George | Golden Retriever | Pasadena, CA | In Training
- Alex Kruse
- May 24
- 19 min read
Updated: 6 hours ago
Meet George! He's a 10-month-old Golden Retriever from Pasadena, California, and he's here for our Three Week Reactive Board and Train Program. George is a big dog, and he knows it! He throws his weight around to get his way with his owners, often jumping, grabbing the leash, and mouthing as a means of bullying people until he gets what he wants. He's very happy to see any person, but he's reactive towards other dogs and will lunge and bark at them. Over the next three weeks he'll learn that he can't push people around anymore or jump on them for greetings, how to be around other dogs on leash without lunging at them, and that he still has to listen to all those commands he learned as a puppy but wants to be selective about in his teen months. Stay tuned for George's three-week transformation!
5/24/26
After George's drop-off, I took him out into the park to see what he would do for me on his first day. While he was able to give me his Sit pretty cleanly, everything else was pretty much just George being George. He got the zoomies almost right away and was having a great time bounding around and grabbing at the leash. Heel was definitely not happening, and while he did come when I asked him too, it was more of a charge than a clean Recall. He was mouthy when I was getting him to drop the leash, and he was all too glad to show off those reactive behaviors when another dog walked by. On the plus side, he was actually really well-behaved in the crate on the way home, so I don't anticipate issues there! At the house, introductions with other dogs also did not go well. A lot of times dogs can be leash reactive but they're fine when it's off. George was not having it with friends at all today. It was his first day and I know he's a little thrown off by being in an all-new environment with strange smells and people, so I'm hoping we can try again once he gets settled in more, but as of right now we can't risk any play time with other dogs. He does have plenty of space in his own play yard and didn't bark or fuss at all while in there, so if we can't graduate him to having friends, he's perfectly content with his private suite at least! He also doesn't seem to be overly anxious about anything, and didn't do too badly with trying to push me around today, but he did already try to test a few boundaries. House rules, manners and expectations are certainly going to be the first in line to be reinforced, then once he knows he can't get what he wants until he gives me what I want, everything else should fall right in line!
5/25/26
It was our group practice day today, so we threw George straight into it where he had to start learning how to perform his commands around several other dogs and people. We did a lot of work initially on just his greeting manners, making him Sit and hold it before he was invited to sniff other dogs. We noticed a pattern of him doing decently well with it until the other dog made any fast movements, so then we switched to just making him Sit and watch as we sent a dog running past him chaotically several times. He did lunge once, but I was able to correct him quickly and after that he was able to maintain his Sit without issues. We also ran through all of his general basics, working on getting him to hold his Sit longer, stay in a proper Heel while walking, and teaching him how to come around into the Heel position directly during his Recall work. The Down is where we ran into issues. I know he knows how to do it because he did it for me yesterday once at the park, but today he was not having it. He fought me on it quite a bit so I got help from one of the other trainers, and with a lot of effort and trying different methods, we were finally able to get him to go Down several times. He's very stubborn and he knows how strong he is, so we'll have to keep working on it before he'll do it smoothly, but it's a start! As far as at home goes, he did a little bit of fussing in his crate last night, but it didn't take too long before he settled down. He did try to pull some of his bullying techniques here and there any time I handled him, but I'm quick to correct him on it so he learns those tactics aren't going to fly here while he's in doggie bootcamp! After session and after his nap, I was able to take him into the play yard with my border collie today for a brief, supervised visit. He was much better than yesterday, exhibiting none of the reactivity he did when I tried before. They sniffed each other, and I let him walk around the yard on a tether, keeping the energy low with both him and my dog. I'll keep doing these small sessions until I'm confident that he's going to stay friendly, but he's got a bit of a hair trigger, so I have to go very slow and careful with him. I'm very pleased with the level of improvement he's showing just after one night, though, so let's hope that's a good sign of how quick his progress is going to be overall moving forward!
5/26/26
In a direct opposite from yesterday's experience, I brought George over to a small local neighborhood park to work where there were almost no distractions. This way I could reinforce his commands without the difficulties of performing around anything that could divert his attention outside of new smells. While he did pretty good with giving me his Sits and holding them until released, he gets really amped up whenever I break him, going into full zooms for a second until he calms back down. I'll have to get him to release more calmly before I can graduate him from the short leash to a longer line. Otherwise he's going to get us both all tangled up! He did give me his Down commands today without all the difficulty he was giving us yesterday, though, so that was a great improvement. The first several times he did it, he flopped all the way over on his back, but after correcting his form a few times he began to do it normally. And his Heel work and Recall were pretty smooth today. At home, he was able to sleep in his crate last night without the Trazodone this time, and he didn't have any today, so considering it's still extremely early in his training, I have high hopes that he won't be needing it by the time he goes home. I also tried him in the yard again and he did well on the line, so I let him off it for a little bit. He started to play nicely with one of the other high-energy dogs, doing his play bows appropriately and taking turns on who was chasing who. When he got too riled up in another dog's face and the other dog gave him a small correction growl, however, George immediately went on the offensive. Nothing happened, I was right there to correct him on the collar and I instantly sent the other dog away, but it was pretty much what I expected. He has that hair trigger I mentioned yesterday and he takes corrections from other dogs as a challenge when he needs to learn to simply back off when he's told to. Until he can learn that, I wouldn't have him alone with other dogs just for safety reasons. But we'll keep working on it!
5/27/26
I think I finally had that breakthrough with George I was hoping for! I took him out to Pamela Park, which is another neighborhood park close by my place, but bigger than the one we visited yesterday. He was able to give me all of his commands with almost no pushback on anything, including the Down, and I was able to teach him Place on top of the picnic table within only a couple tries. I made sure to run him quite a bit during our Heel work not only to make sure he knew to keep up with me and stay in position, but also to get out some of that abundance of energy he always seems to have. That worked like a charm! We didn't have any moments between commands where his zoomies kicked in, and he was really mellow when we were just walking around the park afterwards to let him explore and do dog things. He's still a little reluctant to get into the crate in the car, but that's the only thing we only mildly struggled with today. I'm really happy with how much he keeps improving each time I take him out, which is giving me high hopes on where he'll be come the end of his third week. We had a busier daycare crowd today, so I decided not to test his social skills for everyone's safety. He did walk by the yard without starting up a fuss and went back into his own run to lay down, no problem. He did even better in his crate last night, as well, so he's starting to get used to it, and we're in Day 3 without having to use the Trazodone. The firm house rules and general rigid structure in regards to his behavior seem to be really helping him to regulate himself a lot better. He's definitely still a goofy, happy boy, but he's quickly learning that having good manners is getting him a lot further with what he wants than by trying to push people around. He's catching on quick and I can't wait to see where it goes!
5/28/26
George had somewhat of a hit and miss day today. Mostly hits! But it was one of those days where we started off with him really trying to see how much he could get away with at home before session. While he does like going out, he knows he has to behave when he has his gear on, so he was fighting me a bit while trying to get him ready to go. He only tried to mouth me once, though, so it wasn't too bad, mostly it was just working on getting into a position where he couldn't stand up on his hind legs to paw at my arms while I was trying to get him geared up. I kept going until he gave up, and he will hopefully remember moving forward that it's easier to just let me do what I need to do because he isn't going to win anyway lol. On the positive side, we did our session out at Arcadia Park, which is huge and has lots of distractions like squirrels and other people walking their dogs around. I graduated him to the long line today, so I was able to make more distance with his Sits and Downs, and have him come to me when called from further away. He did great with all of that, only needing a few corrections here and there as reminders on what the expectations were, and he didn't lunge after any squirrels or dogs. I do need to work on getting him disengaged from other dogs, though. He would Sit for me and stay there, but he would always turn to sit so he could see where the other dogs were. I'll have to work on getting him to focus and face me instead, but at least he wasn't throwing a fit at any passing dogs, so we're heading in the right direction! And then, to end on more good notes, he got in the crate in the car all by himself when we were leaving the park with no corrections and no extra coaxing. And he was able to have a longer, more appropriate play session in the yard today where he's finally starting to learn how to read cues from other dogs. We may have had a little bit of a rough start, but we had a very strong finish today!
5/29/26
We had a much better day with George today! He behaved perfectly while I geared him up for session this morning, and I decided to go ahead and challenge him a little more by taking him to the dog park. We don't work dogs inside the park, but there's plenty of action outside the fences and in the field across the parking lot. I started off on the short leash again for better control while I had him Sit by the gate so he could see other dogs at high-activity. Even with dogs running and barking just inside the fence right next to him, he stayed nice and calm for me. Seeing that he was going to behave, I took him to the grassy area and switched him to his long line, working him on all his basics while he was in sight of dogs at all times. Today he did great with just ignoring them and paying attention to what I was asking for. There were still a couple times he acted out when it came to wanting to roll around when I asked for a Down, and he broke his Place command a few times here and there, but with a couple reminders and corrections until he got it right, he shaped up again. At the end of the session I went ahead and tried a leash drag on him, where I'm only holding onto the very end of the line so he has to follow all his cues without any leash guidance. We only did it for a few minutes, but he was doing great with it! That being said, I feel comfortable with trying him without the prong collar tomorrow back in a low-distraction area. George is very smart and he's going to be aware that it's not on, so I'll have it with me in case I need it, but hopefully with only the e-collar for corrections he won't act out. He's shaping up quick, so I'm hopeful!
5/30/26
Brace yourselves for this....George gets an A on his report card for today! We went out to Library Park in Monrovia, which on Saturdays is usually crawling with kids, picnickers, and lots of other people walking their dogs. And, of course, squirrels. Not only did I take George there during a busier part of the day, but I worked him on the long line, entirely on the flat collar, no prong today. And he did amazing! He only briefly attempted to roll onto his back once when I asked for a Down, but he righted himself with a quick verbal correction. He didn't try to pull on his Heel or even when I let him have the lead to be a dog for a little while in the open grassy area. He came when I called him every time without any leash pressure. And, this made me chuckle a little bit, a lady walked past very closely with her tiny little poodle creature who was going absolutely nuts on its leash. George sat there and watched like it was no big deal, and the lady commented, "Look how calm that dog is, why can't you be like that?" Success! He's a role model now and we're only a week in! He did startle just a little bit when a guy on a bike zoomed by us a little too close, so I kept an eye out for more bikes as I was wandering around. I found some kids doing circles in the empty parking spaces at one corner of the park, so I had him sit and watch just for a little while so he could get used to it. He wasn't bothered by them at all, so I think the first one was possibly just a fluke because he went by so fast, but I'll try to test that again over the next couple weeks. I want to make sure I get him some exposure in case they're a trigger, along with scooters and skateboards if I can. Once we knock everything he might want to lunge at off the list he should be the normal, mellow Golden on his walks that we expect him to be!
5/31/26
In the continuing saga of George keeping me on my toes, I found out today that he is infatuated with basketball lol. I brought him over to Live Oak Park, which tends to be one of our busier ones, especially on the weekends, but I didn't anticipate basketballs to be the thing he had issues with! There were plenty of people walking their dogs, kids swarming all over the playground, plenty of tennis and pickleball games going, and bikes going by, but he wanted to stare at the courts. So a lot of today was actually letting him do that. I would work him a little bit, then bring him over to (calmly) watch the games, then run him a little bit, then bring him back to watch some more. I wanted him to get used to all the movement and the balls bouncing around without having any reactions to it all, and while he was still watching closely by the end of session, I did get him laying down right next to the court. Outside of that he did pretty good. The table I had him do his Place on was very close to the basketball players, so he wasn't as clean with that as normal, but we got there. And then there's a small moment where a child right ran up behind us much like the bike rider did yesterday, and just like yesterday, George spun around pretty quick (I marked the moment with an arrow in the video). He again didn't lunge or bark, but I could tell he was uncomfortable when he did it. So I don't think it's particularly the bikes or people themselves, but he doesn't like anything coming up fast behind him. I'll have to practice with that some more so he isn't so tense about it. He's certainly allowed to want to look and make sure nothing scary is happening back there, but his reactions are a little too sharp for my comfort. A little more exposure with that, though, and he should be fine!
6/1/26
It's Monday, which means it was another group practice day. This time I had other trainers take him again on just the flat collar and long line to see what he'd do. As expected, he needed to test each person I handed him off to before he'd behave like he does with me. Mike had to put the slip lead back on him, being the first one to test him out, but then George got better with each person I handed him off to until he didn't really fight the last gal much at all. I think he was tired by then! He was also, as seen on the video, a little reactive to that little hyper dog who was spinning around on the leash (and it was also squeaking at the time). That's the first time in days that I've seen George actually react to another dog at all, so it's definitely still in him and more than likely he was still being feisty because I wasn't the one handling him. That being said, I know we still have two weeks to go, but I do want to stress that when he gets home, everyone needs to be incredibly firm with him. He's a very dominant dog and he's going to go right back to testing how far he can push his limits and get his way, and he's not going to fully behave until he realizes that he is not in charge of the house. Some of that is still the leftover hormones and his age so he should calm down more in the coming months, but he is very much a 'give an inch, take a mile' kinda guy, so no more inches! He's doing really great with his manners at my house now after only a week, so it shouldn't take long for him to get the hint when he gets back home too, but it'll be crucial to keep that up with him. He's a really fun, sweet, cuddly boy when he knows he's not the boss of the house, so don't be afraid to use authority with him when he needs it, and he'll be just fine!
6/2/26
George and I wandered over to the Home Depot today to see how he'd do in that sort of environment, and it was definitely Distraction News for him! I had to be a little heavier with him on the corrections than I've had to be in the parks, but he was able to remember his manners after a few minutes of work. With people walking by in such close range and telling him how cute he was left and right, it was a lot harder for him to maintain his commands, so we're definitely going to step it up a notch in working him around crowds. A forklift and the big floor cleaner machine also passed right by us, and while he was absolutely infatuated with both, he was able to hold his Sits nice and pretty for me both times. He was really good with leaving things alone when I told him too, though, his Heel was really clean after those first few minutes of excitement. He knows all his stuff, so at this point we just really need to work on getting him more exposure to everything. On the plus side, he's not showing any anxiety anywhere we've been so far. He's just really excited to be there!
6/3/26
In our ongoing experiment of "will George behave here?" I took him over to the Santa Anita Mall today. I brought the prong collar with me just in case he acted out since I knew we'd be around a lot of foot traffic and a younger crowd than the Home Depot yesterday, but I never had to use it. He was a little tuggy on his Heel when we first went in, but like yesterday, he settled into place within a few minutes of walking and corrections. He was really good with all the general distractions, but we still need to work on making sure he doesn't break position when people are talking directly at him. He's cute and he knows it and wants to go say hi so badly when people are complimenting him! We'll continue to work on those manners of his even when he's excited so he learns that he isn't going to get attention from anyone if he's not sitting politely. Outside of that, though, he did fantastic for his first time in the mall with so many people around!
6/4/26
It was pretty hot today so we stuck to indoors, this time at PetSmart. There was certainly less foot traffic than at the mall, but he was actually more distracted today than yesterday with all the smells. It took a little longer to get him focused up on what I was asking him, but as usual, he fell inline after a few corrections. He only broke his commands when, again, people were coming up to pet him and compliment him. I had a harder time instructing people to wait until he was sitting than I did instructing him to stay put lol! He's just so big and lovable-looking, people can't resist him! On the plus side, he didn't try to jump on anybody, so we're seeing definite improvement there. Even better, whenever he seemed a little too interested in anything, I'd shoot him a Leave It command and he would turn away from whatever he was looking at. There were no moments where I had to wrestle stolen goods out of his mouth lol. He also paid no mind at all when we were passing other dogs, so his reactivity with dogs simply walking by seems to be nonexistent now. I'd still be wary of hyperactive dogs or reactive dogs that are lunging towards him, but for the most part, he's become way more interested in new sights and smells than he is towards other dogs in general. He's certainly improved a lot and knows what he should be doing, so I think really just having more practice and exposure in new areas will be what helps him most. He doesn't generalize very well, so we need to make sure he understands that, yes, he still has to behave in each and every new place he goes. It'll take a little time, but I'm getting him out to as many different types of environments as I can to give him the idea. Slowly but surely we're getting him there!
6/5/26
George and I wandered out to the Royal Oaks Trail today, which tends to have a lot of dogs and serves as a bike path, so I wanted to see how he'd do with all that. For the most part I kept him at a firm Heel, knowing he'd want to sniff at everything, and he certainly did try to take advantage here and there in moments when he thought I wasn't paying attention. With some quick corrections, he realized I wasn't going to let him get away with it (as usual lol), then he was fine with everything for almost the rest of the walk. He gave me all his other commands without much difficulty, so on the way back to the car I did go ahead and let him have some lead to sniff and do dog things. As long as he wasn't pulling and he would come back when I called him, he was allowed some freedom, and then of course that was when that motorized bike came up behind us! I didn't hear it between the cars going by next to the trail and my drone buzzing away, but despite that, George didn't even bat an eye at it! He did have a moment when we were close to the car again and I had him back on his tight Heel that a lady coming in our direction from ahead jogged by and he made a move towards her. He'd been relaxed and tired before then, staying in place without issues as we walked past other people, strollers and dogs, but for some reason that lady set him off. I was super quick on his collar correction so I don't think the jogger even noticed that he turned towards her, but once again I need it to be known that he still does have that random trigger about things here and there. We haven't had issues with joggers before (especially when he could clearly see them coming) so I'm not sure what it was about this particular girl that set him off, but it's a solid reminder that we always need to be aware of what's in George's space so we can stay on top of him before he has a chance to get too wild. He's really good for the most part, but sometimes he still can be weird about things moving quickly in his direction, so as long as we stay vigilant and prepared, he should be okay!
6/6/26
George and I went on a grand adventure today! I wanted a shopping area where there were a lot of people that wasn't the mall, so I pretty much just drove from one end of Las Tunas to almost the other looking for where the most people were lol. We wound up in Downtown Alhambra where plenty of shoppers were out and about, giving George lots of new challenges on more narrow walking space than he's used to. I had to remind him not to try moving ahead while on his Heel a few times, but outside of that and one stubborn moment near the end where he kept breaking his Down without being released (he was over posing for pictures at that point, but I kept on him until he was successful with the command, and then let him just be a dog the rest of the way back to the car), he did really great! He didn't try going after anyone at all today, including the kid that went by on the scooter, the man in a motorized wheelchair, and a Frenchie who was lunging and barking at him from less than three feet away. He did think about trying to sniff a lady's bag that had takeout in it, but he responded immediately to a quick Leave It command, and at one point we had to walk through the middle of a whole birthday party group full of young girls and their balloons all cooing at him because of how cute he is. He left all of them alone as we passed by, but did give them a happy smile and a tail wag! I also did let people pet him when they asked this time, but made sure he knew to sit and behave before they would touch him. He didn't try to jump on anybody, though after the teens all pet him, he did immediately go into play-bow zoomie mode for a second before I got him back into his Sit lol. He got lots of compliments today and overall was a pleasure to walk through Downtown with!
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