Levi | Great Pyrenees | Malibu, CA | In-Training
- Amanda Lascari
- Aug 25, 2024
- 8 min read
Updated: Sep 14, 2024
Levi, a 3 year old Great Pyrenees, has joined OffLeash SoCal for our Three Week Board and Train Program. Levi comes to us knowing some commands. He is easily distracted and timid out in public. The owners are struggling with him being reactive towards other dogs on walks, being nervous around new people, having separation anxiety and resource guarding. Over the three weeks Levi will be working on his on leash obedience and manners. Check in to see his progress!
Pupdate 8/25/2024
Levi is getting settled in at my home. We had a rough ride home for the first 25 minutes, but settled down and was quiet the rest of the way. He got to meet the rest of my pack, through the fence. He wasn’t reactive or trying to bark at them. Levi was actually very timid and didn’t want to get too close. I let my German Shepherd come to greet Levi. Still no reactivity, which is good. He was a little shy but okay to be around her. I am going to let him get adjusted to his new surroundings and tomorrow we will begin training. Above is a tutorial video. I didn’t get to send you home with one, but please feel free to watch this video as many times as you need to become familiar with the training tool.
Pupdate | 8/26/2024
Today, Levi and I trained at home. I introduced and conditioned him to the ecollar. We practiced commands sit and place. Place is a command where Levi must sit or lay on a defined object. This command is great for confidence building, working on duration and distance, and teaching him to be calm and relaxed. Levi is a smart boy and caught onto his new command quickly! He can be stubborn at times when he doesn’t want to listen, but I made sure that he followed through and completed his commands. I introduce Levi to the rest of my pack today. He got to socialize and be around them. He was definitely shy and timid at first, but eventually warmed up to everyone.
Pupdate 8/27/2024
Today, Levi and I went to the park to train. We met with other OffLeash SoCal trainers and their dogs, so we could work around dog distractions. When we first came around the other dogs Levi did bark at them, but it wasn’t aggressive. He didn’t try to lunge at them. He was unsure and timid. As we practiced around them, he was able to settle down and focus on his training. We worked on his Sit and Place commands. We also started practicing his Heel and Down commands. They are still a work in progress, but Levi is starting to get the hang of his new commands. At home he did show signs of resource guarding with me. One of my dogs walked up to where I was sitting with Levi. Levi tried going after the other, but stopped and corrected him. It’s not because he doesn’t like the other dogs, because he does fine hanging out around them. Because of his separation anxiety Levi has really attached himself to me. We will continue to work on this.
Pupdate 8/28/2024
Today Levi and I trained at home. We practiced all of his commands. We worked mostly on his Heel and Down commands. Heel is getting better. Levi is walking closer to my side and focusing on me and where I am walking. Down is a bit of a struggle. Down is a submissive command and most dogs are not as willing to lay down into a submissive position like others. Especially when he is anxious, Levi is a little reluctant to go into the down position. This is a great command for him because it will help with his anxiety; It helps with relaxation. After some repetition Levi started to understand and enjoy the command. We will continue to practice and progress.
Pupdate 8/29/2024
Today Levi and I went to the park to work on his commands. We practiced all his commands and worked on his distance and duration. He was a little distracted, in the beginning, with the new surroundings but as we continued to train he was able to settle down and focus. We came across a few other dogs. Levi became reactive, barking at them. It was hard for him to focus until the dogs were at a distance from us. We will continue to work around more dog distractions to get Levi desensitized with them.
Pupdate 8/30/2024
Today Levi and I trained at home. We practiced all his commands and worked on his distance and duration. I used his friends as a distraction and let them hangout around us while we trained. Levi did very well. He was able to ignore the other dogs and stay focused on his commands. Once training was over he got to socialize with everyone. Levi had been doing well everyone. We haven’t had any incidents, the last two days, with his resource guarding
Pupdate 8/31/2024
Today Levi and I went to a local shopping center to work on his commands around low distractions. He was a little nervous when we first got there. He was more worried about his surroundings than focusing on me. After some repetition, Levi was able to relax and able to focus on his commands.
Pupdate 9/1/2024
Today Levi and I went Lowe’s to train out of the heat and work on his obedience around more distance. The store was quite busy, so we had many people and even dog distractions to work around. Levi was definitely distracted when we first arrived. We walked around and worked on all of his commands. He did very well around the people distractions. He did get a bit vocal when seeing other dogs. We will continue to work around more dog distractions to get him desensitized and neutral when we come across them.
9/2/2024
Today Levi and I went to the park to work on commands. We met with other OffLeash SoCal trainers and their dogs so we could practice around more dog distractions. He did really well with the other dogs. Levi was calm and wasn’t reactive. He was focused and followed all of his commands. We came across other dogs at the park. I noticed if the dogs were calm or did react to Levi, he was fine. If the dogs were high energy, barking, or pulling, Levi would become reactive and begin to bark. We will need to practice around more excitable and energetic dogs so Levi can become desensitized to them.
Pupdate 9/3/2024
Today Levi and I decided to stay home and train indoors, to stay out of the heat. We practiced all his commands and worked on his duration. He was a good boy and followed all of his commands. I noticed last night he was shaking his head more than usual and has continued today. It looks like one of his ears is red and irritated. I cleaned it with ear wash and cream. I am going to make an appointment with the vet to get it checked out.
Pupdate 9/4/2024
Today Levi and I went to a dog park to work on his commands around dog distractions. There were a few dogs playing inside the park. Levi and I worked on the outside. He did very well. He noticed the other dogs, but was still able to focus and follow his commands. I made an appointment for the vet tomorrow to check on Levi’s ear. I cleaned it again with wash and cream.
Pupdate 9/5/2024
Today Levi and I went to the vet in the morning to check out his ear. The vet’s office was pretty full. Levi and I waited in the lobby with other dogs and cats that were there. I am very surprised how well he did. Levi sat patiently. He didn’t bark at the other animals. The vet cleaned his ear, gave him two shots (penicillin and Dexamethasone) and 2 medications (Simplicef and Apoquel) to take home. After, Levi joined me on a little shopping spree at the mall. It was pretty busy, so we were able to practice around many people distractions. There were a few dog distractions as well. Levi was a very good boy. He was calm, focused, and obedient.
Pupdate 9/6/2024
Today Levi and I decided to stay indoors and train out of the heat. We worked on all his commands. We also practiced his food and door manners.
The benefits of food manners is:
-Impulse control-Waiting for food helps your dog learn patience
-Reducing Anxiety and possessiveness- Good food manners can help reduce your dog's excitement, anxiety, or possessiveness around food.
-Not eating things he’s not supposed to- good food manners will teach him not to grab and eat things off the floor. Just because there is food on the floor does not mean it belongs to him.
The benefits of door manners is:
-Impulse control at thresholds- Typically the door causes excitement for a dog because they know they are going out (outside, for a ride, for a walk, etc.) Waiting at a doorway puts your dog in a calmer state of mind and you are able to have more control of the dog when you take him out.
-Safety- Teaching your dog to wait at thresholds will prevent bolting.
Pupdate 9/8/2024
Today the heat was to unbearable, so Levi and I did some light training at home. We worked on his place command and worked on his duration. I used his friends and distraction while we trained. Levi spent the rest of the day, relaxing, staying cool, and socializing with his buddies.
Pupdate 9/9/2024
Today Levi and I went to Lowe’s to train out of the heat. We practiced all his commands and worked on his distance and duration. We practiced a new command, Under. This command is similar to Place, but instead of climbing up onto an object, Levi must go under. He did very well and caught on to his we command quickly.
Pupdate 9/10/2024
Today Levi and I went to the mall to work on his obedience around distractions. We met with other OffLeash trainers and their dogs, so he was able to work around other dog distractions. Levi did very well he stayed calm and focused on his commands and ignored the other dogs. He did a great job around the people distractions. The only thing we had some trouble with is when people wanted to pet him. Levi would get uncomfortable, tense up, and move away from the people. So I told people that they could talk to him but not pet. He was much more comfortable with that.
Pupdate 9/11/2024
Today Levi and I went to the shopping outlets to work on his obedience around distractions. We met with other OffLeash SoCal trainers and their dogs. There were quite a few dogs at the mall as well, so Levi had plenty of dog distractions to work around. He did well around all the dogs, except for one. There was a very reactive Golden Retriever that was dragging its owner. It was barking at all of our dogs, so Levi barked back. I gave Levi a tap on the Ecollar and he went back to focusing on his commands.
Pupdate 9/12/2024
Today Levi and I trained at home. We practiced all his commands and worked on his duration. I used his friends as a distraction as we trained. He did very well ignoring his buddies and staying focused on his commands.
Pupdate 9/13/2024
Today Levi and I went back to the shopping outlets to work on his obedience around more distractions. It was pretty busy, so Levi had many distractions to work around. For the most part he did very well staying focused and obedient. Levi was a little stubborn with holding his Sit command. He wanted to be lazy and go into the Down position, but I made sure he followed through with what I asked of him. He did well around dog distractions. We were able to walk by without any reactivity.
Pupdate 9/14/2024
Today Levi took the day off from training and spent his last day playing and socializing with his friends before he goes home tomorrow. I gave him a bath so he could be nice and clean when he sees you. I am very proud of the progress Levi has made over these three weeks! He can’t wait to go home and show you everything he has learned!
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