Harley | Doberman Mix | El Monte, CA | In Training
- Tanner Strong
- Jun 1
- 10 min read
Updated: Jun 15
Meet Harley! She's a ten month old Doberman Mix from El Monte, California here for our Two-Week Board and Train Program! She can be sweet but she starts off very skeptical of people and often barks and lunges at strangers. She is familiar with some commands, but often doesn't like to follow through and doesn't want to sit still for very long! Over the next fourteen days we will work on her commands and her impulse control, help her with her confidence levels, especially around people, and help her become the best pup she can possibly be! Stay tuned for Harley's two week transformation!
Pupdate: 6/1/2025
Harley and I spent some time getting to know each other today after I picked her up! We started off at the park, where she was a bit unsure of me — she greeted me with some barking at first, but once we got moving and started walking together, she began to warm up. That initial walk helped break the ice, and I could tell she was starting to feel more comfortable around me.
That said, Harley definitely wanted to do things her way during our walk — she pulled quite a bit on the leash and seemed eager to explore at her own pace. I started introducing some structure by asking for a few basic commands, and she was able to sit for me about half the time I asked. Not bad for day one! She also barked at a couple of people passing by, which isn’t unusual in a new and stimulating environment. We'll be working on building her confidence and helping her feel more neutral about the world around her.
After the park, we headed home to let her start settling in. I walked her around the house and gave her time to explore the new space. By the end of the day, she seemed much more relaxed and even a little affectionate — I think she’s starting to like me and is already beginning to feel at home. Looking forward to helping her grow each day from here!
Pupdate: 6/2/2025
Harley had her first full day of training today, and she’s already beginning to adjust to the routine! She greeted me this morning with a little growl from her crate, but once she recognized me, her demeanor softened and she seemed genuinely happy to see me.
At the park, Harley was initially hesitant and spent a lot of time scanning the area. The track was busy with people on their morning walks, which made her uneasy, but she handled it well—no barking or reactive behavior, just quiet observation. That’s a promising start in a stimulating environment!
We introduced her Come To Sit command today, which will serve as her recall. For Harley, this means coming to my right side, wrapping around behind me, and sitting at my left side with her ears aligned at my knee. This positioning flows directly into the Heel command and encourages a clean, focused transition back into structured walking. Once Harley settled into the park environment, she began to pick up on the motions of the command quickly and showed a willingness to work.
We also took the opportunity to practice longer Sit durations. Harley is starting to get the idea, though she still has a tendency to break position early and follow me before being called. This will improve with time and consistency, and it’s encouraging to see her already making progress.
Overall, a great first full day of training! Harley is showing sensitivity to her environment but also a growing trust in the process. Looking forward to seeing how she continues to blossom.
Pupdate: 6/3/2025
Harley had a great day at the park today! We met up with some other trainers and their dogs, which made for a really valuable training session. She’s grown pretty fond of me, but I expected she might be a bit unsure about of new people — and while she was definitely skeptical, she didn’t bark or lunge at anyone!
Harley even got to work with another trainer today. She was a little hesitant and kept glancing back at me for reassurance, but overall, she did fairly well! It was a great experience for her to be handled by someone new in a calm, controlled way — helping her learn that new people aren’t as scary as she might think, especially when everything feels safe and structured.
At one point, someone else unexpectedly approached our group, and I was ready for Harley to react — but she surprised me by staying relatively calm and composed once again. No barking, no lunging — just curiosity and quiet observation.
I’m really proud of her progress today! She met several new people and handled it all with much more confidence than I expected. Huge step forward for Harley!
Pupdate: 6/4/2025
Harley spent today working hard on her Place command! For this exercise, I want her to confidently hop onto a raised object—like a place cot or bench—and hold that position until I release her or give her a new command. She’s already gotten the hang of getting onto the cot, so today’s focus was on increasing the duration she can hold the command.
Not only is this a great way to build Harley’s impulse control, it’s also an important confidence-building exercise—something she really benefits from. Whether we’re training outside or relaxing at home, this command gives Harley a clear job to do and helps her stay calm and settled, especially during moments when I’m busy cooking, cleaning, or greeting guests at the door.
She’s done a great job with this so far, and I’m excited to keep building her confidence and consistency. Go Harley!
Pupdate: 6/5/2025
Harley took on a new challenge today with a trip to the mall! She was excited and curious about the environment, though a little nervous at times. To help her get comfortable, we spent plenty of time sitting on benches, giving her the opportunity to observe everything at her own pace.
While she did bark at one person and struggled a bit to keep her focus on me, she still responded well to her commands and stuck close by overall.
A big win today came when a stranger approached to ask about training—Harley sat calmly by my side throughout the conversation. No barking, no pulling away—just a neutral presence while someone she didn’t know engaged with me. I didn’t allow any physical interaction, but just staying composed in that situation is a huge step forward for her.
Today brought some challenges, but also some important victories. Great job, Harley!
Pupdate: 6/6/2025
Today Harley and I visited a fenced-in dog park for some distraction training. For clarity, I never recommend using dog parks—there’s simply no way to predict how other dogs will behave, no matter how well-trained your own dog is. However, this particular park allowed us to stay safely outside the fence while working, making it a great environment for exposure to canine distractions without unnecessary risk.
Harley was definitely excited to be there at first, and the sight of so many dogs in one place got her attention quickly. But after a little time just hanging out and observing, she began to settle and made increasingly better choices—opting to stick with me rather than pulling toward the fence when dogs approached. Encouragingly, she also seemed less bothered and distracted by the people there, even if they walked right by us.
All in all, this was a really valuable session for Harley. She handled the distractions better and better as time went on, and I’m proud of the progress she showed today. We’ll keep building on this!
Pupdate: 6/7/2025
Harley had a big day of confidence-building at the park today! We focused on helping her get comfortable with unfamiliar objects and environments—starting with placing on new surfaces like the bleachers. At first, she wasn’t a fan, but with some encouragement and repetition, she realized it was no big deal. It’s always great to see her push past initial hesitation and succeed.
We also spent plenty of time around the walking track, practicing calm behavior as people passed by and just sitting near the action to get her used to the movement and noise. She handled it well overall, though she was a bit more likely to get spooked if someone came up from behind—that startled her a couple of times, but nothing major.
All in all, Harley made solid progress today. With each outing like this, she’s learning that the world isn’t so scary after all.
Pupdate: 6/8/2025
Harley had another strong day focused on confidence building, and she really rose to the occasion! We spent more time around people today, continuing to reinforce that the world—and the humans in it—aren’t so scary after all.
The highlight of the day was introducing Harley to my girlfriend. While Harley has surely picked up her scent around the house, this was their first real face-to-face interaction. Harley handled it beautifully. She was willing to take a treat, allowed gentle petting, and even walked a few steps on the leash with her—all without barking, lunging, or pulling back.
This was a big moment for Harley, and she did incredibly well. It’s so encouraging to see her putting some trust in new people. We’ll keep building on this success, but today was definitely a win!
Pupdate: 6/9/2025
Harley had a big day of social growth and training today! We met up with some other trainers and their dogs, and Harley did really well sticking close to me while I was handling her. We also took the opportunity to introduce her to some new people. While she was hesitant with most at first, she ended up warming up to them nicely. One interaction was more challenging—she barked a few times and snapped at a treat, needing some extra time to settle. It’s a reminder that there’s still some fear and worry lingering, even as she continues to build trust.
What stood out the most today was how attached she’s becoming—whenever another trainer handled her, she kept wanting to return to me for reassurance. I'm glad she likes me and is confident with me, but I'd like her to start showing a little more confidence if I'm not the one handling her.
To keep things fun and confidence-boosting, we worked more on her Place command—which she really enjoys—as well as reinforcing her other core commands. Harley is progressing at her own pace, and it’s exciting to see her slowly coming out of her shell.
Pupdate: 6/10/2025
Today Harley worked around some of the tougher distractions—birds! We spent time at the park with several ponds that were full of ducks, geese, pigeons, and other birds fluttering about, which definitely grabbed her attention more than once.
To help Harley stay focused, we leaned heavily on the Off command—our go-to for any unwanted behaviors, whether it’s jumping, sniffing things she shouldn’t, or fixating too long on distractions like birds, people, and dogs. The goal with Off is to break her focus and redirect her attention, ideally all the way back to me. When she does look up and make eye contact, we mark it with a cheerful “Yes!” and follow it with a reward—sometimes a treat, sometimes just praise and affection, depending on what she needs in the moment.
Pupdate: 6/11/2025
Harley and I got an early start today, heading out while the weather was still cool to get in some morning activity. The rest of the day was all about working on her indoor manners — with a special focus on door manners.
The goal with door manners is for Harley to wait politely when a door opens, without rushing out ahead of me. In today’s session, I had her sit right in front of the door for the video, but the idea in general is for the door opening to be a complete non-event for her — whether she's sitting right by it or napping across the room.
This kind of impulse control is super helpful not just for answering the door or accepting a package without chaos, but it also translates to other areas like gates, backyard fences, or thresholds within the home. For example, the dogs are not allowed in the kitchen and I want them to respect that invisible boundary. Practicing this kind of structure makes for a calmer home, helps guests feel more comfortable, and most importantly, it’s a great safety measure to prevent door-dashing or unwanted wandering.
Harley did a solid job today and is showing more maturity in how she handles these kinds of exercises. Proud of her progress!
Pupdate: 6/12/2025
Today, Harley took on her biggest challenge yet: the bustling Santa Monica Pier! With crowds, noise, new smells, and tons of movement, this was definitely the most overwhelming environment she’s encountered so far — and she felt it. Harley was extremely nervous when we first arrived and had a hard time settling in. She had trouble holding her Down command, frequently popping up or turning to face me for reassurance.
That said, even though she was clearly on edge, Harley showed a lot of heart. After several minutes of warm-up and support, she started to hold her positions with much more consistency. Her ability to follow commands even while feeling unsure was impressive and a great step forward in her confidence-building journey.
Though Harley never fully relaxed, she did make progress, and by the time we were leaving, she was marginally more comfortable. Still, she was very happy to hop back into the car — a reminder that safe spaces are just as important as challenging ones. Overall, it was a tough day for Harley, but one filled with valuable exposure and growth. Proud of her for sticking it out!
Pupdate: 6/13/2025
Harley enjoyed a slower-paced, relaxing day today! With the warm weather, we spent most of our time indoors, focusing on rest, play, and practicing her indoor manners. She spent a lot of time with another dog I have here, and the two of them continue to get along wonderfully. Not only do they love playing together, but it’s also been great practice for Harley to maintain her composure and follow commands like Heel during short walks throughout the day.
Both girls did a great job walking together politely, and even shared a nap on the place cot while I made lunch—an adorable moment of calm and a great example of Harley’s growing maturity and comfort in the home. Once the weather cooled off in the evening, we took a trip to the park for a bit of outdoor time to wrap up the day. A well-balanced, easygoing day for Harley, and she handled it beautifully!
Pupdate: 6/14/2025
Harley had a great time at the park today! It was a lively morning with multiple sporting events going on—soccer, volleyball, and even a baseball game—so there was no shortage of excitement or distractions. She handled it all with growing confidence, which was especially nice to see after how tough Santa Monica was for her. That challenging outing really seems to have given her a boost—it’s paying off in more everyday settings like this!
For today’s video, I wanted to highlight some of Harley’s everyday manners. One area we’ve been polishing is food manners. The goal is for Harley to wait patiently while I prepare and set her food down. She’s always been good at holding her sit until released for food, but she used to get a little too eager—jumping up or trying to sniff the bowl before it hit the floor. Lately, though, she’s been doing a great job staying more calm and letting the routine play out without interruption!
We also worked on her car manners. I want her to remain seated when the car door opens, then calmly hop in and walk straight into her crate when asked. She’s doing well with this too. Previously, she would sometimes get overly excited and try to jump up before the door was even fully open, but she’s been much more composed about it lately.
Harley’s progress with these small but important skills is really coming along. They’re great indicators of her impulse control and overall confidence, and she’s clearly gaining both!
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