Luna | French Bulldog | Hermosa Beach, Ca | In Training

Robert Steinbach
May 25
14 min read

Updated: Jun 7

Meet Luna! Luna is a 3-year-old French Bulldog with a big personality and even bigger opinions. She’s joined us for our 2-week board and train program to work on turning all that chaotic charm into something a little more... refined.

This sassy little tank has a long to-do list: she's easily distracted, tends to treat walks like a full-body resistance exercise, gets a little too excited when greeting people (and by “a little,” we mean launch mode), and she’s been known to hand out unsolicited love nips when she’s feeling feisty. Oh—and let’s just say her idea of “socializing” with other dogs could use a rebrand.

But beneath the bounce and bravado is a smart girl who just needs some structure, clear boundaries, and a whole lot of consistency. Over the next two weeks, we’ll be helping Luna trade in the chaos for calm, working on leash manners, impulse control, reliable obedience, and a more polite way to say hello.

Stay tuned—this Frenchie’s about to graduate from mayhem to manners.

Pupdate 5/25/2025

Luna has officially joined the crew, and she wasted no time making her presence known. After pick-up, we kicked things off with a quick assessment of her current obedience—and let’s just say she’s more “free spirit” than follower at the moment. She’s pretty unresponsive to most commands right now, but it’s clear she’s intelligent and capable. With structure and consistency, she’ll catch on quickly once we lay down the foundation.

Back at home, we gave her some time to explore and settle into her new space before introducing her to the rest of our pack. She handled it better than expected—not overly thrilled to be around other dogs, but she allowed them to sniff her without issue. She wasn’t interested in sniffing them back (classic Luna), and did throw a few darting moments their way, but everything was manageable and within bounds. We’ll be focusing on helping her have more positive, neutral experiences with other dogs and working toward calmer, more respectful greetings with both pups and people.

As part of her training, we’ve also introduced the e-collar and sent over our tutorial for your reference, so you can follow along and get familiar with how we’re using it to guide and reinforce her obedience.

Day one is in the books—and we’re excited to get to work.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s pupdate!

Pupdate 5/26/2025

Miss Luna was back at it today, and we spent the bulk of her session dialing in the “heel” command. She picked up on the concept quickly—no surprise there, she’s a smart cookie—but she does have a bit of a tendency to lag just behind the ideal position. Nothing major, just her own spin on things. Over the next two weeks, we’ll be tightening up that positioning and building consistency so she learns to stay right where she should be.

Around the house, Luna is continuing to adjust to her new environment and has been spending quality time with our pack. She’s showing a positive attitude overall and is settling in more and more with each passing day. She’s even had a few tail-wagging moments that tell us she’s beginning to feel safe and confident here.

As a quick follow-up to yesterday: When Luna first arrived, she met our neighbor’s dog across the street and got a little nippy at first. After a few leash corrections and redirection, she refocused beautifully, and the behavior stopped right away. Her intros to our own dogs were done slowly, one at a time, and she handled them with surprising grace—no nipping at all. She seemed a little unsure at times, but she kept her cool, allowed for sniffing (and did some herself), and never crossed the line.

Throughout their time together, I made sure to call her back periodically and reward her for checking in and making calm, appropriate choices—which she did more and more with each rep. These moments are key in helping Luna understand that calm = praise, and she’s catching on quickly.

She’s showing us she’s capable of being a well-mannered pup—we’re just here to guide her into it.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s pupdate!

Pupdate 5/27/2025

Luna was back in action today, and we took the training field trip to a local park for a joint session with a few OffLeash SoCal trainers and their dogs. The goal was to work on greeting manners in a higher-distraction environment, and Luna handled herself better than expected. She met four new dogs and, for the first time, showed no signs of nipping or reactivity.

While she still seemed a little unsure at moments, she held it together well and followed my lead without needing any major corrections. It wasn’t perfect, but for Luna, this was a solid step in the right direction.

We continued dialing in her heel command, and I introduced the e-collar today to begin building her understanding of light pressure and responsiveness.

She’s still getting used to it, and while she hasn’t fully connected all the dots yet, she is starting to show glimpses of comprehension. There were moments when she hesitated or drifted off task, but each rep gave her another chance to improve—and she did. The progress is coming in small, steady increments, and that’s all we’re looking for right now.

We also put in work on shaping her “sit” and “come to sit” commands, as well as extending the duration of both her “sit” and “down” positions. She was able to hold position through some mild distractions, though her focus occasionally wavered. Still, she’s showing more understanding each day and slowly building the discipline we want to see. Luna’s definitely got potential, but there’s still plenty of work ahead to turn that potential into consistent, reliable performance.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s Pupdate!

Pupdate 5/28/2025

Today we took Luna back to the park to keep building on her obedience foundation, this time with a strong focus on pairing all her commands with the e-collar. It’s clicking! She’s beginning to understand what’s being asked of her and responding with much more consistency. We’ve started extending her commands—particularly “sit” and “place”—and she’s now holding those positions for 15 to 30 seconds at a time. This kind of duration work is key for helping her develop impulse control, and we’re already seeing a shift in how willing she is to stay put until released.

Another big win today: Luna had positive interactions with other dogs. She encountered several during our park session and didn’t display any signs of aggression—no lunging, growling, or wild jumping. This is a big step for her, and we’ll continue to reinforce calm, polite greetings to make sure this becomes her default behavior.

One thing we did want to flag: Luna has been quite itchy, mostly scratching at the backs of her front legs. We’ve noticed this since her arrival. It’s not interfering with training at the moment, but we’ll keep monitoring and want to make sure you’re aware in case it’s something she’s been dealing with at home.

She’s progressing each day, and we’re excited to keep shaping her into a more focused, polite version of her spunky self.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s pupdate!

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Pupdate 05/29

Luna’s training session today focused on three core behaviors: “come to sit,” “place,” and “down.” While she’s showing enthusiasm and a willingness to work, she’s currently having a bit of difficulty putting all the pieces together. This isn’t unusual at this point in the training process, though she is slightly behind where we’d typically expect her to be. That said, every dog learns at their own pace, and Luna is no exception. I’ll be spending additional time and running extra repetitions with her over the next few days to help her catch up and build more clarity around each command.

Despite the challenges, Luna continues to make incremental progress each day. My goal is to help her reach a point where everything starts to “click,” ideally within the next day or two. Once she has a stronger grasp of the individual commands and their sequencing, I’ll begin to focus more on extending the duration of each task—ensuring she can hold a “down” or remain on “place” until she’s released with the “break” command. Right now, the emphasis is on consistency, clarity, and helping Luna understand not just the behavior being asked of her, but also the importance of following through and holding that position until told otherwise.

At home, you can continue supporting her progress by practicing the same commands in short, focused sessions—aim for 5 to 10 minutes at a time, a few times a day. It’s crucial to follow through with every command given: if Luna is asked to “down,” she must stay in that position until she hears the “break” release. If she gets up early, calmly guide her back into position and reset the command. This helps reinforce accountability and builds reliability in her obedience. Keep the sessions positive and structured, and remember to reward her for both effort and correctness—consistency and follow-through are key to helping Luna make meaningful, lasting progress.

Pupdate 5/29/2025

Keep the sessions positive and structured, and remember to reward her for both effort and correctness—consistency and follow-through are key to helping Luna make meaningful, lasting progress.

Stay tuned for tomorrows Pupdate!

Pupdate 5/30/2025

Luna is officially in her training era. Today we continued reinforcing all of her obedience commands, and it’s clear she’s starting to get it. Her response to “sit” and “place” has become increasingly reliable, and the best part? She’s now following through with minimal to no stimulation from the e-collar. That tells us she’s beginning to internalize what’s expected and can stay on task even without the extra reminder.

We’ll continue building on that foundation by increasing the duration of her commands and layering in more distractions so she can practice holding focus under pressure. This is where training goes from learned to lived—and Luna is on her way.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s pupdate!

Pupdate 5/31/2025

Luna had another productive day of training and continues to make steady progress. While she’s still working through some of her initial impulsiveness, we’re seeing clear improvements—especially with her “sit” and “place” commands, which are becoming more consistent and reliable. She’s starting to understand what’s being asked of her and is showing a growing willingness to engage, though she still needs reminders here and there to stay focused.

Her recall still has room for improvement, so we’ll continue layering in more reps to build stronger follow-through.

Tomorrow, we’ll start increasing the challenge by introducing more distractions to help solidify her focus in busy environments. Luna’s showing she can manage the basics—now it’s time to test that progress and help her develop real-world reliability.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s pupdate!

Pupdate 6/1/2025

Today I took Luna on a field trip to Lowe’s hardware store to give her an opportunity to practice her new skills in an environment with new distractions like people, dogs and forklifts. Luna was a little intimidated when we walked in but she was walking in the heel position next to me. We went over to the lumber aisle and I found a low stack of plywood for her to practice her “place” command. It took some convincing and I had to start by placing her front paws on the stack and give her some love before lifting her up. After a few round of that she figured out the game and was jumping up there on her own. Once she was comfortable I started extending the amount of time I had her stay there until she was released and we got to about a minute which is great at this stage. She probably could have gone longer but I wanted to ensure we ended on a positive note and that I was able to release her before she got up on her own.

From there I started working on her recall with some “come to sit” drills. She is improving a little every day and still needs the occasional coaxing with leash pressure or e collar to get into position. She did however, give me two or 3 where she came around me on her own and sat. That’s progress for Luna and we will look to build more on that tomorrow.

After our training in the lumber aisle we went on a “heel” walk around the store. She met several people and did a great job not jumping on them. She’s still working on staying seated while greeting but the more exposure to people she has over the next week, the more we will be able to practice it. She also met two very small yorkies when walking through the garden section and had a great interaction. All sniffing and no posturing, lunging or nipping and we moved on after 10 seconds or so and I rewarded her for the great behavior. Her interactions with other dogs has come a long way and she’s looking great.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s update!

Pupdate 6/2/2025

Luna spent today at the park for structured training in a new setting—giving her the chance to practice her commands around other dogs and more distractions. As we’ve observed, Luna tends to hit her limit quickly, so our sessions were kept short and frequent to keep her engaged without overwhelming her.

She’s doing better socially, especially around other dogs. While she isn’t necessarily eager to play or engage, she no longer shows signs of aggression during introductions. That said, it’s important to watch her body language closely and always initiate these interactions with you clearly in charge. Helping her feel safe and supported is key to avoiding any escalation in those moments.

As far as her obedience work, Luna continues to struggle with consistent follow-through. She’s aware of what’s being asked but chooses when (or if) she wants to follow through. Because of this, we want to be transparent as I mentioned in my email, that off-leash freedom is not a safe or realistic option for her at this time. Her recall is unreliable, and she needs heavy guidance, even in controlled settings. We’ll continue to do our absolute best over the remainder of her stay to help her build more consistency with her new obedience commands but she will need clear, ongoing leadership and structure at home to reinforce everything we’re working on.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s pupdate!

Pupdate 6/3/2025

Today we got back to basics and pulled out the secret weapon…Chicken! I finally found something that motivates her and it made a big impact on her follow through during training.

I did most of today’s training without a leash and without the e collar and she was able to complete each task. Eventually. It’s definitely a big step in the right direction. I think the positive food motivation is much more valuable to her than any of the e collar training so far. The e collar is still a valuable training tool and I will start phasing it back in in conjunction with the treat training using the chicken and hopefully we can get some solid training sessions out of her over the next few days.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s Pupdate!

Pupdate 6/4/2025

Luna had a focused day of training today, starting with a session dedicated to reinforcing her door manners. This is an area where she tends to do well—her ability to stay in place made the transition to threshold drills fairly smooth. We practiced walking in and out of the door while she remained in a sit or place, and she handled it with impressive self-control. It’s clear she understands what’s expected of her here and is capable of maintaining composure when properly guided.

Later in the day, we headed out for one of our daily walks to continue refining her heel. Luna generally does well with this—she doesn’t pull and knows where her position should be. That said, as mentioned previously, her energy levels drop off quickly. After a couple of blocks, she starts to lag behind, not out of defiance, but simple exhaustion. A gentle verbal reminder to “heel” usually brings her back into position, but her stamina continues to be a limiting factor in how much ground we can cover at once.

To give her some social variety, we’ve started joining a local group of neighborhood dogs and their owners during our walks. This has been a great opportunity for Luna to practice polite greetings. While she’s very interested in saying hello, her interactions have been appropriate—curious and friendly without signs of overstimulation or aggression, even when meeting new dogs.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s pupdate!

Pupdate 6/5/2025

Today was all about building Luna’s social confidence in new environments. We took her on an outing to a local dog beach—an opportunity to meet new dogs, take in new sights, and practice her commands in a more stimulating setting.

From the moment we loaded up for the trip, it was clear that change in routine puts Luna a bit on edge. The longer car ride had her visibly anxious, and her body language remained alert and unsure as we got out of the car. Once we arrived, we took a few moments to ground her with some simple obedience drills—redirecting her focus to what she knows helped ease her into the new setting.

Her first dog interaction reflected that early anxiety, as she initially reacted with some tension. But a calm verbal “off” paired with a leash correction was all it took to redirect her energy, and from there, Luna had a series of much smoother, more appropriate greetings with the other dogs we encountered. She even walked alongside several of them comfortably, showing that with guidance and reassurance, she can adapt well.

We also used our time at the beach to work on her heel, walking short distances both in structured position and more loosely while she explored. She remained responsive to cues and kept her cool with people and dogs alike—big progress given how much the day threw at her.

As we’ve mentioned before, Luna will continue to need structure and leadership, especially in unfamiliar situations. Once she’s home, it’ll be important to stay tuned into any shifts in her body language that might signal discomfort. The key will be redirecting her focus early so she can continue building positive associations and confidence in new environments.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s pupdate!

Pupdate 6/6/2025

Today we teamed Luna up with a fellow Off Leash trainee for a public training session focused on reinforcing all her commands with added distraction—and a bit of healthy peer pressure. The idea was to expose Luna to another dog consistently following commands and use that energy to boost her own reliability.

And it worked! With another pup modeling strong obedience beside her, Luna was much more dialed in. She walked in a beautiful heel and followed through on her “come to sit” command with consistency and focus. These are two areas where she’s made real, measurable progress.

Her “sit” and “down” commands, however, are still a work in progress. They’re not quite reliable yet and often take quite a bit of convincing before she commits. Once she is in “place,” though, she holds it fairly well until given the “break” cue—definitely one of her stronger commands at this stage.

A highlight of the outing was how well she did socially. Luna met several new dogs today, greeted each one politely, and even allowed a few sweet kisses without any sign of tension. These positive interactions are encouraging and continue to build her confidence in social settings.

We’ll keep pushing for more reliability with her remaining commands, and we’re proud of how far she’s come already.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s pupdate!

Pupdate 6/7/2025

Today was Luna’s last day of training—and what better way to wrap things up than with her “final exam” at Shoreline Village! With all its distractions (dogs, people, bikes, skateboards, go-carts, foghorns… you name it), it was the perfect setting to test everything she’s learned over the last two weeks.

While Luna’s stubborn streak hasn’t completely vanished (classic Frenchie energy!), she’s following through on her commands much more reliably. Her heel is especially impressive—calm, focused, and right in sync with her handler. She also held her place command like a champ, no matter what was going on around her.

Socially, she’s continued to shine. Whether on- or off-leash, Luna has consistently met new dogs with polite greetings and zero signs of reactivity, which is a huge milestone.

We’re incredibly proud of how far Luna has come. Tomorrow during turnover, we’ll walk you through all of her new commands and her e-collar, and you’ll have the chance to practice everything together so you feel confident continuing her training at home. With consistency and leadership, Luna will only keep getting better.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s turnover—and get ready to see your girl in action!

Luna | French Bulldog | Hermosa Beach, Ca | In Training

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