Hakku | Standard Poodle | Carson, Ca | In Training
- Tanner Strong
- Dec 28, 2025
- 7 min read
Updated: Jan 10
Hakku is a year-and-a-half-old Standard Poodle from Carson, California, here for our Two Week Urban Board and Train Program! He’s a sweet and loving dog, but he can sometimes feel nervous around new people and in unfamiliar environments. When out on walks, Hakku loves to pull on the leash, especially toward other dogs and squirrels, and he also struggles with following basic commands consistently.
Over the next fourteen days, we’ll be working on building Hakku’s obedience skills, improving his impulse control and confidence, and helping him develop better manners both in and out of the house. Our goal is to show Hakku how to be the best pup he can possibly be!
Stay tuned for Hakku’s two-week transformation!
Pupdate: 12/28/2025
After picking up Hakku today, we stayed at the park for a bit to start getting to know each other. He was understandably pretty nervous at first, but he began warming up to me fairly quickly—especially once he realized I had treats. Taking treats from me was a great first step in building trust and helping him feel more comfortable.
While at the park, there were several moments where Hakku really wanted to pull on the leash, particularly toward other dogs and squirrels. This is very normal for a dog in a new environment, and it gave me a good picture of where his leash manners are starting from.
Once we got home, we ran into our first big challenge: the stairs. Hakku was very hesitant to go up them, so we took things slow and worked step by step, using treats and patience to help him build confidence. After spending some time on this, he was able to make progress and move past that initial fear.
Since then, Hakku has settled in quite well. He’s still not fully comfortable yet, but he’s begun following me around the house and is slowly but surely starting to relax and settle into his new environment. Overall, a good first day focused on trust-building and helping Hakku feel safe.
Pupdate: 12/29/2025
Hakku and I made a couple trips to the park today to get in some extra work, focusing on building his confidence while continuing to practice his Heel and Sit commands. Hakku understands how to sit, but when he’s feeling nervous he can be pretty unreliable about offering it when asked. Today, though, he showed noticeable improvement and is starting to respond much more consistently.
His Heel is also coming along nicely. The goal is for Hakku to walk politely at my left side with his ears in line with my leg, and he’s been doing a much better job maintaining that position. While he will occasionally get spooked or overly excited and either fall back or surge forward, he’s recovering more quickly and spending more time walking calmly right next to me. Overall, this was a great day of steady progress for Hakku, especially in his confidence and leash manners.
Pupdate: 12/30/2025
Today we continued fine-tuning Hakku’s Heel out at the park, and he’s been doing a much better job sticking with me in a nice, consistent Heel position when asked. His understanding of the position is clearly improving, and he’s becoming more comfortable maintaining it for longer stretches.
A big focus today was what happens when Hakku slows down or starts to lag behind. Instead of turning around or pulling him back into position, I simply keep walking, give him the opportunity to make the right choice, and allow him to catch up on his own. As soon as he does, he gets praised for that good decision. This approach has been working very well for him.
Not only has this helped during structured Heel work, but Hakku has also been doing a great job carrying these skills over while walking all around the park and even through my neighborhood. Overall, he’s showing solid progress and a better understanding of how to stay engaged and connected during walks.
Pupdate: 12/31/2025
Today we did our best to avoid the rain and headed to Home Depot for some training in a busy, unfamiliar environment. Overall, Hakku did a nice job, especially with his Heel. He walked around the store with me well and stayed with me when asked, which is great progress.
He did show a bit of nervousness in this setting, which came out in a few ways. Hakku went back to not wanting to sit and preferred to stand close to me instead, so we spent time working through that and encouraging him to be more comfortable offering a Sit in this new environment. His nerves were also noticeable with food—he accepted treats about half the time, which tells us the environment was a little overwhelming for him.
Even with those challenges, Hakku still did well and made good efforts throughout the session. With continued exposure to places like this, we’ll keep building his confidence and helping him feel more comfortable and relaxed in these busy settings.
Pupdate: 1/1/2026
It was raining on and off today, so Hakku and I started the morning at Home Depot. He was still a little nervous at first in the new environment, but he did a nice job making good decisions more often and sticking with me as we walked around. His ability to stay connected improved as we spent more time in the store.
Later in the afternoon, the rain held off for a bit, so we took advantage of the break and headed back out to the park to get Hakku some additional outside time, just in case the rain continues over the next few days. Overall, a good day of steady progress and confidence building despite the unpredictable weather.
Pupdate: 1/2/2026
We headed to the park this morning before the rain set in and only got caught in it for a few minutes. Hakku noticed it a bit, but it didn’t bother him too much. Even with the drizzle, he did a nice job maintaining his composure and staying with me.
Hakku is still a little wary about sitting comfortably out in public, so that was our main focus today. Despite the environment and even the rain starting up, he did pretty well working through that and giving me some good efforts. Overall, it was a solid session and a step in the right direction for Hakku. Nice work today!
Pupdate: 1/3/2026
Hakku and I made it out to the park this morning, then tried to stay inside for most of the rest of the day to avoid the rain and mud. While we were at the park, Hakku was in a good mood and clearly happy that it wasn’t raining. He enjoyed getting some outside time and moved around comfortably.
Back at home, Hakku was polite and well-mannered, settling in nicely and enjoying some relaxing downtime in the living room. He did a good job lounging calmly and showing that he’s able to switch off and relax after activity.
Overall, it was a balanced day for Hakku with a mix of outdoor time and calm indoor behavior, and he handled both very well.
Pupdate: 1/4/2026
We got out as much as possible today between the rain showers, making the most of the breaks in the weather to get some quality training time in.
Today’s main focus was Come To Sit, Hakku’s recall command. For this exercise, the goal isn’t just for Hakku to come toward me, but to follow all the way through by going around my legs and sitting neatly at my left side with his ears lined up at my leg. That second part has been the most challenging for him so far.
Despite that, Hakku has been learning and following through well. With repetition and consistency, he’s starting to understand the full picture of the command, and his effort and improvement today were great to see.
Pupdate: 1/5/2026
Today we finally got to enjoy a day without rain! Even though the ground was still a bit muddy, Hakku seemed to enjoy himself much more today. He was noticeably more relaxed and even started to show a playful side, which was really nice to see. Overall, it was a good day for Hakku, and it was great to see him feeling more comfortable and having some fun out and about.
Pupdate: 1/6/2026
Hakku and I had a good day focusing on his manners, and today we’re highlighting his Door Manners progress. The goal with this exercise is for Hakku to wait patiently when the door is opened, without trying to rush ahead or pull through before me. He’s been doing a good job with this so far and is showing nice improvement.
The bigger picture we’re working toward is making the door a complete nonevent for Hakku—whether he’s right in front of it or relaxing elsewhere in the house, and whether I’m opening it myself or someone is knocking. He’s starting to understand that calm, patient behavior is what’s expected, and that’s a great step forward. Overall, a productive day for Hakku as we continue building his impulse control and manners.
Pupdate: 1/7/2026
Today we focused on Hakku’s off-leash recall, and he made some really nice progress! After a bit of warm-up time and plenty of encouragement, Hakku started to get the hang of coming back when called, even as the difficulty increased.
We had some pretty tough distractions around us, including park workers nearby and other dogs running around, but Hakku did a solid job choosing to ignore them and refocus on me and the recall exercise. That’s a big win for building reliability and confidence off leash.
Overall, this was a great step forward for Hakku. He’s learning that checking back in and responding to his recall is always the right choice, even when the environment gets busy. Really proud of his effort today!
Pupdate: 1/8/2026
Today we headed to the mall, and Hakku did quite well! When we first arrived, he was curious and wanted to explore a bit, but he stayed polite and responsive, which was great to see.
We spent most of our time working on his Down command, since that’s the toughest one for him in public. Being in a Down can feel pretty vulnerable in a busy environment, but Hakku rose to the challenge and did a solid job working through it. He showed good effort and confidence, and I was really happy with how he handled himself today. Nice work, Hakku!
Pupdate: 1/9/2026
Hakku and I headed back to the mall today, this time when it was a bit more crowded. He handled the increased activity really well and continued to respond nicely to his commands, even with more distractions around him.
We also had a few opportunities to practice his greeting manners with strangers, and Hakku did a great job there too. He was calm, polite, and made some very good choices during interactions. Overall, a solid day for Hakku and some great progress in a busier environment!
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