Meet Loki! He is a four year old Husky who has joined us for our Two Week Board and Train Program. Loki is here for basic obedience, leash pulling, and jumping to greet. He gets overly excited around people and other dogs, which causes him to jump for attention. Loki pulls heavily on his leash when on walks, and he also needs help with his door manners. He is a very smart boy who is in need of structure, so over the next fourteen days, Loki and I will be working on building a strong foundation, so that he may become the best pup that he can be. Check in to see his progress!
Loki and I spent the afternoon getting to know each other by going for a walk at a local park. He was pulling heavily on his leash and was also distracted by the different smells of grass. I introduced Loki to his recall which is known as come to sit. This consists of having Loki come towards my right, go around behind me, and sitting on my left. I also introduced him to leash pressure, which made him a little nervous, as it was something Loki was not used to. Introducing leash pressure can be a new sensation for dogs, and some may initially feel nervous or uncomfortable due to the unfamiliar feeling of pressure around their neck or body. While teaching him come to sit, I worked at Loki’s pace and remained patient to keep him from becoming overwhelmed. By using leash tension, I guided Loki to come towards my right, followed by taking a few steps forward to have him go behind me and sitting on my left. It took some time for Loki to understand the concept, but I was able to help him follow through.
Loki and I went out for a walk around the neighborhood this morning, and he was heavily pulling on his leash walking ahead of me. To keep him from doing so, I introduced Loki to heel. This consists of having him walk next to me on my left side. Anytime Loki pulled away from me, I stopped, walked in the opposite direction, and once Loki reached the end of the leash, I guided him back towards me with leash tension. It took various u-turns during our session for Loki to understand the concept, but I was able to work him through it. I will continue to practice with Loki as heel will now be applied on every walk we go on from here on out.
Loki and I drove out to a local park and worked on place. It involves training him to go to a specific designated spot and have him remain there in a sit or a down. Place builds confidence in a dog, and it can be useful if there is a knock on your door, or if you have guests over. To teach Loki I introduced him to the object by leading him to it, and using leash tension to guide him up. Once his front legs were on the object, Loki followed through by fully getting onto the object himself. He is a confident pup, and places very well after being introduced to an object. Loki is also improving on his heel, and is not pulling like he was a couple of days ago. He remained at my side as people passed us by during our walk throughout the park, and he did not react to the pups that were in the area.
Loki and I worked on what he has learned so far at a local park. We kept our session short due to the weather being a little hot, but Loki did pretty well. His come to sit needed a little more conditioning, but I was able to guide him and work him through it. He does a good job placing on objects, and continues to build his confidence as well. He is also doing well maintaining a sit, which will be very helpful when we begin working on distance and duration. In the coming days, I will be gradually exposing Loki to different distractions now that he is being more consistent with his commands.
Loki and I have been working on down. Down can be difficult to teach considering it being a submissive position, which can make a dog feel vulnerable being down on all fours. Loki did have an understanding of down, but needed some reconditioning to have him down consistently. I began by asking him to sit, and then applying leash tension to guide him towards the ground. He was a little hesitant initially, and would try and give me his paw at times, but by remaining focused on the task at hand, I was able to work Loki through it and have him accomplish his down. We also worked on it in a more public area, which was a little more challenging for him due to the amount of distractions around him, but once he adjusted to his surroundings, Loki was comfortable enough to follow through.
Loki has learned all of his commands. We have been working on them at home and he has done very well following through. Today at a local park, we worked on them around distractions, and although Loki was a little nervous, I was able to work him through it. It takes a little time for Loki to get acclimated to the surroundings around him, so I make sure to take a few laps around the area that we are in, so that he may get comfortable and not shut down when training. Now that he knows his commands, in the coming days, Loki and I will begin to work with a longer leash, as we begin to establish distance and duration.
Loki and I worked on distance and duration with a long line today. We worked in increments of five, meaning one foot back that I take, I wait five seconds before releasing him. Two feet back is ten seconds, three feet back is fifteen, and so on. Loki does pretty well maintaining his stationary positions, but there are a few instances in which he sits up and comes towards me. If in that moment that he gets up, if Im at three feet back, I reset him and restart with two feet back. Once I see consistency, we move back to three feet and continue to move up in feet. He is making good progress, as I am able to stand about six to eight feet from Loki.
Loki and I went for a walk around the neighborhood and worked on some leash dragging exercises. We practiced in my backyard since it is an enclosed area, and once I was comfortable enough with Loki’s consistency, we moved our session outside. He did very well with his heel and his sit. Loki does have trouble with his down, as he tends to get playful and rolls over on his back for affection. When this happens, I reset him and repeat the exercise until he follows through. His recall also needs more practice as this was his first time working on it without leash tension, so I will continue with repetition to have that cleaned up. With week one coming to a close, I am looking forward to week two, which will prepare him for his off leash experience.
Loki and I worked on more leash dragging conditioning at a local park. Throughout our walk, he fell a little behind with his heel, and was also very distracted by the grass smells in the area. With a verbal heel and e-collar stimulation, I was able to get Loki back on track. He is doing much better with his down, and he also continues to build his confidence by placing on different objects. He is almost ready to begin working fully off leash, but before doing so, I am going to expose Loki to different distractions as we go out to a more public area.
Loki and I had an off leash session today in which he did very well with. There is still room for improvement, as his recall needed a little reconditioning, but with consistency, I am able to work him through it. Loki did not want to go into a down when I asked him to, but by using the e-collar stim, he was able to follow through. When working with the e-collar, I always give Loki a freebie when I ask him to do something, and have him figure it out. If he does not figure it out, I begin with the e-collar stim the second time, and turn off the pressure once he completes his task.
Loki and I met with other trainers and their pups today, who served as a distraction for Loki throughout our session. He did very well around them, as he remained in a calm state. If Loki did try to make an approach, I would give him a verbal “off,” followed by e-collar stimulation as we prevent the unwanted behavior. Even though Loki was working on his training with his leash dragging, he is ready to begin working fully off leash, which will be the main focus in his program from here on out.
Loki and I began working on his final today and he did well piecing everything that he has learned together. We drove out to an outdoor shopping center, and began with a walk around the area to have Loki adjust to his surroundings. Once adjusted, we warmed up with a few off leash reps, and once I saw Loki’s consistency, we proceeded to begin filming. Loki is a very smart boy and can be capable of much more. He learns quickly, and has made good progress in just the short time that he has been with me. Always remember to remain consistent with his training, so he can continue to improve and achieve greater results.
Loki and I have been working on his greeting manners. Throughout his program, I have been working with Loki by conditioning him to remain in a sit anytime someone approaches to say hello. Initially, it was a little difficult for Loki to do so, as he would almost immediately sit up, and would get vocal at times. When that happened, I would ask the person greeting him to take a step back, as I reset Loki to repeat the exercise. With time, Loki began to understand what was being asked of him, and has now learned how to be greeted in a calm relaxed state.
Loki has completed his Two Week Board and Train Program and is ready to come home. I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity in being Loki’s trainer, and for trusting me with him while he was under my care. He is a very bright boy and I will miss his companionship as well as his playful vocalness. His final video will be coming soon, but in the meantime, here is a clip of Loki working on his door manners. Thank you Loki!
