Meet Hunter, a playful five-month-old labradoodle puppy from Torrance, CA. Hunter's family would love to be able to take him places, but Hunter doesn’t always follow commands, he pulls while walking on leash, reacts to dogs on walks (barking and growling), jumps on people, and can be very mouthy. This makes it difficult to take him anywhere! Hunter is here for our Two-Week Board and Train Program to work on leash manners and basic obedience. Stay tuned for his fourteen-day transformation!
Pupdate 11/14/2021
Hunter had a difficult time settling in the crate, and he did whine a lot in the car. When we arrived at my property I let the dogs socialize in the backyard. He's curious of the other dogs, but his hunched body language and tucked tail as he scurried away from them, showed he lacks confidence around his canine peers. I'm hopeful this will improve as he gets more comfortable around the other dogs. We trained in my driveway where I introduced the place board and luring. Hunter really enjoyed the training, and after dinner he was able to settle quietly in his crate and fall asleep.
Pupdate 11/15/2021
We worked on rear end awareness on my property and did loose leash walking around my driveway. There are ducks and chickens in the coop, which Hunter was very curious about. He’s starting to focus a bit more, and understands that the clicker means he’s about to receive a reward. He settled much better today in the crate, and takes a nap after training. In the yard he’s a bit more curious of the other female dogs but not overly confident to interact with them yet.
Pupdate 11/16/2021
Hunter is doing better in the crate! He whines a little bit when he's in there but settles within 10-15 seconds. We continued to work on rear-end awareness (which he's doing really well with!), come to sit, and introduced place work, down, and duration down on my property. His focus and eye contact have also significantly improved! He is able to follow commands and hold a duration down on place when my personal dog is around, but can be skittish at times when out in public. He startles easily if a person runs past us or comes up from behind. More outings and positive exposure to things he's unsure of will help build his confidence in new situations.
Pupdate 11/17/2021
Hunter had his nails done and he received a bath. He strains quite a bit when he tries to poop, and I noticed he was scooting his butt on the ground. Turns out he had a clump of poop stuck to the long hair around his rear end. Today we continued to work on e-collar conditioning, loose leash walking, heeling, come to sit, place, sit, down, and I introduced the backup command. At Lowe's he would break his heel when startled by noises or people. I'm hopeful that continued exposure will help! He isn't confident around dogs that he sees out in public and will either bark or growl at them. In the morning when we worked on our come to sit command near one of the other smaller puppies, Hunter would not follow through well if I asked him to sit too close to the puppy's xpen. If I moved a couple feet away, he could follow through without trouble. He is becoming more comfortable with the two female dogs on the property and finally played with the older doodle. He's much quieter in his crate!
Pupdate 11/18/2021
Hunter and I worked on his commands at a park while a children's basketball practice was going on. He did really well! He works eagerly for food, but struggles with seeing dogs and will jump out of position to get away from them. With Hunter it's a balance to find the right kind of motivation while not getting him too excited. He's a really sweet puppy, and is progressing nicely!
Pupdate 11/19/2021
This morning Hunter and I worked on off-leash heeling on my property. He has an excellent automatic sit when I stop walking, and his come to sit is starting to look really nice! Hunter is doing great in the crate, he eats all of his food, and is the model trainee! He has finally gotten used to the two female dogs, and the puppy, and no longer scurries away from them. I've been counter-conditioning his fear of other dogs by using a clicker to mark and reward him everytime he looks at another dog without growling or barking. He quickly caught on to this game and he will look at a dog, hear the click, look back at me, receive his food reward, and immediately look back at the dog and back at me. At the mall we worked on heeling and his duration down. He struggled a bit with his duration down but was able to stay in the down when a dog walked close to us, and I was really proud of him for this!
Pupdate 11/20/2021
Hunter and I worked on his commands at Home Depot. He is doing great with his focus and engagement in new environments! In the afternoon I worked on his obedience in the dog run around two new dogs, and he did pretty well. He was able to execute many of his commands and only avoided the dogs in some instances. We worked on his duration down in public, and he's getting better at staying in that position for longer periods of time! He struggles the most with people or fast action near him (someone moving fast, a ball being kicked, a dog appearing out of nowhere), but he recovers well.
Pupdate 11/21/2021
Hunter and I went to the Harbor to work on his commands. We attempted greeting manners but he's still skittish around people he doesn't know. Hunter was able to focus well around another dog that was just off camera and a couple people watching from the side. He lost focus when a dog started barking and that sent him into flight. Hunter's on leash heeling is looking better, and he is doing great in the crate. When Hunter returns home, I highly recommend continuing to use a crate after walks, play time, and other activities (we use Ruffland Kennels) so that he has structured down time and can give his elderly canine housemate some peace and quiet.
Pupdate 11/22/2021
Hunter and I worked on his loose leash walking at the Strand. There was a lot going on with people riding bikes, children running and playing on playground equipment, surfers carrying their boards to the water, and people out walking their dogs. Hunter did really well passing people and dogs! He was using his nose to check things out. Another doodle owner stopped with their one year old female and complimented us on the great control he displayed. She couldn’t believe he was only 6 months old! He’s still a little jumpy, especially when a dog barks or growls, but he is no longer engaging in the same behavior. Super proud oh him!
Pupdate 11/23/2021
Hunter and I went to the Irvine Spectrum Center to work on heeling around distractions while he dragged a 4 foot leash. Hunter did a great job of placing on the ledge of a fountain and holding an extended down in a high traffic area near a giant Christmas tree. He is still skittish at times when walking past certain people but he did great today around other dogs.
Pupdate 11/24/2021
Hunter and I practiced his off-leash heeling at the Huntington Beach boardwalk. He was able to hold an extended sit with people and bicyclists zooming past him, and appears more confident and curious with each passing day. At drop off it was mentioned that he vomits in moving cars, and while he did on the drive to my property, he has not vomited since that first day. Overall, training has brought out a calmer and more focused Hunter who interacts much more politely with his new canine friends.
Pupdate 11/25/2021
Happy Thanksgiving! I have been feeding Hunter the additional food that was sent. He is still straining when he goes potty and barely anything comes out. He had another accident and had to have a bath. We practiced in my neighborhood today and socialized on the property. Hunter is playing well with the other dogs and is doing very well with his commands.
Pupdate 11/26/2021
Hunter and I went to the Outlets at San Clemente to work on his final video around the Black Friday crowds. He was able to heel off-leash and perform all of his commands! Overall, he is much more confident around people and dogs, although barking dogs still startle him. I'm very proud of the progress Hunter has made over the past two weeks!
Pupdate 11/27/2021
Hunter and I went back to the Outlets at San Clemente to work on his final video. He did a great job maneuvering through crowds of people, passing dogs, and being more tolerant of small children running around. At the end of the video a woman sees him placing on a bench and starts approaching him to pet without asking. I asked her not to touch him until I break him from place and put him into a sit. He sat politely while three ladies pet him on the head. Hunter did an excellent job in his board and train program and gained a ton of confidence and new obedience skills. Wishing this young pup and his family a happy life together!
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