Grizzly | German Shepherd | Lakewood, CA | In-Training
- Scott Hansen
- May 9
- 18 min read
Updated: May 23
Meet Grizzly! Grizzly is a six-year-old German Shepherd here for our Two-Week Urban Board and Train Program. Grizzly is a nice pup; however, he does display several unwanted behaviors. Grizzly has poor leash manners, will not recall, and has unreliable obedience. Grizzly can perform a command or two with proper motivation; however, he lacks structure and performs tasks inconsistently. Over the next fourteen days, Grizzly 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. Grizzly will learn to perform all these things on leash through a positive and balanced training environment. Through structure and consistency, Grizzly will demonstrate how great a pup he can be! Stay tuned for Grizzly’s two-week transformation!
Grizzly | German Shepherd | Pupdate 05/09/26
Today, Mr. Grizzly joined me for his Two-Week Urban Board and Train Program. On the way home, we stopped at a local park to see what commands Mr. Grizzly could perform. He performed zero commands! He kept trying to pull me everywhere, but I held on for dear life. He was hyper-focused on a few dogs that were at the park. I think you know all 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. Grizzly's temporary residence for the next two weeks. Overall, Mr. Grizzly had no issues with the car ride.
Once we got home, I let Mr. Grizzly smell Ms. Toji, Mr. Wayne, and Mr. Apollo through the front gate. Ms. Toji, Mr. Apollo, and Mr. Wayne were excited to see Mr. Grizzly. Mr. Grizzly showed a happy interest in the pups. Mr. Grizzly had no problems coming to the house. I let him explore each room and meet everyone. Throughout the introductions, Mr. Grizzly showed no adverse reactions. He was excited to meet everyone. My little ones commented on how fluffy he is. I took Mr. Grizzly outside to meet Ms. Toji, Mr. Apollo, and Mr. Wayne. Mr. Grizzly let the pups check him out while he also marked anything he could. I think Mr. Grizzly, Mr. Apollo, and Ms. Toji will be fine hanging out with each other.
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 super interested in all the usual dog spots around the neighborhood. He made sure to smell and tried to mark every bush, tree, and item he could. I am not sure what the record for marking trees in my neighborhood is, but if he had any larger bladder, he would have marked every single tree. He ignored all the other dogs in the houses that barked at us as we went around.
I expect to see him work well with the structure and positive reinforcement. We will be using the prong collar with him, and this should help make it clear that those behaviors are unacceptable. I don’t think he will need it for more than a day or two, but it will help in managing some of his unwanted behaviors. With clear, persistent communication and expectations, he will learn to be a well-mannered pup!
I gave him dinner and observed how much he ate. 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. Grizzly's turnover. We'll practice together to make sure you are comfortable with the system before using it with Mr. Grizzly. I will introduce the prong collar and e-collar for tomorrow’s training.
Grizzly | German Shepherd | Pupdate 05/10/26
Happy Mother's Day! Hope you had a great Mother's Day!
Well, what a first day for Mr. Grizzly. He was not having it. He was also quite vocal about his displeasure in being asked to do several tasks. Normally, I can get the pups to play with the ball or be entertained with something, even if it's just me. Nope. Mr. Grizzly wanted no part of that show. We will continue to build our rapport and bond.
With that being said, I tried to introduce the e-collar in the gentlest way possible. We start at 0 and work our way up to a level that he gives me a physical response to. This is something he has never felt before. I look for a head turn, an ear movement, they start to look to the sky, etc. Mr. Grizzly kept on being at the same level of vocal he had been from the minute we started. He wanted to go inside. Sorry, Mr. Grizzly, you're here for training, not for relaxation. I had to make sure several times that it was on because he was not giving me a significant enough reaction to decipher his level. He did show a response at level 15 but none at 20, 25, or 30. I was very confused. I reset everything, and he gave me the same reaction at 15, and again, nothing beyond that. I reset one more time and settled on his level being 15 for now.
I removed the e-collar and switched over to the prong collar. He really didn't like this. He became a lot more vocal about the prong collar. He was complaining the entire time. I was able to introduce all of his commands while wearing the prong collar: "sit", "down", "place", "heel", and "come-to-place."
An important aspect of dog training is to be consistent and persistent in what we expect of our pups. With that being said, I'll probably try a gentle leader instead of the prong collar for Mr. Grizzly tomorrow and see if he is any less vocal. He really doesn't like being told what to do, so I am not sure if it will be a significant improvement over the prong collar, but it couldn't hurt to try in these early stages, so that we can find a tool that is useful going forward.
He is eating all of his food and is getting along well with Ms. Toji and Mr. Apollo.
Grizzly | German Shepherd | Pupdate 05/11/26
Today, Mr. Grizzly and I headed over to Klingerman Park in Rosemead, CA, to meet up with our fellow Off LEash trainers and their pups. I hooked Mr. Grizzly up with the gentle leader for today's training. He was much less vocal, but still not happy about being told what to do. He is learning that the pressure is released when he performs the correct task. He's trying everything but the task when he's resisting the leash and pressure.
He did much better with his "sit" today during this training and while wearing the gentle leader. We worked on his "heel". We also reinforced his "place" and "down" while on the cot. He is quite resistant to the "down". We will overcome this.
I switched pups with the other Off Leash Scott. Mr. Grizzly gave him the same resistance as he's been giving me. But we both were persistent and consistent with what we wanted from him.
The biggest battle with Mr. Grizzly is the battle of wills. He does not like structure. When we are practicing his door manners when coming and going, he is jumping on the doors, he is whining, and then when I get him to "sit", he is visibly shaking from anxiety. His brain is telling him to "sit" and wait while his body is used to barging through the doors and leading the way. This will come with time, repetition, and consistency. He is mentally strained, so he is resistant to treats and toy play when in this state. We just do our best to reinforce wanted behavior by releasing pressure at the correct time and using physical and verbal positive reinforcement.
Grizzly | German Shepherd | Pupdate 05/12/26
Mr. Grizzly and I headed over to Liberty Park in Cerritos, CA. I think you are familiar with this one! It wasn't too busy this morning. There were a few joggers and a young child's birthday party in the middle of the day? Sure! Pretty mellow environment to practice our commands. I focused on his "heel" to start. Then we worked on his extended "sit". He does well with the length of the "sit" but is not too happy to perform it when asked. Once again, a battle of will between us. Then we worked on his "place", no problems there. While in the "place", I was trying to get him to "down". This is going to be our biggest issue. We're only a few days in, but with enough consistency, we will get there. They do get easier to put him into the "down" the more times we do it, so we have to do it enough that he offers the behavior more readily. Same thing with his "sit". Sometimes he completes the task right away; other times, we need to apply firm pressure to get him to do it. While reinforcing the "place" and "down", I was having him perform the "come-to-sit" when coming off the bench. He was doing well with this one.
When we were done filming, we walked around the park some more, reinforcing the heel with the gentle leader and e-collar.
Mr. Grizzly is being picky about how much he eats and when. I keep giving him opportunities to eat throughout the day, but he doesn't always take them. His weight is still good, and he eventually will eat it.
Grizzly | German Shepherd | Pupdate 05/13/26
Today, Mr. Grizzly and I headed to our local Home Depot in Lakewood, CA. We reviewed all of his commands around the sights and sounds of the store. Several people were enamored with Mr. Grizzly. Every time we stopped and spoke to the people, Mr. Grizzly calmly waited in a "sit". We even had one person who came up and pet Mr. Grizzly while he was calmly in a "sit".
Overall, Mr. Grizzly and I are slowly making progress. I only used the slip lead today with the e-collar to move away from the gentle leader. Mr. Grizzly was highly vocal about getting on the scale and getting ready to leave for the training at the store. The longer we were at the store, the calmer he became. He is starting to understand the commands. We are still struggling with a consistent "down". While we were waiting and speaking with a couple, Mr. Grizzly lay down on his own. He can do it on his own; we just need to get him to do it when we ask him to do it.
I think the more time we spend together, the more likely we will get him on board. I'll keep taking him to various locations and practicing with him. We will have to focus our energy on his "down" and a more stable "heel". We will continue to challenge and push Mr. Grizzly each day!
Grizzly | German Shepherd | Pupdate 05/14/26
Today, our objective was to work on Mr. Grizzly's "heel" and "down". That was the entirety of our training today. Rinse and repeat. His "heel" felt and looked much better by the end of this session. Mr. Grizzly is high-strung. We have to be more "stubborner" by being consistent, persistent, and clear about what we expect from Mr. Grizzly. We worked on the slip lead again. Towards the end of the session, I was only holding the leash with one finger. I was allowing Mr. Grizzly to make good choices, and he was! I purposely walk along the edges of the sidewalk to manage the "heel". Towards the end, you can see me walk more towards the middle of the sidewalk while allowing Mr. Grizzly plenty of space to choose to move away or stay in the correct position. He was staying in the correct position. I really liked our progress today on the "heel".
Next, our arch-nemesis. The dreaded "down". This is going to be a theme for the next few days. Mr. Grizzly isn't the first pup I've dealt with that doesn't want to "down". I am trying to ensure that I pair the downward pressure of the leash with the pressure of me pushing on his back to get him to "down". Then I will bring back the e-collar. It's impossible to press the e-collar remote, swipe his legs, pull down on the leash, and push on his back all at the same time. Maybe I'll use an assistant to push the button for me while I shape his "down". Towards the end of the several "down" attempts, he was less resistant. It may not look like it, but I can feel it when I push him down. The best part is that Mr. Grizzly is willing to go into the "down" when I push on his back. Dogs have opposition reflexes, and sometimes when you push on their back, they arch up and resist. He's willing to comply under enough pressure.
We are making progress! We are not even a week in, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. He is having a blast hanging out with Ms. Toji in the dog run and letting everyone know that he's the big dog. He just requires a lot of patience to allow him to calm down and think about things first. He is a typical male shepherd who doesn't need a lot of physical love and interaction. The lack of pressure and the ability to do what he wants is a good enough reward.
Over the next few days, we will show you his door manners and car manners. I will try to switch back to the flat collar by Sunday or Monday if he's progressing along at the same rate while continuing to expose him to public places.
Grizzly | German Shepherd | Pupdate 05/15/26
Today, we headed over to El Dorado Park in Long Beach, CA. There was baseball, softball, and soccer practice. Dogs were walking around, people on walks, plenty of cars going by, and skaters at the skatepark. The only thing missing was the squirrels, but I think they were sleeping or eating dinner.
Overall, a pretty good day with Mr. Grizzly. Mr. Grizzly is being more affectionate and caring for me. When I go to pet Mr. Apollo when we are hanging out, Mr. Grizzly comes over and cuts in line. This is a good sign that he does really like me, and our bond is getting better. That said, he despises the "down". I want to get him to do it without any pressure or input from me other than saying "down". He is doing great with everything else. His "heel" is almost like "velcro" at times, and that's awesome. That means he understands and knows what to do.
As you can see, when we practice the "down", I am incorporating the "come-to-sit'. If I push too hard on the "down" command on the cot, it becomes a negative thing, and then Mr. Grizzly doesn't even want to perform the "place" because he knows I am going to ask him to "down". Sorry, Mr. Grizzly, the training continues, and the battle of wills goes on. We will get there! It's just going to take consistent, persistent effort and clear communication.
Although he didn't eat his breakfast, his weight is still on track
Grizzly| German Shepherd | Pupdate 05/16/26
Today, we headed over to the Citadel Outlets in Commerce, CA, to review his commands around a busy, high-level distraction environment. It was a lot of fun to head over there and see what he can do.
Mr. Apollo is a little overwhelmed at times. I've mentioned this before. You can see him visibly shaking. The stress of fighting his instincts is revealing itself in the shaking. After a few minutes of being in these environments, he does calm down.
Today will likely be our last day using the slip lead. It was a new, high-stress environment, and I wanted to make sure I could control and guide him in the right direction while I was there. Two amazing notes for today: Mr. Grizzly maintained a nice, loose leash "heel" throughout. He would need the occasional reminder to get in a better "heel" position, but overall, he was fine. And for almost the entire time we were there, he worked just fine around level 15. We did have to go up significantly when an untrained pup was being reactive as we walked by, and it had Mr. Grizzly's attention. I just kept going up and saying "off". We got up to about Level 50, and that finally got Mr. Grizzly's attention enough to leave it and get in the "heel". I put the remote level back to level 15. We were fine for the rest of our time there.
The "down" is getting closer to him, offering it. He almost did it on a "place" today. It was so close. I then used the e-collar stimulation with pressure on his back, and he went into the "down" versus me having to slide his feet out and push down.
Grizzly | German Shepherd | Pupdate 05/17/26
Today, Mr. Grizzly and I displayed his door manners for you. We also spent a significant amount of time on his "down" command.
We first show you the most common type of door manners. This is a highly structured system that uses an e-collar on-leash. It involves us having Mr. Grizzly perform a "sit" at the door prior to opening it. Mr. Grizzly does whine with excitement and due to his usual impulse-control issues. After we go through the door, we allow Mr. Grizzly to come through the door by saying "ok" or "heel". It's probably best to say "heel" to Mr. Grizzly so he doesn't run through the door in full excitement mode. The first time we did this, I said "ok" and then let him go mark a tree. Then we repeated the process when we came back to the door. We practiced this a few times.
Next, we practiced the other way to perform door manners. This involves placing Mr. Grizzly into a "place" and then "down". As you know, we have been working on his "down". The great news is that we made a ton of progress with his "down" today. By the time we performed the last "down", he was going down with only a little bit of pressure on his back and no input from the e-collar. This is huge!! We have been at opposing forces for days. He is finally offering the behavior faster and faster. We also worked on his ability to stay in the "down" while I went in and out, brought stuff in and out of the house, dropped things on the floor, etc. I am super happy with the progress today!
Great job, Mr. Grizzly!
Grizzly | German Shepherd | Pupdate 05/18/26
Today, Mr. Grizzly and I headed over to Klingerman Park in Rosemead, CA, to meet up with our fellow Off Leash trainers and their pups. Mr. Grizzly had one of his best days of training to date! I am super proud of how well he performed.
We started with the "heel", several "come-to-sit" drills, and then the dreaded "place" followed by "down". Mr. Grizzly has no issue performing every task except the "down". However! Today, it only took one time with the e-collar going up and a little bit of back pressure to get him to "down". On the second trial of this task, Mr. Grizzly performed the "down" with zero e-collar stimulation, only with a gentle push to his back! Hooray!!! We're making progress!! We do only have a short time left, but when we out stubborn the stubbornest ones, it's amazing! I have managed to out-stubborn Mr. Grizzly.
Mr. Grizzly has been wearing the e-collar as often as possible to desensitize him to it. I have left it on while he sleeps, naps, eats, plays with other pups, and trains. I have used it several times while he is outside excessively barking. At the lowest levels, he will immediately stop barking. The remote does have 1/4 mile range, so it is easy to use when you're inside and he's outside. Keep in mind that it requires us to be nearby to function properly.
Grizzly | German Shepherd | Pupdate 05/19/26
Today, we did a final review of Mr. Grizzly's manners. I had my mini-trainer help me with displaying how Mr. Grizzly can perform the "heel" with my mini-trainer. This is great! This shows that Mr. Grizzly has an understanding of the commands. She had him perform the "sit", "place," and even helped me with the "down". We practiced his off-leash "heel" as well. He was able to perform the "heel" with her even though he was looking at me at first. I just managed the e-collar remote when she gave the commands.
My camera became overheated towards the end, but as you can see, we even played with the ball in front of him, and he had no issues relaxing in his "down". We even tossed the tennis ball to him a few times and let him play with it.
By far, the greatest thing that we accomplished today was that Mr. Grizzly performed his "down" two separate times without downward pressure from the collar, back pressure, or stimulation from the e-collar. He has finally learned how to perform this command!! We have finally made it!!
I will say that Mr. Grizzly is still highly excitable and may display unwanted behaviors, such as barking, whining, and jumping up on doors or people. A well-timed "Off!" with the e-collar stimulation will nip this in the bud. The barking can be incessant when he's left alone for too long. He does get really whiny when I grab the leash from excitement. This is great that he likes to go out and about. He enjoys hanging out with me, too.
Grizzly | German Shepherd | Pupdate 05/20/26
Today, we headed over to the Los Cerritos Center in Cerritos, CA, to review all of Mr. Grizzly's commands in a public place around medium-level distractions. Mr. Grizzly did amazing! He nailed all of his commands, including the "place" and then the "down". I think once I won the battle of wills with the "down", we tipped the scales into consistent obedience. I am so happy with all the progress we have made. We just kept it simple and consistent. It will be important for you to maintain the same expectations for Mr. Grizzly. I have shown that he can and will perform all the tasks in a public place with minimal stimulation from the e-collar. Sometimes, just a tap of the vibration feature is enough to redirect Mr. Grizzly back to the task. We even stopped and let some people say "hi" to Mr. Grizzly. He received lots of attention not only for how handsome and fluffy he is, but also because of how well-behaved he was.
We did walk through the entire mall after the video, working on his "heel". It was impressive. I slowed down to a crawl with my walking, and he stayed right there with me! As you saw yesterday, he even kept up his "heel" with my mini-trainer. He may need a reminder or two at times, and he will become like Velcro at times, too, but just give him a second, and he will unstick himself and get in a good "heel" position.
It was a really warm day today, so Mr. Grizzly hung out inside the house for the hottest parts of the day.
Great work today, Mr. Grizzly!
Grizzly | German Shepherd | Pupdate 05/21/26
Today, Mr. Grizzly and I had a full review of his door manners, car manners, and food manners. Mr. Grizzly nailed his "place" and "down" for the door manners. His "down" is so much easier now! It's just so satisfying every time. No issues with the door manners. He can display excited behavior and a little whiny but once you tell him what to do, he will calm down and perform the tasks.
Next, we moved on to his car manners. Mr. Grizzly has no issues with this task. Same thing as the door manners, he can be excitable and anxious to go somewhere new, and will be a little antsy to jump in the car. Just stay patient. Allow him to calm down, and he will perform the task without any issues.
Lastly, we reviewed his food manners. Similar to door and car manners. Mr. Grizzly must sit and wait until we tell him "Break!". Only after we release him can he go to his food. He does a good job with this task as well.
It really is apparent that, after being highly consistent with him for the past two weeks, he is fully on board with the obedience and the expectations. He gets excited when I grab the leash and e-collar. He whines and jumps around very playfully. He then snaps into a "sit" at the door out of my office (where I keep the crates) and at the front door on the way out. He runs right to the dog run door when it's time for potty breaks and puppy play time. When I bring him back in, he goes straight to his crate. He does really well with the structure. It's taken quite a bit of patience, persistence, and consistency to get him this far along, but I am happy to see that it paid off.
Grizzly | German Shepherd Mix | Pupdate 05/22/26
Today, I introduced the long leash and off-leash recall to Mr. Grizzly. He has proven he can do all the commands on-leash in urban environments. We headed over to Rynerson Park in Lakewood, CA, to practice this skill. It was about average. Mr. Grizzly was taking shortcuts all over the place and even broke off to do his own thing a few times. No worries! We were just pushing him a little bit. He behaved exactly how the pups behave when we first introduce off-leash work. They run off to do their own thing. We reset, and then they start to get with the program. Great job overall, Mr. Grizzly!
As a reminder, here are the obedience commands that he has learned while with me:
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 him into place and say "sit" when they are on your left side.
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.
Car Manners: Press the black "S" button + say "Load up!"
Greeting Manners: Have the pup "sit" then allow for the new person to say hi
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 be reviewing how to perform all this 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!
Below are pictures of Mr. Grizzly's e-collar, which you will receive tomorrow.
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