Iggy | Sheepadoodle | Studio City, CA | In-Training
- meganoffleashsocal
- Oct 11, 2024
- 26 min read
Updated: Oct 26, 2024
Meet Iggy, she's a two-year-old Sheepadoodle from Studio City, California! This sweet and intelligent pup is here with us for our Two Week Board and Train Program, where we will work on improving her obedience and manners. She has some knowledge of a few basic obedience commands, but is easily distracted by her surroundings and struggles to follow through reliably when asked to do something. She also comes to us with some undesirable behaviors such as jumping to greet, barking at strangers, pulling on the leash, chasing small animals, and displaying selective listening. She can also be overbearing when seeking attention, and can become a bit overprotective when it comes to her loved ones. Over the next fourteen days, we will be working on improving her obedience and manners to set her on the right path to becoming a well-behaved pup both on and off leash. Stay tuned for her transformation!
Pupdate 10/11/2024
Today Iggy and I spent the day bonding and getting to know each other at a park after her pick up. She was very sweet and happy to spend time with me, though her attention span is definitely on the lower end and she struggled to pay attention to me for more than a fleeting moment while we were at the park. Generally she was much more focused on everything around us, and was very easily distracted by smells, people, dogs, and anything else she found interesting.
While at the park, I tested her current knowledge of commands to see if she's had any prior training, and what areas may need some extra focus on going forward. I asked her basic commands such as Come, Heel, Sit, Down, and Place, but she was more focused on her surroundings rather than anything I was asking of her. She would sometimes Come over to me when called with lots of excitement and encouragement, though she would rarely come all the way to me, and mostly ignored the recall cue, her name, and any leash pressure used to try to guide her to me. When asked to Heel, she didn't seem to recognize the command at all and was almost always at the end of the leash walking around or trying to pull wherever she pleased rather than staying next to me. She was able to perform Sit and Down a few times when asked, though it was very inconsistent if she followed through or not. If she did happen to do it, she would often stand back up and start walking away after a second or two. I asked her to Place on some low, easy to reach objects around the park, but she didn't seem to understand what was being asked of her and seemed to lack the confidence to attempt any jumps. She didn't seem to have a good understanding of leash pressure either, and was often trying to strongly and persistently pull against the leash in an attempt to get where she wanted to go.
After our time at the park, it was time to head home and get her settled into my home. She was unable to jump into my car on her own, but was comfortable with getting a boost from me to help her up. She was able to enter the kennel with just a bit of guidance, and she settled in for the quick ride home, which is a good display of Car Manners. Anytime Iggy is to ride in a car with me, she will be secured in a kennel for her utmost safety. She will also be in a kennel at home during nighttime or any other time she is unsupervised. Upon arriving home, she seemed excited to investigate the new environment, and quickly made herself at home. When meeting my boyfriend, she was friendly and calm with him, and didn't bark at all which was good to see since Iggy has a history of being a bit uneasy towards men. She was pretty persistent about getting attention from us however, and often tried to jump, paw, or push us around with her body, so this is something we'll be working on so she can learn more polite ways to ask for affection. After some time had passed, we went out for a walk around my neighborhood. We will be taking walks around the neighborhood multiple times daily to practice obedience, so it's good for her to become familiar with the area so she can feel comfortable and relaxed. When exiting the house to start our walk, Iggy kept trying to run out the door as soon as it was opened, so we will also be working to improve her Door Manners to make sure she can respect the boundary a doorway creates as this will help keep her safe. Come dinner time, Iggy was pretty excited for her food and did jump on me and the counters a few times while preparing her bowl, though she was able to Sit and wait for her food for a few moments before being released to eat. We will be working on her Food Manners daily to help build the duration she can wait as well as discourage the jumping during meal times. Overall she seems to be settling in nicely, and we are so excited to begin this training journey together!
Pupdate 10/12/2024
Iggy and I worked around my neighborhood today, where we focused on introducing her to the e-collar and Come to Sit command. There were still some basic distractions such as a few other dogs, bicycles, people, and squirrels, but the relatively calm environment helped to promote learning and focus.
Pressure is a fundamental tool used in teaching basic obedience commands. The idea is that whenever leash pressure is applied, be it from a leash or e-collar, it is paired with a command. The pressure then remains present until Iggy follows the pressure and performs the behavior or command being asked of her. The moment she follows through, the pressure immediately turns off and a reward is given. We spent some time practicing with only leash pressure first before introducing the e-collar to ensure she understood how this concept works, as leash pressure is the most simple form of pressure due to the clear directional guidance it provides. Once it was clear that she understood leash pressure, we began adding in a new form of pressure from the e-collar. By pairing these two forms of pressure simultaneously, she will come to understand that each pressure has the same meaning. With time and practice, the goal is for this to allow the leash and e-collar to be used interchangeably, and eventually create the opportunity to begin training with the e-collar only, without the need for a leash! For her first day, she did a great job and seems to be catching onto it quickly. Be sure to check out today's video for an in-depth e-collar tutorial.
Come to Sit is an important command to begin practicing early on in Iggy's training journey, as having a solid recall is important for any pup's safety and obedience training, and will be especially crucial for her safety if she is to be allowed off-leash. The goal for Come to Sit is for Iggy to come when called, approach my right side, circle around my back, and finish with a Sit facing forward on the left side. She is asked to hold this Sit until released with "Break", or given a new command. This ensures she not only comes when called, but also that she remains stationary until told otherwise. The Come to Sit maneuver when completed in its entirety also sets her up to be in the perfect position to begin walking in a Heel. We introduced the Come to Sit command today by combining the verbal command "Come" with guidance from the leash and stimulation from the e-collar to grab her attention and guide her towards me. Once she came over to me, she was then guided around and to my left side where she was asked to perform a Sit. With each successful repetition, I made sure to give her lots of praise and rewards to build up a positive association with the command and the action of coming to me when called. She'll need some more work with this command before she is consistent with it, though for her first day with this command, she did a good job!
Pupdate 10/13/2024
Today Iggy and I visited a local park, where we focused on two commands, Off and Heel. We introduced these commands in the morning while walking around the neighborhood, where the distractions were a bit lower. This helped her to have an easier time relaxing and focusing on learning. In the evening, we walked over to the park to continue practicing her commands around slightly more distractions. The park was not super busy today, but there were still common distractions around such as people, dogs, children, and lots of small animals like squirrels and birds.
Iggy is often easily distracted, as she tends to focus on her surroundings even when asked to perform commands. Moments like this are a great opportunity to implement the Off command. The goal for the Off command is for Iggy to stop whatever she is doing, and focus on her handler. This is a very versatile command, similar to "no" or "leave it", and can be used in various situations, such as to interrupt fixation on distractions, barking, jumping on people, eating or sniffing things she's not supposed to, or any other behaviors that are undesirable or inappropriate at that time. The verbal Off command when paired with leash pressure and the e-collar allows us to interrupt the behavior and help her to refocus so that she is in a better mindset to listen for upcoming instructions. Once the Off command is given, it's beneficial to immediately follow it with another command such as Sit, Come, Heel, etc. Once she stops whatever behavior she was doing, asking her to set her focus on a task will help keep her attention away from what initially distracted her or caused the undesirable behavior. Iggy has shown good progress in understanding the Off command so far, and with each repetition, she seemed to be quicker to respond and refocus when prompted. However, more work will need to be done in various situations before she is fully reliable with the command, especially around her favorite distraction, squirrels!
Heel is another important concept for Iggy to begin developing early on in her training. The goal for the Heel command is for Iggy to be able to follow directly alongside me on my left side, and maintain that position while walking unless released or given a new command. This precise positioning takes a lot of practice to master, but it will effectively eliminate pulling on the leash or veering off in different directions, and allow her handler to take the lead on walks instead of her trying to pull them around wherever she pleases. To introduce this command, I kept the leash short but loose, and ensured she stayed on my left side in roughly the Heel position as we walked. If she began to veer off, pull ahead, fall behind, or otherwise create tension on the leash, she was given some guidance with the leash, stimulation from the e-collar, and the verbal command "Heel" command was given until she returned to the desired position. During Heel, her sole focus should be following her handler's lead, and as such she needs to remain neutral to and ignore her environment, which will take some practice to accomplish. As she gets better with this command, she will have an easier time staying in the Heel position without as much guidance needed, and will need to be given reminders less frequently. Overall she did a good job today and seemed to catch on pretty quickly!
Pupdate 10/14/2024
Today Iggy and I visited a park, where we continued to practice her commands around distractions. The park was decently busy, with other dogs, people, children, and small animals. The grassy fields also served as a good distraction due to all the interesting smells on the ground. Iggy was a bit distracted at first, though the Off command was useful in helping her to refocus when needed. She seemed to adjust to the environment pretty quickly, though every now and then she would become a bit overwhelmed by distractions if there was a lot going on around us. We focused on introducing two commands today, Place and Down.
The goal for the Place command is for Iggy to jump or climb onto a designated object, such as a bench, a bed, or another object with defined borders, and hold a stationary command while remaining on the Place object until released or given a new command. We introduced this command at home using a familiar object, a dog cot. She is comfortable climbing onto and relaxing on the cot in her own time, so this was a good object to use and help set her up for success. We used some leash pressure to guide her onto the cot while giving the verbal Place cue, which she quickly picked up on. Once she seemed to understand the behavior, we began pairing leash pressure with e-collar stimulation as additional reinforcement and communication when needed. After a few repetitions, she quickly picked up on what was being asked of her and was able to Place with minimal to no leash pressure. At the park, we continued practicing Place with a variety of other objects, including other types of platforms, benches, and rocks. She showed good confidence with this, and was eager to practice with any object we worked with! Sometimes she needed a bit of leash pressure to help guide her through the first couple of attempts, though once she got the hang of it she was able to Place with minimal to no leash pressure needed. We will continue practicing this command with different objects in a variety of environments to improve Remi's skills with this command!
The other command introduced to Iggy today is the Down command. The goal for the Down command is for Iggy to lay down completely when asked, and remain in that position until released or given a new command. To begin working on this command, we used leash pressure and some physical assistance to guide Iggy into the Down position while the verbal command was given. After some practice, she quickly seemed to catch on to the concept, so we began adding in the e-collar stimulation as reinforcement. We kept the duration for this command pretty short at first with lots of breaks and praise, as this helps make the training fun and rewarding. As we continue to practice this we will continue increasing the duration gradually so she can learn to remain in this position for extended periods of time. We will also continue adding in more distractions so she can be reliable with the command in any situation or environment. She ended up doing a great job with this command both at home and while at the park.
Pupdate 10/15/2024
Today Iggy and I visited a park, where we practiced all of her commands around distractions. The park had lots of distractions around, with plenty of people, playing children, other dogs, bicycles, toys, and small animals. Iggy was a bit excitable when we first arrived as she wanted to play and explore around, but managed to calm down and begin focusing as she adapted to the environment.
Iggy seems to be understanding and catching onto the e-collar, and is beginning to grasp the concept of the communication and reinforcement it provides. This has allowed us to use leash pressure more mildly and less frequently, which will be an important step in the gradual transition to off leash training. She did well with her Heel today, and seems to be catching onto the command very quickly. She understands where she needs to be once the command is given, and is able to maintain the positioning with minimal leash pressure needed. She sometimes will get distracted or test the boundary of the Heel by trying to walk ahead slightly or stop to smell something, though once a reminder is given she is able to correct herself and return to position. Her Come to Sit is coming along nicely as well, and she has been doing great with coming to me as soon as she is recalled. She sometimes needs a bit of guidance to help her position herself properly for the Sit, but she seems to understand where she needs to be overall and has been able to perform the maneuver with minimal leash pressure.
Iggy's stationary commands are seeing good progress as well, and she did great overall with her Sit, Down, and Place commands. She was able to perform each command with minimal to no leash pressure, and has a solid understanding of the verbal cues and hand signals used during training. She still needs some work on her durations when around increased distractions, as she was prone to breaking command by standing up or trying to walk away when she lost focus or grew impatient. Whenever this happened, it was ensured that she immediately returned to the position asked of her in the location she was asked to stay at, as this will continue to reinforce the implied stay we have been working on. When in quieter areas of the park, she was better about holding her positions and seemed more focused and patient overall.
Pupdate 10/16/2024
Today Iggy and I visited an outdoor mall, where we continued practicing each of her commands around distractions. The mall wasn't overly busy, but still had a variety of distractions present including people, other dogs, food, and pigeons! Iggy did a good job of staying focused in this environment, and while she did get a bit excited at times, she was generally quite calm and neutral towards her surroundings. When distracted by something, she was typically quick to redirect her focus back to training when prompted.
Iggy did great with her Heel, and was able to maintain her position beside me as we walked around the mall with minimal to no leash pressure needed! Her Come to Sit was good overall as well, and while she occasionally needed some slight leash pressure to guide her into the position, she was very consistent with her recall and always came right to me when called. Her stationary positions were a big focus of today's session, as her durations for holding these commands still needs a lot of work when practicing them in distracting areas. At home or in other quiet environments she has shown a great understanding of the implied stay and has been able to hold her positions for well over two minutes, though when around distractions she still tends to pop back up out of position frequently. Once given a few reminders, she's better about holding the position until released, though this is something she will need more practice with before she can hold her positions reliably in a consistent manner.
We also had some great opportunities to practice Iggy's Greeting Manners today, as there were lots of nice people who wanted to say hello to and pet her. The goal for Greeting Manners is for Iggy to be able to meet or greet people calmly and politely, whether in public or at home. Iggy came to us with a major habit of jumping up onto people she was excited to say hello to, which even with her friendly intentions, is a dangerous behavior as she could accidentally injure someone! As such, this is an important area of her training and is something we have been working on whenever the opportunity arises, whether it be at home with me or my guests, or out in public with new people. To help Iggy learn the desired manners, we first have her perform and hold Sit or Down directly beside her handler, as this gives her a task to focus on and discourages her from breaking the position to jump on anyone. If she tries to jump up, any affection being given abruptly ends, the Off command is given, and she is immediately asked to return to position. When having a new person greet Iggy, it's important to inform them of her training and the expectations set for her, that way they can help reinforce the training appropriately. All praise, attention, and affection should be reserved strictly for when she is stationary, calm, and following instructions. If she is rewarded when behaving poorly, then the training will be inconsistent and be detrimental to her progress. Staying consistent with these manners is key to her success, as she will come to understand that jumping on people is not a rewarding behavior, and only delays or prevents her from getting what she wants, which is to say hello to people and get attention from them! She did a good job with her greetings today, and she didn't try to jump on anyone, which was great to see! She did sometimes break her position due to her excitement, though she was quick to correct herself and return to position when prompted.
Pupdate 10/17/2024
Today Iggy and I visited a local shopping strip, where we practiced each of her commands around distractions. At the shopping strip, we encountered many different distractions, including other dogs, people, food, music, bicycles, skateboards, and noisy traffic from the busy street nearby.
She did an excellent job staying calm, focused, and neutral to her surroundings today. She would occasionally lose focus for a brief moment now and then, though she was quick to respond to the Off command and redirect her attention back onto training once prompted. She lost focus most often when passing by other dogs, as some of the ones we encountered today were major distractions. Dogs that were minding their own business Iggy had no trouble walking past or being near, though a few dogs were barking or play-bowing at her, which made Iggy a bit excited as she wanted to play with them or investigate them which occasionally caused her to break commands. Despite her excitement, she was able to go right back to ignoring them when asked and was able to work around distracting dogs without issue once a reminder was given.
Iggy did very well with her Heel overall today, and as we walked along the shopping strip and across crosswalks, she did an excellent job staying close by and in the proper positioning. We were able to pass by many different distractions without her losing too much focus. When adjustments to her positioning did need to be made, she was often able to correct herself with minimal leash to no pressure. She did well with her Come to Sit command also, and seemed to understand to always come right to me when called as well as perform the maneuver with little to no guidance needed. Iggy was able to perform each of her stationary commands with minimal to no guidance from the leash, though her durations still have ample room for improvement. She was able to hold her positions for around thirty seconds consistently while around distractions which is great compared to what it has been, though she'll need some more work until she's able to reach our goal time of two minutes!
Pupdate 10/18/2024
Today Iggy and I visited an outdoor mall, where we practiced all of her commands around distractions. The mall was pretty busy, with plenty of people, other dogs, food, music, and other distractions around.
Iggy was a bit excited and distracted from time to time due to all the hustle and bustle around us, though overall she did a great job staying calm and focused on her training! She did a good job with her Heel, and needed very minimal to no leash pressure to maintain her position beside me, even as we walked past numerous distractions. Her Come to Sit was also reliable, and she rarely needed any guidance for her positioning. her stationary commands were pretty good overall, and we continued to see good progress with her average durations. She did especially well performing and holding her Sit and Place commands, and was usually able to hold these positions for over a minute without any trouble. Her Down command was a bit less consistent due to the busy surroundings, and she sometimes needed a few reminders until she was able to hold it for the full duration asked of her though after doing so she did much better about both entering the position without guidance as well as holding it until released or given a new command.
Pupdate 10/19/2024
Today Iggy and I spent the day focusing on her manners while at home. House manners are something we have been working on little by little each day since day one. Even seemingly mundane day-to-day tasks can provide excellent opportunities for training! These manners include areas such as Door Manners and Food Manners.
The goal for Food Manners is for Iggy to be able to hold a stationary command while her food is prepared and set in front of her. She is then asked to remain in that position until she is released before she can get up and eat her food. While Iggy had some understanding of this concept due to prior training with her owner, she still tended to get very excited about her food. In the early stages of her training she was prone to jumping on me, on counters, and trying to break position to get closer to the food or sneak bites of it when she grew impatient. As she is progressing in her overall obedience, patience, and impulse control, she is quickly replacing her bad habits and is learning to be polite and patient even when faced with very tempting distractions such as food directly in front of her!
Another area of manners we have been working on is Iggy's Door Manners. The goal of Door Manners is for Iggy to hold a stationary position while near a door and remain there until released or given a new command, such as Come or Heel. She is asked to hold the position at the location asked of her, and not break the command even if the door is left open, if someone is knocking on it, or if people walk in or out of it. This practice teaches important boundaries, and prevents impolite and possibly dangerous behaviors, such as trying to escape through open doors, jumping on people who enter, and shoving past people when walking through doorways. With daily practice, Iggy is making great progress with her manners related to doors, and is understanding to follow instructions even with the added distractions the door may create. We are still practicing these manners on leash as we continue to work towards her transition to off leash training, though the leash is merely a safety measure at this point and is not needed to guide her through the basic commands.
We have also been working on discouraging poor attention seeking behaviors such as pawing, whining, nudging, and jumping, and instead encouraging calm and polite behavior. Using Off has been very handy with this aspect of her training, as it has allowed us to interrupt these behaviors if they occur, and discourage them from occurring in the first place with consistent training. We are reserving all attention, praise, and affection only for when she is behaving well, and this has helped her to be much calmer and well mannered while at home overall. She has come to understand that the poor behaviors do not get her what she wants, and that behaving politely is the best way to get lots of love!
Pupdate 10/20/2024
Today Iggy and I visited a local shopping strip, where we continued practicing each of her commands around distractions. This location had a variety of distractions present, including groups of people, other dogs, and noisy traffic from the nearby streets. The narrow sidewalks also put us in close proximity to these distractions, as well other distractions such as food on outdoor tables at restaurants along the strip. Iggy's buddy, Sky the border collie who is also staying with me for a board and train program, joined us for our session here as well. She loves Sky, and they spend lots of time playing and goofing off together while at home, so working on her obedience commands around him also served as a great distraction and test of her ability to concentrate around tempting distractions such as her puppy playmate!
During today's session, we focused on practicing each of her commands with as minimal leash pressure as possible. By reserving the use of leash pressure only for when she truly needs it, we can encourage her to problem solve, make her own choices, and use her knowledge of commands to follow through with what is being asked of her. Having her become comfortable with training without leash guidance will help her depend on it less, and is the first step towards transitioning her to off leash training!
Iggy did well with her Heel overall, and rarely needed any leash pressure to guide her. She was generally very good about sticking right beside me as we walked around, and was neutral to her surroundings to maintain good focus on me and her positioning. When first warming up after we first arrived, she occasionally needed some leash pressure to help guide her, though after a few minutes she no longer seemed to rely on this and was able to Heel without the leash needed to provide guidance or reinforcement. She was able to perform Come To Sit pretty reliably with no major issues, though similarly to Heel she needed just a bit of warm up time to practice before she was able to do it consistently without any leash pressure. She was able to Sit, Down, and Place today all without any leash pressure, and overall did very good about holding her positions! She was consistent with remaining in the position asked of her for at least a minute for each command.
Pupdate 10/21/2024
Today Iggy and I visited a park, where we met up with some other OffLeash SoCal trainers and their pups! This was a great opportunity for Iggy to practice her commands in close proximity to dog distractions, as well as work with other trainers for experience in handler transferability.
She did a great job working with the other trainers overall. She was able to adjust and become familiar with the new handlers working with her, and very rarely had any notable trouble focusing, respecting, or following their commands. When first working with someone brand new she would sometimes be a bit distracted and seemed to lack the same respect that she has for me, as she would try to test boundaries to see what she could get away with. She would sometimes try to ignore commands or perform them incorrectly, seemingly as if to see if they would notice or hold her accountable in the same way I would. With consistency on their part, she understood that the rules for her training were the exact same as they are with me, and once her boundary testing was clearly unsuccessful she was much better about following their instructions and performing her commands correctly.
While working with me as her handler, we focused on performing each of her commands without any leash pressure. We used a long leash and practiced letting it go to have it drag along the ground, which provided her ample physical freedom to move around and make choices without physical guidance. This is a great way to simulate how she might behave off leash while still having it readily available should it be needed for any reason. She ended up doing excellently with nearly all of her commands, and was able to perform them without any leash pressure needed! She showed great understanding and consistency with Heel, Sit, Down, and Place. The only command she seemed to struggle with was Come to Sit. Her recall was generally very good and she always came when called which is of course the most important aspect of the command, however she seemed to get confused about what to do once she got to me, and was prone to getting frustrated and giving up if she couldn't figure it out. The issue seemed to be strongest when I wasn't holding onto the leash, though just me picking it up and holding it seemed to help a bit. We made sure to give her plenty of chances to problem solve and attempt the command without leash assistance, though after a certain point, it was often required for me to pick up the leash and provide very minimal guidance to help her through it. We will be sure to continue spending some extra time focusing on this command to ensure she is able to perform it without the leash to help her.
Pupdate 10/22/2024
Today Iggy and I visited a Petco, where we practiced all of her commands around distractions. This was a great location to work on her training around common distractions such as people and other dogs, plus some more unique distractions such as shopping carts, small animals, toys, and treats.
Overall Iggy did an excellent job here, and while she was a bit excited and distracted when we first passed through the toy and treat aisles, she understood to not let these tempting distractions get the best of her and was able to maintain excellent focus! We continued to work on each of her commands using no leash pressure, and we got some more practice in with leash dragging as well. Iggy did an excellent job with nearly all of her commands, and the only command she ended up needing any guidance from the leash for was Come to Sit. As usual her recall was great, though she occasionally got confused about her positioning and needed some assistance. We spent some extra time working on this command, and the narrow aisles of the store helped to limit the space for potential positioning mistakes, so this seemed to help her improve her success.
Iggy won over the hearts of shoppers and store employees alike, and got lots of attention and compliments about her cute looks and great obedience skills! This was of course another great opportunity to practice her Greeting Manners, and she did a great job with being polite and calm with everyone he met. She didn't try to jump on a single person, which was great to see!
Pupdate 10/23/2024
Today Iggy and I visited a park, where we practiced all of her commands around distractions. The park was on the quieter side overall but still had a few other people, dogs, and children around. There were however lots of squirrels, which are a major distraction for Iggy, and provided a great distraction to test her focus around!
We continued to work on each of Iggy's commands using no leash pressure. When first arriving at the park Iggy was a bit distracted so we spent some time warming her up to training while holding the leash, though she quickly adapted to the environment and we were able to move on to leash dragging again. Iggy did a fantastic job with each of her commands with the leash dragging, including Come to Sit! Since it was clear the leash was no longer needed while training here, we went ahead and removed it to continue practicing completely off leash! She didn't seem to notice or mind the lack of the leash, and performed all of her commands excellently. Minor mistakes were made here and there, though they were easily corrected and she was able to do everything asked of her without needing any help from a leash.
Today is also Iggy's birthday! We made sure to celebrate this age milestone and her successful transition to being off leash by having lots of fun playing and having a great day together. She also got a few extra treats that she of course enjoyed!
Pupdate 10/24/2024
Today Iggy and I visited the Santa Monica Pier, where we practiced all of her commands around a large amount of distractions. This location was very busy, with crowds of people and other dogs, plus other major distractions such as loud music, birds, and food. Despite the hustle and bustle of our surroundings, Iggy managed to maintain excellent focus, and remained very neutral towards the environment.
We began the session while on leash as usual to give her some time to warm up to training and adjust to the new location. She did wonderfully with each of her commands without any help from the leash, so we were able to quickly transition to leash dragging, and soon after we were training while off leash! Once again Iggy did not seem to notice or mind the lack of the leash, and performed all of her commands excellently without any notable issues. We were able to capture some fantastic footage of Iggy performing all of her commands while at the pier, which will be used in putting together her final video, so be sure to check out today's video for a sneak peek!
Iggy also received lots of compliments while we were at the pier, and she was quite the popular pup! Many people commented on her outstanding obedience skills, and lots of people wanted to come say hello and pet her as well. This was another great day of practicing Iggy's Greeting Manners, and she did a great job remaining polite, stationary, and calm with every person she met, be it man, woman, or child. She never tried to jump on anyone or paw at anyone while being greeted and was very well behaved. She loved every ounce of attention she got, and happily showed her joy through polite ways such as tail wags and gentle kisses!
Pupdate 10/25/2024
Today was Iggy's last full day with me, so we spent the day putting all of her learned skills to use to have a great final day together! We visited a park where we practiced all of her commands around distractions, as well as had some fun running around and playing together. She did an excellent job with her training, and was able to be off leash with great results! She also had a blast playing, and seemed to be having the time of her life! After we got home she had a well-deserved nap, then we wrapped up the day by putting some finishing touches on her manners such as Door Manners and Car Manners.
We touched on the topic of Door Manners previously, though Iggy has now advanced this skill enough to be off leash when practicing! She understands the expectations clearly, and is able to calmly, patiently, and happily wait by any door in my home until released to walk through it, and has no issues with the distractions it presents such as knocking or people walking in and out. We also have been working on Iggy's Car Manners. Having good Car manners makes transporting Iggy easy, safe, and as hassle-free as possible. The goal for Car Manners is for Iggy to be confident and able to jump into the car when prompted without needing any physical assistance. It's also important for her to be calm and patient during this process and wait until asked to enter the car before jumping in to prevent her from excitedly jumping in randomly and possibly hurting herself or someone in the car. Once in the car, the goal is for her to willingly enter a kennel when asked, without needing to be physically guided or lured inside. She lacked some confidence about this whole process when she first joined the program, but quickly learned how to make load up quick and effortless! She is now very polite and confident when loading into the car, and has zero issues with doing so, even while off leash!
Iggy has made such an amazing transformation in these past two weeks, and the differences in her are truly night and day! She came to us with some knowledge of obedience commands, but often struggled to focus due to her tendency to immediately become overexcited, distracted, and overstimulated by everything around her. She has since learned to stay calm, focused, and neutral to her surroundings even in the most busy of places. Her confidence, patience, discipline, and overall manners have all improved so much! Iggy also replaced many bad habits with polite behaviors, and no longer is a leash-pulling, jumping, squirrel chasing kind of pup! Her acquired skills and good behavior have allowed her to safely enjoy the freedom and fun that comes with being off leash, which opens the door for training and fun times without the hassle of a leash! While she may seem like a whole new dog, she is still the same goofy, loving, and playful pup she always has been, and with her new obedience skills she is even more of a joy to be around and take with on all sorts of adventures! Iggy has been such a pleasure to train and share my home with, and I am forever grateful to have had the opportunity to help this good girl become the best version of herself! With her intelligence and eagerness to please, the sky is the limit for this pup, and I know she has a very bright future ahead in her continued training journey with her family!
Comentarios