Hazel | Silver Lab | Rancho Cucamonga | In Training

Meet Hazel! She is a one-and-a-half-year-old Silver Labrador from Rancho Cucamonga who just joined us for our One-Week Board and Train Program! Hazel is a very sweet girl who can be shy and a little nervous at first, but once she warms up, her fun and affectionate personality really shines. She loves attention, gets excited easily, and can’t wait to jump in and be part of the action—especially when other dogs are around.

Hazel is here to work on building better structure and manners in everyday situations. Over the next week, we’ll be focusing on her basic obedience, leash manners, jumping, and overall impulse control. She loves to pull on walks and has a hard time waiting her turn at doggy day camp, so patience and self-control will be big goals for her. In addition, Hazel is uncomfortable around things with wheels, especially when children are riding them, so we’ll also be working on building her confidence and neutrality around those triggers.

Our goal is to give Hazel the structure, guidance, and tools she needs to succeed while helping her become more confident around new people, children, and unfamiliar situations. We’re excited to watch her grow over the next week and help her become the best version of herself. Stay tuned for Hazel’s transformation!

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05/10/2026

Today, Hazel and I took things nice and easy with a short walk at the park so we could get more acquainted with each other. When we first met, Hazel was definitely a little shy and standoffish, which is completely okay. I gave her the time and space she needed, even letting Mom hold her until Hazel felt comfortable enough to come say hello on her own terms.

During our walk, I asked Hazel to perform a few commands to see what she already knows and how consistent she is with them. She does know “Sit,” but overall, her obedience foundation needs some work, which is exactly why she’s here. She pulled quite a bit on the leash and was much more interested in everything happening around her than in focusing on me, which is very normal for day one in a brand-new environment.

Once we got back to my place, I slowly introduced Hazel to the backyard and let her explore at her own pace. She enjoyed sniffing around and could clearly tell other dogs had been there, which actually seemed to help her relax a bit. Later in the afternoon, I took her for another walk around the block to help her get familiar with her new home away from home. This is where I really got to see just how sensitive she is to unfamiliar sights and sounds. Hazel was timid about her surroundings. She was startled by things like a flag flapping against a flagpole, my tripod at the park, and even the sound of my Ring camera alerting me when we returned home.

This week, in addition to building her basic obedience, a huge focus will be on confidence-building and helping Hazel become more comfortable with real-life noises, movement, and environmental changes. Overall, she did well today—just understandably a little nervous. I’m excited to help her come out of her shell!

Morning Feeding Amount			N/A		N/A
Evening Feeding Amount			2 Cups Dry /1 wet package		Ate 50%
San Dimas Park/Monrovia. Introduction Day.

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05/11/2026

Hazel is definitely unsure about a lot of things in her environment right now, so building her confidence and improving her socialization skills will be a big focus during her training. She can be sensitive to unfamiliar sounds, objects, and movement, so I’ll continue exposing her to new environmental elements in a positive and controlled way. The more successful experiences she has around these things, the more her confidence will begin to grow.

It was really interesting to watch her once we got to the field with the other trainers and their dogs. Hazel became noticeably more relaxed and confident in that setting. She seems to feed off the calm, balanced energy of the other dogs, which helps her settle and feel more secure. We worked on heeling with auto-sits, come-to-sit, extended sit, down, and place commands, and she did a great job! With every minute we trained, I could visibly see her becoming more comfortable and engaged. We still have a lot of work ahead of us, but positive change is already happening. Good job, Hazel!

Morning Feeding Amount			N/A		N/A
Evening Feeding Amount			2 Cups Dry /1 wet package		Ate 100%
Whittier Narrows. Worked on all Basic Obedience. Working with environmental sounds and movements.

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