Laszlo | Golden Retriever | San Gabriel, CA | In Training

gregoffleashsocal
Nov 8
7 min read

Updated: 7 days ago

Meet Laszlo! He’s a one-and-a-half-year-old Golden Retriever from San Gabriel, California here for our Two-Week Urban Board and Train Program! Laszlo is a sweetheart, but he often loves to run over to any other dog he sees and has trouble coming back when called. He’s familiar with some obedience commands, but has a bit more trouble following through around distractions. Over the next fourteen days, we will be tightening up Laszlo’s obedience skills, working on his manners in and out of the house, helping build confidence around distractions, working on mitigating his reactivity to to loud noises, and helping him become the best pup he can possibly be! Stay tuned for Laszlo’s two week transformation!

Laszlo | Golden Retriever | Pupdate 11/9/2025

Today was Laszlo’s first official training session, and we kept things relaxed by working in a quiet backyard to help him build confidence and focus. Since we’re starting from the ground up, our main goals were introducing Sit, Down, extended positions, Place, and some foundational Heel work.

Laszlo caught on quickly and showed great enthusiasm throughout the session. Despite being a little anxious in new environments, he displayed no signs of stress today — just a happy, curious attitude and a willingness to engage. His Sit and Down commands came along nicely, and he held his positions for short but solid durations.

Place was a fun one for him; after a few guided reps, he started stepping onto the spot with more confidence each time. Heel work was short and positive — we focused on keeping him beside me and rewarding calm engagement.

We ended the session on a high note with lots of praise and tail wags. For a first day, Laszlo did an excellent job laying the foundation for the next two weeks of training. Excited to see his confidence and focus grow from here!

Laszlo | Golden Retriever | Pupdate 11/10/2025

The golden boy faced a lively park full of other dogs today, and while he’s still very much in the learning phase, he gave us solid effort amid the chaos. We started extended sits near the action—aiming for one minute but settling at around 45 seconds before he’d shift or glance at a passing pup. A nearby terrier’s bark pulled his focus a couple times, and he needed gentle reminders to hold position, but he reset quickly and stayed seated, showing he’s starting to grasp the concept even with distractions swirling.

Heeling through the park was a work in progress. Laszlo stayed on the left but drifted wide on turns, especially when a playful lab bounded close or a squirrel darted across the path. The leash tightened more than we’d like, and he’d pause to watch other dogs, requiring frequent redirects. Still, he managed short stretches of loose-leash walking between corrections, and his overall pace improved by the end. He’s not polished yet—impulse control is clearly developing—but every rep is building muscle memory.

We ended with a calm loop to decompress, keeping him in a structured heel past the busiest areas. Laszlo left tired and a little overstimulated, but with clear signs of progress in the right direction. Tomorrow we’ll reinforce criteria, lower distractions slightly to boost success rate, then gradually ramp back up. He’s learning, one honest rep at a time.

Laszlo | Golden Retriever | Pupdate 11/11/2025

Laszlo crushed today’s session at Victoria Gardens outdoor mall, where the crowds were thick and the distractions relentless.

We focused on stretching out his stays and widening the gap between him and the handler—long downs that lasted minutes while families streamed past with shopping bags, and place commands held steady on benches as skateboarders whizzed by.

He nailed positions from fifteen feet away, slicing through clusters of shoppers and the scent of food carts without missing a beat.

Even with the handler stepping out of sight behind kiosks or blending into doorways, Laszlo stayed locked in, proving his focus is rock-solid under pressure. This Golden Retriever’s drive and reliability keep climbing—he’s thriving in the chaos and ready for whatever we throw at him next.

Stay Tuned!

Laszlo | Golden Retriever | Pupdate 11/12/2025

Laszlo’s putting in work at Bass Pro today! We’re grinding on extended sits and downs—he’s holding them longer each set, even with the fish tank gurgle and shopper chaos. Progress is real.

Heeling? Still a work in progress. A little forge-y, some sniffing detours, and the occasional “ooh, what’s that?” pause. But he’s resetting fast and staying engaged. Every lap = better focus, tighter leash.

He’s learning quick—he just needs more reps to lock it in. Future adventure buddy: gritty & growing!

Laszlo | Golden Retriever | Pupdate 11/13/2025

Hey everyone, Laszlo crushed it at Home Depot today! We ran through every command—sit, down, heel, place, come to sit—and he’s showing steady improvement like a pro. Distance, duration, and distractions? He’s handling it all with that classic Golden focus and grit. This guy is learning fast and already shaping up to be the ultimate adventure buddy.

Right after the session, we crated him to wind down. While reaching in to unclip his leash, Laszlo bit the handler’s hand. He’s sometimes uncomfortable having a hand near or around his collar.

Tomorrow: more proofing in busy environments, plus structured crate entries/exits with positive reinforcement. Laszlo’s got the heart and the brain—we’re just fine-tuning the impulse control. Stay tuned!

Laszlo | Golden Retriever | Pupdate 11/14/2025

The sky never let up today, so we traded open fields for the cavernous shelter of a parking garage where we heard lots of concrete echoing with dripping water, footsteps, revving engines, and the occasional horn slicing through the damp air.

Amid all that urban clatter, we ran a complete obedience session, cycling through the full routine, and Lazlo stayed beautifully dialed in, moving with mostly calm precision and improved focus no matter what the environment threw at him.

He’s now wearing a muzzle during public training sessions to insure we keep both him and others safe, and he’s settled into it well.

The real highlight came at day’s end: after days of turning away from his bowl, he finally tucked into his full dinner tonight, eating with quiet relish and zero prompting.

That spark is back—energy, drive, and appetite all humming in sync. Onward tomorrow, rain or shine!

Laszlo | Golden Retriever | Pupdate 11/15/2025

The rain came down in silver torrents, so we traded open sky for the bright aisles of the local retail store—fluorescent hum, carts clacking, voices swirling, and Laszlo moved through it all almost like a seasoned professional.

Distractions everywhere, yet his eyes stayed soft, body calm, focus unbroken.

We’re weaving in gentle anxiety-soothing rituals—slow breaths together, light shoulder strokes, whispered praise—and he’s leaning in, tension melting with each rep. The extended Stays and Downs help him to learn the “art of doing nothing” which is key to healing any type of insecurity.

A true working dog finding his rhythm in the heart of the storm.

More tomorrow!

Laszlo | Golden Retriever | Pupdate 11/16/2025

Laszlo has done very well in all of his sessions today. We chose to do a bit of work in the backyard to better acquaint him with wet and cold surfaces so that when his owners face the same situation or weather conditions, Laszlo is able to handle it without any type of hesitation or issue.

As you can see, he’s doing extremely well, moving from position to position, and even holding those positions for long periods of time.

You will notice his excitement as we move from one place to another, along with his big tail, wagging back-and-forth!

We are so happy that Laszlo is enjoying himself during his stay. This pup is amazing and we could not be more proud of his progress.

Keep following Laszlo’s training journey!

Laszlo | Golden Retriever | Pupdate 11/17/2025

We had a great time practicing with Laszlo today! Because he has had some issues before with the crate inside the back of the car, particularly jumping from the ground into the crate, we decided to slow things down for him and give him a ladder to climb up.

As you can see, once the ladder was in place Laszlo had no trouble or fear following the treat lure into the crate!

We also did some inside work due to the weather.

We are sharpening all of Lazlo’s commands as he prepares for his training to wind down. You will notice that his heel, place, down, and sit are all much tighter than they were a few days ago.

Stay tuned!

Laszlo | Golden Retriever | Pupdate 11/18/2025

Even though we haven’t quite reached Thanksgiving, Christmas decorations are already streaming through local shopping centers and outdoor malls.

During one of our training sessions today, we took advantage of the beautiful scene to capture Laszlo, looking very serene and peaceful, standing in front of the big pretty tree.

Over the last few days, Laszlo has become much more comfortable around new people sounds and situations.

He has made a consistent of effort to improve his ability!

We practiced all of Laszlo’s commands today, and started working to correct him only on the E collar and flat collar. He has responded to these training tools, very well, and based on what we see, is well on his way to a very strong base of obedience behaviors.

Stay tuned!

Laszlo | Golden Retriever | Pupdate 11/19/2025

Laszlo is transitioning to the E collar with directional pressure from the leash very well. He has fallen nicely into the heel position and continues to impress with his other behaviors.

His appetite is steady, but a bit sporadic. Sometimes he eats everything on his plate and looks like he wants more; at other times he is disinterested and only wants to play. We have worked on getting him into a better routine, but we know he will eat when he is hungry and we make sure to have food available.

We are training Laszlo in a repetition style. That is to say, we are moving him through positions many times over and over.

At this point in his training, we are preparing to film Laszlo‘s final video and can’t wait to show his owners just how far he has come!

Laszlo | Golden Retriever | Pupdate 11/20/2025

Lazlo is doing a great job!

As we prepare to film his final video and turn him back over to his owners, we take a moment to reflect over the last two weeks, and how amazing this guy has done.

He’s come so very far in such a short time, and we have been honored to be a part of the journey.

Over the next 48 hours, we will continue practicing all of his commands with high repetition, just driving everything home.

In these photos you can see we are still doing a lot of Place, Sit, Down, and Heel. The last photo is a still shot taken just before we threw his ball;)

Stay tuned for Laszlo‘s final days!