Gremlin | American Bulldog | Anaheim, CA | In-Training
- Jose Ayala
- Feb 12, 2023
- 7 min read
Updated: Mar 4, 2024
Meet Gremlin! An American Bulldog who has joined us for our Two Week Board and Train Program! He is here for basic obedience, leash pulling, and jumping to greet. Gremlin is very strong, does not know his own strength, and can knock anyone down by jumping and pulling. He is easily distracted and will only listen when he wants to. Over the next fourteen days, Gremlin will work on his behavior and be set up for success, with the hopes of becoming a well behaved pup. Check in to see his progress!
Gremlin and I spent the afternoon getting to know each other. We went out for a walk at a local park to establish a bond. During our walk, he jumped on me a few times, and he would also pull heavily on his leash. I corrected his jumping by nudging him off with my leg and he eventually stopped. To correct his leash pulling, I turned and walked in the opposite direction whenever he would walk ahead of me. By making those u-turns I was able to introduce Gremlin to Heel, which consists of him walking next to me on my left side. He still needs more practice but progress has been made. Heel will now be implied on every walk we go on from here on out.
Gremlin and I continued to work on his Heel today. We went on a morning walk around my neighborhood and he was still pulling, but not as much as he was when I picked him up. We met up with other trainers and we assisted one another by serving as distractions with our pups. Gremlin did very well not pulling away, and even though he did try to make an approach towards the pup we were walking next to, I corrected his behavior by reminding him to “Heel,” and by keeping him on my left side with leash tension. Gremlin slept great through the night and does well in the car with no whining or crying.
Gremlin was introduced to Place today. It is a technique that consists of having Gremlin getting onto an elevated object and remaining there in a Sit or a Down. It can be of great use when there is a knock on your door, or whenever guests are over. It also helps in building confidence in a dog. To teach Gremlin, I used leash tension and some of his treats to help him onto the object. He would touch the object with his front legs, but needed a boost from me to help him with his back legs. He was also having trouble remaining in a Sit while we were working on it. As soon as he would Place, he would almost immediately try and come out of it. I worked him through it by reminding him to Sit, and correcting his behavior whenever he sat up. He began to understand the concept and is now following through with what I am asking.
Gremlin and I worked on his Place a little more today. He is still having trouble maintaining it at times but once I correct his behavior by resetting and placing him back in position, he follows through. He was also introduced to Come to Sit today which is Gremlin’s recall. It consists of having him come towards my right side, going around behind me, and sitting on my left. To teach Gremlin, I used leash tension to have him come towards me. To have Gremlin go around behind me, I used his treats to lure him all the way around, and rewarding him when he sat on my left. He was having some trouble going around behind me during our first few sessions, but with consistency and patience, I was able to work Gremlin through it.
Gremlin was introduced to Down today. Down can be a difficult technique to teach considering it being a submissive position to a dog. To teach Gremlin, I asked him to Sit, and then used leash tension and his treats to lure him towards the ground. He sat up during our first attempts so I placed my hand over his back and kept him from getting up by applying slight pressure whenever he made an intent. Gremlin is a strong pup and was being stubborn throughout most of the process but he worked through it. It took time and patience, with breaks in between to avoid frustration, but Gremlin was able to accomplish his Down.
Gremlin and I took a drive to a local shopping center and began working on loose leash walking around distractions. He adjusted very well to his surroundings and did very well on our walk throughout the mall. He was able to walk next to another dog without any reaction. He has gained more confidence by placing on different objects, and he has made quite the progress with his Down. In the coming days, Gremlin will continue to loose leash walk until I can eventually drop the leash and have him drag it.
Gremlin and I drove out to a local park and worked on his stationary positions with distance and duration with a long line. He does really well with his Sit and his Place. What he does have trouble with is Down. To help him with that, I moved back one foot at a time with five second increments. One foot back is five seconds, two feet back is ten seconds, three feet back is fifteen and so on. Gremlin is still working on it and would initially crawl towards me whenever I stepped away, but he is showing signs of improvement and is not crawling. He is almost up to one minute, and we will continue to practice in order to have him reach his goal.
Gremlin and I went out for a walk around my neighborhood and began working on Heel with his leash dragging. We had a few warm up sessions in my backyard and they went very well. Once we went outside, we practiced a little more but Gremlin would stop and fall behind in the middle of his Heel. We reset a few times and Gremlin began to follow through. He also worked on his Extended Sit, which he came out of a few times, but I made sure to put him back into position and worked him through it. Gremlin and I will continue with his leash dragging around more distractions in public areas as he prepares for his off leash experience.
Gremlin and I drove out to a local park and worked on his Extended Sit and Down around other dog distractions without holding on to his leash. During his Sit, he did come out of it once and tried to approach another dog. I quickly reset him, asked him to Sit, and had him follow through. He was falling a little behind with his Heel as we took a walk throughout the park, but by picking up my pace, I was able to have Gremlin catch up. His recall also needed a little practice today, but we are working on it to have it cleaned up.
Gremlin has been practicing Food Manners ever since I picked him up. Initially, he would immediately run towards the bowl as soon as I placed it on the ground. To keep him from doing so, I picked the bowl up and asked him to Sit. Once in a Sit, I placed the bowl on the ground again, waited a few seconds, and then released Gremlin with a Break. Every meal consisted of the same approach with the only difference being the time increase Gremlin would have holding his Sit. He has made great improvement and can now wait for his food patiently for two minutes.
Gremlin and I have been working on his Greeting Manners. He has learned that he is to remain in a Sit whenever he is approached by someone that wants to say hello. It was difficult for him to do so in the beginning of his training, since he would come out of his Sit whenever I stepped away and would want to approach and jump on people on his own. With repetition and consistency, Gremlin has managed to successfully be greeted without coming out of his Sit.
Gremlin and I have been working on Door Manners since the day I brought him home. Anytime I opened a door, Gremlin would always want to be the first one to go through. To help him into not doing so, I would ask him to Down when we approached a door. Once in a Down position, I proceeded to open the door, and made sure Gremlin remained in his position. When I opened the door, every time he sat up meant the door would close, and the process would repeat itself. Once he understood what I was asking, I began to increase time and distance to keep him in a Down longer, which led to Gremlin achieving his two minute goal.
Gremlin and I began working on his Final and he did very well. Everything he has learned was put together and came out very nicely. He did very well with distractions around him, and received many compliments on his good looks and behavior. Gremlin has become a very confident pup that has great potential, and with practice and consistency, he can be capable of so much more with our guidance. He has come a long way, and it is great to see the progress he continues to make. Gremlin has a couple of scratches in the neck area where I am thinking he may have scratched himself when trying to avoid a command at times. I have been applying ointment, and I am monitoring them by the hour.
Gremlin has completed his Two Week Board and Train Program and is ready to come home. I want to thank you for trusting me with Gremlin while he was under my care, and also for giving me the opportunity in being his trainer. We had lots of fun together and were complimented everywhere we went. He was a great co-pilot and I am going to miss his companionship. His Final video will be coming soon, but in the meantime here is a clip of Gremlin showing what he can do. Thank you Gremlin!
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