Meet Gibson! He's a twenty three month old Labrador from Oxnard, California here for our Two-Week Board and Train Program. Gibson is super friendly, but he had some issues with pulling on his leash, jumping on people, and following basic commands. He can also be reactive to bikes and skateboards, and has some confidence issues. Gibson's vet and his parents are also concerned with his weight, so we will work on him being more healthy while he's with us. Over the next fourteen days, we will work on Gibson's obedience skills, build his confidence, work on his weight and exercise routine, teach him how to properly greet people, and show him how to be the best pup he can be! Stay tuned for Gibson's two week transformation!
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Pupdate: 3/12/2023
After picking up Gibson, we stayed at Reseda Park for a while got to know each other. He definitely loves to pull on his leash, but he seems to like me! After the park, we went home where I let Gibson sniff around my house. He seems to be settling in well so far. He's a big lovebug and I think he'll do very well with me!
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Pupdate: 3/13/2023
Gibson and I went to Almansor Park for his first full day of training! We worked on his Heel and his Sit. He knows the basics of sit, however he can't hold it for very long and I'd like him to be a bit more responsive to the command. We worked on that today and he's already starting to get better! For Heel, I want Gibson to walk nicely at my left side with his ears at my knee. He loves to pull ahead, but after some time today he's starting to be more aware of where I am and where I want him to be! Good first day for Gibson!
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Pupdate: 3/14/2023
Gibson went to Home Depot today to avoid the rainy weather! He still pulled a little bit, but he's definitely improving! He was well behaved most of the day, except for some reason he was extremely interested in any plant we walked by! They must have an interesting scent he really liked. Other than that he did a good job for his first time with me in a place like that! He also put in an admirable effort to jump into my car today! Thus far I've had to pick him up to get him in, but today he really really tried! He just needs a bit more strength in his back legs to make the leap!
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Pupdate: 3/15/2023
Gibson went to Montebello Mall today for training! He was a bit more nervous than he was at Home Depot, but he still did a good job. We started working on a new command! For Come To Sit, I want Gibson to come to my right side, walk around my legs and sit at my left side with his ears at my knee. He's getting really good at the "come" part of the command, however he is struggling a bit once he gets behind me. He likes to stop and look at other people and objects instead of finishing the command, but he's slowly getting the hang of it!
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Pupdate: 3/16/2023
Gibson and I went to Pan Pacific Park today for training! He was a little nervous at first. It is a large park with many off leash dogs running around, and I think Gibson was slightly uncomfortable. After walking around for a bit, however, Gibson loosened up and he did a good job for the rest of the day!
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Pupdate: 3/17/2023
Gibson and I went to the Santa Monica Pier today for training! There's a big hill leading to the pier that neither of us were excited to walk up and down, but we made it! Gibson expressed a small amount of anxiety from all the activity on the pier, but he behaved very well nonetheless. After a while, he seemed to get pretty comfortable. He can be seen in the above video wagging his tail and getting excited about training! We worked on his Place command today. For Place, I want Gibson to hop up onto a raised object, such as a bench. Gibson is doing a really good job with this one! It is also great for building confidence!
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Pupdate: 3/18/2023
Gibson went to Almansor Park today for training! We worked on all of his commands and started officially working on his Down command. He likes to lay down when he takes breaks, so introducing down as a command wasn't too difficult. We also worked on Gibson's commands with his leash dragging. Letting the leash drag allows me to get an idea of how he might perform off leash while still having access to the leash should I need it. Gibson did a good job with this today, although he needs more work to be as precise as possible with each of his commands. Great job though!
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Pupdate: 3/19/2023
Gibson and I went to Highlands Park today for training. He continued to work with his leash dragging! He's starting to make fewer mistakes and he's definitely heading in the right direction. In the above video, there are a few times he doesn't quite make it to the correct position for his Come To Sit, and he likes to try to put his head in between my knees from time to time. He also needed a little extra encouragement to hop up onto the bench when asked to Place. He's still doing great, and his chipper attitude makes him a pleasure to work with!
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Pupdate: 3/20/2023
Gibson and I went to Belvedere Park today for training! We left his leash on for most of his day, but took him off leash while in fenced-in areas, like the tennis court pictured above! Gibson is doing a great job, and he's continuing to progress, we just need a little more work on responsiveness before I'll feel ready to take him off leash in other areas. He demonstrated some great skills while he was off leash today, and I hope I'm making it the fun experience he deserves!
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Pupdate: 3/21/2023
Gibson and went to Almansor Park today a few times when the rain allowed, and we spent the rest of our day working at home! In today's video, Gibson is practicing getting in and out of my car. Gibson always walks into the kennel when asked, but he has been struggling to jump up into the car by himself. While recording the above video, I thought I was still going to need to help him up each time, but much to my surprise, on his second turn he gathers his strength and courage, and makes the jump all by himself! I'm glad I captured his first time on video! Great job, Gibson!
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Pupdate: 3/22/2023
Gibson and I went to Home Depot today to try to escape the rain! He did very well for about ninety percent of the time, and he was off leash for about half of the day! The times he broke his commands where when he really wanted to say hi to people or get closer to me. There was also a stretch of about two minutes where pea sized hail started coming down and Gibson didn't like the noise from that, but the hail was very strange so I can't blame him there. Towards the end of our training sessions, Gibson does seem to hit this wall when he is mentally exhausted from being out and working and needs a brain break. The time varies depending on the level of distractions but it is something to keep in mind to be fair to him. Other than those few mistakes, Gibson did a really good job surrounded by plenty of people and other dogs!
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Pupdate: 3/23/2023
Gibson and I went to Montebello Mall today for training! He did a great job with each of his commands. He didn't seem too anxious at the mall, even though there were plenty of distractions. After the mall, we went to the park near my house because the weather was fairly nice! For today's video, I'm showing Gibson's door manners! For door manners, I want Gibson to wait patiently when the door is open before entering or exiting. For the purpose of this video, I have Gibson hold his sit right in front the door, but at home Gibson could be laying around wherever. The main point is to make the door opening not a big deal for Gibson, so he doesn't feel the urge to run through it when it's opened up!
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Pupdate: 3/24/2023
Gibson and I went to Santa Monica Pier today! He did really well with his commands, although the large crowds were still a lot for him. At one point I had another trainer work with Gibson and I tried to hide from his view. He tried to follow me initially, and he was sad when I walked away, but then as soon as I was out of view he calmed down and behaved for the other trainer. After all of that exercise, he earned a nice nap when we got home!
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Pupdate: 3/25/2023
Gibson and I went to Almansor Park today for his last full day or training! We had a fun day in the sun, and Gibson loved it. For today's pupdate video, I wanted to show more of the manners he's been working on. For his greeting manners I want Gibson to sit nicely when being petted by a stranger. He's been doing well with this, and he's been very good about not jumping lately! For his food refusal, I want to be able to place high value food in front of him without him trying to grab it. For this section of the video, I place a bagel on a plate in front of him and ask him to sit and hold it when I walk away. Gibson has been very good about waiting patiently for his own food, but I wasn't sure how he'd be with people food. He's done a great job with this, though! As a bonus, I also added a quick section with an updated video of his car manners! He's come a long way with his ability to jump up into my car! Gibson has been such a good boy inside my home and out, and I'll miss having him with me when he goes home!
