Meet Luna! She's a one year old Husky/Pomeranian Mix from Los Angeles, California here for our Two-Week Board and Train Program. Luna is very sweet, however she likes to pull on her leash, she refuses to come when called, and she has trouble following basic commands in general. She is also very shy when she meets new people and gets anxious when put into new situations. Over the next fourteen days, we'll build Luna's confidence with new people and places, help her with her basic obedience, and teach Luna how to be the best pup she can possibly be! Stay tuned for Luna's two week transformation!
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Pupdate: 1/29/2023
After picking up Luna, we stayed at Pan Pacific Park for a while to get to know each other! She loved to pull on her leash, and try to play with the other dogs, but she was very friendly and sweet! After the park, we went home and I started to get her settled in. She seems to be doing very well so far.
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Pupdate: 1/30/2023
Luna and I went to La Bonita Park today for her first full day of training! She was a bit nervous, in the new space, but she was very friendly toward the other trainers and the other dogs! She actually got excited when some of the trainers came up to her to pet her! We started working on her Heel and Sit commands. It seems like she already knows how to sit, I just want to be a little more responsive when asked, and I'd like her to hold the sit position for longer. For Heel, I want Luna to walk nicely at my left side with her ears at my knee. She's already starting to pick up on this, and she's starting to be able to walk next to me with very little leash tension. Great job Luna!
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Pupdate: 1/31/2023
Luna and I went to Home Depot today for training! She was a little nervous with all of the noises and carts all around her, but she did a good job nonetheless. We worked on her Come To Sit command today. For this command, I want Luna to come to my right side, walk around my legs and sit at my left side with her ears at my knee. She's a little slow with this one, but she seems to be getting the hang of it! Her Heel is progressing well, and she seems to stay in the proper position even when she's a bit nervous.
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Pupdate: 2/1/2023
Luna and I went to Citadel Outlets today for training! She doesn't seem to be bothered by the people or other dogs. She gets distracted a little bit by the dogs, but is pretty good about focusing on her commands when asked. She gets very nervous in new places, though, and today wasn't different. This was the busiest place we've been so far, so I still think she did a great job! We worked on her Place command. For Place, I want Luna to hop up onto and object, such as a bench, and hold her position there. She's getting the hang of it pretty quickly!
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Pupdate: 2/2/2023
Luna and I went to Pan Pacific Park today for training! She was a bit anxious even though she's been there before. She did a great job with all her commands though! We started working on her Down command, and she's learning very quickly. I've been spending a lot of time working on her Come To Sit command as well. She's very good with this already, but one of her main issues is not coming when asked, so I'm really trying to hammer it home. She's doing great!
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Pupdate: 2/3/2023
Luna and I went to The Santa Monica Promenade today for training! Again, she nailed her commands, although she was very anxious. She calmed down for short periods of time, when someone was petting her, or when I gave her treats. In the above video, you can see her do a super job with her commands. At the end of the video, a female trainer comes up to her and pets her. You can tell she really likes this, and this is one of the few times she calms down while in the public space. As soon as we get home each day, she's immediately relaxed, confident, and starts enjoying herself. It's just out in public when the anxiety starts.
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Pupdate: 2/4/2023
Luna and I went to Almansor Park today for training. We started working with the leash dragging. This can give me some idea of how she might behave off leash while still having access to the leash should I need it. She did a pretty good job! She stuck close to me for the most part, and performed all of her commands well. There were still times I felt I needed to step on the leash, so we'll be keeping the leash on for now, but she's heading in the right direction!
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Pupdate: 2/5/2023
Luna continued working with the leash dragging today at Almansor Park. We switched to a smaller leash, to further simulation the sensation of being off leash. She was still a bit nervous, but she did an amazing job today, with no major issues at all. As I have said previously, she gets nervous in public spaces which causes her to sometimes breaks her commands, but it seems when she does so, she breaks toward me. Holding her positions for longer will be our main focus tomorrow, as she's becoming proficient with all the commands. Ideally, she should be able to hold each position for two minutes around distractions.
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Pupdate: 2/6/2023
Luna and I went to Whittier Narrows Park today for training! She did well with her commands with the leash dragging. Her disposition in public area's, however, has led me to the decision that it'll be safer for her to remain on leash. I'll continue to expose her to the outside world to help build her confidence, but I believe that process will take longer than two weeks for Luna. We worked on her durations today, and she was able to hold her Sit, Place and Down commands for quite a while longer than yesterday!
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Pupdate: 2/7/2023
Luna and I went to Almansor Park today for training! She did a good job with all her commands, and she seemed a little less nervous today. We go to Almansor Park quite frequently, which goes to show how much time it can take for Luna to begin to feel comfortable in one of these public spaces. For her Pupdate video today, I wanted to show one of Luna's household manners we've been working on. For food refusal, I'd like Luna to be able to hold a sit or down position when food is placed in front of her. Because Luna isn't particularly food motivated, I made this a little more difficult by dropping treats that she likes around her and the bowl, while asking her to stay focused on me. She's been doing really well with this.
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Pupdate: 2/8/2023
Luna went to Cheviot Hills today! She, again, was very nervous nearly the whole time, but she did a wonderful job with her commands and behaved well. For today's video, a different trainer is working with Luna. By doing this, we can see if Luna is really learning her commands, or if she is only willing to perform them for me. She did a really good job while working with this other trainer! After training, we went to another park near my house where we just played to try to get Luna a little more comfortable.
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Pupdate: 2/9/2023
Luna went to Citadel Outlets today for training! She was just a bit nervous but not as much as other days. She seemed more interested in sniffing the various plants and walls than normal, which I think is great because she's opening up more in this area full of distractions. Later, we went to Almansor Park for fun!
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Pupdate: 2/10/2023
Luna and I went to the Santa Monica Pier today for training! She was pretty nervous, which I expected, because the pier is usually busy. She still did a really good job with all of her commands. In the above video, Luna goes through each of her commands on the pier, and, although nervous, she nails them! After the pier, we went to the park to have a little more fun than she had on the pier.
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Pupdate: 2/11/2023
Luna had a fun day at the park for her last full day of training! She's opening up at the park and allowing herself to play more. For her video today, I wanted to show more of the manners we've been working on. For her greeting manners, I want Luna to sit while she's being petted. Luna seemed to like most people, but sometimes men would intimidate her a little. She's much more confident now, though! For door manners, I want Luna to wait when I open the door, without trying to rush out. For this one, Luna never tried to run out before me, but she always wanted to follow if I walk through without her. She's doing great with this now! For car manners, I want Luna to hop into the car when asked, and walk directly into her kennel. She got the hang of this one very early and didn't have much trouble with it! Luna is so sweet, I'm going to miss having her here. I'm very proud of the progress she's made and the confidence she's built!
