Meet Hanalei, a 2-year-old Australian Labradoodle from Oceanside, California, who is joining us for our Two-Week Board and Train program. Hanalei is a sweet but hyper girl who is only allowed to roam a small area inside the house. When given freedom inside, Hanalei will go right after the kids' toys. On walks, she pulls on leash, and goes nuts if she sees other dogs, barking and lunging towards them. Hanalei also isn't a fan of scooters and skateboards, but she does enjoy digging in the yard. Hanalei is with us for jumping on people, not always following basic commands, especially recall, and for her reactivity on leash. Her family would really love to give her more freedom inside the house and in the backyard, and be able to take her places without Hanalei seeing a dog and losing her mind. Stay tuned for her fourteen-day transformation!
Pupdate 1/16/2022
Hanalei and I did leash work at the local park. She got over aroused and had a huge reaction to a small group of dogs leaving a group class and barked and lunged towards them. I had her in the heel position and stopped her from moving forward by pulling up on the leash. As they walked away she fixed on them so I told her "no" and gave a small leash pop at the same time. I had to do it twice more for her to snap out of it and continue walking with me. On the turns her eyes were still lingering towards the dogs, who were outside their cars while their owners continued talking, so I gave a small pop at the turns to get her to move with me. I had her meet the other dogs when we arrived and she did not act big and tough, but more like an unsocialized dog. Everyone wanted to sniff her but she was uncomfortable and moved away from them, sniffing the ground to calm herself down. She eventually sniffed the other dogs but very cautiously.
Pupdate 1/17/2022
Hanalei and I did e-collar conditioning at the park and worked on come to sit and place. She continues to struggle around dogs, but introducing the e-collar and the “off” command with a tap of the black button on the left side of the remote has helped. On the property she's getting a bit more comfortable around the other dogs but barks at the workers when she sees them.
This morning I let Hanalei out with Leo the french bulldog. He initiated play and they started running around the yard. Then we loaded up in the van and went to Shelter Island to do more e-collar conditioning in a more stimulating environment. Hanalei was all over the place. I would tap on the remote when she went to the end of the long line and was facing away from me. When she would turn in my direction I would mark with “yes” and reward with a treat. It took her a while to catch on but when she did I started loosely heeling with her. An off-leash dog approached and we didn’t have an issue.
Pupdate 1/19/2022
Hanalei and I worked on more e-collar conditioning and leash work at a local park. We also worked on counter conditioning Hanalei looking at other dogs. When we are at a distance and she looks at a dog I mark with “yes” and reward with a treat. This is to create a more positive emotional association to Hanalei seeing other dogs.
Pupdate 1/20/2022
Hanalei and I worked on her commands by the beach. There were a lot of dogs out so we were able to practice passing them. I was able to use the “off” command when she would fixate or if I saw her tail go up high and start flagging. It’s “off” and a tap of the black button on the left side of the remote. I rewarded with affection, which she seems to be motivated by more so than her kibble. Hanalei did really well considering the first day she was having huge reactions towards any dog she saw.
Pupdate 1/21/2022
Hanalei and I went back to the beach to expose her to more dogs while on leash. She is nervous in the car and stress pants in the crate while I drive. In the afternoon she got to socialize with a group of dogs and did much better in a more spread out area. Hanalei tried jumping on me twice when she got overwhelmed at dogs trying to sniff her rear, but overall she did much better than when she was first introduced to my dogs, sniffing and exploring more.
Pupdate 1/22/2022
Hanalei and I worked on her commands on my property and at a local shopping area. On my property we worked on place and come to sit. She’s still distracted in busier environments but becoming more responsive to my cues. In social I watch her closely since she has lunged at a larger male dog who showed an interest in her.
Pupdate 1/23/2022
Hanalei and I worked on her commands at the Outlets. She did really well loose leash walking and is responding nicely to the e-collar. We were able to pass several dogs without a negative reaction from Hanalei. Instead, she would look at the dog and then over at me, which is when I would say “good” and reward with affection.
Pupdate 1/24/2022
Hanalei and I worked on heeling, come to sit, and place at the park. I've been luring her into position using freeze dried treats. She is understanding the position more and doing better around distractions. Today, again, she was able to look at dogs from a distance without having a bad reaction, and when she would look back at me, I would mark and reward with a treat.
Pupdate 1/25/2022
Hanalei and I worked on her commands at the beach. She pants heavily in the crate when we are in the van. At the house she is calm in the crate. In the afternoon Hanalei went for a walk with two other doodles. I want her to have more positive experiences meeting and being around other dogs. She doesn’t have to play with them, she just has to learn to coexist with other dogs.
Pupdate 1/26/2022
Hanalei and I worked on her commands while she was off-leash around other dogs. She did really well completing her commands and staying focused on the work we were doing. I'm using Orijen Six Fish to reward her for completing her come to sit. It's a high quality kibble that dogs tend to enjoy. I've been using the vibrate button on the right side of the remote for the "come" command. I press the button, say "come", and only release it when Hanalei is sitting at my left side. At that point I mark with "yes" and reward with a piece of kibble.
Pupdate 1/27/2022
Hanalei is doing really well completing all of her commands in public! In the morning we went for a 3 mile run and then worked on her commands at a shopping center. She still struggles a bit around dogs, but the “off” commands keeps her at my side and focused on the walk. She socialized with the dogs in the afternoon and has much more open and playful body language around them.
Pupdate 1/28/2022
Hanalei and I worked on her final video at the beach. She completed all of her commands and was able to walk past several dogs. If a dog barks or lunges towards her she does struggle a bit, but can be redirected pretty easily with the e-collar. The two weeks of training has built a new foundation for Hanalei in terms of seeing dogs, but it’s only a foundation and will require daily training to keep up the work that has been done. In social she enjoyed playing with another doodle and is a much friendlier playmate than the one who joined social two weeks ago.
Pupdate 1/29/2022
Hanalei and I finished her final video today! She is able to walk past dogs and use her nose to gather information about the dogs she sees instead of just reacting. Very happy with her transformation! Today’s video shows her car manners, door manners, and food manners.
Comments