Meet Logan! A 8 month German Shepherd coming from Lakewood, CA who has joined us for our 1 week board & train with a few days of boarding. Logan is an extremely obedient dog when training but seems to be very energetic the moment he still has nothing to do. Logan has done training and knows commands but needs some proper management on areas he has issues with. Logan likes to eat stuff from the ground such as food, leaves, and poop. Over the next 10 days I'm going to help educate Logan on improving on things he already knows, also proper socializing when amongst people inside or outside the house. Check out his 10 day transformation into becoming a more well behaved puppy!
Pupdate 11/5/2023
Today was Logan's first day of his board and train and he's been very well behaved since I first picked him up. We stayed at a park for about 40 minutes training and getting used to each other before heading back home. Once we arrived at my house I gave him the opportunity to smell around the house and familiarize himself before going to my side of the house. When walking in he saw my personal dog Hunter while inside his crate. They smelled each other's noses with confidence and Logan went about his business smelling my room which has Hunter's smell all over. Once everything was settled inside I took Logan for another walk which lasted about 35 minutes.
When asking Logan to go into his crate he performed this without issue but he did cry at times while inside the crate and scratching at the door. Each time this happened me and my little brother would verbally ask him to stop himself from doing that which worked. After some time he relaxed and walking by his crate went well without him getting up thinking I would open the crate for him. Eventually Logan fell asleep and his first introduction to coming over went well. He seemed happy and confident at the park and on our second walk around my neighborhood. Continue to watch Logan's progress with me as his personal trainer!
Pupdate 11/6/2023
Today I took Logan to train with some of the other trainers from offleash at a park in Brea, CA. We started off by practicing on a place pad while everyone around us was working. My objective for Logan was for him to remain in his place pad in a down while performing other obedience commands. Logan did really well with this but when practicing his down obedience command Logan was impulsive to get up after some time of waiting. Each time this happens I will use the e-collar to redirect him back into his down. One of my associates walks around Logan acting as a distraction and it's visible to see that Logan doesn't mind her around him but my presence excites Logan more which gets him up from his down. In this moment too he has to be redirected with the e-collar to help work through this threshold.
The longer we stayed Logan showed no interest in the other dogs and had his attention on me for the entirety of our visit helping other trainers with their dogs as a distraction as well. All of our commands were practiced and took the time to teach Logan how to down while I kept walking in motion. We will continue our training with a visit to a high traffic area tomorrow!
Pupdate 11/7/2023
Today Logan and I went to Citadel Outlets in Commerce, CA to train with a friends from our from offleash. When we first arrived we made our way several times around the outlets to have the dogs familiarize themselves around the stores and people. Logan had no issues keeping his pace on leash but there were moments things from the ground caught his attention so if he was consistent about keeping his head down to smell he was redirected with the off obedience command. When practicing sit or down with distance Logan kept his positions but when I would break him he would come at me running at full speed so I would break him just a foot away to prevent him from doing so.
When taking breaks we always stayed in an area with decent traffic of people passing by. We would have the dogs watch people pass by and Logan did well with this showing no issues. We ended up in another area with an open space to practice walking around since Logan started to lead. I took my time heeling him left and right as some people passed by us. When Logan was at a better position next to me heeling I would praise him to help improve this behavior while outside amongst others. We continued to work on this until the dogs tired out and were ready to go home. Logan's overall experience went well with him practicing his training today!
Pupdate 11/8/2023
Today I took Logan with me to Huntington Beach, CA to have some fun. When we first arrived we made our way towards the walkway of the beach to expose Logan to sand. He was very excited to be on it and started running back and forth with the leash attached to me. I gave him some time to feel the sand before walking along the Beachwalk. Logan did really well keeping his heel intact as we made our way throughout the beach. Each time dogs passed by Logan didn't mind any attention to this but when dogs bark or seem ramped up to him this does excite him but he won't necessarily want to see the dogs but just excites himself for no reason. Most dogs that are mellow that pass by him he doesn't mind. He's been able to greet the other trainers' dogs with no issues and has been happy to meet other dogs. When practicing all other commands along the Beachwalk and pier has been well with some issues of extended down but was worked on with improvement. Once Logan settled after 2 hours and started to lay down more it was time to take him home.
At night I gave Hunter and Logan time to play and they started to become familiar with each other. They have started to play and run around in my backyard with some paw petting gestures at each other. They aren't entirely playing longer than 10 minutes but with time I'm sure they will open to each other and be comfortable.
Pupdate 11/9/2023
Today I took Logan back to Citadel Outlets for more exposure and to help build confidence keeping his sit or down with people walking around him. When we first arrived Logan showed no issue being overly excited to be there so walking around was easier than last time. When walking around the outlets most people never catch Logan's attention but when he sees a group of children he does keep his attention on them. There was one instance when a group of kids passed by Logan and they were really close to him to the point he wanted to lean into them and smell them. I would ask him for his off obedience command and he would follow through and keep his attention back on me.
Later on we found an open area to focus on improving Logan's extended down obedience command with people walking around us. In the video above is our practice to help Logan's conditioning with the obedience command. Logan only gets up once and as he's redirected back into his down he's able to hold his position again with confidence letting people pass by. As we finished our visit we continued to practice our obedience commands throughout the outlets until we left.
Pupdate 11/10/2023
Today I took Hunter and Logan on a walk together early in the morning. They have been doing well but if Hunter tries to lead Logan will follow. Logan overall knows how to keep his pace but will follow another dog's lead if this is unnoticed. For the past couple of days Hunter and Logan have been getting to know each other and have become comfortable with each other. Hunter has always been a perfect playmate teaching other dogs how to interact even if they are out of line when being overly excited. Logan himself hasn't shown a neediness to play but rather an interest to investigate as any normal dog would.
In the video above is their progression of being friends. Now everyday they are out together in the backyard or in my room once they are done playing. Logan can often be ready to play still so I will use the e-collar to place him on a place pad or dog bed to have him lay down and relax as Hunter does when he's done playing. He's been getting better at this and the last two days both of them have slept near each other on the floor.
After their playtime we focused on his door manners and food manners. When practicing his food manners he does very well at waiting but in the beginning he did try to eat his food when I would first leave the room. He's confident when waiting but he can show how overly excited he is to eat so practicing other commands helps settle him wait. When practicing his door manners he's been doing well with the front door of my house but with the side gates that lead outside he used to break his position when first practicing. Now we have been able to work with the side doors and he's adamant about waiting for each door we wait for each time he hears sit or down before walking past.
Pupdate 11/11/2023
This morning I took Logan to Hillcrest Park in Downtown Fullerton. We came here to practice Logan's leash to offleash obedience since his training has been going so well. When we first arrived we had 2 giant sets of stairs to walk up to. Logan did really well today being more on pace with me as we took each step up. We made our way around the park without much issue when practicing leash dragging. Each time we passed by people with dogs I always reminded Logan with his off obedience command which made it easier for him to pace himself with me. We practiced place on multiple objects throughout the park since Logan only placed himself on small platforms that aren't elevated. He's been used to higher platforms now since this park has multiple areas with platforms to train with.
After some time went by going around the park multiple times I let Logan have a break in an open area where he can roam freely. Logan was enjoying this but would often try to run off at a distance. Each time he would do this I would redirect him with his name and he would circle back to me each time. As we made our last route around the park we stopped by an area where it's common for a lot of people to walk. I had Logan place himself on a platform to watch people as they went by. For most of the people that passed by him he never leaned into to smell but there was one group of people giving him baby noises which started to over excite him. When that happened I would ask for his off obedience command to redirect his attention to me. Each time he did this I would praise him for being a good boy. We made our way back home to enjoy some quality playtime with Hunter followed up with more training.
Pupdate 11/12/2023
Early in the morning I took Hunter and Logan on their walk which went well. Logan has been more consistent being at a pace with Hunter instead of trying to lead. Passing by cats, dogs, and birds on morning walks has been well each time we have passed any. Each time we are on a street corner both of them will sit at the same time as I slow down before say sit. As we returned home they had their usual playtime together for 30 minutes before having their morning meal.
Later on I took Logan to a park near my house to play fetch and see how he responds to catching and returning the ball. Logan does well coming back each time when asked but when dropping the ball every time I pick it up he's very impulsive about it. Each time he drops it I'll ask him to sit and micro manage each movement to see where he starts to move or lean to run away. We worked on this and as time goes on he's able to contain himself. Something to note is that when grabbing the ball from Logan is to remain calm and confident without being too slow. If I grab the ball in a slow manner he will get excited and act silly to grab it. Once we finished our practice I gave Logan a break to enjoy himself and all he did was lay down chewing the ball.
Later on we followed up with heel to down, and more house training practice.
Pupdate 11/13/2023
Today I took Logan to Buena Park, CA to hang around the other trainers and their dogs. When we first arrived we started off by playing fetch for about 15 minutes before walking around the park. As we made our way around the park Logan did very well staying at my side until we started walking around in the grass. Once we get on grass Logan has a habit of wanting to break himself once he puts his head down. I redirect him for these moments to help him keep his pace with me since the smells can be a big distraction for Logan. He starts to pick this up shortly after a few seconds of training and we made our way back to our friends keeping a distance practicing our commands.
During the visit I had Logan place himself on a place pad while I walked a longer distance away from him than usual with the help of my associates. I was on the other side of the park watching Logan at a distance and if he broke his position I would redirect him from the distance back onto the pad. Logan actually never broke his place so when I returned to him I gave him his break for his reward and praise. Going to the restroom for a short moment I had another associate of mine watch Logan while I had to go. Once I returned Logan was still on his place pad but was trying to get off once I left his sight but was able to listen while I was gone. We focused on all other practices around each and every dog that our associates were training and Logan remained confident listening to me without wanting to investigate them as much.
Pupdate 11/14/2023
Today is the last day of Logan's Boarding so we spent the morning going on a walk with Hunter which lasted about one hour. I gave the dogs their playtime in the backyard until they both got tired. Before giving Logan his meal I put Hunter in his kennel to work on more house training with Logan.
Logan got to meet a puppy I brought home today named Charlie. They were able to greet each other and played momentarily before taking Logan out for some training. We went to the local church near my house to work on Logan's send away to place which is easy for him to perform when he's really energetic. I practiced leaving his sight but keeping him in an area where if he leaves it's towards my direction only. He did really well but while in a down he kept getting up into a sit so each time he did this I would redirect him back into his down obedience command. For the moments he would let me leave his sight I would praise him. I took Logan with me to my little brother's school to pick him up. Since we got there early I walked near the crosswalk waiting for him with Logan and as the kids were released from school I had him in a down to let everyone pass by.
As we were waiting there was a group of boys that tried to instigate Logan to get up which he somewhat did but I redirected him back into a down. We let many kids pass us until we saw my brother and headed back home. Logan did well but the child's actions towards Logan was inappropriate making Logan get up but those are things out of my control which with obedience can overcome.
Logan's overall experience through his board and train has gone really well and training has been fun each time we have gone out to expose Logan to new surroundings. He has been able to perform on an advanced level being able to perform everything he knows. Logan has shown confidence each time we have adventures to new locations. I think Logan is ready to go home and see his family!
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