands sheās been learning. We practiced āplaceā on a few different objects and incorporated sit and down while increasing duration. With all the foot traffic and activity around us, her extended commands proved a bit challenging todayāand thatās completely okay. Santa Monica is a very busy environment, and this level of distraction is still relatively new to her. Anytime she broke a command, we simply redirected her back to the original spot and started again. After a few repetitions, she began to understand what was being asked of her and showed improvement.
From there, we worked on her ācome to sit,ā which she struggled with slightly as well. The constant movement of people made her a little uncomfortable, and at times she would try to stop or tuck herself behind me for reassurance. To help her through this, we gently guided her into position, had her sit neatly at my side, and rewarded her with treats and praiseāletting her know she did a great job and helping boost her confidence.
Overall, today was a very productive training session for Frankie. While it was a challenging environment for her, she made meaningful progress and showed that sheās learning how to work through discomfort with guidance and encouragement. Iām proud of her efforts and the confidence she continues to build with each outing!
1/10/2026
Today Frankie and I headed back out to Santa Monica to continue working on her commands around distractions, with a special focus on her extended commands. Sheās still working through holding her commands as I add more distance between us, but thatās completely okayāthis is where patience and consistency really come into play. Anytime she breaks a command, we simply redirect her back into the original position and repeat the exercise until she understands whatās being asked of her. Each day her understanding continues to grow, which has been really nice to see.
As for crate training, Frankie is making steady improvements with being left in the crate. She still whines a bit, but not nearly as long as she did when she first arrived. If the whining starts to escalate, we calmly use the āoffā command to put a stop to the behavior. The key here is not feeding into the whining, as sheās trying to gain attention so she can be let out and be with you. Staying consistent helps her learn that calm behavior is what earns freedom.
Overall, Frankie is making good progress each day, and Iām so happy to see how far sheās come! šš¶
1/11/2026
Today Frankie and I headed out to the park to work on all of the commands sheās learned so far while adding in some real-life distractions. Her heel is coming along very nicely, as is her come to sit. Sheās getting much better about following through without stopping behind me and is now more consistently coming into a clean sit on my left sideāgreat progress!
Her extended commands are improving as well. Itās taking fewer repetitions for her to stay put, which is always lovely to see, and sheās getting better at holding her sit or down when asked.
Crate training is coming along too. Weāre still practicing the off command when her whining gets a bit out of control, but sheās starting to understand that if she wants to come out and hang out, she needs to remain quiet. The biggest no-no is pulling her out while sheās āsinging the song of her people,ā so weāre being very consistent there.
All in all, weāre making great progress in her training, and weāre absolutely loving the adorable puppy snuggles in between sessions! šš¶
1/12/2026
Today Frankie and I headed out to a park in El Monte to meet up with some fellow trainers and their dogs! This environment gave us the perfect opportunity to work on all of the commands Frankie has learned so far while also getting in some great socialization with both dogs and people.
As you can see in the video, the distractions did what they do best at first and had Frankieā¦ well, distracted! After a rep or two though, she was able to settle in, focus, and perform her commands much more consistently. We even worked up to the point where another trainer and their dog were able to walk around us without Frankie budgingāwhat a huge win! Her patience with extended sit and down commands continues to improve each day, along with her heel and come-to-sit.
We did need to address a bit of grass eating, since not all grass is safe, but Frankie quickly understood that foraging for snacks isnāt the best idea. When it came to meeting other dogs, she was a little timid at first, but once she realized the other dogs werenāt a threat, she really warmed up. She enjoyed calmly checking them out and getting acquaintedāso much so that she even shared her place cot with another dog named Oso!
All in all, today was a fantastic training day. Frankie made a lot of great progress, and Iām so proud of her! š
1/13/2026
Today Frankie and I headed out to an outdoor mall to continue practicing her commands around distractions. Overall, Frankie did very well! Sheās still working through learning to stay put with her extended down, sit, and place commands. With puppies, patience and consistency are keyāthereās just so much to see and sniff! We stayed vigilant and worked through the distractions, setting her up for success one moment at a time.
On a very positive note, her heel and come to sit commands are looking really nice and continue to improve with each outing.
Crate training is also showing progress! Frankie will still whine a little at times when she simply wants to be out with everyone in the house, so we wait until she settles and quiets down before letting her out. Most of the time, though, her whining has been purposefulāalerting me when she needs to go potty. This is a huge win and helps us avoid any unwanted accidents or messes.
All in all, Frankie is continuing to make steady progress, and Iām very proud of this little lady and all the effort sheās putting in! šš¶
1/14/2026
Today Frankie and I headed back out to the outdoor mall to continue practicing her commands around distractionsāand she did well! As always, weāre remaining mindful and patient as we work through her anxiety with extended-duration commands.
Iām finding that Frankie feels most confident with her place command since being elevated off the ground seems to feel safer for her. When we practice extended sit or down on the ground, she can become a bit uneasy, especially with people passing by or unfamiliar sounds, and sheāll sometimes want to scurry back to me. This is very common with smaller dogsātheyāre so little in such a big world! Each day we focus on building her confidence, and Iām happy to say that with consistent work, it gets a little easier for her every time.
Her come to sit and heel commands are looking very strong with no issues there. Today we also worked a bit on greeting manners, asking Frankie to sit politely for introductions rather than jumping or showing any behavior that might make someone hesitant to greet her.
While we were in the middle of working on her extended down, a kind lady stopped and instantly fell in love with Frankie and asked if she could pet her. I happily agreed and explained that we were practicing polite greetingsāshe was more than willing to help! Frankie did a great job and even surprised us by offering her new friend her bellyā¦ how cute!
Overall, today was a great training day. Frankie made solid progress, and by the end of our session, she seemed quite proud of herselfāwhich we absolutely love to see! š
1/15/2026
Today Frankie and I headed out to Home Depot to work through all of the commands sheās learned so farāthis time with plenty of distractions. Since Frankie has been having some challenges with her extended commands around unfamiliar noises and people, Home Depot was the perfect training environment. Between forklifts, carts being loaded, and constant movement, there was no shortage of new sounds to work through.
Our main focus today was her extended sit and down commands. At first, there were quite a few moments where Frankie would pop up and scurry back to me for reassurance. We stayed consistent and patient, calmly guiding her back to her original position and restarting the exercise. With repetition, Frankie began to realize that she was perfectly safe where she was asked to sit or lie downāand that she could confidently hold the command until released. Thatās exactly what we love to see!
The overall goal today was building confidence, and I think we may have made some real progress in that department.
As far as crate training goes, Frankie still has moments where she wants to protest being inside. When that happens, we gently remind her āoff,ā and when she chooses to remain quiet, sheās rewarded by coming out to play with her toys and enjoy a little snack. Weāre reinforcing calm choices and helping her understand that patience pays off.
All in all, Frankie is steadily making progress with her training. Some puppies just need a little extra patience in certain areas, and Frankie is no exception. With continued consistency, Iām confident sheās going to continue improvingāshe really is a very smart girl! š
1/16/2026
Today Frankie and I headed out to Home Depot to continue working her commands around real-world distractions, and it really showed just how much progress sheās making! All of the hard work weāve been putting into her extended commands is paying off. She held them beautifully, only breaking once when I stepped a bit too close and she started anticipating what I might ask next. Honestly, thatās not a bad thing at allāit shows sheās beginning to understand our routine and is actively thinking through her commands.
Frankie was incredibly brave today, confidently handling all the new noises, people, and movement around her. Iām so proud of this little cutie! The rest of her commands remain strong, and sheās consistently showing how well sheās retaining everything sheās learned.
Once we got back home, we spent some time working on her recall. We practiced by letting her explore the front and backyard and then calling her back to me. Our end goal is for her to come in and finish with a sit on my left side, just like youāve seen in our training videosāand sheās definitely starting to get the hang of it!
We also continue to see improvements with her crate training. She may still cry briefly when first going into the crate and will whine if she needs to potty, but overall sheās staying much quieter. Sheās also warming up to the idea of going into the crate when asked. Yes, she still likes to be a silly goose and occasionally tries to veer away from the door, but most of the time she listens and follows through.
All in all, Frankie is making such great progress, and I couldnāt be more proud of her. Sheās working hard and it truly shows! š
1/17/2026
Today Frankie and I headed out to the Santa Anita Mall to continue strengthening her obedience skills around higher levels of distraction, and I couldnāt be happier with how she did. From the moment we arrived, Frankie was focused and ready to work. She performed each command exactly as we have been practicing, showing just how much her confidence and understanding are continuing to grow in these busy environments.
Her extended commands were especially impressive today. Frankie did a great job holding her positions despite the constant movement, noise, and activity around us. She only broke command once when a group of children suddenly began yelling nearby, which understandably startled her and caused her to scurry back to me. Honestly, I canāt say I blame herāthose kinds of sudden, high-energy moments can be alarming even for us humans! What I loved seeing was that she immediately sought reassurance from me, showing trust and a strong handler bond, and we were able to reset and move right back into work without any lingering stress.
Every object I asked Frankie to place on posed absolutely zero problems. Whether it was benches, ledges, or other raised surfaces, she approached each one confidently and climbed right up without hesitation. This shows a huge improvement in both her environmental confidence and her ability to think through commands even in a busy public setting. Her heel continues to look beautifulāshe stayed nicely positioned and attentive despite all the exciting sights around her. Her come to sit is also looking very clean and responsive, with quick recalls and a polished finish right at my side.
We even had a fun little learning moment when we stopped to check out some turtles. Frankie looked at me with the most puzzled expression when she noticed them, clearly unsure what to make of these slow-moving creatures. Even so, she didnāt let curiosity get the best of her and happily sat pretty for a picture, proving once again that she can stay composed and focused even when something new and unexpected pops up.
This silly little lady is making such incredible progress each day. Her confidence, obedience, and ability to recover quickly from startling moments are all coming together beautifully. I am beyond proud of how hard she is working and how far sheās come. Go Frankie! šš¶
1/18/2026
Today Frankie and I headed back out to the Santa Anita Mallānot only to continue working her commands around real-world distractions, but also to film her final videoā¦ and wow, did Frankie show up today! She truly blew me away.
Frankie performed beautifully across the board, confidently executing all of her commands and holding her extended sits, downs, and place commands with impressive patience. Distractions that once might have caught her attention simply didnāt stand a chance todayāshe stayed focused, calm, and engaged the entire time. Watching her work with that level of confidence was incredibly rewarding and really highlighted just how far she has come.
One moment that stood out in particular was during her greeting manners. Frankie was able to greet passersby politely without immediately showing her belly, which was so nice to see. While that submissive belly display can certainly be cute, itās also a sign of uncertainty. What weāre aiming for instead is exactly what Frankie showed todayāa confident, happy pup sitting calmly and accepting affection with ease. She nailed it.
Her progress at home has been just as impressive. Frankieās crate training and separation anxiety have continued to improve significantly. While she may still whine briefly at first, once reminded to āoff,ā she settles nicely and is able to relax. That ability to self-regulate is a huge step forward for her.
I truly could not be more proud of the progress this little cutie has made over the last two weeks. Frankie is a perfect example of what hard work, consistency, and patience can accomplish. She has grown so muchānot just in her obedience, but in her confidence and overall demeanor.
Iād also like to take a moment to sincerely thank you for trusting me with the opportunity to care for and work so closely with your girl. Frankie is incredibly sweet, and it has been such a joy helping her along this journey. My hope is that everything she has learned here will continue to support both Frankie and your family as you move forward togetherācreating a calmer, more confident lifestyle and making room for many adventures to come. šš¶
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