Louie | Portidoodle | Woodland Hills, CA | In Training

Meet Louiei! He's a two-year-old Portidoodle from Woodland Hills, California, and he's here for our Two Week Board and Train Program. Louie has had some previous training with his basics, but he's not always consistent with following through, and often breaks position before being released. He's very cuddly and wants to visit with people, but he can be a little selective at times with who's allowed to come close. He also has a habit of getting a little mouthy or jumpy whenever he wants to play or just wants some pats. Over the next two weeks we'll teach Louie how to maintain all his basic commands, walk on Heel both on and off leash, be less reactive around strangers, and help him curb some of the demanding behaviors he's exhibiting. Stay tuned for Louie's two-week transformation!

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Louie had a pretty nervous start, exhibiting some signs of separation anxiety at first, but he warmed up a little more as we spent some time at the park. I tested him out on some of his commands, and while he was able to give me a few solid Sits and did decently well with his Recall considering the circumstances, there's a lot of room for improvement! Once we got home I gave him some time to explore around the house a little bit, then I got him out in the play yard to meet the other dogs. He relaxed a lot more once he realized he has friends, and even chased the ball around a little with the pack. My housemate came out to meet him and he took to her pretty quickly, no signs of any reactivity, and he was able to sit nicely for treats with the rest of the pack. I think he'll adjust pretty quickly to being with me, and I can't wait to get him out and really working!

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8/4/25

Today we went to the park for some practice with the Off Leash SoCal group. He's starting to learn what the e-collar means and how to respond appropriately to it, and I also had him on a prong collar as an additional training aid to help establish some boundaries. We did a lot of practice with his Heel, some work on his Sit and Down, and general manners around people and other dogs. He is still just a little bit anxious, but overall he's starting to catch onto the basic expectations I'm establishing for him. At home he did start to exhibit some of the behaviors he's in the program for, including biting at the leash, jumping up, and trying to rush through gates or doors. We're working heavily on those gate and door manners primarily as that can be a safety hazard, and he's already beginning to catch on that he needs to Sit and Wait until he's released before he can go through. The most important thing to remember about any of these behaviors is not to give in when he's showing them. They're all coming from a place of him wanting something, so we need to teach him that the wrong behaviors won't get him what he's looking for, but also show him the right behaviors that will get him what he wants. Mostly all we're looking for is a Sit (good manners), so once he understands that, we should see a pretty decent reduction in many of his problem behaviors. He's already learning pretty quickly, so I'm optimistic that we'll be able to curb at least some of those behaviors before he heads home!

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8/5/25

Today I took Louie over to Old Town Monrovia to work on his Heel in a little bit more of a crowded setting. He didn't have any negative reactions towards anyone, adults or children, but we are still working on getting him to walk with a nice, loose lead instead of tugging where he wants to go. He did Sit nicely for a little girl who wanted to come up and pet him, and I walked him around a playground where there were toddlers running around and screaming. He did great there with no signs of reactivity, only a little bit of anxiety, which was very manageable. We also stopped in at the Library Park to work on his extended Sit, his Down, and his Recall. At home we're continuing to work on his jumping and his gate-dashing, and he's getting better at offering the Sit on his own now instead of showing those problem behaviors. He did finally get mouthy with an arm grab this morning, and while it was gentle, we don't want to encourage that. He got a quick verbal correction and was immediately told to Sit, which he did so without issues, so I think he'll catch onto that one pretty quickly. It's all about setting those boundaries and giving him a more clear guideline on what's expected of him. We're getting there!

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