Lulu | Labradoodle | Corona, CA

Meet Lulu! She is a one year old Labradoodle who has joined us for our One Week Board and Train Program. Lulu is here for basic obedience, jumping to greet, leash pulling, and excessive barking at people walking by her yard. She does really well with people and other dogs, but is easily distracted, which can cause her to react in a playful manner. Lulu does not know her own strength, and can easily knock someone over, especially kids, which is one of the main concerns. She also has a tendency of following around the house, which can make it difficult to complete tasks, as she is in the way sometimes. Over the next seven days, Lulu will be working on her behaviors and be set up for success, with the hopes of becoming a well mannered pup. Check in to see her progress!

Lulu and I spent the afternoon getting to know each other by taking a walk around the park. As we made our way throughout the park, Lulu was pulling heavily on her leash. She would pull ahead of me, veer off to the sides to smell the grass, and switch off to my left and right side on a constant basis. To correct her behavior, I introduced Lulu to Heel. This technique consists of having her walk next to me on my left side. To teach Lulu how to Heel, I used a u-turn method, which is doing the opposite of what she is doing. If she pulled ahead of me, I would turn in the opposite direction, and guide her back towards me by using leash tension. If she went left, I would go right, and if she went right, I went left. She is still learning but is making progress. I will remain working on it with Lulu, as Heel will now be applied on every walk we go on from here on out. Lulu did not want to eat, but I will leave her kibble out in her kennel in case she gets hungry.

Lulu was introduced to her recall today which is known as Come to Sit. This technique consists of having Lulu come towards my right side, go around behind me, and Sit on my left. Lulu understood the word, but would only come towards my front or sides and not Sit. To help her go around behind me and have her Sit on my left, I used leash tension as guidance to have her follow through. Lulu caught on to what I was asking quickly, but was having trouble with her Sit. On a few occasions, she would Sit behind me, and anytime it occurred, I would take a step forward and guide her towards my left and ask her to Sit. She is doing very well with it, but needs more practice, so I will keep working on it with her on a consistent basis.

Lulu was introduced to Place today. This technique consists of having Lulu getting onto an elevated object and remaining there in a Sit or Down. It can also be associated with her bed or her kennel. It can be of great use when there is a knock on your door or if you have guests over. It can also serve a great purpose for building confidence in a dog. To teach Lulu, I began with a low level object that is not difficult to work through. I introduced it to her by walking her towards it, followed by leash tension to guide her onto it. She was very hesitant at first, and went around the object, which is understandable when teaching a new behavior. I then reset, and repeated the process. This time, she was able to Place her front legs on the object. I rewarded her with lots of praise and released her with a “Break,” which is her free word to be a dog. Once Lulu remained consistent after a few reps, I then began to apply a little more leash tension in order to have her back legs get onto the object. She did very well and was able to fully Place after a couple of attempts. We then moved on to a higher object and made the same approach. She became nervous and did not want to do it. We took a breather to help her reach a calm relaxed state, and restarted our session. With some verbal encouragement, her kibble, and leash guidance, Lulu was able to follow through. I will continue practicing on different objects with different textures, which will help Lulu build her confidence more. She did not want to eat dinner, so I will add some pumpkin to her kibble and leave it out for her.

Lulu and I have been working on her Door Manners. She would always want to be the first one through whenever a door was opened. To teach her into not doing so, I began walking her towards a door and asked her to Sit or Down. Once in position, I proceeded to open the door slowly, and at the same time keeping my eye on her in case she made an intent of getting up. If that were to happen, I would close the door and repeat the process as needed until she followed through. Once the door was opened and she remained in position, I stepped out first and waited a few seconds before releasing her with a “Break.” Once I saw consistency in Lulu, I gradually increased her duration with added distance. She continues to progress everyday we work on it, and is learning to remain in her stationary position whenever a door is open.

Lulu and I went out for a walk around the neighborhood today and we practiced her stationary positions with distance and duration. I was also able to work with dog distractions in the area as they would bark from their yards. While practicing her Sit, she did come out of it as soon as a dog began to bark, as she tried to make an approach and interact with it. I worked her through it by resetting her, and reminding her to Sit anytime she made an intent. She did very well, and even though she would look over at the pup, she refrained from any kind of reaction towards it. Lulu’s Heel has also made an improvement thanks to our morning and evening walks, and we are now loose leash walking as she remains on my left side during our walks. Lulu has now learned all of her commands and is ready to film her Final, which will be the main focus for the remainder of her Program.

Lulu and I worked on her Final today. Everything that she has learned was pieced together and she did really well. We worked in a public setting with people distractions and is learning not to approach nor try to interact with them as they pass us by. She was a little nervous initially, but throughout our walk, Lulu began to adjust to her surroundings. She is a very bright pup and can be capable of so much more as long as training remains consistent. Gradually exposing her to different environments can also help her reduce her nerves. The following clip is a little peek of Lulu working on her Final video. Enjoy.

Lulu has completed her One Week Board and Train Program. I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity in being her trainer, and I also want to thank you for trusting me while she was under my care. We enjoyed our time together and it was a pleasure to have her in my home. Remember to always remain patient with her training, and above all else, make it fun, and always keep it consistent so that she may become the best pup that she can be. I am looking forward to showing you what she can do. Thank you Lulu!

Lulu | Labradoodle | Corona, CA | In-Training

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