Lily | Golden Retriever | Hawthorne, CA | In-Training
- Jose Ayala
- Oct 22, 2023
- 8 min read
Updated: Feb 29, 2024
Meet Lily! She is a nine month old Golden Retriever who has joined us for our Two Week Board and Train Program. Lily is here for basic obedience, leash pulling, counter surfing, and chewing. She takes things from the trash and will chew on things within her reach. The goal for Lily is to address her misbehaviors and keep her from getting into things she is not supposed to. She is very bright and picks up on things pretty fast. Over the next fourteen days, Lily will be working on building a solid foundation in order to have her become the best pup that she can be. Check in to see her progress!
Lily and I spent the afternoon getting to know each other. We went for a walk around the park to establish a bond. Lily is not much of a leash puller, but she did walk ahead of me a few times. She also has a tendency of going from my left side to my right side as we walk. I began to correct her behavior by introducing her to Heel, which is a technique that consists of having Lily walk with me on my left side. As we continued on our walk, anytime Lily walked ahead of me, I turned around, walked in the opposite direction, and guided her with leash tension back towards me. When she would make an intent to move to my right side, I used leash tension, or continued to make u-turns as needed to keep her on my left. She is understanding what I am asking, but we will continue to work on it, as it will now be applied on every walk we go on for the rest of her Training Program.
Lily and I drove out to a local park today and worked on her recall which is known as Come to Sit. This technique consists of having Lily come towards my right side, going around behind me, and sitting on my left. Lily is food motivated, so I have been using her kibble and leash tension as guidance. I used leash tension to get her to come towards my right, and lured her around behind me with her kibble. It did not take long for Lily to understand the concept, and began to pick up on it pretty fast. There are still instances in which she sits behind me, but I work her through it by taking a step forward and using her leash to have her Sit next to me. She did great overnight in her kennel, and she is adjusting well to her new home for the next two weeks.
Lily and I worked on Place today. It is a behavior that consists of having Lily getting onto an elevated object, and remaining there in a Sit or a Down. Place builds confidence in a dog, and it can also serve a great purpose if there is a knock on your door, or if guests are coming over. I began by introducing her to a low level object that would be easy for her to get onto. Lily is a very confident pup, and had no problem getting onto the object. We worked on a few reps, and once she was placing consistently, I challenged her by moving her to a higher level object. Lily was a little hesitant initially, as she would only place her front paws on the object. To assist her in having her place her back legs on the object, I gave her a running start and some verbal encouragement to motivate her, which helped Lily follow through. She is still having trouble remaining in a Sit once she does Place, but we are going to work on that throughout her Training Program.
Lily and I drove out to the beach today and worked on what she has been learning so far in her Program. Her Heel continues to progress as we continue to practice during our morning and evening walks. While working on Place, she was having trouble remaining on the object, which is normal when it comes to being introduced to new objects. By rewarding her with praise anytime she followed through with her Place behavior, she began to feel more comfortable, which allowed me to take a few steps back and have her hold it for a few seconds. Her Come to Sit is still a work in progress, as she sometimes sits off to the side, but I will work her through it by using ninety degree walls as barriers for a straighter Sit.
Lily and I have been working on Down. This behavior can be one of the most difficult to teach a dog considering it being a submissive position, and it can also make a dog feel vulnerable being down on all fours. Lily does understand the concept of Down, but needed more conditioning on a consistent basis. I began by asking her to Sit, followed by slight leash tension with my hand to guide her towards the ground. Lily’s paws would stiffen up as I applied light pressure on her leash, but once she made a tiny intent towards the ground, I released her with a “Break,” and rewarded her with praise. Always keep in mind that this technique takes time and lots of patience. If she is not completing the behavior, take a break to avoid frustration, and end the session with a behavior that she knows. After the break, restart the session and repeat the process. You may also use your foot to avoid kneeling down by placing your foot on the leash. With your foot on the leash towards the closest part of your dog’s neck, you can slightly push down, and at the same time pulling up slowly with the rest of the slack on your hand. I used both the foot and hand approach, and she successfully followed through with her Down.
Lily and I worked on all of her behaviors today in a public setting. She does very well at adjusting to her surroundings, and has been doing well around people by not making an approach. Lily’s recall is great, and her Place is improving the more we work on it. She is no longer pulling on her leash like she used to, and she is doing well remaining on my left side during our Heel. Her Down still needs a little work as she sometimes likes to lean into me as she does it. Overall, Lily has learned all of her behaviors, and will now be working on performing them with added distance and duration in the coming days.
Lily and I began working on her distance and duration at a local park. We worked on it with a long leash and she did very well. We have been working on it in increments of five. This means that for every foot I step back, I would wait five seconds before releasing her with a “Break.” One foot back is five seconds, two feet back is ten, three feet is fifteen, and so on. There were a few instances in which she would come out of her position, but I would reset her and start over. For instance, if I was three feet back and Lily would sit up, I would restart and go back to two feet back and have her follow through. By remaining patient and consistent, Lily is making progress, and we are close to reaching a goal of a fifteen foot distance.
Lily and I took a walk around my neighborhood today and began working on some leash dragging exercises. We started in my backyard and had a few reps before taking her out. Once I felt comfortable enough, I took her out for a walk. She did really well with her Heel and remained next to me throughout our walk. As you mentioned in the email, I worked on her Come to Sit as well, and although she still needs a little more practice, she understands the concept and comes when called as you can see in the video. Lily will be working with her leash dragging for the next few days as she prepares for her off leash experience.
Lily and I worked on some off leash conditioning at home today and she did really well considering it being her first time working with no leash on. She was having trouble with her Place and Come to Sit, but after a few reps, Lily began to follow through. I will be gradually increasing the amount of distractions while we work on a few more leash dragging exercises in a more public setting, and once Lily can remain consistent with her behaviors, I will be able to remove her leash.
Lily and I continued a few leash dragging sessions as we met with other trainers and their pups today who assisted me by serving as a distraction for Lily. Initially, she became very distracted by the pups around her, and wanted to approach and interact with them. I corrected her behavior with a verbal “Off” and “Heel,” as we were walking by. Lily did very well remaining in her Down as people were passing beside her, so we worked on some off leash exercises as well. She was great with her Heel, Sit, Place, and Down, but when we worked on her recall, Lily still needed a little guidance. When I was asking her to “Come,” she would follow through with the behavior very well, but she followed it through with the wrong trainer. In that situation, I would move in closer to her, have the trainer step aside, and recall Lily until she came to me. I am going to work on having that cleaned up, which by then, she will be ready to be fully off leash in public areas.
Lily and I have been working on her Door Manners. She never really tried to run through the door first, but she would get up and follow me almost immediately as soon as I opened a door and took a step forward. To condition her into not doing so, I applied the same distance and duration approach of five second increments which were used for her stationary positions. Lily caught on to the concept, and remained in position when I stepped away, but there were a few times in which she sat up when I opened a door. In that situation, I would close the door, reset her, and repeat the exercise as needed. It took some time and lots of practice, but Lily is now following through.
Lily and I have been working on her Greeting Manners. She has been taught to remain in a Sit anytime someone wants to approach her and say hello. Initially, Lily would Sit when I asked her to, but once someone got near, she would sit up and try to interact with that person. She is not much of a jumper, but would still get very excited and pull towards people. By remaining consistent and working at it everyday, Lily began to understand what was being asked of her, and she can now be greeted as long as she is in a calm relaxed state.
Lily and I worked on her Final and she did very well. Everything that she has learned was put together and I am proud of her progress. She was a little nervous initially and it did take her some time to adjust to her surroundings. Once acclimated, she did very good around different distractions and different noises around the pier. Lily can be capable of so much more as long as training remains consistent. Always remember to keep it positive and to always make it fun. Here is a clip of Lily working on her off leash behaviors. Enjoy.
Lily has completed her Two Week Board and Train Program and is ready to come home. She was a great pup to work with and I am going to miss her companionship. I want to thank you for trusting me with Lily these past two weeks while she was under my care, and I appreciate the opportunity in being her trainer. I am looking forward to showing you what she has learned. Thank you Lily!
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