Meet Franklin! A sweet, one year old Labrador Mix from Covina, CA who has joined for our Two Week Board and Train Program. Franklin has joined us to work on behaviors such as Impulse control (especially around squirrels), socialization, and to build consistency with all of his commands no matter the environment. Stay tuned for his 14 day transformation!
Pupdate 5/15/2022
Today, after walking around the neighborhood together, we got Franklin settled in. We worked on introducing him to the prong collar and E collar. The prong collar is a communication tool that I use to guide Franklin in the direction I want him to go by creating a pressure path with the leash. I apply leash pressure and the second he follows it, I release that pressure. After a few tries Franklin got the hang of it. The E collar is a communication tool as well reinforcing everything so that he can eventually be off leash. When I guide Franklin with the leash I stimulate him with the E collar. There are different levels to the E collar and the levels needed depends on the environment. If he is distracted we go up 4-5 levels. Franklin followed my direction quite well and was able to Come to Sit by my left side which is how we begin his walks. He is able to Sit for 30 seconds consistently.
Pupdate 5/16/2022
Today Franklin and I took a trip to the local park. We focused our work on his Heel command, Come to Sit, and Down. Heel is the action of Franklin walking on my left side, turning when I turn and sitting when I stop walking. Before I turn I always give Franklin a heads up to turn with me by saying Heel. I say Heel every time I walk forward as well. If Franklin doesn’t turn with me I add a leash pop in the direction I want him to go as well as stimulation from the E Collar. When Franklin turns nicely with me I praise him and mark it with a Yes. After working on Heel, we began to work on his Down command. Franklin needed some help with the leash to guide him down , after a few tries he became consistent with holding that position as well. Franklin began to feel comfortable enough to eat treats from my hand today, as well as some of his food. He takes the dissolved pill with ease but struggles to eat the other pill with peanut butter. I crushed it and put it into his bowl today. We will see if this method is more successful for him.
Pupdate 5/17/2022
Franklin and I took a trip to the Wilderness Park today! We Heeled to the park passing by loud cars and a friendly person that wanted to say hi. Franklin was unsure of this person and barked as an attempt to make him go away. I applied a leash pop and Cued Off to Franklin with stimulation of the E collar. Franklin stopped barking and stayed in the Sit position the entire time until I released him with the Cue Break and offered him a lot of praise. We walked to the childrens playground at the Park to expose Franklin to children since he isn’t too fond of them! We also worked on confidence building exercises at the playground, getting Franklin to jump on multiple surfaces and hold his Extended Place. Place is a great command for Franklin since he suffers from anxiety, having a surface to visually see and stay on helps calm him. Franklin is now beginning to take his medication with peanut butter. Great job Franklin!
Pupdate 5/18/2022
Franklin and I took a trip to Mother’s Beach today! There were a lot of distractions for us to practice around like dogs, kids running around the playground, and crowds of people. We had the chance to work on some confidence building exercises to help Franklin work through his anxiety. We practiced the Place command on a wobbly board. At first he was afraid of the movement and hopped off right away. I encouraged him to do it again and helped him balance himself. As we repeatedly practiced it he gained confidence in it and was able to hold his Sit on top of it for a whole minute and a half! There was also a hoop that Franklin and I practiced sending him through. I guided him with the leash through the hoop the first few times then he began to hop through it with ease. He is now able to come to me consistently and Heel with minimal guidance from the leash. Good work Franklin!
Pupdate 5/19/2022
Franklin and I began to proof all of his commands today at The Citadel Outlets! There were other trainer’s dogs we had the chance to work with. Franklin lacks confidence at times when I begin to create distance between us while he is in the Sit or Down position and tries to follow me. We have been primarily focusing on that during our training. I began by staying close to Franklin while he was in the Extended Sit or Down position and slowly created distance when he became consistent. By the end of our session I was able to walk to the end of leash while he stayed in position with minimal distractions! He is also becoming consistent with his Come to Sit and Heel. We will continue to work on creating distance around distractions and work on confidence building exercises as well.
Pupdate 5/20/2022
Franklin and I ventured out to The Block of Orange today! There were plenty of distractions like reactive dogs, crowds of people, food, and noises. Franklin did well with these distractions always looking to me for reassurance. We worked on all of his commands that he has learned so far with distance, more duration and distractions. Franklin met the 2 minute Extended Sit and Down goal today! I was able to walk to the end of the leash while he held his commands. The few times he did get up before I released him with the cue Break, I put him back into the same position he was in before adding more time as well. He was able to begin working on his Greeting Manners today with a friendly kid that wanted to say hi. Franklin did well with letting the kid pet him as I marked it with a Yes and encouraged him to stay Sitting. Once we got back to the house I introduced him to my personal dog Bear, and Bailey my other board and train dog. Franklin has really come out of his shell and decided to stay outside with us instead of going back to his crate as he usually does. Excellent progress Franklin!
Pupdate 5/21/2022
Franklin and I worked on everything he has learned so far with the other trainer’s dogs today. Franklin was able to Heel right next to me while passing the other dogs and was able to consistently hold his Extended Sit and Down for two minutes. He is exhibiting more confidence with being in a stationary position while I walk away. After working on his commands we practiced Heel while on a pack walk. We all took turns taking the lead which was great for Franklin’s confidence.
Pupdate 5/22/2022
Franklin and I began his Off Leash work today at the local park. There was a lot going at the park today which was great exposure for Franklin. I started his Off Leash work at a less distracting area of the park first. Once I saw that he was consistently Heeling next to me and coming when called, I began working with him closer to the distractions. We worked around crowds of people, children running around the playground, dogs, and more. Franklin did well and only strayed away slightly one time when there was a reactive dog barking at him. Franklin initially was frightened. I worked him through this and had him Come to Sit on my left side. After he came I cued Place which helps Franklin stay calm in his excitable situations. Once we came home, Franklin opened up and began to play with Bailey my other board and train dog. They had a fun play session and we had the chance to practice his recall while playing. He was consistent with coming when called, even when excited. We will keep working on his Off Leash work around distractions to proof all of those commands.
Pupdate 5/23/2022
Franklin and I worked on everything he has learned so far Off Leash around the other trainer’s dogs at the park today! He has become consistent with all of his commands while I added more distance, duration and distractions. I am now able to walk more than 15ft away from Franklin while he stays in position. This was difficult for Franklin initially and took a lot of practice to help him work through his separation anxiety. He is now more confident with being alone while I even go out of sight because he knows I will return. I never make it a big deal when I come and go because I want Franklin to know it isn’t something to worry about. If I make it a big deal every time so will he. He has been saying hi to different people and has been okay with being approached and pet. I always praise him as he is being approached to show him he is doing well. Franklin has become very playful, and affectionate, even offering me kisses now which is huge for him! He plays with the other dogs and is comfortable with eating treats which was difficult for him at first. With proper structure around introductions, and teaching Franklin to look to me for permission/reassurance in different scenarios, he has learned to trust me and be confident within himself. Excellent progress Franklin!
Pupdate 5/24/2022
Franklin and I practiced some more confidence building exercises at the Beach today! We did agility through the obstacle courses, worked on his Extended Place with wobbly boards to build balance, and even practiced Greeting Manners with a group of kids that wanted to say hi to him. Franklin did great with all of the kids saying hi to him and stayed seated the whole time. He Off Leash Heeled around the beach with me and is comfortable with all of the distance between him and I while he is in Place. He jumped through the hoops on the playground on command and can perform the Place command from a distance which is a send away to Place. This is advanced for a 2 Week Board and Train but he has shown he is more than capable of doing it consistently with more and more distance. Great job Franklin!
Pupdate 5/25/2022
Franklin and I worked on proofing all of his commands at The Home Depot today. There were loud noises, and crowds of people walking around with wooden planks near him. Normally Franklin would be frightened by specifically men walking close to him but he has shown so much more confidence in these scenarios. He even let a tall man say hi to him and was happy about it, tail wagging fast and all! I always encourage him a lot when he is saying hi to people he normally wouldn’t be comfortable around like men and kids. He successfully stayed near me Off Leash the entire time and held all of his commands till I released him. We even had the chance to put him on a rolling cart with another dog and he stayed on there the entire time while I pushed it. Any opportunity for confidence building exercises we take advantage! The video above is from the beach day yesterday. He did great around the kids and let them all approach him!
Pupdate 5/26/2022
Franklin and I worked on everything he has learned so far at The Block of Orange. There were plenty of distractions like reactive dogs, people on skateboards, and crowds of people. Franklin was not phased by all of the distractions and was very engaged. He is consistently going to Place from about 10 feet away, can Sit while I walk away from him and Comes to Sit from a distance of 15 feet or more. His confidence is increasing each and every day. I am so proud of this sweet boy working through all of his fears!
Pupdate 5/27/2022
Franklin and I went to the Santa Monica Pier today. This was a very high distraction environment and he did great! We worked on all of his commands and filmed his final video. Santa Monica Pier was very crowded with people, music, dogs, etc. Initially I noticed Franklin was unsure of his environment but after working him through it and Heeling with him around the pier to expose him to his new environment he acclimated quickly and was consistent with all of his commands. We have also been working on all of his manners. Franklin knows to wait for my permission for everything like waiting for the door, and waiting for his food. Above I also attached a video from our Home Depot trip. We did a confidence and trust building exercise by having him sit on a moving object. He stayed on there the entire time until I released him. Excellent work Franklin!
Pupdate 5/28/2022
Today Franklin and I enjoyed our last day together and walked to the park. We practiced all of his commands with distance and distractions Off Leash. Franklin has performed all of the Extended Sit, Down and Place commands for a minimum of 2 minutes but has proven he can do even more; having a record of 4 minutes! Franklin has really come out of his shell and shown much more confidence with all kinds of environments. He has been able to work through his anxiety and ended up becoming advanced with his commands! He used to not be okay with distance between him and I but now can hold his commands while I even go out of sight. With continuous exposure to new environments, Franklin will continue to become more and confident in new environments and around all kinds of people. Thank you for the opportunity to have worked with your sweet boy!
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