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Fritz | Frenchie/Poodle Mix | Los Angeles, CA | In-Training

Writer's picture: cristianoffleashcristianoffleash

Meet Fritz! Fritz is a 3 year old Frenchie/poodle mix coming from Los Angeles, CA to join us for our 3 Week Board & Train program. Fritz comes to us with reactivity, not being comfortable around dogs, becoming timid of random noises, and a lack of confidence around people and dogs. There are moments Fritz can be confident with certain situations but at times he can have reactivity for even the same type of distraction a moment later. Fritz doesn't have much issues now since he's been growing up but when he reacts its a big issue. Over the next three weeks I'm going to task Fritz with practices and objectives to help with his reactivity and help him become a well behaved dog. Check out his progress with me as his personal dog trainer!

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Pupdate 7/14/2024





Today was my first day meeting Fritz and he seemed confident with me just within the first few seconds of meeting him. Once we headed back to my hometown we made our way to a park to work on engagement and build a relationship together by letting Fritz be himself and motivate him when walking around on grass. We had some moments of success with Fritz coming to me and smelling me, even if he seemed intimidated. I ended up laying on the grass and he confidently sat next to me and laid down so in that moment I petted him which he let me do with ease.


Once we made our way to my house I put all his belongings inside before having Fritz enter. He saw my dad from a distance and only smelled from afar which I praised. Once we were inside my room he was ok until he saw my personal dog Hunter in his crate. It took me about fifteen minutes to get him inside my room but once he made that choice to come in he was investigating the whole room. After some time of lounging we were able to get him inside his crate and he was doing ok until Hunter walked near the crate where Fritz started to bark. After that I kept Hunter separate from Fritz crate and eventually Fritz went to sleep. He's doing ok overall and seems to enjoy being outside but his confidence in areas where he might feel cornered gets him to react. I will continue to monitor his behavior at objects or noises to determine what is setting off his reactivity at random moments.


Later on we focused on leash pressure training for better engagement and introducing Fritz to his e-collar. Check out his daily progress as we adventure to new places to practice our obedience training!


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Pupdate 7/15/2024






Today we woke up early in the morning to go for a walk and go potty which was a success. Fritz had no accident nor did he cry throughout the night in his crate but going into the crate he can take his time to enter.


After a walk in the morning we focused on some obedience training in and out of the house to keep Fritz in a consistent work mood since he can be lazy at times. I gave Fritz a break to train my personal dog and after Fritz break we headed to a park to practice many things for his engagement. When we arrived to my surprise he seemed engaged with me being able to come to me more but still getting distracted by things around us. He's able to do some of this obedience but other times asking him to come or down he was taking his time enjoying his time outside. We headed over to the dog park on the outside of it to work on impulse control and throughout seeing multiple dogs at the dog park, Fritz was genuinely ok. I asked for his sit or would walk him in these moments to keep him active and engaged to have something to do while they came to the gate. He did well overall and when we went back home he took another nap.


Mid day I had some shopping to do at the local pet store so I took Fritz with me and this is where he started to show his fear based anxiety. The real issue at the moment was trying to enter the store at first since the entrance had a sliding door and this spooked Fritz. After ten minutes once he made his first steps inside he was ok. We trained with our e-collar and conditioning his obedience commands was going good but once he started hearing random noises throughout the store he was starting to seem nervous and would automatically lay down. I would simply ask for Fritz to come to me and he resisted as much as he could but with the use of the e-collar he was able to follow through with his obedience and continued to train throughout the store. We worked on sit and down with duration, having him hold his obedience for as long as he can before being given his break. Once we stayed for an hour Fritz was tired and ready to go home.


We followed up with more obedience training at home and tried to engage with Hunter through his crate seeing if Fritz has the ability to say hi to a new friend.

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Pupdate 7/16/2024

Today we woke up early in the morning to go for a walk but compared to yesterday Fritz seemed more lazy this morning but that didn't stop us from continuing our goals for today. Once we made our way back home I gave Fritz the opportunity to meet my dog Hunter but to my surprise Fritz was distant and wanted to do nothing with Hunter. The closer Hunter got Fritz would tense up or become very still so it's still too early to persuade Fritz to play since he shows no interest at all. We will be visiting more of our friends this week to see if we can find Fritz a friend he wants to say hi to and investigate.


When working inside the house today I wanted to see what type of engagement Fritz would show when working with no distraction and even at home he can be lazy and resist training when he wants. When just walking back and forth inside there were moments he decides he doesn't want to move so I use the e-collar on low level setting going up to medium numbers until he's able to follow through. We take our second practice to the backyard and for an odd reason Fritz didn't want to come into the backyard. This was caused possibly from the neighbors landscaping worker working on the sides of the house. In the beginning of the second video clip Fritz is at the door but I took my time with him and was able to have him walk through while the noise was going on. When working on his place obedience command he can follow through but depending on elevation of the platform he might do different things when he decides he doesn't want to apply himself. When practicing on the chairs for place he tooks longer than normal to follow through so I walked around the pillar to come up from a different angle to see if he's more comfortable like this. Once we go to the small place pad and back to the chair he does it with ease. This is when I end the practice with his release word "break".


Fritz can train for a short amount of time before getting tired so I try to manage short training sessions to focus on our basic commands and build up more stamina with Fritz. Regular breaks to ensure Fritz remains motivated and not overwhelmed.


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Pupdate 7/17/2024

Today we headed over to Whittier Narrows Park in El Monte, CA to work around the offleash team and see what kind of behavior Fritz would show today. When we first arrived we waited for the others to come but for the moment we practiced our place obedience command by walking up to a table and having him sit only momentarily. We aren't conditioning him to place on the table but just to have him climb and use his legs to get him active and energetic. As we practiced our friend Adrienne showed up and wanted to say hi to Fritz. Adrienne is very aware of how to approach a dog like Fritz confidently. He had a somewhat uneasy face but was willing to let her pet him and as he did he stayed still until he was asked for his break.


The second video clip, all of our friends are with us and we trained our dogs around each other. Fritz did really well nor did he bark at any dog that showed up with an Offleash trainer. Fritz would remain confident and quiet just giving me his attention with his eyes as I walked around the area. By this time Fritz was starting to get tired so he took a break before being tasked with a few more things to end the day. Our last video clip is of Fritz being asked to sit next to Oso the Chocolate Labrador. Oso is a very well behaved dog who shows no response or reaction when meeting dogs and always wanting to play. When walking up to the place pad with Oso as long as Fritz could place his paws on the pad I could praise him and tell him good boy. After just a few tries he gets on and shows no reaction towards Oso as he starts to move a little on the pad. After some time I break him and we took another break.


The last thing we practiced today was having Fritz work with Tanner and Megan today. When working with Megan Fritz was somewhat lazy and resisted training with her at times but would follow through with his obedience. Before training with Tanner Fritz had a break so he had some energy in him to train and be motivated. With Tanner Fritz gave him a lot of engagement and got Fritz to become motivated to train. Fritz did really well today not reacting at all and being able to socialize without stepping boundaries.


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Pupdate 7/18/2024

Today we woke up early to go for a walk which lasted about 20 minutes before Fritz started to slow down. We made our way back home and gave him time to hang out around Hunter. Fritz was neutral for the most part seeing Hunter with him in the backyard but once Hunter was being clingy with me Fritz immediately got jealous and snapped towards Hunter which was redirected. Once Fritz saw me give affection to Hunter he didn't care anymore. For most of their encounters Fritz does take some time to smell him but he doesn't like when Hunter comes at him at face value from what I noticed.


We focused on more house training practicing sit before passing by doors inside the house. Once he seemed adjusted inside I brought him outside to practice with the side gate. I practice with a place pad to give him another task which is to stay on the pad and to not remove himself. At first I take a few attempts to show him that when I pass he doesn't have to follow me. If Fritz was to get up from the place pad I simply ask him to go back on and practice our objective all over again. At one point when asking him for a down he was adamant about sitting but I tried multiple times to ask him into a down with his e-collar but he would tolerate it so I used leash pressure for assistance. As we kept practicing and the farther I kept going he wanted to get up but consistency helped me get to a point where he could wait until I fully came back. Once I made my way to the front yard and back I closed the door to ask Fritz for his break so he could be rewarded.


We spent most of our day practicing house manners with and without the place pad so Fritz can understand when he asked to sit inside or outside before passing in or out of a door.


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Pupdate 7/19/2024



Today we headed over back to Anaheim Pet & Feed to focus on training and see his reaction on coming to a store he's been to before. Last time we came here he was timid on the sliding door but this time he walked into the store with ease. Fritz seemed confident being here today and was able to train but still at a low pace. When we see any dogs with their owners, the moment Fritz eyes make contact with them I say "off" and he directs his attention back to me. We practiced on our extended sit & down throughout the aisles and pretended to shop as if I were taking items with me as Fritz waits.


At one point of our visit one of the employees wanted to say hi to Fritz. Most of his other encounters took time for him to approach someone but with the employee we met today he was able to have Fritz come up to him with ease. He took his time letting Fritz smell him and after a few seconds Fritz came back to me for confirmation and I rewarded him as well for being able to do this with a stranger. We spent the remainder of our visit practicing place on many platforms inside the store seeing if Fritz could remain where I placed him after leaving his sight. Fritz did well but I only left his view for about 10 - 20 seconds each time before giving him breaks. Once we left the store, passing through the sliding doors went well with Fritz.



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Pupdate 7/20/2024





It was a bright Saturday morning when I decided to take Fritz to Petco for a dedicated obedience training session. With our previous visits so far, today was meant for practice and refining his skills in a relatively distraction-free environment. Upon arriving, the store was surprisingly quiet, with only a few customers wandering the aisles. We made our way throughout the store, being verbal with Fritz asking for his heel throughout the aisles. Fritz was enthusiastic as he familiarized the area around us. We started with some basic commands, such as sit and down with duration as more people started to enter the store.


We moved on to holding "down" for some duration which had been a bit challenging for him in the past. I took a step back, holding my hand up in the universal stop sign. Fritz eyes followed me, but he stayed put. I walked further away, his gaze never leaving mine. After a few seconds, I called him, and he bounded toward me, earning another treat and praise. Next, we practiced "heel." With the leash in my hand, we walked around the store turning into each aisle. Fritz stayed close to my side, only occasionally getting distracted by the faint smells of dog food and treats from nearby aisles. A simple redirection and he was back on track, his focus sharpening with each turn into an aisle.


After about an hour of training, we wrapped up and headed home for more obedience training to focus on our recall training.


Training a dog for a reliable recall can be challenging, especially when the dog is slow and unmotivated, like Fritz. Fritz often lags behind during training sessions, showing little enthusiasm for coming when called. However, with patience, consistency, Fritz can improve his recall skills. Firstly, understanding what motivates Fritz is crucial. A quiet room or a fenced yard can provide a controlled space where he can focus on learning. Using a cheerful, enthusiastic tone when calling him can help catch his attention. When Fritz does respond, even if it's slowly, reward him immediately to reinforce the behavior.


Short, frequent training sessions can prevent Fritz from becoming overwhelmed or bored. Begin by calling him from a short distance, gradually increasing it as he becomes more comfortable and responsive. If Fritz hesitates or seems uninterested, following through with his e-collar is next to advocate for his leash. Lastly, patience is paramount. Fritz might take longer to grasp the concept, but celebrating small successes and maintaining a positive attitude will encourage him to keep trying.


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Pupdate 7/21/2024

Sunday's focus was more training at home with much time around Hunter even though they aren't playing or socializing as often. I have been taking them on walks together most mornings, and by now Fritz seems used to Hunter's presence but when playing he truly is independent. While inside the house Fritz can sometimes want to be in other rooms while I'm inside mine so each time he tries to be distant I attach his leash and walk with him back inside my room to break this habit of being away when Hunter is out. As the days progressed Fritz and Hunter had their moments smelling and investigating each other but Fritz remained acting on his own accord.


When playing with toys, Fritz showed no interest besides a ball showcasing a lot of energy. Fritz is determined to get his ball but has interest in me following him to retrieve the ball. When this happens I try coming to his level by lowering my legs and being vocal, asking for him to "drop it". With many attempts throughout the video we have small moments of success but many failures as well which can always be worked through at another time of the day. One tip of advice to do as well is using a room small enough to throw the ball around and have Fritz bring it directly to me for better engagement.


We spent the remainder of the day focusing on recall since Fritz can take his time trying to make his movements around me. We took time practicing some of our obedience training with my younger brother, even training with him he had a tendency to be lazy and still needing redirection at times.


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Pupdate 7/22/2024


Today's visit consisted with training around the Offleash team again and a few moments of Fritz attempting to smell or socialize with the new puppies brought out today. When working with Fritz today we had more energy out of him today and since that was noticeable I wanted to run away from him to see if he can actually be more energetic than he acts on a normal basis. Fritz was enjoying running with me with the leash dragging and with each turn I made away from him he continued to track me with his eyes and chase me.


At one point when Jose, an Offleash trainer came with his shepherd who is new to the program, passed by Fritz and when they made eye contact Fritz reacted abruptly and lunged towards the dog which was redirected. After this we took both dogs to the walkway of the park and focused on training the dogs around each other. I first made my way to practice recall at first and at one moment Fritz decided to be lazy and not contribute so I had to raise the settings in the e-collar to have Fritz follow through which he did. Once Jose arrived we started putting our training into practice. Each time the Shepherd and Jose came near us I would constantly ask for his off obedience command to have his attention back towards me. We focused on left side heel turns going back and forth in a circle to give the dogs the opportunity to look at each other momentarily but to not overstimulate. If Fritz stares at a dog for too long this is a sign which might lead up to his barking habit. This practice alone is ideal to train Fritz in case of opportunities to meet new dog friends even at a distance.


By the end of our visit Fritz was able to keep his down for long durations at times but often standing up and walking around is something that has him act on his impulses. For any moments like this he is redirected back into a down and as time went on he was able to hold longer durations as we had conversations and had friends train around us. Something noticeable was with one of the puppies which is the border collie in the photo above, this was the only dog Fritz had a genuine interest in and had an interest to say hi without being overly emotional. I immediately gave Fritz the right of way to go up to the border collie and Fritz smelled from behind as a dog should. I praised Fritz for giving good manners since it was successful and a normal greeting between two dogs.


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Pupdate 7/23/2024




Today's adventure was a visit to Cerritos Mall in Cerritos, CA, for Fritz to be in an environment with people walking around, various noises, and the general exposure of a shopping mall. To my surprise, Fritz seemed to enjoy being inside and showed no fear when passing by sliding doors, entering without hesitation.


As we walked through the mall's widest section, Fritz remained unbothered by the change in scenery. I maintained a steady pace to keep everything normal for him. There were a few moments when Fritz stopped to look at something, and during these times, I used the e-collar on low-level settings. Pairing the command "heel" with the remote made our walks easier and more manageable. We found several benches where we practiced place, recall, and under commands, which Fritz handled well. For Fritz to learn place I introduced him on how to go under platforms which came easy for him. This is useful for eating out or to place him in an area for safety.


Most days, there's some redirection when practicing something new, but today Fritz was very confident, walking around and focusing on his obedience. One small detail about today was that on smooth floors, when Fritz was tired and asked to sit, his feet would slide into a down position. So, I often asked for a down command instead to keep him comfortable.



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Pupdate 7/24/2024

Today we focused on many things around the house, such as socializing, food manners, paw, recall, and sending away to place. Early in the morning, I had the dogs in the backyard and looked out for moments when they would try to investigate each other so I could praise them for being social. As always, Fritz chose to be independent but took time to let Hunter smell him or would come from behind Hunter to smell him.


When we practiced food manners, Fritz did well. Each day, we have taken our time to put the practice into perspective. Before, Fritz would get up to go to his food the moment I left his sight, but now he's able to wait patiently at times. Fritz does get excited for his food but never over stimulates himself and can relax when asked to sit.


My brother and I took the time to have some fun with Fritz, asking for his paw to see if he knows it. For the past few days, my brother has been able to ask Fritz for his paw, but sometimes Fritz is selective about when he wants to do it. I've never shown or asked Fritz for his paw, but today he seemed to want to give his paw to me instead of my brother. Each time Fritz gave me his paw, we praised him for making this small practice fun and enjoyable for Fritz before practicing our last obedience commands.


For our last practice in the video above, we focused on recall and asking Fritz to place from a distance, also known as "send away to place." Fritz has learned his recall, being able to come around me and end up in his heel position. After I walk a little forward, I ask Fritz to place without using leash tension. When Fritz is on his place pad, I ask him to go down, which takes some time. Coming up close to him and pointing down to the ground is something he still works through, but he eventually follows through with his down. When asked for other obedience commands, he does them with ease, but submitting into a down is something Fritz will tolerate. We will continue to focus on his down more to have him perform it on the first ask of the obedience command.


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Pupdate 7/25/2024




Today was very warm, so we decided to visit Brea Mall, which is indoors. When we arrived, I gave Fritz a chance to potty, but since he had already gone earlier, he was ready to head inside. Passing through the sliding door was routine for him, with no signs of anxiety. We walked around the entire mall, even taking two laps around the cafeteria to help him adjust to the loud noise in that area.


The only times Fritz seemed distracted were when he noticed people or smells inside stores, or when anyone called out to him with baby noises. Otherwise, he performed well during most of our walking and obedience exercises, except for the 'down' command. In public areas, Fritz occasionally appears nervous when asked to lie down. We worked through the levels of the remote until we found a setting that helped him follow through.


When asked to sit in open areas, Fritz would sometimes get up to follow me if people approached him. In those moments, I would redirect him back into his sit. If no one was passing by, he could hold his commands easily. Fritz ended some of his obedience practices with a recall, and to my surprise, he did it with ease inside the mall each time I asked. Despite being a few attempts, his recalls were first done within the first try. We spent the remainder of the day at home, focusing on off-leash obedience inside the house and helping Fritz better understand boundaries.


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Pupdate 7/26/2024

Today we continued to follow up on last night's training we have been doing inside the house with keeping Fritz fully aware of boundaries and holding his obedience when asked.


We started our training with recall, which is to have Fritz make his way around me, ending back in his heel position so we could walk. He does fairly well now but has a tendency to follow me even though I'm not asking him to. Each time this happens before asking him to come I walk back to where I previously asked him to sit. Once I can make my way back I can continue to practice with him. I leave his sight to see if he can wait for me but continues to follow me so he is redirected each time until he can hold his sit. Once I make my way back we continue and he's consistent until given his break.


When practicing his under obedience command he can take some time adjusting to the platform he positions himself to. With the table in my living room he has moments of success but moments of failure as well which is ok. The fact he breaks position just tells me he's not used to what he's doing at the moment but as we take our time he's able to work through this. Each time I left his sight while he was under the table he broke position, so for these moments he's redirected and is able to let me continue our practice.


Fritz got to train with my younger brother who is aware of training and can help guide Fritz with his e-collar. I asked him to hold his leash momentarily before dropping it to rely on the remote and Fritz was doing ok but seemed to slowly process what was going on with my brother. He takes the leash off and walks him around through the kitchen for Fritz to get used to walking with someone else. One of our practices to see how obedient Fritz can be is with his recall with my brother, This is where Fritz was trying to end our training by not doing his obedience correctly with Nick. This is Fritz's way of making the moment for him and to see if he would react differently to stop the use of the remote. Since Nick is consistent using the remote when he needs to use it, Fritz manages when walking for his heel.


When Nick practices recall with Fritz he makes his way around him with the assistance of the leash. During this practice Fritz tries to do what he wants but Nick redirects him as into a proper obedience structure. It takes Nick many tries to have Fritz follow through but they were able to get to a point where Nick was able to drop the leash when asking for his recall. Fritz tries as best as he can with Nick but we will continue to practice more with him around to have Fritz comfortable working with whomever asks him for obedience.


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Pupdate 7/27/2024





Today we started our morning with a walk with Hunter before heading out to teach some lessons. While gone for an hour or so Fritz is fine and shows no issues with my family coming in and out of my room but when I return he has recently started to overwhelm himself inside the crate. He is mostly excited that I've returned but I don't release him until he relaxes. During these moments he starts to obsessively lick his paw without complaining and gets his paw very soaked. It's tricky at times to catch him doing this at times but when he does I ask him to stop by saying "off". I will monitor him to see his behavior when practicing more with his crate training.


When practicing our door manners, the doors we have already practiced with Fritz seem to be aware of his boundaries but going into the backyard and leaving Fritz sight can be a challenge at times. When walking towards the backyard Fritz does what he always does and gets up from his obedience. Keeping these moments consistent with redirecting Fritz is crucial to help with his overall habit of following someone once they leave his sight.


We took our time heading over to our favorite pet friendly store to practice offleash obedience. It went really well, starting on leash we entered with no issue passing the stores sliding doors. We passed by multiple people and kept our distance in case we passed by anyone with their dogs. Once we were in an open area I took Fritz leash off and walked him around the store. As we made our way around the store we focused on our heeling, sit, down, and recall. Fritz did really well with a few moments of assistance from the e-collar but managed to perform with much confidence.


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Pupdate 7/28/2024

Today I took Fritz to meet some friends who were visiting momentarily in El Monte before heading over to Whittier Narrows to do training over there. After visiting our friends we headed over to the park and went near the open field where a game was going on.


In the video above we are practicing our offleash obedience on the pavement closest to the game. Fritz does his obedience very well but asking for his down has been taking some time with the remote to get him to go down. He needs my assistance by seeing me level myself to his view and he slowly goes into his down. As we practiced he managed himself very well until I wanted to leave his sight again. I walk back into the area with him to redirect him back into his down to let me continue our practice. I walk around him as long as I want to and ask for his recall, which is come to sit. As I'm distant from Fritz I say " Fritz come" and wave my hand behind my glute. I continue to say come until he makes his way around me and once he is on my left hand side I say sit and I can follow up with his heel and continue to walk with him.


When breaking Fritz, he can sometimes act on instinct and come to me before I say his release word. This is because he's enjoying himself and wants to be an overachiever. Even though this behavior is cute and he wants to show his confidence, he needs to do things once I permit it to be well maintained while outside.


We took the rest of the day to focus on offleash load up with the crate inside my car and having Fritz be able to walk into his crate more accordingly. Fritz manages to find moments to not walk into the crate but will go inside his crate with the assistance of the leash still.


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Pupdate 7/29/2024



Today we headed back over to Whittier Narrows Park in El Monte to meet up with our friends from Offleash and to practice more of our offleash training.


When we first arrived no one was there so we waited for some time until they arrived to practice more when their dogs were around. Once everyone showed up I turned the camera on and started our training seen in the video above. We focused on our under obedience command and send away to place since these are the only obedience commands Fritz needs to practice more. When asking him to place from a distance he's aware after some time training with the platform we selected. When asking for his under he can confuse this sometimes for his place depending on what I'm doing with my hand signals. We practiced this many times just going back and forth with two tables conditioning each obedience command so Fritz knows the difference.


The second video clip I practiced our send away to place distant from others until Fritz started to get tired. He is aware of his place command when he hears it but asking at a distance is our challenge to work through. I use the remote only in case he decides to stop when making his way towards the table. He also had some moments of getting off early so I immediately redirected him by asking him to place again with the use of the e-collar. When he's on top I raise my right hand for a signal and ask for his sit at the same time to get him to hold his position. As we practice this we are going to take our time going to busier environments to condition this better for proper obedience.


By the end of our visit I had Fritz hold his down in many different areas under the canopy we rested at. One of my tasks I wanted Fritz to do was lay down next to Oso the chocolate Labrador. Fritz never wanted to play but showed the same behavior being able to smell another dog but that's about it. I only asked Fritz to lay down next to him once and he remained next to Oso without breaking his obedience.

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Pupdate 7/30/2024



Today, we went to Cerritos Mall for obedience training, focusing on commands Fritz struggled with. Fritz successfully held his sit, down, recall, and under commands at various spots around the mall.


Upon arrival, Fritz entered the mall effortlessly and needed minimal redirection when distracted while walking. I maintained a slow pace to match his usual walking style. We visited several stores, and Fritz held his sit or down while I pretended to shop. In the open areas of the mall, I allowed Fritz to absorb his surroundings and get comfortable. Unlike other days when we face challenges, today's session in a public area like Cerritos Mall was easier and more manageable. Fritz responded well to commands when I signaled him with the remote, a tool he has learned to recognize during training sessions.


Our final practice was the "under" command, using a bench as shown in the last photo. Fritz was occasionally confused by the new platform, but we worked through it, spending about 20 minutes before heading home. Many passersby commented on Fritz's good behavior and training. Although we haven't had many strangers approach us to meet Fritz, tomorrow we will look for people willing to help us practice greeting manners.

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Pupdate 7/31/2024

Today, we went to Citadel Outlets to meet up with some friends and practice our obedience. When we first arrived, Fritz seemed confident and happy to be in a place like Citadel. We walked around the mall, allowing Fritz to familiarize himself with everything he saw.


In the video above, we practiced recall, extended sit, and continued walking while performing various obedience commands. Fritz executed each command with ease. As we continued to walk around the outlet, we practiced the send away to place command. This is where Fritz struggled; he won't follow the command at a distance but can do it easily when I'm close to the platform. We will continue to focus on this, as he performs all other obedience commands very well, but the send away to place needs more practice. While socializing with other dogs we encountered with our friends, Fritz showed no interest in them and was able to stay calm in their presence.


When we headed back home, we took our time focusing only on the send away to place command using the platforms we have at my house.



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Pupdate 8/1/2024



Today we headed over to Santa Monica Pier for exposure and to see Fritz's reaction being in a busy environment. When walking down to the pier Fritz seemed to be doing well but random loud noises always caused Fritz to become uneasy, making him pick up his pace and pass me. When practicing our send away to place we had many moments of success and no issues until a mechanical ride next to the arcade started to go off and scared Fritz. When trying to work Fritz near the mechanical ride it took some time getting him used to sitting in close distance to have him hold his place obedience command on a bench. Fritz tried many times to run away in the opposite direction but would come back to me once he felt safe.


As we stayed longer Fritz started to adjust and we were able to continue our training offleash. In the video above Fritz is practicing his recall and heeling with me through the pier. I walked him until I found an open area with decent space to ask for his down obedience command which he had much trouble getting into while outside in public spaces. He does his down obedience command with much confidence and waits for about two minutes before asking him to break. After the video ends we practiced at the pier for the moment before heading over to the shopping area of Downtown Santa Monica. There was construction going on near the main street and Fritz started to shoot around me as if something bad had happened when hearing loud noises. Even after staying near the construction for some time Fritz would only break his position depending if the noise sounded like something dropping or something hitting the pavement floor. This would be the same reaction when passing a door or seeing a door open inside of a mall. We eventually got to a point and Fritz was able to relax and let the noise go off without breaking position.


Fritz's experience today went well but what was noticeable while outside is the moment something loud happens around him. This causes him to burst with energy running in front of me. We will continue to find situations that make Fritz feel uneasy to work through more moments like these for a better confidence build. He has shown a lot of improvement with many situations but we need to focus more on the unexpecting situations that might occur in Fritz's daily life.


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Pupdate 8/2/2024



This morning, we focused on our advanced obedience commands: send away to place, come to heel, and under. In the video above, we first concentrated on the "send away to place" command in the backyard, using the table as a platform for conditioning. Fritz did really well for his first time, showing good consistency. Initially, I walked him up to the table to help him understand where I wanted him to be. After this first attempt, I tried giving the command from a distance behind the door. Once I pointed towards the table, he seemed to understand right away where I wanted him to go. If Fritz got distracted by a noise in the backyard, I would use the remote to ask for his break and have him come to me. After many days of practice, today's session went well, but we still need to spend more time practicing outside.

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When practicing the "under" command, Fritz had some zoomies and enjoyed trying to play around while performing the command. He sometimes attempted to get on the couch or go around the table, but he clearly understood what was expected of him in these specific spots.Ā 

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I took him to the pet-friendly store we often visit to practice our off-leash obedience. Upon arrival, I walked him in off-leash and through the store without any issues. He walked by people and dogs without reacting. When employees passed by using a pallet jack, Fritz seemed okay, although I could tell he didn't like the noise it made. Two employees greeted Fritz, and he enjoyed it so much that he didn't come to me when called, preferring to stay with them for more pets. By the end of our visit, I worked on placing Fritz in a sit or down and leaving his sight. I was able to do this without him breaking position.


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Pupdate 8/3/2024

Today is Fritz's last day in his board and train program, so we started our morning with a walk that included Hunter. We went for a longer walk than usual, and Fritz did well for most of the distance, though he slowed down at some point. He had more energy and maintained a better pace from the start, which is an improvement compared to the first week when he lagged behind by about three feet most of the time. As we made our way home, I gave them time to hang out in the backyard, but as usual, they did the bare minimum when it came to interacting with each other. They have been more consistent about smelling each other and laying near each other, but Fritz still shows little interest in initiating play.


Fritz spent some time training with my younger brother again, which went well for occasional practice. Since Fritz has started to show more confidence, training with someone else has been going smoothly. Previously, attempts to train Fritz and my brother together resulted in Fritz resisting more and trying to tolerate the e-collar as much as possible. Now, he's able to train with Nick and perform most of his obedience commands without much issue. One challenging command they practiced was recall, but Fritz was able to do this with Nick after some practice.


Throughout the day, I took my time practicing all our house manners off-leash, and Fritz did well with his door, food, and car manners. When practicing door manners, Fritz stayed behind the doorway even if I left his sight, which he dislikes. He waited patiently for me before heeling with me. Food manners have been going well every time we've practiced and have never really been a struggle since the beginning of the board and train. His car manners have improved significantly, going from not wanting to get in the car to easily jumping in by himself.


Fritz's visit has been an adventure with many moments of failure and success. In the beginning, most of his training sessions were short and closely monitored to see his reactions, but he showed a lot of confidence as he got to go outside more. Most of the issues we dealt with involved his confidence in performing obedience commands outside, but practicing at home has helped. Fritz's presence is always welcome in my home and will be missed. Fritz is ready to go home

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