Meet Hilo! This 6 month old Austrailian Doodle from Los Angeles, CA has joined us for our Two Week Board and Train Program. He has come to us to work on behaviors such as jumping on people, leash pulling, nipping, and basic obedience. Hilo plays a little rough, does not know his own strength, and can knock children over. He is very friendly with other people but is a little unsure about other dogs. Over the next fourteen days, Hilo will work on his behavior and be set up for success, with hopes of becoming a well behaved pup. Check in to see his progress!
Hilo and I spent the afternoon getting acquainted by going for a walk to establish a bond. During our walk throughout the park, Hilo would pull heavily on his leash, and would occasionally stop or fall behind whenever he became distracted. To correct his behavior, I introduced him to Heel, which is a technique that consists of having Hilo walk next to me on my left side. Whenever he fell behind, I guided him back towards me with leash tension, and when he pulled away, I turned around and walked in the opposite direction. It is a learning process and Hilo still needs more practice, so Heel will now be implied on every walk we go on from here on out.
Hilo and I continued to work on Heel today and he has made such a big improvement. We went out for a walk last night and he was still pulling away, but not as much as when I picked him up. Making the U-Turns helped a lot in getting him to walk next to me, and we made good progress during our morning walk. We drove out to a local shopping center and he did really well around people distractions, and he adjusts to his surroundings rather quick. He slept great through the night, and does really well in the car rides without whining or crying.
Hilo was introduced to Place today. It is a technique that consists of having Hilo getting onto an elevated object and remaining there in a Sit or a Down. It builds confidence in a dog, and can also be of great use whenever guests are over, or if there is a knock on your door. Since Hilo is very food motivated and not very confident, I used treats as motivation to help him. He began by placing his front paws on the object, in which he was rewarded with treats and praise. His back legs needed the most guidance, so I helped him by giving them a boost and have him fully get on. Hilo is doing great with Place and continues to build his confidence as me move along.
Hilo was introduced to his recall today which is also known as Come to Sit. It consists of having Hilo come towards my right side, going around behind me, and sitting on my left. To teach Hilo, I used leash tension to have him come towards me. In order to have him go around behind me, I used some treats to lure him all the way around, and rewarding him when he sat on my left. He was having some trouble when he sat on my left as he would occasionally jump with excitement during our first few practice runs, but with consistency, Hilo is doing better. Hilo also tends to rush to the car when our sessions conclude, but I am helping him in making a calmer approach by redirecting him in another direction to calm his excited state.
Hilo and I have been working on his Down. Down can be a difficult technique to teach considering it being a submissive position to a dog. To teach Hilo, I asked him to Sit, and then used leash tension and some treats to lure him towards the ground. He sat up during our first attempts so I placed my hand over his back and kept him from getting up by applying slight pressure whenever he made an intent. It took time and patience, with breaks in between to avoid frustration, but Hilo was able to accomplish his Down.
Hilo and I worked on Place today as we met with other trainers whom assisted us by serving as distractions with their pups. He does very well with other dogs and has shown no signs of being overwhelmed and unsure about them. I will make sure to continue to expose him to more dog distractions throughout his training. Our morning and evening walks have made Hilo progress on his Heel and we are now loose leash walking anytime we are out on a walk. He is doing great and with a few more practice runs, he will begin to walk with his leash dragging in the coming days.
Hilo and I are working on his Extended Sit and he was having a little trouble maintaining it as he would come out of it and follow me whenever I start to increase distance. To help him with that, I moved back one foot at a time with five second increments. One foot back is five seconds, two feet back is ten seconds, three feet back is fifteen and so on. Hilo is doing well the more we work on it and he is making progress by remaining in his position after correcting his behavior. He is almost up to one minute, and we will continue to practice to have Hilo reach his goal.
Hilo and I took a walk around the neighborhood today and he began working with his leash dragging. We worked on a few practice sessions in my backyard and he did really well. It was a low distracting environment so in the coming days I will expose him to more distractions. With week one coming to a close, Hilo has learned all of his commands. For the remainder of his Program, he will continue with his leash dragging and will also work on his distance and duration.
Hilo and I drove out to a local park and worked on his Extended Down. We met with other trainers who assisted us by having their pups serve as a distraction. He did very well as I was able to increase a good amount of distance from him without holding on to his leash. Our morning walks have helped Hilo release some of his energy and puts him in a much calmer state. His Heel needed a little work today as he walked ahead of me a few times, but by redirecting him, I was able to clean it up and have Hilo follow through.
Hilo and I worked on some off leash exercises today at a local shopping center and he did very well. Although he did veer off to the left initially during our Heel, he put himself right back into position when I reminded him to “Heel.” His recall has gotten better off leash and I enjoy watching him progress. Hilo has shown that he is ready to completely work off leash and it will be one of the main focuses as he begins to prepare for his Final video.
Hilo has been practicing Food Manners ever since I picked him up. I would place the bowl down on the ground, and he would Sit and wait for a few seconds and then come out of it. To keep him from doing so, I picked the bowl up and asked him to Down. Once in a Down, I placed the bowl on the ground again, waited a few seconds, and then released Hilo with a Break. Every meal consisted of the same approach with the only difference being the time increase he would have holding his Down. He has made great improvement and can now wait for his food patiently for two minutes.
Hilo and I worked on some final off leash exercises at a local park in which he did very well in. He worked around other dogs, people, and a few ducks in the area. He was great at maintaining his stationary positions as he can hold them for the given amount of time. There were a few instances during his recall that he would stop behind me initially, but after a few warm ups, Hilo followed through. He has shown that he is ready for his Final video and I am looking forward to seeing Hilo put on a good performance.
Hilo and I have been working on Door Manners since the day I brought him home. Anytime I opened a door, Hilo would wait a little bit, but would then get up and want to be the first one to go through. To help him into not doing so, I would ask him to Down when we approached a door. Once in a Down position, I proceeded to open the door, and made sure Hilo remained in his position. When I opened the door, every time he sat up meant the door would close, and the process would repeat itself. Once he understood what I was asking, I began to increase time and distance to keep him in a Down longer, which led to Hilo achieving his two minute goal.
