Hazel | Silver Lab | Rancho Cucamonga | In Training

Hazel | Silver Lab | Rancho Cucamonga | In Training

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shannonoffleashsoc
May 10
7 min read

Updated: May 17

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!

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!

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!

05/12/2026

I can’t believe how well Hazel did today! I’m already seeing such huge progress in this sweet girl. She continues to come out of her shell more and more, and it’s been really rewarding to watch her confidence grow.

We had a little bit of a challenge with jumping up onto a bench and into the car, so I had to break the exercise down into smaller steps for her. Once she understood what was being asked, she really started to get the hang of it by the end of the session. Hazel also did great on all of her basic commands today. She only broke one extended down, which is completely understandable considering this is only day two—and honestly, she is crushing it!

I also noticed today at the park that Hazel has a pretty strong prey drive for squirrels and birds, so we’ll definitely continue working on her impulse control around those distractions. The good news is I’m already seeing improvement with her jumping—she’s not nearly as jumpy or excitable as when I first met her. I did notice she is still shy around bicycles, even when they’re standing still, which tells me movement-based confidence work needs to remain a priority. Tomorrow, I’ll be focusing more on building her confidence around moving objects and helping her feel more secure in those situations. She’s making awesome progress! Good job, Hazel!

05/13/2026

Today, Hazel and I went to Skater Park in Monrovia to continue working on her basic obedience around higher levels of distraction. I introduced the long line today, which gave Hazel more freedom while also requiring her to stay more engaged and focused on me. To create even more movement and real-world distractions, I had my daughter ride her scooter around the park, and another boy was kind enough to ride his bike nearby as well. Hazel handled all of the added activity very well and remained composed throughout the session.

We started the training with her prong collar on, then transitioned into a second round using only her flat collar, e-collar, and long line. This was a great way to test her responsiveness with less physical guidance. I did have to spend a little extra time drilling her recall, especially focusing on her turns and finishing position during “come to sit,” but with repetition, she improved nicely. Overall, Hazel did a great job today and continues to show steady progress with her focus and obedience in more challenging environments.

05/14/2026

Today, Hazel and I trained at Live Oak Park, and it was a great opportunity to work her in a busier environment. There were lots of people exercising, walking, and running around us, which gave Hazel plenty of real-world distractions to process.

During today’s session, I started to notice that Hazel is still uncomfortable around unfamiliar people—especially those wearing big hats and sunglasses. It took her some time to feel comfortable simply passing by certain individuals, which tells me confidence-building around new people will continue to be an important focus. Despite this, she did really well with her basic obedience commands.

Hazel struggled a bit with her “Place” command today, but not because she wasn’t capable of doing it. She can absolutely jump up and hold either an extended sit or an extended down. The challenge was that there was a woman sitting on the bench next to us, and Hazel didn’t fully trust being that close to someone unfamiliar. This is actually really valuable information, as it helps pinpoint exactly where her confidence still needs development. We’ll continue working on helping Hazel feel more secure around new people and unfamiliar situations so she can keep building trust in her environment. Good job, Hazel!

Morning Feeding Amount:	N/A	N/A

Evening Feeding Amount:	3 Cups Dry	Amount Consumed: 100%

Live Oak Park. Basic Obedience with Long Line. No wet food.

05/15/2026

For today’s session, Hazel and I headed over to Arcadia County Park, and it was a great environment filled with real-world distractions. We encountered plenty of dogs, squirrels, and kids, which gave Hazel a lot to work through.

She was a bit uncomfortable at first, especially around the kids’ playground and strollers. She wasn’t quite sure how to process all the movement and noise, but with time and guidance, she began to settle in. By the end, she was able to heel much more comfortably and move through the area with greater confidence.

We worked through all of her commands, and she did really well—especially on her “Place” command, which was impressive considering this was a brand-new park for her. Hazel continues to make great progress as she builds confidence in new environments. Good job, Hazel!

Morning Feeding Amount:	N/A	N/A

Evening Feeding Amount:	3 Cups Dry	Amount Consumed: 100%

Arcadia County Park. Basic Obedience with Long Line. No wet food.

05/016/2026

Hazel is such a sweet girl, and she will truly be missed by all of us. She has been such a pleasure to work with and has made so much progress during her time here. Watching her grow in confidence, build new skills, and become more comfortable in new environments has been incredibly rewarding.

I’m so proud of everything Hazel has accomplished in such a short amount of time. From working through her fears and sensitivities to improving her obedience, leash manners, and overall confidence, she has come such a long way. She is a very special pup with so much potential, and I know she will continue to thrive with consistency and continued guidance at home. Good job, Hazel!

Morning Feeding Amount:	N/A	N/A

Evening Feeding Amount:	3 Cups Dry	Amount Consumed: 100%

Monrovia. Long Line with basic obedience. House videos.

https://youtu.be/mBLFzuyVxgA

Morning Feeding Amount

Evening Feeding Amount

2 Cups Dry /1 wet package

San Dimas Park/Monrovia. Introduction Day.