JoJo | Doberman Pinscher | Venice, CA | In-Training
Updated: Sep 5
Meet JoJo! JoJo is a two-year-old Doberman Pinscher here for our Three-Week Reactive Board and Train Program. She is a loving pup that has a few unwanted behaviors. JoJo pulls hard on the leash; she is reactive to other dogs while on walks and reactive in the car when she sees another dog. Her obedience is unreliable and inconsistent. JoJo can perform a command or two with proper motivation; however, she lacks structure and performs tasks inconsistently. JoJo did come with her own e-collar; however, we need to properly condition her to the e-collar. Over the next twenty-one days, JoJo is going to learn to be an obedient pup through consistent, clear communication and balanced training at home and by discovering new people and places. JoJo will learn to perform all these things on leash through a positive and balanced training environment. Through structure and consistency, JoJo will demonstrate how great a pup she can be! Stay tuned for JoJo’s three-week transformation!
JoJo | Doberman Pinscher | Pupdate 08/16/26
Today, Ms. JoJo joined me for her Three-Week Reactive Board and Train Program. On the way home, we stopped at a local park to see what commands Ms. JoJo could perform. A tiny dog went walking by as I was setting up for our test session. Ms. JoJo was still in the car crate and did not react at all. Once I took her out, she performed about as well as you would think, which is not very well. She was running all over the place and checking everything out. She was hyper-aware of all the activity going on at the park. I think you know all that, and that's why she's here. After I tested her skills, we had a mini photoshoot for her profile picture for her blog. I don't know if you know this, but as soon as dogs see a phone or camera in front of their face, you are now invisible to them, and they must ignore you at all costs. Once we got what we needed, we loaded up and headed to Ms. JoJo's temporary residence for the next three weeks. Ms. JoJo did whine quite a bit on the ride home.
Once we got home, I let Ms. JoJo smell Ms. Toji through the front gate. Ms. JoJo exhibited barking and jumping at the gate. Ms. JoJo sniffed her through the fence. I observed reactivity in this initial meeting. Ms. JoJo had no problems getting into the house. I let her explore each room and meet everyone. Throughout the introductions, Mrs. JoJo showed a happy, excited interest in everything in the new environment. She was excited to meet everyone. I had Mr. Ares in his crate so that Ms. JoJo could meet him separately from Ms. Toji. Understanding that Ms. JoJo has displayed reactivity towards pups that she does not know, I didn’t want her to be overwhelmed by meeting two pups at the same time. When Ms. JoJo smelled Mr. Ares through the crate, they both started barking at each other. I gave Ms. JoJo a “No!” and let her know that we are not doing that. That kind of behavior stops immediately. She backed off and calmed down. Then, I let Ms. JoJo smell Ms. Toji through my screen door to the dog run area. Here, I did not observe any adversity. I slightly opened the door to let Ms. Toji and Ms. JoJo sniff each other. They were calm, and this was a much better experience. I took Mr. JoJo outside to meet Ms. Toji. This meeting went well. Then, I put Ms. Toji away. I tethered Ms. JoJo to one of my posts and ensured Mr. Ares had his e-collar on as well as being on a leash. If there were any adverse reactions by either one, I could pull Mr. Ares away safely. Once again, Ms. JoJo tried to instigate with Mr. Ares. I gave her a “No!” and pulled Mr. Ares away. I put Mr. Ares in a sit and then grabbed Ms. JoJo’s leash and put her in a “sit” also. Now they calmly smelled each other and were much more respectful. Ms. JoJo hung out with Ms. Toji for a while tonight, and they seem to get along fine. I’ll allow Mr. Ares, Ms. JoJo, and Ms. Toji an opportunity to hang out together tomorrow. I will supervise this initial meeting and ensure that they are ok.
We then went on a long walk around the block so that she could get used to the sights, sounds, and scents of her temporary new neighborhood. She didn’t pull too hard when she was at the end of the leash. She never lagged behind me. She ignored all the other dogs in the houses that barked at us as we went around; however, she did fixate on a few pups that were in the front lawn barking at her and another set of pups who were across the street. We crossed paths with another pup on the same side of the street, and Ms. JoJo did start lunging and barking.
I put her into her assigned crate for her stay with me. She needed a little motivation. Once we have her introduced to the e-collar, we will use that to motivate her to enter the crate.
I expect to see her work well with the structure and positive reinforcement. I expect her to respond well to treats if she isn’t overwhelmed by the structure and e-collar. With clear, persistent communication and expectations, she will learn to be a well-mannered pup!
I gave her dinner and observed how much she ate. I keep track of her weight and will ensure that she maintains her weight while she is with me.
I've attached the e-collar familiarization video. Please review the video a few times before Ms. JoJo's turnover. We'll practice together to make sure you are comfortable with the system before using it with Ms. JoJo. I will work on finding a good level for Ms. JoJo tomorrow. The e-collar you sent with her died on the way home, so I tossed it on the charger for the night. I will see how she reacts to training with the e-collar and pinch collar.
JoJo | Doberman Pinscher | Pupdate 08/17/26
Today, Ms. JoJo and I headed over to Rosie the Riveter Park in Long Beach, CA. I used this training to troubleshoot some of Ms. JoJo's issues. Before we headed over there, I charged her e-collar overnight, and I installed the hypoallergenic titanium contact points. I also changed the settings from momentary to continuous. I also unlocked the number from 24 to see if we could work at a lower level.
When we got to the park, I was using the e-collar quite a bit. I started with her on the prong collar and the e-collar. This seemed to get us off to a good start. Ms. JoJo did a good job with all the commands. I was impressed with her skill level. There was only one other pup at the park when we started, and she didn't pay it too much attention. She did see it and tried to fixate on it, but either the e-collar or prong collar was able to redirect her. She was responsive to levels as low as 15 or even the vibrate feature. I did have to go up to level 25 a few times. I even switched over to just the flat collar at one point to see if she could perform the tasks with the e-collar and flat collar. I did notice I was going up on the e-collar, and she was not being responsive. I checked the unit, and it was not paired. I re-paired the unit and went back to using the unit.
I then walked by Mr. Mike, the Off Leash SoCal Owner, and his vehicle. He had brought his two pups with him, Mr. Oso and Ms. Ruby. Ms. JoJo did fixate and try to go after them. I used the e-collar and went up to try to redirect her. I was going up and up, and there was no response from Ms. JoJo. I checked the unit again, and it wasn't paired. This probably means that the unit is defective since I charged it all night and it shut off within a few minutes. I will switch out for a new one.
I tried to do some training with all the pups. On the way over to where we conducted our training, Ms. JoJo did try to nip at Ms. Ruby. This is not good. I think this is kind of Ms. JoJo's personality because she acted tough yesterday during the initial introductions, but then was able to be redirected and calm around the pups.
We need to clean up her obedience to be more consistent with just the flat collar. By using a newer e-collar, we should be able to manage her fixations with other pups as well. I think managing her initial interactions with other pups is going to be very important with Ms. JoJo. This will apply in all settings.
JoJo | Doberman Pinscher | Pupdate 08/18/26
Today, Ms. JoJo and I recruited an assistant trainer. My mini-trainer came to the rescue! She assists me in trying to distract the puppies and likes performing obedience with them. Ms. JoJo is sweet with her despite being almost taller than her. I was managing the e-collar. I switched her over to a newer unit. This seems to have a much more consistent and significant impact on Ms. JoJo. It is good that you are familiar with using the e-collar unit, as we do have to go up and down on the levels for certain situations. Hopefully, over the next few weeks it will diminish, but it will be important for you to apply the same level(s) when appropriately needed based on Ms. JoJo's behaviors. Ms. JoJo does pull occasionally with my mini-trainer, and that is not acceptable. She did give her a few well-positioned "heel", "sit", "down", and "place". When Ms. JoJo did not perform the commands for my mini-trainer, I used the e-collar remote.
My mini-trainer even suggested we try the "under" command for Ms. JoJo. She did it! Although she has only been here for a few days but still has three weeks left, and she is showing really good obedience. I can assure you that I will find ways to challenge her and push her in order to stimulate her mentally and physically during this time.
Lastly, I have recruited my wife to assist when Ms. JoJo shows me a consistent pattern of obedience. I will have her run Ms. JoJo so that Ms. JoJo is comfortable performing the commands for whoever has the remote. The new unit is definitely making a rapid improvement in her behavior.
JoJo | Doberman Pinscher | Pupdate 08/19/26
Today, Ms. JoJo and I headed over to El Dorado Park in Long Beach, CA, to continue progressing with her obedience tasks. It went really well today. The only downside was the lack of stimuli, but that's fine for a possibly reactive pup.
The biggest net positive for today is that we conducted most of the training with me barely holding the leash with one or two fingers, or not holding the leash at all. There were a few bikes that went by, but no other dogs or higher-level stimuli. Ms. JoJo did well with her "heel", "sit", "place", and "down". Her "come-to-sit" wasn't too bad for only a few days into the training. I even tried to get her to perform the "come-to-heel," which she did without any issues. She did break her "sit" a few times, but I simply reset her.
I'll keep challenging her and watching for any signs of reactivity. I think the consistent obedience, clear communication, and functioning e-collar have cleaned things up for her quickly.
JoJo | Doberman Pinscher | Pupdate 08/20/26
Today, Ms. JoJo and I stopped by Rynerson Park in Lakewood, CA. This was a productive trip to the park. I apologize for all the camera movements, but I wanted to capture how Ms. JoJo would behave around the other pups that were at the park. Hopefully, you can see how well-behaved she has become. I walked directly towards as many pups as possible to elicit a reaction from her, and I got nothing. The only reactivity I observed was from one medium-sized pup that walked by when she was in the crate while I was training Mr. Ares. I did not have her e-collar remote with me to redirect this activity. She won one battle, but we won several more by ensuring she was well-behaved around the other pups, at baseball practice, soccer practice, and all the people working out at the park.
I will give her a few more trial runs at higher-stimulus environments before considering if she can be off-leash or not. The caveat is that just because she can do it with me does not mean you will be able to run right out and do the same thing. I will give you all the tools you need during our turnover in two weeks.
One side note: Ms. JoJo did poop in her crate on Monday night into Tuesday morning. I thought it was due to not giving her enough time outside. She didn't do it on Tuesday night, but last night into this morning, she did it again. Luckily, she does not lie in it. I let her out from about 830PM to 1015PM. I was up around 530AM to let her out again, and she had gone to the bathroom in her crate. I'm wondering if she isn't going when the other pups are outside, so I'll give her a little time by herself each night. Some pups are really picky about this kind of thing.
JoJo | Doberman Pinscher | Pupdate 08/21/26
Today, Ms. JoJo and I headed over to my local PetCo in Lakewood, CA. This was a good way to test Ms. JoJo's skills around other pups. The moment we walked in, there was a vocal pup waiting in line at the grooming station. The pup let Ms. JoJo know they were there. Ms. JoJo had to respond. However, I gave her an "Off!" and asked her to "sit," and she performed the task. She was shaking a little bit as she was mentally fighting her instincts to bark or react to the other pup, but wanted to be a good pup. This is a good sign of her growth. It will take a lot of consistency with her to let her know to calm down. She may never fully overcome it due to breed-specific genetic traits, but she is willing to suppress it in certain situations. I then had her check out the toy aisle and try on some new ears. She was willing to let me put them on but wasn't thrilled. I think she likes her own ears enough.
Next, we checked out the fish and birds. She didn't care about the fish and sniffed the bird enclosure, but it didn't bother her. I was even able to put some space between her and me by the birds.
Lastly, I had her try on a vest in case she wanted to learn how to swim. And then we checked out the treat aisle, where we picked up some chewable treats to snack on while hanging out inside during this heat wave.
JoJo | Doberman Pinscher | Pupdate 08/22/26
Today, Ms. JoJo and I worked on her manners around the house.
I demonstrated the two types of door manners for you. The first type, and the most frequently used type, of door manners is when we approach a door, preferably a closed door, and have Ms. JoJo perform a "sit." We open the door and go through it, then we let Ms. JoJo come out the door after us. She never goes through the door before us. She can go through after or with us, but never before us. This is a highly structured process and does not imply that Ms. JoJo will not run through an open door if left unattended or not given an obedience command. The second method involves putting her in a "place" and "down". This is the preferred method for grabbing the mail, grabbing groceries from your car, or allowing guests into the house. Once we are done with our errands or tasks, we can give her a "Break!" or "Ok!" and let her go back to being a pup.
Next, I demonstrate her car manners for you. We have her perform a "sit" and then give her the "load up!" command. As you can see, she went up on her own when I didn't ask her. I reset her completely. Then she properly performed the command.
Due to the heat, I had her inside for most of the day today. I gave her a few opportunities to be outside. Of course, her being the picky pooper that she is, she waited until she was back inside and pooped in my office. I will say that at least she is eating more of her food consistently. Her weight is good. She enjoys being outside and barking at people and things that go by with Ms. Toji.
JoJo | Doberman Pinscher | Pupdate 08/23/26
Ask, and you shall receive! Today, Ms. JoJo and I headed over to Los Cerritos Center in Cerritos, CA, to review his commands in a very busy mall with my mini-trainer. It was busy, likely due to another 90+ degree day, and people were looking for somewhere to cool off.
Have you ever seen a seven-year-old girl walk through a crowded mall with a Doberman? Apparently, neither have most of the people at the mall, who couldn't help but stare at my mini-trainer, making sure Ms. JoJo stayed a well-behaved pup throughout. I managed the e-collar remote for her. I used it as needed and stopped her whenever I observed any oncoming pup. Turns out, the worry about the pups was for nought, as she ignored them.
As long as you are a confident leader, scanning your environment and trusting your skills with the e-collar, you should have no issues taking Ms. JoJo anywhere (on-leash). I still can't say whether or not you could let her off-leash. You definitely don't need the prong collar everywhere you go.
JoJo | Doberman Pinscher | Pupdate 08/24/26
Today was the hottest day of the week according to the weather reports. I did unconventional training because of the heat. I trained with Mr. Ares and Ms. JoJo at the same time in my living room. The heat didn't slow down, and we needed to get our training in.
I had Ms. JoJo practice her "place", "down," and "under". My mini-trainer wanted to train Mr. Ares because he is "easier," according to her; however, Mr. Ares wasn't doing so well, so we switched, and Ms. JoJo listened to my mini-trainer. I'll have my wife work with Ms. JoJo over the last two weeks. She's not a dog trainer; she's more of a caretaker, if anything. I plan on having her perform the commands in a backyard session so that Ms. JoJo is used to someone other than me giving the commands.
As you can see in today's video, she was more interested in listening to me at first. She's been conditioned to listen and follow the commands that come from me, but whoever holds the remote holds the power. I wasn't holding Ms. JoJo's remote, so she needed to follow the commands from my mini-trainer.
It all comes down to being confident, consistent, and having good timing on the e-collar. I think you are consistent since she's a well-trained pup for most things. Hopefully this training gives you the confidence to trust her. Lastly, I'll teach you how to have good timing with the e-collar. It will require some practice, but that shouldn't be a problem!
Lastly, I let the pups hang around the house a little more today, and they had a blast. Ms. JoJo is a great pup and fits right in with the family.
JoJo | Doberman Pinscher | Pupdate 08/25/26
Today, Ms. JoJo and I headed over to El Dorado Park in Long Beach, CA. I waited until late in the day and sought out a shaded area to conduct our training. Despite my efforts to mitigate the heat, it was still pretty hot, but bearable.
As you can see, I had Mr. Ares out with us while I trained Ms. JoJo. I started with a nice little double "heel" with both of them. Mr. Ares and Ms. JoJo have been getting along so well, so I figured, why not see if they could tolerate it. They had no issues.
I then worked on Ms. JoJo's "heel", "come-to-sit", "sit", "down", and "place". She is doing well with all of her commands. I mixed in some leash-dragging commands while keeping a keen eye out for distractions. I did notice a few pups walking by. One was across the street and grabbed Ms. JoJo's attention. I gave her an "off!" and she went back to her task. I also disappeared off the screen for a few seconds with Ms. JoJo, as a small pup walked by nearby and I went right for it. No issues!
Overall, she was a well-behaved, calm pup. After training with Ms. JoJo, I put her in a "down" while I trained with Mr. Ares and was not holding the leash. I was aware of my environment and tracking Ms. JoJo for any interest in other distractions. She was totally fine. I gave both of them a "Break!" command, and they came in for their loving and attention. Then they started playing with each other. I let them play, since we've been in the house a lot today because of the heat again.
JoJo | Doberman Pinscher | Pupdate 08/26/26
Today, Ms. JoJo and I headed over to Los Cerritos Center in Cerritos, CA, to practice her commands. It was a good, cool reprieve from the heat. We had a few other animals walking around there, including someone taking their cat for a walk! Ms. JoJo observed the cat and looked at it. I gave an "Off!" and we went back to walking through the mall. Then a tiny but mighty Pug barked at Ms. JoJo, but once again she just looked at it and went back to her "heel". We also ran into a Bernese Mountain Dog, and she paid it no mind despite walking behind it for several minutes. Overall, another great day of managing her reactivity towards other animals and distractions!
JoJo | Doberman Pinscher | Pupdate 08/27/26
Today, Ms. JoJo and I headed over to Liberty Park in Cerritos, CA, to review her commands in a public setting. It was also a nice break from being in the house for most of the day due to the humidity and random rain. As you can see, we performed all of her commands today with the leash dragging.
Ms. JoJo's only issue today was that she would break the "sit" and "down" commands to come to me. Those aren't exactly bad problems to have. I'd rather have her come to me than break and take off. She ignored the soccer balls that were being kicked nearby. She also ignored the photobomber who dropped into her video a few times. I have no idea where that child came from, but Ms. JoJo let them pet her, and she stayed a good pup throughout.
I am curious if she can handle the off-leash work. I'll have to practice in my backyard with no distractions and see how she does. I have also recruited my wife for training, and she's ready to assist!
Good job today, Ms. JoJo!
JoJo | Doberman Pinscher | Pupdate 08/27/26
Today, we had a backyard session with my wife handling Ms. JoJo. As you can see, my wife is not a professional dog trainer. This is the first time that she's actually worked a board-and-train puppy for me. I had to coach her through how to use the e-collar remote. She was a little inconsistent with the remote and pressing the stimulation button, but Ms. JoJo still offered plenty of wanted behaviors if she failed to press the button. Conversely, Ms. JoJo then started to capitalize on her not pressing the button and started not completing the tasks. The good news is that when my wife did press the stimulation button, Ms. JoJo went back to performing the tasks.
I had my wife perform a "heel", "sit", "place", "down", and "come-to-sit' with Ms. JoJo. It took some time to review the "come-to-sit" with her, but my wife figured it out, and then Ms. JoJo was back to performing as needed. Ms. JoJo did stop and use the restroom in the middle of the training, but that was my fault. I did let her out a few times in the morning, but hadn't given her one before starting the training. Remember to always make sure our pups are hydrated, have full bellies, are well rested, and are given potty breaks before taking them to public places or training with them, to ensure that they aren't thinking or preoccupied with their biological needs while we are asking them to be a well-behaved pup in public places.
Good job today, Ms. JoJo!
JoJo | Doberman Pinscher | Pupdate 08/29/26
Today, Ms. JoJo and I reviewed her manners around the house, including door manners, food manners, and car manners, all off-leash. Ms. JoJo is doing well with these tasks off-leash. Overall, she is a well-adjusted pup for the house. The only potty mistakes we've had in the house were mostly on me, and I should have monitored her eating habits more closely. I have her schedule figured out and am giving her adequate opportunities to go potty throughout the day or as she consumes more of her food if she doesn't eat it when I first present it to her.
We reviewed her door manners, where she has to "place" and "down" while we go in and out of the house. She can get up from time to time, and we need to be consistent with what we are asking of her, and she will continue to grow and become a well-mannered pup. As I mentioned early on, having a functioning and consistent e-collar helps out a lot too.
I then demonstrated her food manners. As you can see, she was a little excited for this one because I threw a few extra treats in the bowl since it was about lunchtime and she had eaten some of her breakfast already. Once again, just be patient and consistent. If she breaks her "sit" to get the food, then pick it up or stand back up and reset.
Lastly, I demonstrated the car manners one more time. Once again, we have her in a "sit" and then open the car door and tell her to "load up!" She is highly proficient at this task!
As a follow-up, in low-stimulus environments, Ms. JoJo is doing fine being off-leash. With that being said, I do this all day and every day. You will need to practice and ensure that you have good timing with stimulations and ensuring that you are cognizant of your environment at all times. The safest place and most control for your pup is always on a leash.
Good job today, Ms. JoJo!
JoJo | Doberman Pinscher | Pupdate 08/30/26
Today, I took Ms. JoJo with me to go pick up some yard-cleaning supplies at my local Home Depot. Ms. JoJo was a perfect companion for this shopping trip. She was well-behaved throughout the trip. I did challenge her a little bit by asking her to climb the small platform that I took her picture on. She was nervous, but with some pressure and encouragement, she made it up the two steps. I even practiced her "come-to-heel" when I was a significant distance from her, and she came to my "heel" without issue. We practiced her extended "sit", extended "down", "come-to-sit', "place", "heel", "come-to-heel".
We were even able to meet a few strangers. Ms. JoJo is a little skeptical of new people. I like to encourage people to pet the pup on the chest or on the back. I am not a fan of people shoving their hands in the dog's face to allow the pup to smell them. Dogs have a 10,000-times better sense of smell than humans. We don't need to put our hands in front of their face for them to smell you. Cesar Milan famously says, "No eye contact, no touch" when meeting new dogs; however, we can allow strangers to pet our pups as long as the pup is calm and comfortable. He is basically reinforcing that dogs can smell us and pick up on others' energy, and there is no need to shove your hand in the dog's face to meet them. With that being said, we should respect Ms. JoJo when she is extra nervous in a situation, but we have to be good, strong leaders and encourage her to overcome some of that nervousness without making her uncomfortable, where she may react. She gives me more of an avoidance energy when she's uncomfortable, but that can precede other unwanted behaviors; it's not always a precursor to reactive behavior.
Mr. Ares went home today. That was one of Ms. JoJo's best friends. They played and played and played together. I brough home a new board and train, Ms. Osa, a two and a half-year old St. Bernard. I think they will be ok if there is enough time for them to socialize. Ms. JoJo didn't mind Ms. Osa checking her out in a more neutral environment. I'll monitor them for friendliness.
JoJo | Doberman Pinscher | Pupdate 08/31/26
Today, Ms. JoJo and I headed over to Rosie the Riveter Park in Long Beach, CA. We met up with Mr. Mike and his pups, Ruby and Oso. We worked on all of her commands. Also, Mr. Mike was working with another pup, Mr. Lou. Ms. JoJo ignored them and was responsive to the training. I even had her perform a "place" on the cot with Oso. I even demonstrated a recall to "heel" with Ms. JoJo. Overall, this portion of the training went well.
However, after I stopped recording, Mr. Lou, the Dalmatian, was working on his "heel" while Ms. JoJo was maintaining her "place" with Oso. Ms. JoJo decided to jump up and go after Mr. Lou. Unacceptable. I ramped up to level 50 on the e-collar and gave her an "Off!" This is instinctual for me, and you will need to practice. We can't exhibit nervous energy in possibly higher-stress situations, as Ms. JoJo will feed off that energy and become more anxious and reactive. Before she broke the command, she was in her "place," behaving properly. This is why Ms. JoJo needs to be on-leash, and we need to avoid teaching her more aggressive behaviors such as barking or growling.
JoJo | Doberman Pinscher | Pupdate 09/01/26
Today, Ms. JoJo and I headed over to PetSmart in Long Beach, CA. I wanted to see if we could catch some other pups over at the store due to her reactivity yesterday with Mr. Lou the Dalmatian. When there are no distractions around, such as other pups, Ms. JoJo is the sweetest, most well-behaved pup. We hung out in the store for about 30 minutes, checking out the guinea pigs, fish, cats, toys, and Halloween costumes. She was interested in all the different toys and chew toys but wasn't overly interested in taking one home.
Ms. JoJo just needs some finishing touches over the next few days by practicing at a few different places with people and other stimuli around. I'll see what we can do to try to work on more of the reactivity, but I think when she's on leash and we're consistent with the e-collar, she should have no issues going forward.
JoJo | Doberman Pinscher | Pupdate 09/02/26
Ms. JoJo and I headed over to Liberty Park in Cerritos, CA to review all of her commands. I reviewed "heel", extended "sit", extended "down", "place", and "come-to-sit". We even had a Golden Retriever come by while Ms. JoJo was practicing her extended "down". I thought she did really well today.
We will continue to review all of her commands over the next few days in preparation for her coming home to you in a few more days!
JoJo | Doberman Pinscher | Pupdate 09/03/026
Today, Ms. JoJo and I headed over to Heartwell Park in Long Beach, CA. I wanted to see if I could initiate reactivity from Ms. JoJo anymore. Ms. JoJo has refused to misbehave since our minor incident with Mr. Lou on Monday. Unfortunately, there were only two golden retrievers that were quite a distance away. The rest of the fields were covered with kids practicing soccer. I counted at least 10 practices going on. This was still a great, high-stimulus environment to practice everything.
We practiced her "heel", extended "down", extended "place", extended "sit", "come-to-sit," and her favorite command, "Break!" Ms. JoJo is consistently performing well. She will occasionally try to read my body language and anticipate commands or will lie down when performing the extended "sit". Anticipation means that she is looking for cues from me about what I am expecting of her. As a trainer, I purposely perform the cues and then reset her if she breaks the command. This is how we proof her obedience and make it stronger. Lastly, when she lies down during a "sit" when we don't ask her to, we have to reset her and have her perform the current task at hand. If we allow her to lie down too many times after asking her to perform a "sit", she is being disobedient and performing unwanted behavior. Now, if you think she is tired and could benefit from performing a "down", then we will ask her to perform the command. But it is when we ask her to, not when she wants to. With that being said, she can't perform a "sit" or "down" indefinitely, and we need to be mindful of those limitations.
JoJo | Doberman Pinscher | Pupdate 09/04/26
Today, Ms. JoJo and I headed over to the Citadel Outlets in Commerce, CA, to conduct a comprehensive review of her commands. It was starting to get busy already on this holiday weekend. There were plenty of shoppers and a handful of other pups there. We practiced all of her commands and even got to practice her greeting manners.
Two notes from today's training: 1) Ms. JoJo will anticipate and will break commands when she thinks we are going to ask something of her. This is not ok. She is reading our body language and physical cues instead of listening. This is a clever trick that dogs do because they want to do things as efficiently as possible. When she does things like this, we need to reset and do it again the proper way. 2) We had a few pups walk right past us, and no reactivity from Ms. JoJo. My opinion is that if we let her soak in the stimulus, such as staring at another pup for too long without disrupting it, she will become reactive. When she is being asked to perform a command, or we give her an "Off!" when she is fixated, this is enough to keep her mind busy and distracted from the other stimulus. If you don't give her a task and hold her accountable to that task, then she can start exhibiting unwanted behavior.
I went into a store and looked for some good holiday deals while my wife, the videographer, hung out outside with Ms. JoJo. She had no issues controlling Ms. JoJo while I did some browsing.
Lastly, as far as greeting manners go, remember that we don't need people putting their arm in her face to smell. That is awkward. They can pet her on the back if Ms. JoJo is being receptive. We can also pet Ms. JoJo first to assure her its ok. If we're nervous, she will be nervous. If we're calm and confident, she is calm and confident.
JoJo | Doberman Pinscher | Pupdate 09/05/26
Today, we wrapped up our review of commands for Ms. JoJo. We reviewed door manners, car manners, and food manners. I demonstrated these commands on leash and off leash. In low-stimulus environments, Ms. JoJo could be off-leash. You will need to be hyper-vigilant and aware of any distractions to ensure that she does not get an opportunity to be reactive. Furthermore, once you feel fully proficient with the e-collar system, you could consider it, but based on her random outburst the other day, I would be on the skeptical side of letting her off-leash in uncontrolled environments.
I have included a few pictures of the e-collar unit that I have been using with her. Don't forget to register your unit for the one-year warranty. Please also review the e-collar video from the first post before the turnover tomorrow.
As a reminder, here are the obedience commands that he has learned while with me:
Sit/Extended Sit: Press the black "S" button + say "Sit".
Down/Extended Down: Press the black "S" button + say "Down".
Place/Extended Place: Press the black "S" button + say "Place".
Come-To-Sit: Press the black "S" button + say "Come" + use your hands to guide them into place and say "sit" when they are on your left side.
Heel: Press the black "S" button + say "Heel".
Food Manners/Refusal: The pup must patiently wait in either a "sit" or "down" while you prepare the food and then say "break," allowing the pup to access the food.
Car Manners: Press the black "S" button + say "Load up!"
Greeting Manners: Have the pup "sit," then allow the new person to say hi
Door Manners: Place the pup in a "sit", open the door, and then allow the pup to go through with you, or say "ok" and let the pup inside
"Off" + black button "S" to stop the pup from performing unwanted behavior. Always press the black "S" when using this command.
"Break!" - no stimulation, and the pup can freely sniff or go potty.
We will be reviewing how to perform all this tomorrow during the turnover! We can't wait to show you how much she has learned and how great a pup she will be in the future!
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