Meet Gucci! A one year old Doberman Pinscher from Los Angeles, CA who has joined us for our Three Week Board and Train program. Over these next three weeks, Gucci and I will be emphasizing our work on his aggression towards other dogs, socialization in new environments with new people present, confidence building, nipping during playtime and overall obedience. He is a vocal boy so when he is unsure of someone or something, he will excessively alert bark. Stay tuned for his Three Week transformation!
Pupdate 11/20/2022
Gucci and I worked building our trust as soon as I loaded him up into the car today. He struggled with severe separation anxiety as soon as he couldn't see where mom and dad went. He pulled and whined as I encouraged him to jump into the car. I then gave him a break and got him used to me touching him everywhere before I attempted to help him jump into the car and into the kennel. After some time, and guidance of the leash we got him into the car. Car manners will definitely be what we will be working on these next few days.
Once he got to his new temporary home, we got him settled in and hung out together in the backyard. Now that he is more acclimated to his new environment, Obedience training begins tomorrow!
Pupdate 11/21/2022
Gucci and I spent the day conditioning him to follow leash pressure along with stimulation of the e collar. Every time I changed direction with him I guided him with directional changes of the leash, with stimulation at a level that he responded to. We had the opportunity to train near other dogs and even say hi to his sibling Jeezy! He did well near the other pups, offering an Extended Sit until released with the cue break to another friendly pup. We then worked on some confidence building as we explored the park together, going up and down the slide. At first he was hesitant to go down the slide but then worked up the courage to go down once he saw me do it. Great work Gucci!
Pupdate 11/22/2022
Gucci and I spent the day working on his Heel and e collar conditioning. I noticed he was a bit more anxious today while in the kennel. Howling when I would walk away. I give him frequent breaks out of the kennel and reward him frequently to build a more positive association with the kennel. I then introduced him to the Place command which is a great command to utilize to help provide a calm state of mind for Gucci. It can be used on an elevated dog cot at home or outside of the house as well on different surfaces to help build confidence.
Once Gucci became comfortable with Place we worked on his down by applying slight leash pressure downwards with my palms facing the floor. I then rewarded him frequently while in Place.
Pupdate 11/23/2022
As Gucci and I began our day together, I noticed two irritated spots on his nose. This is due to his anxiety inside of the kennel as he howls and rubs his nose against the door overnight. I applied vetericyn ointment on top of his snout and will continue to monitor it. I also interrupt his howling with the vibration setting on the e collar which works at times.
We then ventured out to the park where we had the
opportunity to work near other dogs again and practice proper socialization. It is recommended to only let him say hi to other dogs when given the cue to do so which is Break. When Gucci hears Break he can approach and be a pup. As soon as he hears Come it is imperative for him to reliably Come to Sit on my left hand side ready to Heel. We practiced this today along with Extended Place. Gucci is becoming much more fluent in his commands, we will also keep focusing on confidence building to help with his anxiety.
Pupdate 11/24/2022
Gucci and I started our day early with a cleaning of his snout utilizing neosporin, then a walk to the park practicing our Heel. He is improving with his Heel, checking in with me more frequently. We had an extra long walk together to the local park, working on Come to Sits, the name game to grab his attention, Extended Place and Off cue whenever he became distracted. Once we got back home I introduced Gucci to the whole pack. It took him some time to get comfortable as he appeared to be a bit fearful. Once he hung out with everyone for about 20 minutes, he gradually became more confident and ran around with his new friends! After getting a bunch of energy out he took a nap in the crate about 20 minutes after I gave him a CBD chew. So far it seems to be helping which is great!
Pupdate 11/25/2022
Gucci and I spent the day Heeling together around the neighborhood working on weaning him off using leash pressure as much. He is coming to Sit by my left hand side without leash pressure. Every now and then he may need help with stimulation of the E collar. If I stimulate him with the E collar during training and he offers me his attention I mark it with a Yes to help condition him to check in with me.
I applied neosporin multiple times on his snout today, and had him release some more energy during playtime after our walk together. Playing with the other dogs has seemed to help him with his anxiety. He does whine and try to escape the kennel initially when I open the door. I close the door on him whenever he tries to push it open, until he waits patiently. Once he is waiting patiently without whining, I open the door cuing Break. He is improving with his patience but we still have some work to do!
Pupdate 11/26/2022
Gucci and I worked on his Heel, Extended Sit, Down, Engagement, Come to Sit and overall fluency of commands while training today around the neighborhood. He did well with staying engaged as I rewarded him for responding to his name and if needed, stimulation of the e collar. He is consistent with holding his Extended Sit for a minimum of a minute and 20 seconds so far. His Extended Down is something we primarily focused on today to build duration with. Initially he released himself and automatically came to my left hand side. This may have been due to him anticipating me calling him to Come. I walked him back to where he was and repositioned him back into the Down as I stimulated him with the E collar.
Gucci then began to understand that he was expected to hold a Down until released with the Cue Break. Now that we are building duration with his commands, we will also add more and more distance between us to help build Gucci's confidence with being alone.
Gucci has been able to go inside the kennel on command and is overall less vocal as I am now giving him a CBD chew in the morning and one at night. I keep the cover over his kennel which definitely helps prevent any barking as he can't see me come and go. Now that he has playtime with the other pups, his socialization needs are becoming more fulfilled. I apply neosporin 3 times a day as well as clean his snout. It is beginning the healing process which is great!
Pupdate 11/27/2022
Gucci and I spent the day Heeling together at the local park. There was a lot going on at the park to expose Gucci to. He was very aware of his surroundings but worked through it and checked in with me frequently. Once we got some exercise in we worked on his Extended Place with Down. Gucci performed It consistently and allowed me to create distance between us without him releasing himself. If he ever does release himself, I stimulate him with e collar and reposition him back into the Down. His Heel is improving as he stays by my side more frequently, not switching sides as much as he used to. We are working on his confidence building by going
up and down stairs frequently, going down the slide together, and practicing place frequently. His nose is healing and he is enjoying the crate more, going into the kennel voluntarily knowing he will be rewarded inside of it!
Pupdate 11/28/2022
Gucci and I began the day by cleaning his wound which appears to be healing rather quickly. We then worked on all of the commands that he has learned so far, with the leash dragging. We warmed him up with repetitions of Come to Sit. He was able to perform it with minimal leash pressure around other dogs. If Gucci did not perform the Come to Sit positioned correctly, I created distance instantly and had him do it all over again. He should be sitting right next to me facing the same direction as me. We then Heeled with the leash dragging around the other pups. We worked him near his brother Jeezy, and although Jeezy was reacticing, the second Gucci fed off of his energy and became overstimulated, I diffused the situation by cuing him to Heel, performed a 180 turn and reposition him to check in with me.
Today was our first day utilizing the 15 ft leash together and Gucci performed well. Another step closer towards being Off Leash!
Pupdate 11/29/2022
Gucci and I worked on all of his command while building distance around more distractions today. We practiced his Come to Sits from about 10 ft away. It took him some time to warm up with short distances first, then he became more fluent as we added more distance between us. He hesitated a little to be sent away to Place so we will be emphasizing our work on building his confidence to go to Place while at a distance away from me.
His nose has healed significantly and he no longer rubs his nose against the kennel. He enjoys going to the kennel without even being told. Great work Gucci!
Pupdate 11/30/2022
Gucci and I went on a trip to the outlets together to work on proofing all of his commands with the leash dragging, as we kept building distance between us for his Send Away to Place and Come to Sit. After Heeling around the outlets we I then introduced him to the Under command which is a great command to use while out in public with Gucci. He may perform Under with different surfaces like chairs or benches. He was hesitant to stay Under the bench at first. I body blocked him from being able to run out after the first few tries then rewarded him Under the bench to help him hold position and build value. He ended up holding it then coming to Heel by my left side again when Cued.
Pupdate 12/1/2022
Gucci and I ventured out to the park where we worked on all of his commands with the leash dragging, not needing to use much leash pressure except when practicing Under. He is learning to hold his Under command for up to a minute. We then worked on his Come to Heel which he is quite fluent with. I have noticed recently that Gucci can become hyper focused on new people that are passing by him. He is selective as to who he avoids and breaks his Sit for, but it is usually when the person is offering a significant amount of eye contact. We will focus our work near crowds of people frequently to desensitize him and build confidence.
Pupdate 12/2/2022
Gucci and I worked on everything he has learned so far, completely Off Leash. He demonstrated he was ready when we went to the Block and he performed everything with little to no leash pressure near all the distractions. We practiced everything with minimal distractions first, in the backyard. He did great and only struggled with Heeling from a stationary position, as he was holding his Extended Sit. We also worked on his Come to Heel, which at first he struggled with, walking too far ahead from me. I shortened the distance between us to help him out and I began to stimulate him as soon as he reached my left hand side. This helped him stay next to my left hand side, as he performed a Heel that was very close to me. Excellent work Gucci! We will keep proofing everything he has learned with more duration, distractions, and distance between us.
Pupdate 12/3/2022
Gucci and I went on a trip to the park today where we had the opportunity to work around many distractions today. I put him to the test by walking him next to packs of squirrels. He did well with this and did not react, staying by my side while we explored the park. We worked on his Come to Sit from a distance of about 15 ft which he performed fluently. His Come to Heel has improved and he no longer passes my side. He still fixates on crowds of people at times, unsure of them. We are working on building his confidence near crowds of people through desensitization and greeting new friendly people.
After about 15 minutes of warming him up on leash, I then removed the leash as we Heeled together through the park. When we got home he ran around with my other pup Gunther. Gunther has more energy than Gucci, but Gucci did great with being patient and still playful. Great progress Gucci!
pupdate 12/4/2022
Gucci spent the day socializing, working on manners and Off Leash work as we began filming for his Final video. As you can see in the video, at first it takes him some time to warm up to the other pup Gunther. Gunther is learning to read social cues from Gucci. After about a minute, Gucci reciprocated the energy and played with Gunther periodically. While playing, I often recall the both of them to work on impulse control as recall is important to practice in all scenarios.
Pupdate 12/5/2022
Gucci and I spent the day together working on all of his commands he has learned so far, Off Leash near other dogs. We worked on his Send Away to Place, Come to Sit with distance, Under, Heel, and Come to Heel. He did great with distance between us for all his commands, and held it for quite some time. His spots on his snout have cleared up. He also has a spot on the top of his head that he got the first week of training while crying in the kennel. The scab peeled off and since it is healing, created a bit of a bald spot that will grow back. I apply a bit of neosporin each day to keep it moist. We will begin preparing him for his Final video tomorrow!
Pupdate 12/6/2022
Gucci and I went on a trip to the outlets to work on practicing for his Final video, Off Leash. He did great with staying by my side for his Heel, Coming to Sit from a distance and holding his Extended Place. He practiced his Greeting Manners with friendly new people and held his Sit the entire time. Excellent job Gucci!
Pupdate 12/7/2022
Gucci and I spent our day filming for his Final Video. After we walked around to exert some energy he absolutely killed it and held his Extended Sit and Down for two minutes while many distractions were present. He got plenty of compliments as people greeted him. Since at times he can be weary of new people, I often let him approach someone new on his terms as long as all four paws are on the floor. Once he approaches and looks like he wants to say hi, I put him into a Sit as he is being pet. He did great with socializing and checking in with me frequently.
Pupdate 12/8/2022
Gucci and I went on another trip to the Outlets where we proofed his obedience some more. There were reactive dogs present, Christmas shoppers, and kids running around as Gucci held his Extended Place, Sit and Down. He is able to perform his Send Away to Place from 15 ft away or more, Come to Sit from a distance and Heel closely to my left hand side. Once we got home he had some playtime and chin scratches as those are his fav! Gucci is such a sweet boy who’s always ready to give some love.
Pupdate 12/9/2022
Gucci had a fun day of proper socialization with his new friends. At first Gucci took his time to come out of the kennel because he saw the other pups playing outside. With some encouragement from me he came out and at first was hesitant to socialize. After about 5 minutes of him allowing the other pups to smell him and vice versa, he loosened up and ran around the backyard playing chase. We worked on his recall, Off command, and overall socialization. Gucci being with a pack is great for confidence building and learning social cues. We then took a stroll around the neighborhood Off Leash to further proof everything he has learned!
Pupdate 12/10/2022
Gucci has learned boundaries, not trying to be the first one out anymore. He has learned that when he sits and wait patiently, the door will open. If he gets up, the door closes on him. The door is an important threshold to remain consistent with so Gucci won’t have a habit of being the first one out.
After Heeling together around the neighborhood and working on his Manners, we played tug of war and fetch together in the backyard. Playtime is a great outlet for Gucci to release energy. Since he is a very energetic pup, this is highly recommended. Gucci is a quick learner who just needs structure and consistency to be the best pup possible! He has come a long way and is much more confident in new environments and around new people. Once he warms up to you he really shows his playful and affectionate personality. Thank you for trusting me with your pup and we absolutely can’t wait to show you what he has learned!
