Kobe | Shiba Inu | Los Angeles, Ca. | In Training
- Robert Steinbach
- Mar 28
- 13 min read
Updated: Apr 10
Kobe is a 4 year old Shiba Inu from Los Angeles, Ca and he is here with us for a two week board and train program. Kobe is a strong leash puller and loves to jump on people when greeting them at the door. Kobe knows a few basic commands like sit and down but we will be using a balanced training approach and adding several new obedience commands such as “come”, “heel”, “place” and “off”, in order to help Kobe reach his full potential as a well rounded and well mannered pup.
Stay tuned for Kobe’s two week transformation!
Pupdate 3/28/2025
Kobe’s two-week board and train program is designed to provide him with a solid foundation in obedience while addressing key behavioral aspects to ensure he becomes a well-mannered companion. On the first day, we focused on assessing his current understanding of essential commands, including “come”, “sit”, “down”, “place”, and “heel”. This assessment gave us insight into where Kobe currently stands with each command, allowing us to tailor the training to his needs. We also observed his behavior in various settings, including his interaction with food and how he responds to doorways and car rides, so we could prioritize his training in those areas.
Throughout the two-week program, Kobe will be taught to master basic obedience commands, starting with the fundamentals like sit and down. These commands will set the groundwork for more advanced training, such as place and heel. In addition to obedience, we will focus on essential manners, such as door and car manners, which are often overlooked but crucial for smooth daily interactions. Door manners will teach Kobe to remain calm and wait before entering or exiting, while car manners will ensure that he sits and waits until being given the command to “load up” into the vehicle.
On the first day of training, I began working on the place command, which Kobe picked up fairly quickly. He seemed to understand the concept of going to a designated spot and staying there, which is great progress. As we continue with his training, we’ll reinforce the place command along with the other obedience cues, ensuring that Kobe responds reliably in a variety of situations. By the end of the two-week program, you can expect Kobe to demonstrate improved focus, respect for boundaries, and a calm demeanor in everyday situations, making him a more enjoyable and obedient companion.
Pupdate 3/29/2025
Today, we focused on enhancing Kobe’s obedience with two key commands: “heel” and “come to sit.” During the training, Kobe displayed remarkable focus and eagerness to learn. For the “heel” command, I worked on his ability to stay in sync with me while walking, ensuring that he maintains a close position without pulling ahead or lagging behind. Kobe responded well to the guidance and quickly picked up the rhythm of walking at my side. His ability to stay engaged during the session was impressive, showing his strong motivation to work.
We also worked on reinforcing Kobe’s “come to sit” command. Using positive reinforcement and his love for treats, I was able to make rapid progress in getting him to move from a standing or walking position into a calm sit position on command. His responsiveness was excellent, and it’s clear that Kobe is both quick to grasp new concepts and highly treat-motivated, which makes the training process smooth and enjoyable. Overall, Kobe made significant strides today, and it’s exciting to see his development and eagerness to learn new skills.
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s pupdate!
Pupdate 3/30/2025
Today, Kobe put in the work and added some serious stamina to his obedience game! We focused on extending his sitand place commands, and he crushed it—holding place for 30 seconds and sit for 45 seconds like a total pro. We also threw in some puppy push-ups to build up that mental and physical endurance. Let’s just say, Kobe’s enthusiasm for training is A+, even if his form still needs a little fine-tuning.
Speaking of puppy push-ups, Kobe is currently boycotting the “down-to-sit” portion—which, to be fair, is a common challenge at this stage. He’s more of a “flop-and-stay” kinda guy, but with a little more practice, he’ll be bouncing back into sit like a champ in no time. Overall, today’s session showed off just how eager and capable he is, and we’re excited to keep building on his progress. Stay tuned—Kobe’s only getting better from here!
Stay tuned for tomorrow's pupdate!
Pupdate 3/31/2025
Today Kobe and I headed back to the park to continue working on all of his obedience commands. We met up with several other off leash SoCal trainers and their dogs to provide Kobe the opportunity to practice his commands with a higher level of distractions. He did great!
His “heel” is coming along but I will need to spend more time working on that with him over the next few days to clean it up a bit. He will walk next to me but he starts to wander a bit at times and needs verbal and e collar commands to get back on track. When he’s home with you it will be important to hold him accountable when you ask him to complete a task or follow a known obedience command. This will ensure that he starts to follow through the first time that he’s asked.
Kobe’s come to sit is steadily improving as well but his big progress today was holding his sit, down and place positions for over 3 minutes at a time while surrounded by 4-5 other dogs the majority of the time. Working through distractions like these will help to ensure that he will maintain his composure and follow commands regardless of the situation or location. The more areas that you can expose him to while you’re training with him the better.
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s pupdate!
Pupdate 4/1/2025
Kobe is really starting to find his groove around the house! He’s getting much more comfortable in the space and with our pups—he even initiated playtime today, which was so fun to see. It’s clear he’s feeling more at home and starting to let that sweet, playful personality shine through.
We continued practicing all of his obedience commands, and he’s really coming along—especially with place. He’s doing a great job holding it until he hears the “free” command, which shows he’s not just listening—he’s understanding. We also worked on greeting manners today. He got very excited meeting some new people and instinctively tried to jump up, but with one quick “off,” he corrected himself and sat like a polite little gentleman. Kobe’s showing us just how smart and responsive he is, especially now that he’s starting to follow verbal commands alone.
He’s making great progress—
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s pupdate!
Pupdate 4/2/2025
Kobe and I had a productive day today, diving into all of his obedience commands. He did really well with his “place,” “sit,” and “come”—holding his positions with more confidence and responding to commands with increasing reliability. He’s showing that he knows what’s being asked and is starting to settle into the rhythm of training nicely.
That said, “heel” wasn’t exactly his vibe this morning—he was a little distracted and not quite in sync. Totally normal at this stage, but something we wanted to address.
So, we hit the pavement for a long walk around the neighborhood to focus specifically on “heel.” And the improvement was noticeable. As the walk went on, Kobe became much more engaged, responded more consistently to verbal cues, and stayed closer in position—this extra reinforcement should give us a solid foundation to build on in tomorrow’s training session.
At home, we’re also seeing more of Kobe’s personality shine through. He’s coming out of his shell more and more, and today he was especially playful with our pack—initiating play, chasing around the yard, and clearly feeling much more comfortable in the group.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's pupdate!
Pupdate 4/3/2025
Today Kobe and I spent time working on his door manners. I had Kobe “sit” next to the door and then corrected him if he tried to leave the door open”sit” position before being given the next command. Once he got comfortable sitting with the door open then I created distance between him and I to help him realize that no matter where I was walking or what I was doing, he was being asked to stay in the “sit” position. he picked it up fairly quickly so we moved on to calling him past the threshold of the door using the “come” command and then asking him to “sit” again once outside. This is to help him realize that he isn’t going to just run out of the door. He is allowed to come out of the door to sit next to me so that I can close and lock the door and then we can continue on our walk. It will be important for you to continue reinforcing this with him when you get home. I don’t just do this at the front door. I do it at every doorway that exits or enters my home, every gate we walk in or out of and every corner that we stop at to cross the street. This will constantly reinforce that he is to follow my and eventually your lead. This translates to all obedience tasks and helps build trust between you and Kobe. He will continue to look for your guidance and direction which is what you want.
Last nights walk around the neighborhood went great. After about 1/2 the block he was walking in the “heel” position consistently and needed minimal verbal commands to maintain it. On a few occasions he tried pulling away and over to the grass area and I immediately gave the “off” command and he came back to the “heel” position. The 2 times that he didn’t come back to the “heel” position, I gave a verbal “heel” command and he came back to “heel” without the use of the e collar.
Kobe isn’t quite ready to be off leash yet at this point but as he continues to show me that he is reliably following his commands with minimal to no leash pressure then we will progress to working on his commands off leash in a controlled environment.
Kobe also is very aware of when the e collar is on vs when it is off and he is very obedient when it is on and can be a bit defiant when it’s not. Over time this will improve but for now and possibly for a while when he returns, it will be important to be consistent with the e collar use so that following the commands becomes second nature. Eventually when he goes several days following commands without having to use an e collar stim, you can try training without it. He is also very treat motivated so that will help you bridge that gap as well.
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s pupdate!
Pupdate 4/4/2025
Today, Kobe reminded us just how sharp he is—and just how much he enjoys doing things on his terms. He’s now at the point in training where he is very aware of the e-collar and exactly what it means. The moment he sees it coming out, he gets a little shifty, trying to avoid it before we start the day or a training session. He knows the drill, and he’s definitely testing boundaries right now.
Kobe is showcasing his stubborn streak, holding his ground when he doesn’t feel like cooperating. That said, once the e-collar is on and he’s on leash, he’s extremely reliable—responding well to sit, place, come, and heel. The challenge arises when we remove the leash. Even with the e-collar still on, Kobe starts to pick and choose when to listen. It’s clear that he knows exactly what’s being asked of him—he just occasionally likes to act like he didn’t get the memo.
To work through this, we’re going to continue with lots of reps and daily reinforcement to help lock in that consistency. Repetition, structure, and accountability are going to be key over the next few days, and we’ll continue gradually pushing him in off-leash situations to ensure he understands that the expectations remain the same—whether there’s a leash or not.
At home, it’ll be just as important to stay consistent with these same boundaries so that Kobe knows the rules apply no matter where he is. He’s incredibly capable—it’s just a matter of making sure he knows we’re just as persistent as he is.
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s pupdate!
Pupdate 4/5/2025
Today we took Kobe on a little field trip to a local plant market to work on all of his commands in a busier, more stimulating environment—and let’s just say, it was a great reminder that real-world practice is essential. With so many people, smells, sounds, and, well, plants, Kobe was understandably distracted, and while he held it together in moments, there’s definitely still work to be done.
We ran through all of his basic commands—heel, sit, place, come to sit—and while he knows them, his follow-through wasn’t as sharp as it’s been in more controlled settings. What really stood out today was that greeting manners are still a big area for growth.
While he’s not doing anything over-the-top or reactive, his first instinct when someone approaches—especially when they crouch down to greet him—is to jump up for attention. It’s clear he’s just excited and wants to interact, but we’re working to help him understand that calm and polite greetings are the name of the game.
The good news is that outings like these are exactly what he needs right now. We’ll continue taking him into public environments to reinforce all his commands and make sure that what he’s learning sticks—no matter how many distractions are around. He’s smart, capable, and eager to connect—we’re just fine-tuning the self-control part.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's pupdate!
Pupdate 4/6/2025
Today we took Kobe to a local park where several youth games and events were happening—a perfect opportunity to get him more real-world exposure and practice his commands around distractions. And let me tell you, Kobe kept things interesting.
As we’ve come to learn (and love), Kobe is very stubborn. He’s not easily swayed by treats, praise, or even stim from the e-collar if he’s decided he’s just not doing it. He’s extremely smart—arguably too smart—and absolutely knows all of his commands.
On leash, he follows through about 99% of the time, no problem. Off leash, though? That’s when he starts making executive decisions. You’ll see in today’s video—I had to gently lead him into position by the collar because he just plain refused to move.
That said, he surprised me on our walk after the park. I took the e-collar off (left the leash on) to see how he'd respond. His first instinct was to bolt—classic Kobe—but I gave him a firm “sit”, and to his credit, he followed through immediately. The rest of the walk was off e-collar, on leash, and it was the best walk he’s had yet. He stayed in heel, matched my pace, and even offered automatic sits when I stopped—no prompting needed.
He definitely keeps us on our toes, but the progress is happening, and we’re here for it.
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s pupdate!
Pupdate 4/7/2025
Today I spent time sharpening Kobe’s commands while off leash. I also did some threshold work with him. During this training I have him sit and hold that position until I give him permission to cross over the threshold. In this case the threshold was a gate between my yard and my driveway. I have him sit before I open the gate and he’s not allowed to leave that position until I give home the “come” command.
Once he comes through I ask him to sit again until I close the gate and then I either release him or give him another command to follow. I do this with every doorway that we walk through. Continuing this at your home will help Kobe build on this foundation.
The more he has to rely on you and look to you for commands the better. This will translate to all other areas of his training.
Today’s training was all done off leash and with no e collar. Kobe is perfectly capable of following all of his commands without the e collar and I used treats to help shape some of the behaviors like finishing his “place” all the way into the down position and getting him into the correct position next to me during the “come to sit” command. He got better and better as the session went on and we ended with more threshold work.
I know you had voiced some concerns about using the e collar long term and he’s showing that he’s capable of following obedience commands without it. I will caution however, that if you intend to take him places off leash, having the e collar on will give you a safety net in case he decides not to listen, heads towards the street or a variety of other potential hazards.
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s pupdate!
Pupdate 4/8/2025
Today, Kobe and I continued building on his command reliability—both on and off leash. We started in a controlled environment at home, then gradually added layers of distraction—first with my dogs nearby, and eventually out into the neighborhood and local park, where he had to work through real-world distractions like people, noise, and other dogs.
Kobe, as we know, is very smart. He understands exactly what’s being asked of him and knows how to follow through on each command. The real work continues to be in getting him to choose to do it. That said, the more we train, the more Kobe is showing increased responsiveness even without the e-collar. While we absolutely still recommend keeping the e-collar on—especially for accountability in off-leash scenarios—it’s reassuring to see that Kobe is fully capable of following commands with just a verbal cue or praise (and the occasional treat, of course).
We’re continuing to focus on repetition and exposure so these commands become second nature no matter the setting. He’s making progress every day, and I’m excited to see where he lands by the end of his program.
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s pupdate!
Pupdate 4/9/2025
Today we took Kobe to a few public places to continue working on him following his commands with a greater distraction level.
The training was all conducted off leash and Kobe has shown that he is capable of following his commands in busy places like the Seal Beach pier, shoreline in Long Beach and very busy parks with lots games going on at once. Kobe has come a long way in two weeks and I’m excited for you to see his progress on Friday. Kobe had a little bit of hesitation near the edge of the pier so we avoided those areas and focused on his “heel” around larger groups of people. There was a man playing guitar as we entered, large groups of people walking on the pier and a few dogs and Kobe was able to keep his focus on heeling with me. I primarily used the vibrate function during today’s session and that was enough to get his attention and get him to follow through with commands. Every situation will be different and it will be up to you to decide which way to use his e collar depending on the distraction level and what you are trying to accomplish.
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s pupdate!
Pupdate 4/10:2025
Kobe has spent the majority of this week practicing all of his commands off leash—and not just in the backyard or quiet spaces, but in real, high-traffic environments with plenty of distractions. From people and dogs to unpredictable noises and movement, Kobe has shown us that he’s not just capable—he’s confident when he’s dialed in.
One thing that’s really stood out is how incredibly responsive Kobe is to excitement and praise. He loves knowing he’s done a good job, and he thrives when given enthusiastic feedback. That said, don’t ditch the e-collar just yet—it’s still an important tool to hold him accountable if he hits one of his classic stubborn streaks (because let’s be honest, that clever streak isn’t going anywhere).
Kobe is so ready to show off for you tomorrow. He’s worked hard, learned a lot, and while he’ll always keep us on our toes, he’s made real, impressive progress.
Can’t wait for you to see it all in action!
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