Meet Harriet! She’s a one-year-old Bernedoodle from Los Angeles, California here for our Two-Week-Board and Train Program! Harriet is a friendly and playful pup! Harriet loves to play and can be intrusive with jumping on people and other pups. Harriet can perform a command or two, however, it is highly inconsistent. Over the next fourteen days, Harriet is going to learn to be a confident, brave pup through consistent, clear communication, and balanced training in areas such as at home, in the car, and in discovering new people and places. Harriet is going to learn how to do all these things on and off leash in a positive and balanced training environment. Through structure and consistency, Harriet will demonstrate how great a pup she can be! Stay tuned for Harriet’s two-week transformation!
Pupdate 12/22/24
Today Ms. Harriet came home to join my pack. We stopped at my local park to see what Ms. Harriet knows and to have a quick photoshoot for her Blog. When we got home we went for a nice long walk around the block to get used to the sights, sounds, and smells of her temporary neighborhood. This is the only "free" walk that she will get over the next two weeks. This first walk is to allow them to get to know me. After today, we start the training with lots of repetitions and practice.
Then I introduced Ms. Harriet to the other board and train pups along with Ms. Toji. Ms. Harriet is getting along well and will be given plenty of time to hang out with all the other pups. I look forward to training with Ms. Harriet. Stay tuned for her transformation!
Pupdate 12/23/24
Today I took the time to introduce Ms. Harriet to the e-collar. Ms. Harriet is quite a playful character. I like her playful spirit and energy. To introduce the e-collar, we start at 0 and work our way up 5 at a time until I see some sort of reaction from the pup. It could be a head tilt, a stop and stare, a lag in the tail wag, or anything that happens as soon as I press the stimulation button on the e-collar. I didn't get an initial reaction from Ms. Harriet until I got to level 40. The e-collar does go up to 100 so this wasn't a terrible start. However, once I had Ms. Harriet's attention, 40 was too high for her. We worked our way back down to the 10 range. 10 is the level at which I can first feel it on my hand. This was good news! Once I found a better level for her, we were able to carry on with the training.
I have attached the e-collar video to this update for your reference. Please refer to it and study it. It is available for you to review whenever you need a refresher on how to use the e-collar system.
I introduced sit and extended sit (she's not quite there yet), place and down (she did a great job with down!), come-to-sit (definitely a work in progress), and heel. Heeling and sitting will be the most frequently asked tasks of the pup. I also introduced door manners which is where Ms. Harriet needs to sit and wait for us to enter and then allow her to enter when we allow it. I tried giving her a few treats that I had but she licked them and ignored them. She did try to eat the other dogs' food last night but we didn't allow that.
Ms. Harriet barely started eating her food this afternoon. Sometimes it takes a day or two for the pup to come around and enjoy their food like normal. I keep track of her weight and she's doing fine. She does love her water!
Lastly, I have had the special honor of hearing Ms. Harriet's barking which at times goes on incessantly. I will start to work on this now that I have introduced the e-collar. She is allowed to be a pup and be free in the backyard but we do have to put structure on her and let her know that the barking ad nauseam is unwanted.
Pupdate 12/24/24
Ms. Harriet and I loaded up and headed over to Rynerson Park in Lakewood, CA today to start practicing some of the obedience commands in public places. Ms. Harriet is making good progress after only being here for two days now. I guess I got lucky when she did the "down" yesterday because today she didn't want to do it. I'll try to use a treat or her kibble to incentivize her to perform the "down". For the first part of today's training session, I would say that the e-collar was not properly placed on Ms. Harriet and she didn't even feel the stimulations but was carrying out most of the tasks. She has long, matted hair. This can be a problem when placing the e-collar on her. If you notice that your levels are too high on the e-collar remote, such as above 30 or 40, then it's a good time to check your equipment. Make sure that the remote and e-collar are paired. Then make sure that the contact points are making contact with the skin. I am going to install the 1" hypo-allergenic contact points on Ms. Harriet's e-collar system when it comes in. This is the one that will be going home with you. This should help make sure that we are getting through all that fur. I have the 3/4" contact points on my regular training e-collar system but I don't think those are going to work for Ms. Harriet.
Next, once we got the system in place and everything working the way it was supposed to Ms. Harriet became a little less willing to participate in the tasks. Specifically, we are not on the same page with the "down". She didn't want to do that. It's ok, we will keep working on it. I switched over to my slip lead which fits a little more snug around the neck for our extended walk around the park. Ms. Harriet is a playful and energetic pup but she isn't a fan of the structure right now. She is used to doing what she wants and we are going to ensure that she understands that she can do what she wants when we allow her to. She did well with the slip lead and we ended on a good, positive note.
Pupdate 12/25/24
Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! I hope you and your family are enjoying the holidays and doing well. Today we did a backyard review session with Ms. Harriet. I think she is doing well. She is quite a playful and energetic pup. She has calmed down and is hardly barking while outside. Overall today's session was good. Once again, she performed the "down" right away. I'll just have to use classical conditioning and pair the word "down" with when she willingly gives the behavior. Doing this enough times will sync it in her mind and she will understand. Also, if she does "down" every time I ask her to "place" she will also pair those two in her mind and start to do both at the same time. We also worked on her extended "sit". She did well with the "break" commands and likes to play and get attention from me. There has to be a pay off for the good behavior so I have been trying to mix in the "break" command after a good long "sit", "down" or even a come-to-sit.
We didn't use the slip lead today and allowed Ms. Harriet to perform all the tasks without it. She did just fine! We'll save it for when we need it, if at all.
Pupdate 12/26/24
Ms. Harriet and I headed over to Liberty Park in Cerritos, CA today. We practiced in a medium distractor environment. There were kids running around, scooters, RC cars, pickleball, lots of people working off those holiday meals, and other distractions. Ms. Harriet did well today! I think I actually got the e-collar in the correct location and put it on properly on my first try which is what helped out a lot.
Overall, I am happy with her progress and how she is coming along. We will continue to practice, practice, practice and get those repetitions in. Over the next few days, we will work on her house manners, door manners, car manners, and food manners. I'll introduce the leash dragging with all the commands to make sure she's understanding what is needed of her. Her e-collar should be in tomorrow and I'll set that up with the 1" contact points and use that going forward so that she's comfortable with those contact points.
12/27/24
Today Ms. Harriet and I hung out at the house taking care of some of her door manners and car manners. It rained a little bit this morning so going to the park to practice was not going to be a good idea. In the video, you can see there are two types of door manners. One is where she sits and waits until I open the door and then I go through the door and say "ok" for her to come through after me. The second version is where she performs a "place" and then "down". As you can see she was a little resistant on the second try. On the first try she broke the "down" earlier than I wanted her to so we reset. The second try, she did not really want to participate. I just used leash pressure and a few presses on the e-collar remote to coax her into performing the "place". She relented and also gave me a good "down". I was then able to open the door, walk around my porch, come back in and give her a "break" command. Great job on the door manners!
We then reinforced the car manners. The car manners require Ms. Harriet to sit and wait for the trunk door to open, I open the crate door, then say "load up" + low-level stimulation from the e-collar. She is athletic and did a good job with this one! After a couple trials she didn't really want to come back out but I gave her a lot of praise with my voice and encouraged to "break" and come back out.
Ms. Harriet's e-collar system came in. I installed the 1" hypoallergenic contact points for you and will use this one until you receive her back. She hasn't had any irritation or issues with the system while I have had her. The blue tape is so that I know that one is hers.
Good job today Ms. Harriet!
12/28/24
Today Ms. Harriet and I headed out to Rynerson Park in Lakewood, CA. It was a little busier today with a few parties happening at the park. Kids were enjoying all their new Christmas presents such as E-Bikes, scooters, and regular bikes. Pup-parents were walking their pups. Pretty good distractions for today's training. Ms. Harriet did well overall. We walked over to the park from the parking lot while performing a leash drag "heel". She went up and performed the "place" and "down" without issue while I set up to record our training. However; I did switch to the 1" contact points today and those seemed to work. They worked a little too well. I was able to get good skin contact and I started at about 20. I wound up finishing around level 10. Once she felt the stimulation of the e-collar, she became stubborn. That's about normal for this phase of the training. It goes in waves. The first few days they resist, then a few days of going along, and then a few more days of I don't like being told what to do, and then we usually have them on board. I am on the Ms. Harriet doesn't like being told what to do phase. As long as I am persistent and consistent with what I am asking of her, we will continue to improve. I also ensure to reward her with lots of praise, loving, and petting when she does things after resisting. This lets her know that if she does what we are asking of her, she will get one of her favorite things, attention.
As you can see, her "come-to-sit" is the most difficult task. This always is as it requires several steps. Come to the right side, keep moving, and come to the left side and "sit". We will get there. We practiced some more after the recording and she was starting to get it. It's all about repetitions and practice and making it clear what we expect from Ms. Harriet.
Pupdate 12/29/24
Today Ms. Harriet and I headed over to El Dorado Park in Long Beach, CA to practice all of her commands with the leash dragging in a different environment. Overall, she performed well. Ms. Harriet continues to be resistant when it comes to performing the "place" and then sometimes the "down". It starts with a battle but then she relents and everything goes more smoothly. Even with the 1" contact points, sometimes they aren't making good contact. I have to try to kind of rub it under her coat to make sure it's working. After leaving it on for a few minutes, we get down to about 10 on her levels. We just have to be more persistent and see how she's doing. I think I'll try some treats for her this week to encourage her to "place" and make it more of an exciting thing for her.
After the video, we went over to the skatepark and checked out some skateboarders, scooters, and bike riders. Ms. Harriet wasn't bothered by all the noise and relaxed while we hung out for a few minutes.
Pupdate 12/30/24
Today Ms. Harriet and I met with some of our fellow Off-Leash trainers and their pups at Whittier Narrows Park in El Monte, CA. We got to hang around pups and other distractions at the park such as e-bikes, other dogs running around, and squirrels. Ms. Harriet is doing well in these different medium distractor environments. I think we will try going to the mall a few times this week and see how she does in a higher stimulus environment. We need to continue to practice come-to-sit. We also need to work on her anticipation of commands. It's a good sign that she understands everything but we want her to perform the tasks when we ask her to, not when she wants to.
Pupdate 12/31/24
Today Ms. Harriet and I had our first full off-leash session in my backyard. I always practice in the backyard prior to going out to a busy public place. The reason for this is as you can see in the video, Ms. Harriet decided to go do her own thing a few times. We don't want her to do that in a park or mall. We shape the behavior and work on it in a low-stimulus-controlled environment. When she breaks off like that, I simply raise the level of the e-collar slowly and press the stim button while recalling her. I am saying "come" + stimulation at the same time. She doesn't "come", I raise the level and do it again. We repeat this until she recalls. Once she's back, we stop pressing the stimulation or black "S" button on the remote, give Ms. Harriet a lot of attention and love for coming back. We reset the e-collar remote back down to a low level. Ms. Harriet usually responds around 15-20 when the e-collar is properly touching her skin. After a few trials of her breaking off, she was on board and performed her "down", "place", "come-to-sit", and "sit" all in one back-to-back sequence. Great job Ms. Harriet! This shows me that she understands what is being asked of her. Also, she held her "sit", "down", and "place" for over two minutes each! Good job!
Ms. Harriet is ready to go to the mall or a busier public place to see how well she does around that stimulus.
Ms. Harriet wishes you a happy and safe New Year!
Pupdate 1/1/25
Today Ms. Harriet and I went over to Los Cerritos Center in Cerritos, CA to see how well she would perform all her tasks in a busier environment. Overall, Ms. Harriet did AMAZING! I used my lightest and shortest leash to simulate being off-leash and she had no issues at all. I really enjoy that Ms. Harriet is frequently checking in with me to see how well she is doing and if she's making me happy. I go out of my way to give her lots of happy faces and head rubbing when she's doing well. Lucky for me, I get to do a lot of this because she is doing well most of the time! The mall wasn't as busy as it was the last few weeks but it is still a popular mall and there were plenty of people around. Ms. Harriet was focused on me and performing her tasks to the best of her ability. We reinforced the "come-to-sit" several times and she is doing better and better each time!
Ms. Harriet says Happy New Year and Welcome to 2025!!!
Pupdate 1/2/25
Today Ms. Harriet and I headed over to Los Cerritos Center in Cerritos, CA to practice everything she has learned in a medium to high stimulus environment off-leash! Ms. Harriet didn't disappoint! I have also figured out how to properly get the e-collar on her so that it is effective at low levels. Currently, we are working on level 15 or so with Ms. Harriet which is amazing! If we are anything above a 30-40, there is probably something wrong with the placement or functionality of the e-collar system. She performed all of her tasks off-leash and even met a few new people at the mall without issue. Ms. Harriet is such a pleasure to work with and she's just so happy and playful!
Great work today, Ms. Harriet!
Pupdate 1/3/25
Today Ms. Harriet worked on her door and food manners. Ms. Harriet was a little rocky. I think we have focused a lot on performing her tasks in outdoor environments and not too much in the house which made it a little confusing for her. However, we stayed persistent and consistent and we got the wanted behavior we were looking for. She even ran out the door when she wasn't supposed to! However, she was looking for me and she came right to me. We reset everything and she was fine. As far as her food manners, she sat patiently and let me prepare her food for her but I think she is more comfortable eating in her crate as she wouldn't go right up to it when I gave her the "break" command. Two more days and Ms. Harriet will be back home with you as a new pup.
A quick reminder that I have implemented a foundation into Ms. Harriet. It is your responsibility to continue to practice with her for a few minutes a day. It doesn't have to be every single command, all at once like my sessions are. Just enough time and practice to keep her aware of what is expected of her. She understands the rules here and you will have to reestablish the rules at your house. She might think she can go back to the old Ms. Harriet but you guys will ensure she continues her amazing growth! If you don't practice with her, dogs experience a phenomenon called extinction where the behavior will slowly disappear and new ones will form. Lastly, once extinction occurs, it is even more difficult to recover the prior behavior because the pup has lost value in performing those tasks.
Pupdate 1/4/25
Today Ms. Harriet and I headed over to Discovery Park in Downey, CA to watch a softball game. Ms. Harriet has been doing so well around the distractions. She doesn't bark, she doesn't pull, she is a well-behaved young lady. We can't wait to show you all the wonderful things she has learned how to do!
As a reminder, here are the obedience commands that she 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 into place
Heel: Press the black "S" button + say "Heel"
Car Manners: Have her "sit", open the doors, then say "Load up!" + black "S" button
Food Manners/Refusal: The pup must patiently wait in either a "sit" or "down" while you prepare the food and then say "break" allowing pup to access the food.
Greeting Manners: Pup must be in "sit" and then allow strangers to say hi
"Off" + black button "S" to stop the pup from performing unwanted behavior
"Break!" - no stimulation and pup can be free to sniff or go potty
We will be reviewing how to perform all these tomorrow during the turnover!
Comments