Garth | Goldendoodle | Santa Monica, CA | In-Training
- Scott Hansen
- Nov 24, 2025
- 7 min read
Updated: Nov 30, 2025
Meet Garth! Garth is a one-and-a-half-year-old Goldendoodle here for our One Week Board and Train Program. Garth is a sweet pup; however, he does display several unwanted behaviors. Garth is playful and friendly. Garth has poor leash manners and will not recall. Garth can perform a command or two with the proper motivation; however, he lacks structure and will perform the tasks inconsistently. Over the next seven days, Garth is going to learn to be an obedient pup through consistent, clear communication and balanced training at home and by discovering new people and places. Garth will learn to perform all these things on leash through a positive and balanced training environment. Through structure and consistency, Garth will demonstrate how great a pup he can be! Stay tuned for Garth’s one-week transformation!
Garth | Labradoodle | Pupdate 11/24/25
Today, Mr. Garth joined me for his one-week board and train program. On the way home, we stopped at a local park to see what commands Mr. Garth could perform. He did not do very well! But I think you know that, and that's why he's here. After I tested his skills, we had a mini photoshoot for his profile picture for his blog. I don't know if you know this, but as soon as dogs see a phone or camera in front of their face, you are now invisible to them, and they must ignore you at all costs. Once we got what we needed, we loaded up and headed to Mr. Garth's temporary residence for the next week.
Once we got home, I let Mr. Garth smell Ms. Toji through the front gate. Ms. Toji was excited to see Mr. Garth. Mr. Garth had his tail wagging and was curious to meet her. Mr. Garth had no issues coming to the house. I let him explore each room and meet everyone. I let him meet Mr. Steven, who was in his crate. Throughout the introductions, Mr. Garth showed no adverse reactions. I took Mr. Garth outside to meet Ms. Toji and Mr. Lucky. They had no issues. I threw the ball around for them for a few minutes. Mr. Garth and Ms. Toji chased the ball while Mr. Lucky tried to keep up with the big kids.
We then went on a long walk around the block so that he could get used to the sights, sounds, and scents of his temporary new neighborhood. He had no issues with walking around the block. He was in a decent heel and only stopped occasionally to investigate some dog “hot spots,” but was willing to keep walking. He ignored all the other dogs in the houses that barked at us as we went around.
I gave him dinner and will observe how much he eats. I keep track of his weight and will ensure that he maintains his weight while he is with me.
I've attached the e-collar familiarization video. Please review the video a few times before Mr. Garth's turnover. We'll practice together to make sure you are comfortable with the system before using it with Mr. Garth. I will introduce the e-collar for tomorrow’s training.
Garth | Goldendoodle | Pupdate 11/25/25
Today, I formally introduced the e-collar to Mr. Garth. I noticed that when I introduced Mr. Garth to Ms. Toji and Mr. Lucky, Mr. Garth was more willing to play and go after the ball. I used this to my advantage. I like to squeeze in the introduction of the e-collar into the play. This way, it happens in a very short time and is sandwiched between fun times. Mr. Garth was showing me signs of stimulation around 10. At level 20, he stops and paws at it. This means that Mr. Garth will likely be operating around 10.
Wait - 10 was a little too distracting. After we introduced the collar, I put Ms. Toji and Mr. Lucky back in the dog run. I then had a one-on-one training session with Mr. Garth. 10 was a little too high, so I actually used the "vibrate" feature to get a more consistent response from Mr. Garth. I was able to introduce all of his commands today, which are: heel, sit, place, down, come-to-sit, and break. The more I used the e-collar stimulation, the more it disrupted his ability to perform the commands.
He is a sweet pup that is doing well. He is eating all of his food and using the restroom normally.
Good work today, Mr. Garth!
Garth | Goldendoodle | Pupdate 11/26/25
I headed over to Liberty Park in Cerritos, CA, with Mr. Garth today. Mr. Garth didn't do as well as he had been doing in previous days. That's ok! We stay consistent, persistent, and communicate our expectations. Mr. Garth was a little hesitant to consistently perform some tasks. No worries! We find different ways to motivate him and get him to perform the task. We can't give up and let him not perform the task. Overall, he is a good pup. We just have to keep practicing each day, more and more.
Garth | Goldendoodle | Pupdate 11/27/25
Happy Thanksgiving!
Today, Mr. Garth and I headed back to Liberty Park in Cerritos, CA. I wanted to take him to Rynerson Park in Lakewood, CA; however, it was closed due to the holiday. I went ahead and used the prong collar today to help clean up some of Mr. Garth's tasks. He is a big boy and can pull quite hard and suddenly at times, and I wanted to get more control of this. When using the e-collar, he will move away from me, and that is not what I want. A little pressure from the prong collar helped me shape the behavior in a clearer manner. Overall, he is doing well with all of his training. I am pleased with where we are after these few days. We will continue to shape and refine his behavior, more and more each day we practice.
Garth | Sheepadoodle | Pupdate 11/28/25
Today, Mr. Garth and I worked on his manners around the house. We started with his door manners. There are two types of door manners. The first type, the most frequently used, is for Mr. Garth to stop and "sit" at each closed door. Once we go through the door, we can say "ok" or, I prefer to say to Mr. Garth - "heel" so that he doesn't go shooting out the door and pull on the leash.
The second method involves putting Mr. Garth into a "place" and/or "down" at the door. This method is so that we can go get the mail, bring our groceries in, or greet people at the door without Mr. Garth following us all over the place or jumping on people as they come in.
Side note: Be advised that this does not mean Mr. Garth won't run out of an open door. These are highly structured and require us to be there. Especially in Mr. Garth's case, all his training has been conducted on-leash.
Next, although we don't necessarily teach this in our one-week board-and-train programs, we worked on his "Load Up!" command. This command is to help Mr. Garth go in and out of the vehicle. Once again, this is structured. It requires him to be in a "sit," and then we say "Load Up!" and he can go into the vehicle. Mr. Garth has been performing this command for me regularly, and I wanted to showcase some of his skills.
Garth | Goldendoodle | Pupdate 11/29/25
Today, Mr. Garth and I headed over to the Citadel Outlets in Commerce, CA, to review all of his commands around high distractions. Overall, he did really well. Mr. Garth has been an easy-going, go-lucky pup for the most part. He can give a growl or a bark at my other board and train, Mr. Steven, but the feeling might be mutual. He didn't mind all the other pups at the Citadel Outlets, nor all the people. We had to practice his "come-to-sit" a few more times while there, but this one has been tricky with him. He is sensitive to the e-collar, and if the number is too high or he feels overstimulated, his response is to freeze in place. I find that most of the time, a good high-pitched voice (the best I can do at least) and some leash pressure get the job done more than the e-collar. This isn't to say that the e-collar isn't helpful or meaningful, but for a complicated task such as the "come-to-heel" in a high stimulus environment, such as the Citadel Outlets today, we have to reduce our stimulus to him to give him the best chance at successfully performing the task.
We were even able to work on his greeting manners, and of course, he nailed it! He is a much better pup than when he got here a week ago. I am proud of all the progress that Mr. Garth has made in this short time!
Garth | Goldendoodle | Pupdate 11/30/25
Mr. Garth and I reviewed his food manners and door manners. Also, we went ahead and reviewed his recall "come-to-sit" at my local park.
Attached to this pupdate are the pictures of the e-collar that I have been using with Mr. Garth and that you will be receiving at the turnover tomorrow.
As a reminder, here are the obedience commands that he has learned while with me(all on leash):
Sit/Extended Sit: Press the black "S" button + say "Sit".
Down/Extended Down: Press the black "S" button + say "Down".
Place/Extended Place: Press the black "S" button + say "Place".
Come-To-Sit: Press the black "S" button + say "Come" + use your hands to guide into place.
Heel: Press the black "S" button + say "Heel".
Food Manners/Refusal: The pup must patiently wait in either a "sit" or "down" while you prepare the food and then say "break," allowing the pup to access the food.
Door Manners: Place the pup in a "sit", open the door, and then allow the pup to go through with you, or say "ok" and let the pup inside
"Off" + black button "S" to stop the pup from performing unwanted behavior. Always press the black "S" when using this command.
"Break!" - no stimulation, and the pup can freely sniff or go potty.
We will review how to perform all of these tomorrow during the turnover! We can't wait to show you how much he has learned and how great a pup he will be in the future!
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