Meet Koda! He is a six month old Boxer from Los Angeles, CA. Koda has joined our Three Week Board and Train Program for basic obedience, leash pulling, and jumping. Koda is a little bundle of energy who enjoys running around and playing with other dogs. Over the next twenty one days we are going to set him up for success with the hopes of having Koda become a well behaved pup. Check in to see his progress!
Koda and I spent the day getting to know each other. We drove out to a local park for some playtime and he made some new friends. Koda did very well at the park and remained calm throughout the time we were there. We came home, settled in and I let him out in my backyard to run around. Koda is adjusting well to his new surroundings and we have become great friends already! I am looking forward to working with him these next twenty one days!
Koda was introduced to Heel today. Heel means walk next to me on my left side. We began to get rid of the leash pulling by doing the opposite of what Koda does. If he gets ahead of me, I turn around and go the other way. If Koda begins to fall behind, I then pick up my pace and help him catch up with verbal motvation. Koda began to understand the concept very well and the leash pulling started to fade out the more we worked on it! He is a great co-pilot with no fuss in the car and was amazing his first night here sleeping through the night!
Koda and I drove out to a local park today. He was introduced to his Place command that consists of having Koda getting onto an elevated object. Place can also build Koda’s confidence and can serve great purpose whenever guests are over as well! Koda did struggle quite a bit in the beginning and was a little stubborn so we had to reset a few times and keep trying. With a few running starts, I managed to get Koda to follow through! With a little more practice, we are going to get Koda to fully understand the concept!
Koda and I worked on his Come to Sit today. Come to Sit is having Koda come towards my right, go around behind me, and Sit on my left. Koda understands the concept but at times he tends to stop and Sit behind me. To get him to fully come around and Sit on my left, we are going to practice by luring him with his kibble. We also worked a little on duration Sit. I increase Koda’s duration by adding distance and moving around him a few steps at a time. The goal is to eventually get to the end of the long line without having Koda come out of his Sit. For it being Koda’s first time working his duration Sit in a public place, he did an excellent job!
Koda was introduced to his Down command today. Down can be a difficult task to teach considering it is a submissive position to a dog in general. I began with some Heel and Place sessions with Koda to burn off some energy and proceeded to initiate Down. I asked Koda to Sit and positioned his leash under his neck and began giving slight leash tension downward. Koda was a little stubborn the first few tries so I gave him a few minutes to shake it off and got back to it. Eventually he began to understand what I was asking him to do and Koda accomplished his Down!
Koda worked some more on his Down today on Hollywood Blvd. There were other trainers with their dogs and we worked together to have them serve as distractions for Koda. As the other trainers began to walk with their dogs around Koda from a distance, he maintained his Down pretty well! Once they started moving in a little closer, Koda broke his Down but it is understandable for him to do that considering that this was new to him. I reset with him and gave it a few more tries and he was able to follow through!
I have been working on food manners with Koda since his training began. Before I place his bowl down I ask Koda to Sit. He is to remain in a Sit until I ask him to Break so he can eat. The first day I asked him to Sit and I had Koda hold it for five seconds. The second day I had him Sit for ten seconds and I increased five seconds everyday after that. Due to the amount of walking and training we work on throughout the day, I have increased Koda’s food intake by half a cup for dinner. The first two days Koda did come out of his Sit but he has shown a big improvement since then! I am working on getting him to the one minute mark and the way Koda is progressing, he will get there in no time!
Koda and I took a trip to Home Depot today. Koda did very well around customers and other distractions such as shopping carts, forklifts, and loud noise of wood being loaded onto the shopping carts. Once Koda adjusted to the surroundings around him I asked him to Heel without his leash on. Koda did such a good job walking alongside me as we made our way around the store! He received a good amount of praise from customers commending him on his good behavior! With week one coming to a close, Koda now understands his commands and I will continue setting him up for success these next two weeks!
Today we drove to Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson. I began working on Koda’s duration and distance with a long line and we continued working on his off leash Heel as well. His duration Down is coming along well and I can have Koda maintain a Down for just about thirty to forty five seconds. While working on Koda’s Place, as I was guiding him to the bench part of the table, he tried to leap onto the table instead which scraped his front leg, and knocked me down in the process. I cleaned his scrape with a warm damp towel, put ointment on it, and I am monitoring it by the hour. There is no cause for any concern as Koda is not limping and is not in any pain.
Koda is doing very well with his duration Sit and we went ahead and began working on his door manners. I attached the long line to his collar and had it extended outside of my door as a precaution in case he comes out of his Sit. We worked on a few short sessions to have him understand the concept and Koda remained in a Sit throughout every session! I will keep working on it to get him to Sit with no leash on and reach our two minute goal!
Koda was introduced to Under today. Under is the opposite of Place where Koda is to go under an object rather than on top. It serves great purpose for outings such as brunch, dinner, or even picnics at a park. Koda initially struggled to understand the concept of what I was asking, but with some food motivation he began to catch on! At times, only half of his body would be under the object and the other half would be sticking out. With a few repetitions he was able to get completely under the bench we practiced in!
Koda and I worked on his Duration Under today. We used one of my patio chairs to serve as the object for him to go Under in. After introducing it and using his food to lure him, I removed the food and began guiding him with his leash attached. Koda’s leash guidance was effective as he only needed a little tension the first time. After a few sessions with his leash on, I removed his leash and practiced without it. Koda did very well, even with me crouching near him serving as a distraction!
Koda worked around more distractions in a more public setting today. As I prepare Koda to be fully off leash, I worked on a few sessions with his leash attached, but I let it drag as we made our way throughout the shopping center. Koda did very well with his Heel as well as his Extended Sit and Down. In the middle of working on his Place, Koda was praised by a few people on his good behavior! Additionally, Koda worked on his greeting manners, which consists of me asking him to Sit as he is greeted by someone. As Koda was approached and greeted, he remained in his Sit during the entire process!
Koda and I took a drive to Santa Monica today to give him a practice run off leash. We began with a walk around the pier to have him adjust to his surroundings considering the environment being new to him. Koda was having a little trouble with his Place but we focused on it with more practice and he was able to follow through. Koda did well for being completely off leash in a new public area. He will remain working off leash as we continue cleaning up his commands and setting him up for success!
Koda and I spent the day at home while I did some yard work in my backyard. He got to spend time with my Boxer as they ran all over the yard and chased each other! Koda and Thanos got along pretty well and have become very good friends! I was able to get some pictures of them together by having both of them work on their Extended Sit. They served as each other’s distraction and they both did great by remaining in their Sit the whole time!
As Koda continues his off leash training, we worked on his Under and his Come to Heel. Come to Heel is having Koda get into a Heel as he comes towards me from a distance which he is doing very well. Koda has also reached his goal of two minutes while remaining in his Under. He is making good progress as we move along and he is adapting more to the public settings he has been exposed to. Everything Koda has learned is being put together and he is getting close to accomplishing his achievements!
Koda worked on his off leash Door Manners today. He did such a great job remaining in a Sit as I opened the door and began our session. We started with a thirty second time frame with me standing by the door and increased by thirty seconds the farther I went out. I was able to make it as far as the sidewalk without Koda coming out of his Sit. Koda successfully reached his two minute goal!
Koda and I drove out to Pan Pacific Park today. We worked around different distractions consisting of bicycles, scooters, strollers, and off leash dogs. We worked on a few sessions with his Extended Down and he did very well not getting up and wanting to greet other dogs in the area! Koda has scratched his ears and tears the scabs off every time he shakes his head. To keep him from doing so, I am bandaging his ears so they can heal. Dogs in general happen to bleed a lot from their ears with one scratch due to the many blood vessels they have near the skin surface. I clean them twice a day and add ointment as needed.
Today we took a trip to Home Depot to have Koda Place onto different objects. We worked on a paint bucket, a couple of planters, and a round valve box. Each object we practiced on had a different texture to it and got smaller in size. Throughout the session, I assisted Koda one time with the smaller objects and he was then able to do it completely on his own! Customers around the store gave Koda a lot of praise for a job well done!
Koda and I drove out to Santa Monica to prepare him for his Final video. It will consist of Koda performing everything he has learned throughout the past three weeks that he has been with me. We worked a few sessions as the crowds got bigger and Koda did a good job given the amount of distractions all around him. Koda did come out of his Down towards the end but he worked through it a few times and was able to follow through! Enjoy this clip of Koda showing what he can do! A sneak peek of what his Final will look like!
Koda has completed his training! He is ready and excited to be going home! He is a great companion and he will be missed! We filmed his Final video today and Koda was outstanding! I am very proud of Koda and it has been a pleasure working with him! I want to thank you for trusting me with him these last three weeks and for giving me the opportunity to have me as his trainer! Great job Koda!
