Kaia | Mini Dachshund | West Hollywood | In Training
- Chelsea Benz
- 15 hours ago
- 3 min read
Kaia, a spirited Mini Dachshund from West Hollywood, has officially joined us for our Three-Week Puppy Board and Train program! And she wasted absolutely no time making her presence known. Don’t let her tiny size fool you; this little girl has a huge personality, endless confidence, and a voice big enough for a dog three times her size. Kaia is full of spunk, curiosity, and determination, and she’s always ready to tell the world exactly how she feels.
Like many young puppies, Kaia has started learning that if she’s loud and persistent enough, she might just get her way. Whether it’s demanding attention, protesting boundaries, or trying to take charge of the walk herself, she approaches life with the mindset that she should be the one calling the shots. While that boldness can be adorable, it can also create challenges when it comes to leash manners, impulse control, and learning how to settle calmly in different environments. She is teething at this age, which leads to friendly but not so friendly feeling nips for her owners. Cute as she is now, the habit is not something to keep when those little chompers get a bit bigger.
Over the next three weeks, we’ll be helping Kaia build a strong obedience foundation while teaching her that guidance and structure are not only important but rewarding. We’ll focus on everything from leash work and engagement to confidence building, calm behavior, and better decision-making both inside and outside the home. Our goal is to help her channel all that personality into becoming a well-mannered companion without losing the fun, goofy spirit that makes her who she is.
Kaia has a lot to say, a lot to learn, and an even bigger journey ahead of her. We’re excited to work with her and can’t wait to show you the progress this tiny but mighty pup makes along the way. Stay tuned for her transformation!
Pupdate 5/7/2026
Today, we took to our local park and Kaia officially got introduced to one of the most important concepts in dog training: learning how to follow instead of always leading the way. We jumped right into working on “Heel,” and as you can probably tell from the video, Kaia had some very strong opinions about the arrangement. This little girl is used to marching through life on her own terms, so suddenly being asked to slow down, pay attention, and move with me instead of against me was not exactly her favorite idea at first.
Throughout our session, you can see her body language shifting constantly as she tried to process the new expectations. At the beginning, Kaia’s movements were quick and determined, with lots of pulling, darting forward, or even sitting to try and have her way anytime the leash pressure interrupted where she wanted to go. Her focus was outward on the environment rather than inward toward me, which is very common for confident, independent puppies her age; specially Dachshunds, who were bred to make decisions for themselves.
To help her work through that mindset, I spent a lot of time pivoting back and forth during our walk. Those frequent turns are intentional and incredibly important during heel work. The goal is not to confuse her, but to teach her that paying attention to my movement matters. Dogs naturally want to predict where they’re going next, and when Kaia tried forging ahead without checking in, my pivots redirected her attention back toward me. Over time, this helps build engagement and teaches her that staying mentally connected to her handler is what keeps the walk smooth and successful.
At first, every change in direction came with a bit of frustration from Kaia. You could see moments of resistance where she planted herself, looked at me, looked at the camera; anywhere that might save her from my directing. Or she tried to rush ahead again the second she thought she had an opportunity. But as the session progressed, there were small moments where she began softening; her pace slowed slightly, her attention flickered back toward me more often, and she started realizing that fighting the guidance was much more exhausting than simply working with it.
That’s a huge first step for a puppy like Kaia. Heel work is about far more than walking nicely beside someone; it teaches patience, impulse control, and cooperation. For a dog with as much confidence and personality as she has, learning that she doesn’t always need to be the one making decisions is an important part of her growth. She may not have loved the lesson today, but she absolutely started learning from it; and that’s what matters most.
This is the first step-first day! And we're hot dogging it down the path! Pretty cute, Kaia!
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