Meet Hulk, a 1.5 year old English Bulldog from Mission Viejo, California who is here for our Two-Week Board and Train program. Hulk is a happy boy that is good with people and other dogs, but is showing signs of reactivity on leash. He is with us for pulling on leash, not following through with basic commands, jumping on people, and chewing things he shouldn't at home. Over the next fourteen-days we will focus on basic obedience, manners, and building his confidence around other dogs. Stay tuned for his transformation!
Pupdate 2/6/2022
Hulk and I worked on e-collar conditioning on my property. I found the lowest level where he feels the sensation from the collar and tap the black button on the left side of the remote until Hulk turns in my direction. I then mark with “yes” and reward with food. Hulk has growled at every dog he’s seen on the property so I’m holding off on introducing him to anyone while he gets acclimated to his new environment.
Pupdate 2/7/2022
Hulk is a huge puller on leash so we focused on leash pressure and e-collar conditioning on my property. He didn't want to walk on the right side and kept trying to swerve behind me so I would use small leash pops to move him in the direction I wanted him. I asked for a verbal sit when I would stop walking but he didn't want to do that so I added leash pressure. Hulk would pop up out of the sit before I gave the next command. When he did, I would say, "no, sit," and help him back into position. I would then wait a couple seconds before giving another command and moving. He was growling at the dogs from inside his crate late last night so I moved his crate away from the other dogs. He is a pushy dog and acts like he has never been told he has to follow through with what is asked of him. When we worked on leash pressure he bit the leash to try to release the pressure, so I added food to help move him in the direction I wanted. We worked through this, which made our afternoon session much more pleasant.
Pupdate 2/8/2022
Hulk and I went to a pet store after working on his commands on my property earlier in the morning. I’m still doing leash work and e-collar conditioning since Hulk is used to muscling his way in the direction he wants to go in. Hulk cannot lie down on cue and is still working through some resistance towards leash pressure. Baby steps with this big guy!
Pupdate 2/9/2022
Hulk and I worked on leash pressure and down on my property. He was very resistant to any kind of pressure and would throw a fit to release it. I helped him understand what I wanted of him by adding food and luring into the down. Here we are working on leash pressure where we go from a sit to a down and vice versa.
Pupdate 2/10/2022
Hulk went on a pack walk to work on his confidence around other dogs. He is pretty invasive when meeting other dogs so all of my introductions happen in the dog run while Hulk is on leash. He gets to sniff for a few seconds but does not get to be pushy or linger, which usually makes the other dog uncomfortable. If he does linger, I use the leash to guide him away from the dog.
Pupdate 2/11/2022
Hulk and I worked on his commands at a shopping area. He still struggles with leash pressure, down, and holding any kind of sit or down, so I'm focusing on these things. He also gets easily distracted by people walking past us. His come to sit, however, has improved! In social he made friends with Conan, another dog here for training, and is interacting better one-on-one. He is quiet in his crate and is eating all of his food.
Pupdate 2/12/2022
Hulk and I worked on loose leash walking at the beach. He is staying at my heel 80% of the time but sometimes doesn’t pay attention and will shoot past me. He is completing his sit and down with either leash pressure or by tapping on the black button on the left side of the remote. Hulk wants to go towards dogs but he is doing better with the “off” command and is staying at my side.
Pupdate 2/13/2022
Hulk and I went back to the Outlets at San Clemente to practice loose leash walking in a distracting environment. We practiced his greeting manners, which he sat nicely for, and continue to focus on his down. Hulk and I went inside a couple of stores and he did very well. His heeling is also beginning to look really good!
Pupdate 2/14/2022
Hulk and I continue to work on his come to sit and down in the mornings while on the property. He is getting better at them with each passing day! In the dog run he tried to go after my gardener who was working outside the run. I successfully used the “off” command with the e-collar to get him to stop barking and lunging at him. He also tried to go after my puppy when he was doing the zoomies around the yard. It seems Hulk likes to control excitement, so I decided to work him in the afternoon in the dog run while the other dogs played. We focused on place and down, and Hulk did very well! It seems the competition for reward was motivating enough for this guy to complete his commands! He was doing a lot better holding his commands with continued reinforcement and then a release with "yes" off of the cot to another reward. I was very happy with him, as he showed a lot of impulse control, and when he didn't, I was still able to get him back into position without a lot of reinforcement.
Pupdate 2/15/2022
Hulk and I worked on his commands at Lowe's. He did really well with place on various carts that weren't always stable! His heeling inside the store was good, but he got a little distracted once we were outside. The sliding doors made him speed up towards the exit. I think it was just to investigate, but I had to tap him with the e-collar to remind him to come back into the heel position. He is doing his down now but struggles with duration, so we will focus on this next!
Pupdate 2/16/2022
Hulk and I worked on his commands while on a walk through the neighborhood and at a shopping area. He's doing much better with his extended down but we will continue to practice until it's solid. His come to sit is almost there and his heeling improves daily! He is way more attentive and less like the dog I met on day one who was heading wherever he wanted to go. Now he takes direction!
Pupdate 2/17/2022
Hulk and I went down to the beach to work around distractions. He has a difficult time around dogs and had to be told not to go after one of them. The heat didn’t help since Hulk doesn’t last long in warmer weather. We worked as much as we could, but he gased out pretty quickly. After training I sat with him in the shade so he could watch the activity without moving towards it. He did pretty well and listened to the “off” command when he stared too hard at passing dogs.
Pupdate 2/18/2022
This morning I used Hulk's breakfast and we worked on food manners. Now that he understands the down command and the pressure from the e-collar, I ask for a down, and then use the e-collar in place of a leash to reinforce the command. Once all four legs are on the ground I release the button on the e-collar. As soon as Hulk is in the down position and in a more relaxed state (with his hips to the side), I put the bowl of food down, say "wait" and start moving away from the bowl. Hulk broke position a couple times in an attempt to move towards the food, and when he did I would say "no" and hold the button on the e-collar until Hulk is back in a down. If he looked confused I would help him by holding the button and guiding him into a down by holding his flat collar and guiding him into position. It took a couple of repetitions for Hulk to figure out that staying in position until released would get him his meal faster. At the shopping area he did much better with his extended down but didn’t have a lot of energy to work for a long time.
Pupdate 2/19/2022
Hulk and I worked on his commands at a shopping area. He is completing all of his commands, although sluggish at times due to the warmer weather. We don’t stay out long because of this and I make sure he has access to water. He has a nice heel, come to sit, and can now hold an extended down. Proud of the progress this bulldog has made over the past two weeks! In social he comes face to face with dogs, which isn’t the most polite way to greet, so he still needs guidance. The “off” command is perfect for when he wants to chase after dogs.
