Meet Jet! An 8 month Labrador Mix from West Hollywood, CA, has joined us for our 2 Week Board & Train Program. Jet comes to us knowing some obedience commands, but seems to 'forget' when distractions are present and will act on his own. Jet also pulls heavily on leash when he sees another dog. He loves people so much that he can not control his excitement around them and jumps up to greet. Jet is a sweet puppy who gives and attention but let’s the puppy energy overcome him. Over the next two weeks, we will fine tune Jet's basic obedience commands out in public with distractions. Along with teaching him how to greet humans and other canines alike. Check in to see his transformation!
Pupdate 1/19/2023
Today I met Jet, he's a confident little pup who seems interested in his surroundings. We went on a walk at a park in El Monte, worked on some obedience and brought him to my home. He got excited meeting Hunter but I asked him for a sit so Hunter could smell him through the crate. They both started to settle then I let them engage with each other. They were smelling each other for about 2 minutes before I put Hunter back in his crate and continued to walk Jet around my house. Once I put him in the crate in my house he started to cry for attention but I ignored the crying and when he would get silent I would reward him with treats and the more he stayed quiet the more treats I would give him.
Pupdate 1/20/2023
Yesterday I introduced Jet to heel with leash pressure at first. I wanted to introduce him with a slip lead first to create the idea of how to walk before switching onto the e-collar. In the video I keep Jet on one side and praise him verbally each time he follows my turns and just the general direction I'm walking. Once he gives me eye contact and keeps a pace I give him a treat and he starts to pick this up right away. I don't give him anymore after he just learns something. I immediately start to wean the treats away and make him independently make a decision to see if he's aware of what to do next. He follows me and I continue the process of heeling left and right without letting him cut in front ending with a sit. Today I took him to Bastanchury park by Amerige Heights and Introduced him to the E-collar. I asked for a place and he didn't want to listen so I administered the button on a low setting of the collar and Jet kept scratching at his neck. He didn't seem to mind being redirected by the collar but he had a constant habit to always first scratch it before completing an obedience task. We continued to focus on place and heel with the use of the e-collar until Jet got tired and kept laying down. He has been eating so far without an issue, and seems to be excited once he sees his food!
Pupdate 1/21/2023
Today I worked on focusing Jet's down obedience since he is really smart with this already. I wanted to take the show Jet instead of going into a down when I say sit sometimes, that sit means sit and down means down. He has been going down with his owner so I wanted to change that right away. It can be cute at times but it's not a well mannered thing to do since Jet is listening but wants to do things his way. As soon as he's redirected he picks up the concept pretty quickly and I end it by giving him his break command which allows him to be free and able to do what he wants at the moment. Most of the time dogs will come to the owner first after their break for clarity then travel anywhere to do what they want which is fine. Once I ask for a heel or sit then Jet knows it's back to training and he attends to listen to me. He is crying somewhat throughout the day in the crate but will stop and fall asleep. When he is awake in the crate I still ignore his crying and reward him with praise for being quiet. It has been a lot better since yesterday!
Pupdate 1/22/2023
Today was starting to get warm again, Jet got to visit Hillcrest Park in Fullerton. This is a park I'm usually at most of the week with my personal dog. It is a huge park so we had all types of distractions while we went for a walk today. I took Jet by some tables where a lot of people go to use these sets of stairs which go up and down the park. I had Jet place on top of a table and keep his position while people and dogs pass by. The only time Jet would get up from his sit is when a dog would bark at him or if people passed by making baby noises towards him which excites him. I redirect him and get him to perform his place and sit again and start a countdown all over again until he is given his break. I also walked Jet by the Fountain that is commonly seen at Hillcrest. He had no trouble listening to the splash noise, but when he would place on top he would always overextend his positioning, almost going into the water. I made sure to keep him where he needed to be and walked him around the fountain several times which he had no trouble doing, Jet's heel is looking better, staying on one side but since he's so young his curiosity always kicks in every couple minutes for the smells around him. I always redirect him back into a heel anytime he tries to branch away from me. Jets crying in the crate has also settled down, I've noticed throughout the day after going out he was just quiet and fell asleep right away. During the day it's still noticeable but at night he falls asleep now without crying so far.
Pupdate 1/23/2023
Today We met up with the other trainers from offleash and worked on obedience with distractions. We practiced all obedience commands but something I wanted to focus on was sit & down command while dogs and people walk around him. Jet has a habit of always lunging to see another dog, but as we practiced today within the first 15 minutes of practicing this Jet started to settle and was neutral with dogs walking around him. At times Jet would break his position and try to go to a dog or person, but I would redirect him any time he would finish his obedience command. By the end of the visit Jet was comfortable today letting dogs move around him. When I would try to walk up to my coworkers and their dogs to have a conversation to see if Jet was comfortable with it. Jet would always try to walk away from us and would always look in a direction that wasn't a dog. I would heel him into a circle and move closer to my coworker and his dog and Jet would glance at times but would still keep his head facing another way. For most of the other dogs he didn't mind looking at them but getting close on leash he seems to be timid but I will work on fixing his confidence towards that situation.
Pupdate 1/24/2023
Today I took Jet on an early walk for 1 hour and after we came back we went right into obedience training. I've been showing Jet his recall since we met, as we do random things together I always try to have Jet end up on my left side. If he does do things I will always praise him and let him know to get into sit as he ends up on my left hand side. Day by day he started to naturally get better at this so when It came to consistently showing him he was able to pick it up. As we practiced he does what most typical puppies do, they get bored and want to do something else. This is when being redirected with the remote is important because this creates the window of opportunity for Jet to fix his mistake, and independently correct it as well. He struggled only twice trying to stop for about 10 to 15 seconds and would complete the obedience command. Later in the day we walked by the shopping centers by my house and I practiced this twice over there with him and he completed it both times without failing. He seems very neutral to people and cars but is distracted by smells in new environments. I make sure he keeps his pace while heeling and continues the walk without interruptions.
Pupdate 1/25/2023
This morning I took Jet and my personal dog Hunter together on a walk around the neighborhood. They did well walking together except when they would use the restroom I'd ask both of them for a sit and when I would pick up their poop, Jet would get up but other than that he was able to keep a steady pace with the both of us. Once I brought them both home I took Jet to the backyard to practice his door manners. He did really well only getting up once from his sit as I walked around him. I took Jet with me to my little brother's school for some distraction work. He had some issues keeping his attention towards me but I would start to put him into obedience training as kids and parents were leaving the school. Once I took him to the area Im allowed to wait for my brother, there were kids who saw Jet who came up to him and gave him attention. Jet was very excited during these moments so I politely informed kids and their parents Jet is in training and had him perform his down until my brother arrived. I was surprised how calm Jet was to see my brother, he didn't even get excited and was neutral to walk back to the car. We passed one house that had a dog barking at us and Jet's attention went towards the dog but I verbally asked him for a off obedience command, and he listened without the use of the e-collar.
Pupdate 1/26/2023
I took Jet to Fashion Island in Newport Beach today for some training. Today was different from most days since we had decent traffic. Jet was very interested in his new environment, attempting to smell everything and anything if he had the chance to do so. When we first arrived Jet couldn't maintain his heel so I ended up staying in one spot to get him adjusted to his obedience commands and then walked around the shopping center. Jet's heel started to look a lot better once he was used to being at the shopping center. We practiced all obedience commands throughout the area and only his recall he had trouble completing. During these moments I would have to redirect Jet with the e-collar until he performs his tasks. We had a group of teenagers come up to us and greet Jet. Jet was constantly getting up from his sit because they would make baby noises as if he's a child and although Jet would get up I would redirect him and still had the help from the group to try to pet Jet again. This was for only about 1 minute but throughout the experience Jet was still getting up, but I will work on his greeting manners since everything for obedience is starting to look better.
Pupdate 1/27/2023
This morning I took Hunter and Jet on a walk together to get Jet get used to walking with another dog. I placed Jet in between Hunter and I so he has a designated spot when we walk together. Jet did well staying in his Heel location, but would fall behind from time to time. I can remind Jet to Heel and he would then return to the correct position.
Once we arrived back at my house I placed Hunter in his crate and worked on Jet's food manners. Jet has always had patience for his food but I have noticed once I leave the room he will always go to his food. We've been practicing on this and he's done a lot better.
In the video Jet breaks his position once but is redirected into a down position until he's given his break.
Jet got to play with Hunter most of the day before I took Jet to pick up my brother again. I kept Jet at a distance this time from the school, being across the street and had him in a Down until my brother came. Jet had the same issues with the school kids again where he would break command because of the noise (people) distractions, but I always redirected Jet back into command. I will continue to bring Jet to the school to work on him being obedient around kids and parents.
Pupdate 1/28/2023
Today I took Jet for his usual morning walk with Hunter and worked on his obedience before letting them play. Around 2:00 PM I took Jet to the Anaheim Pet & Feed supply store in Fullerton to work on obedience commands. While we visited the store we did see various dogs and Jet didn't react seeing any of the dogs beside a 4 month puppy that was constantly barking towards everyone. Jet broke his sit once but I redirected him and he remained confident after that.
I had to get some pet supplies so while I'm searching for some items I asked Jet for a sit and he was able to maintain himself until I gave him his break. At times going through each section Jet would want to sniff everything around him so I focused on keeping him in his heel and redirecting him any time he tried to go towards anything on the shelves. After I took him to Hillcrest park, he seemed tired to maintain his walk after 30 minutes of being at the park. I gave him water and took him back home to rest, also following up with his obedience training later at night.
Pupdate 1/29/2023
Today I took Jet out for some training at a park near my house. As the day went on I had my brother train Jet for specific things. I asked my brother Nick to ask Jet to go in his crate, perform some obedience commands and lastly walk with him on leash. Nick is 12 but is very aware of how the e-collar works, so he had no trouble having Jet perform these tasks if he had to redirect him.
During the middle of the day we took Jet for another walk but I had my brother walk him so Jet can be comfortable with a child giving him obedience. We went through multiple neighborhoods before ending up back at my house to finish the walk. Jet saw one dog from across the street and started to get overstimulated, so Nick redirected him with an off command and Jet listened, continuing with the walk. Jet would still try to smell the ground and pick stuff up from the floor but Nick wouldn't let him. We pass by my house before ending the walk showing how Jet is walking with Nick. Nick stops Jet at our house, putting him in a sit and making him wait for his break obedience command.
Nick took the time to teach Jet paw, which Nick is very good at. He taught Jet paw within 20 minutes of putting him into the training practice. Nick bothers Jet's paw or a part of it to make him put his paw up for a brief moment. Nick will notice it and reward Jet with a lot of praise. As I watched Jet would stay still trying to figure out what to do, but would eventually stick his paw out a second time and is constantly doing it now even for his break.
Pupdate 1/30/2023
Today I took Jet to a park in La Habra to work on more obedience training around some of the other trainers. Jet was excited to be there in the beginning so I had to keep him in a working pace so he wouldn't be so distracted by the smells and other dogs around us.
In the beginning I worked on his recall, I did this consistently for 10 minutes non stop until Jet's recall was looking better. Sometimes he's still distracted and doesn't want to place himself properly, but today he started to go around me more consistently into his sit. We also worked on his greeting manners which is really important for a young pup his age. He was very excited to meet Jose and Mike, still lunging, but I redirected him and started the practice over with their help to show Jet it's ok to stay in a sit while being pet. Jet will still lick the person's hand while he's being pet which is ok I just don't want him breaking his sit.
I took Jet to my brother's school again today to pick him up but I got there early to train Jet while people showed up to the school. He did well as the traffic picked up of people picking up their kids. As we walked through some grass he tried to keep his head down but I redirected him into a heel as we passed kids on a playground. He stayed in a heel keeping his head up and we walked to an area to wait to pick up my brother. I asked for a sit and he kept his sit while people were passing by. He started to use his nose more and sniff people passing by which I praised him for. As people were using the crosswalk he started to get excited but I would walk just a couple steps then ask for a heel and end up in the same spot I was originally at. I do this to distract Jet from whatever he's looking at and to keep him more engaged with me.
A group of kids stopped by us and wanted to pet Jet. I allowed them but told them to stop petting him if he jumps. Jet was able to keep his sit but would lean forwards to lick the kids face. I still redirected him and gave the kids another opportunity to pet him again. Jet kept his sit this time and I rewarded him with praise after they left.
Pupdate 1/31/2023
Today I took Jet to downtown Fullerton to work around more distractions. In the video I left the audio because all these noises and distractions I want you as the viewer to understand as busy or as crowded some places can be, Jet should be training in every situation possible. I do verbally talk to Jet throughout the video which may be hard to hear but constant communication is key for success with our pups.
We first worked on recall and place before going on our walk. We walked from the park towards In n Out, walking about 3.5 miles in total. The longer we walked it was easier for Jet to stay in his heel. Jet has no trouble hearing any car pass by us on street. Jet was trying to eat stuff off the ground still but I would redirect him keeping him back in his heel. If me and Jet get to a corner we stop and I wait for Jet to go into an automatic sit, if he couldn't go into a sit when we arrive at a corner I will still verbally ask him and most of the time he went into the sit. When we arrived at Starbucks we had two people greet him. I asked for a sit before Jet was being greeted and when Jet got up I had to instruct this man to stop petting Jet until he could hold his sit again. Jet isn't lunging but is still trying to lean his head towards someone's waist. When we walked back we went through downtown Fullerton again and he did better the second time walking back to the park.
I took Jet to my brother's school for another opportunity to see how he behaves. We were at the park which is connected to the school and Jet did really well letting kids and parents pass by before kids got out. Someone even complimented on how nice and behaved he was laying down. There was once an instance where he seemed excited to see a girl just because she gave him eye contact. I verbally asked Jet for an off obedience command and he listened and looked directly back towards me. As more people kept passing by I would praise Jet for being a good boy and praising him for a good down as well.
Pupdate 2/1/2023
Today I went for a 4 mile walk with Jet and another friend of ours. We first walked from our friend's house through the neighborhood in La Habra to get Starbucks. We did leash dragging for a bit but most of the walk was off leash as Jet kept his pace. I took the leash off and just relied on the remote.
For most of the walk I am using the remote and constantly using it if Jet makes the decision to make another choice while we walk. He did really well for the majority of the walk but did walk off to the side to pee when I asked for a heel. After He finished using the potty I asked for a heel again and he came directly to me. We practiced extended sit and down while at a park.
I also took Jet with me to pick up my brother to see how he would be again when school is out. Jet was really calm and tired to even be in a sit so I asked him for a down which he went into directly. Parents and kids were passing by again and he didn't even seem bothered. Some kids wanted to say hi but I instructed them that Jet was very tired from being out all morning and that he was sleepy. I let Jet nap and once he woke up after a couple of hours we started working only on offleash in my backyard. He did well except for going into a down when I wanted to pet him. When this happened I kept the e-collar on until he was able to bring himself back up into his sit which he did. He does everything else well when asked.
Pupdate 2/2/2023
This morning I took Jet out for a offleash walk without Hunter and he did well even when giving him his break to potty he came back into a heel. After I took my personal dog out I had Jet and Hunter in a sit by my mother's kitchen door and had them wait till I gave them time to play. Hunter is very gentle with most pups and when he met Jet, they hit it off right from there start. Jet was very calm letting Hunter smell him and just casually went around the house to smell everything and once I started showing Hunter I wanted to play, it caught Jet's interest and they were playing as if they already knew each other for years. Sometime's Hunter will lay by Jet's crate when he's sleeping during the day.
My brother was sick so we stayed home most of the morning until my mother came to pick him up to take him to the doctors. Once he was picked up I took Jet to the block of orange for leash dragging since we can't fully offleash walk in this area. While we were on our visit, people who saw Jet couldn't believe how calm he was staying in a heel. We went into vans to visit some people I am familiar with and they greeted Jet. I only had to redirect Jet once for him getting overly excited but he was calm after that. We also practiced most of his obedience commands while in vans and people were in awe when seeing Jet lay down by the shoe section while I was looking around. We went around the block 3 times and Jet stayed in his heel entirely throughout the visit.
Pupdate 2/3/2023
Today I took Jet to the Santa Monica Pier to walk around and work on off leash obedience. Jet did really well practicing all over the pier; nothing really caught Jet's attention besides the birds that would pass by. Jet would look at the birds when they would fly by but never broke his command. Jet also had a little girl greet him and pet him very gently; Jet never broke his command. While we were practicing Jet's obedience he only had to be redirected once when he went into a down during an extended sit. After that for the entire visit he was listening to all of his obedience commands.
Jet also got to work with another trainer, Megan, who had no trouble getting Jet to perform all his commands. As we walked back towards the shopping center Jet remained in his heel with Megan until we left. Once Jet and I arrived home he woke up from his nap in the car and I immediately took Jet and Hunter for a walk which was off leash. Jet had no issue being recalled after using the potty and stayed between Hunter and I the whole duration of the walk.
Pupdate 2/4/2023
Today I woke the dogs up early to go for a walk in downtown Fullerton. It wasn't packed with traffic but there were cars passing by us on the Main Street which didn't bother the dogs. Both Jet and Hunter stayed in a heel throughout the walk in the morning. There was a man running and as he passed by us he complimented that Jet was a cute puppy while we crossed the street.
Once we returned home I wanted to try teaching Jet something new. I got a tug-of-war toy out and played with him, as we tugged the toy around I asked Jet to drop it. He didn't at first but the moment I get the remote involved like every other obedience command, Jet listens. Once he drops it I'll ask for a sit then down and tell him to break shortly after to keep the moment fast and fun. Jet picked this up pretty quick even if Jet and Hunter play together they will drop the toy to let me grab it. Jet and Hunter got to play more than usual today, following up with more offleash training later in the day with me and my little brother.
Jet has finished his 2 week Board and Train program and has officially been able to accomplish the goals I have set for him. His visit has been very memorable being a sweet pup for my household and being a companion towards my dog as well.
