Lyra | German Shepherd Mix | Los Angeles, CA | In-Training
- Scott Hansen
- Apr 5
- 19 min read
Updated: Apr 25
Meet Lyra! Lyra is an almost six-year-old German Shepherd Mix here for our Three-Week Reactive Board and Train Program. Lyra is a nice pup; however, she does display several unwanted behaviors. Lyra has poor leash manners, will not recall, and has highly inconsistent obedience. Lyra has also displayed reactivity towards certain triggers while on walks. Lyra can perform a command or two with proper motivation; however, she lacks structure and will perform the tasks whenever she feels like it. Over the next twenty-one days, Lyra is going to learn to be an obedient pup through consistent, clear communication and balanced training at home and by discovering new people and places. Lyra will learn to perform all these things on leash through a positive and balanced training environment. Through structure and consistency, Lyra will demonstrate how great a pup she can be! Stay tuned for Lyra’s three-week transformation!
Lyra | German Shepherd Mix | Pupdate 04/05/26
Today, Ms. Lyra joined me for her Three-Week Reactive Board and Train Program. On the way home, we stopped at a local park to see what commands Mr. Lyra could perform. She did not do very well! But I think you know that, and that's why she's here. After I tested her skills, we had a mini photoshoot for her profile picture for her blog. I don't know if you know this, but as soon as dogs see a phone or camera in front of their face, you are now invisible to them, and they must ignore you at all costs. Once we got what we needed, we loaded up and headed to Ms. Lyra's temporary residence for the next three weeks. Ms. Lyra had no issues with the car ride or loading in and out.
Once we got home, I let Ms. Lyra smell Ms. Toji through the front gate. Ms. Toji was excited to see Ms. Lyra. Ms. Lyra showed excitement and interest in Ms. Toji. Ms. Lyra had no problems coming to the house. As a matter of fact, she jumped on the door (we’ll be working on her door manners!) I let her explore each room and meet everyone. Throughout the introductions, Ms. Lyra showed no adverse reactions. I took Ms. Lyra outside to meet Ms. Toji. Mr. Lyra was excited to meet Ms. Toji. I think Ms. Lyra and Ms. Toji will be fine hanging out with each other. I tossed a few balls around, and they both chased after them. No issues with playing time.
We then went on a long walk around the block so that she could get used to the sights, sounds, and scents of her temporary new neighborhood. She had no issues with walking around the block. She walked ok on the leash. She was super interested in and not too stubborn when sniffing things she enjoyed. I noticed that she is even licking the “hot spots”. She went ahead occasionally and lagged at times, but mostly stopped to investigate some dog “hot spots” and was willing to keep walking. She mostly ignored all the other dogs in the houses that barked at us as we went around. She did set a new record for laying down on the short walk. The old record was 0 times, and she did it 3 times! We will be working on Ms. Lyra’s conditioning with the amount of work and play we will be conducting.
I can see that she is a gentle pup. I expect to see her work well with the structure and positive reinforcement. With clear, persistent communication and expectations, she will learn to be a well-mannered pup!
I gave her dinner and observed how much she eats. I keep track of her weight and will ensure that she maintains her weight while she is with me.
I've attached the e-collar familiarization video. Please review the video a few times before Ms. Lyra's turnover. We'll practice together to make sure you are comfortable with the system before using it with Ms. Lyra. I will introduce the e-collar for tomorrow’s training.
Lyra | German Shepherd Mix | Pupdate 04/06/26
Today, Ms. Lyra and I headed over to Klingerman Park in Rosemead to meet up with our fellow Off Leash SoCal trainers and their pups. I decided to just go with the prong collar for today after spending the evening with Ms. Lyra. I think she and I are getting along well. She listens and performs her commands, albeit briefly for now, but she can perform quite a few.
For today, I wanted to gauge her reactivity to the various other dogs, male and female trainers, and other stimuli. Overall, she had no major issues today. I did see her try to put her head over one of our owners' dogs, in an assertive, dominating way, but I used the collar and stopped that behavior with the leash pressure. We focused on having her "sit" and ignore everything else around us. I also focused on not letting her sniff whenever she wanted to. When we walk from place to place, she is not allowed to put her head down to sniff. That comes with leash pressure and an "Off!". I was also able to introduce the "place" and reinforce her "down". She knows "sit" and "down," but is highly inconsistent in duration. Today was duration, duration, duration around all the stimuli. She showed no signs of overstimulation with everything going on. I had several of our male trainers come by and say hi to her. She had no adversity to any of them. She even drank some water when I poured it out for her.
I've also started to introduce and work on her "door manners." This is where she needs to "sit" and wait at the door for me to open it prior to allowing her to go through the door. Once again, she will perform the "sit," but the duration is lacking. Also, she will pop up when the door is opened slightly. Going forward, she can not go through a door unless I give her the "sit" and allow her to go out. This foundational skill will transfer over to other areas, such as car manners, greeting strangers, and waiting patiently for her food.
She is getting along well with Ms. Toji. She slept well in her crate last night without any issues. She has also devoured all of her food. She licks the bowl clean! We are off to a good start!
Lyra | German Shepherd Mix | Pudpate 04/07/26
Today I took the opportunity to introduce Ms. Lyra to the e-collar system. I started by playing with the ball and no e-collar. Then I loosely put the e-collar on and kept playing. Then I put the e-collar snug around her neck so that there was good contact with her skin. She does have a lot of fur, and we want a nice, snug fit to avoid having to go too high on the e-collar. I then start at 0 and work up 5 levels at a time until I find a consistent level that Ms. Lyra acknowledges. She showed her first sign at level 5. I then went up another five, and she showed no signs. I got to level 20, and she showed signs again. I then worked my way back down to 5, where she was still showing signs of the stimulation. This is a brand new sensation that she has never felt before, and it can be a little confusing. I left it at level 5 for now. I then worked on a few commands with her. I wound up only using the vibrate feature to assist me, but even that was a lot for the first day, so I went ahead and took the e-collar off. I didn't use the prong collar today because introducing the e-collar is a lot for one day. I had my mini-trainer out there with me as a distraction.
Ms. Lyra's duration is a problem, as she could only keep her commands for about thirty seconds maximum before she would get up. We are going to have to build her up to two minutes and beyond by being consistent, persistent, and clear in the communication of our expectations of what we want from her.
I did notice that she was quick to give up the ball if I touched her ear. She wasn't reactive but was not a fan of that. This is important to know when meeting new people, especially little people, as we don't want to unnecessarily upset her if we don't need to.
She's eating all her food, getting along well with Ms. Toji, and has had no issues in and out of her crate!
Lyra | German Shepherd Mix | Pupdate 04/08/26
Today, Ms. Lyra and I headed over to Rynerson Park in Lakewood, CA, to review all her commands in a public setting. I utilized the e-collar in conjunction with the prong collar. The training session went well. We are going to have to split up duration and distance. The duration of her commands is one factor we want to work on while she is with me. She still wants to pop up around 30 seconds. The pop-up happens even faster as I move away from her. This means that the further I move away, distance is going to be a separate variable I work on. This is fine as we have plenty of time. Her "heel" looked really nice today. Her head was up and not attempting to smell everything at the park. She performed her "place" and "down" on the cot without attempting to smell everything.
When we were done with reviewing all the commands, I went ahead and gave her a good brushing. This type of grooming helps build our relationship and shows her that it's not all about obedience, and when she performs her tasks, good things happen.
We are still working on her door manners when we leave the house, and that is also a work in progress. As soon as the door moves even a little bit, she pops up from her "sit". This is taking some time, but as long as I am consistent and persistent in my communication and expectations of Ms. Lyra, she will continue to improve on this skill.
Lyra | German Shepherd Mix | Pupdate 04/09/26
Today, Ms. Lyra and I headed over to Liberty Park in Cerritos, CA, to review all of her commands around medium distractions. There were people playing pickleball, tennis, and people still working out from their New Year's Resolutions, a small number of kids at the playground, and a few others walking their pups around.
We reviewed all of her commands to start off our session. She did much better at duration today. We pushed her "sit" and "down" to 90 seconds or more. I did notice some drooling towards the end when performing the extended "down". This is a sign of stress. She is learning to manage her impulses, and it can be mentally exhausting and stressful for a pup. I gave her lots of love and praise when we finished because I was really proud of her progress today.
While performing the "heel" back and forth, I was looking for any signs of reactivity or aggression towards any of the people running around the track. I saw none. I also focused on not letting her sniff things unnecessarily. When her head goes down, she gets an "off" and leash pressure. When I give her the "break!" command, she can go sniff and do whatever dog things she pleases, but not until then. After the training on video, we walked the entire park and focused on keeping her head up and disengaged from smelling every little thing.
Once we had completed reviewing her tasks, I went ahead and took care of her daily brushing. She does have a lot of hair! I expect it to be the same amount of hair each time we do this, but once again, it's a good way to bond and keep Ms. Lyra looking nice.
Good job today, Ms. Lyra!!
Lyra | German Shepherd Mix | Pupdate 04/10/26
Today, Ms. Lyra and I headed over to our local Home Depot. Overall, she was a little overwhelmed but performed ok. Her "sit" and "down" are consistently lasting more than a minute, so we are making progress on that front. The e-collar, even on vibration or low levels, tends to overstimulate her. I didn't use the prong collar to see how she would do since I observed the drooling yesterday at the park, and I don't want her to shut down while we are training. The e-collar, plus the mental stress of deciding not to literally stop and smell the flowers (no roses), is a lot for her. It's clear that she is used to doing what she wants to do, and now that she is being conditioned to perform her tasks, it is mentally challenging for her. I still have yet to see her react towards anyone or anything at the various places we visit. I am going to take her to a park that notoriously has a lot of squirrels and see if that catches her attention. I am also going to take her to my local mall and see how she responds to the people there. I haven't seen her react towards a male, males with black shirts, or even anyone wearing a hat. I haven't seen her lunge or bark at other dogs; rather, she is focused on her tasks. It could be because I am ensuring that she is staying on task that I am not seeing that behavior from her, but so far, she has been a pleasure to work with. We need to build up her confidence, duration, and consistency, but we are heading in the right direction!
Lyra | German Shepherd Mix | Pupdate 04/11/26
Today, Ms. Lyra and I focused on her manners around the house. We reviewed her door manners and car manners.
We teach two types of door manners. The first method is the most frequently used and most important tool that you will use when you return home with Ms. Lyra. This method involves having Ms. Lyra perform a "sit" at a closed door. We then open the door. We either go through the door or say "ok" and have Ms. Lyra go through the door with us. She is not allowed to go through the door before us or without our permission. This does not mean that if she sees an open door, she will not run out of the door. This is a highly foundational, structured process.
The second method involves having Ms. Lyra perform a "place" and "down" on a cot or dog bed near the door. This method is intended to have Ms. Lyra patiently wait while we greet guests or go in and out to check the mail, take out the trash, or bring in groceries, etc. Her job is to hang out there while we go in and out of the house, with the door remaining open or opening and closing.
The last skill we reviewed for you, on camera, is her "Load Up!" command. Ms. Lyra has had no issues getting in and out of the vehicle. Once again, the structure is to have her perform a "sit" and then give her the "Load Up!" command, and then she may enter the vehicle.
Ms. Lyra's duration continues to be our focal point with all these commands. As you can see, when we performed the "place" and "down" commands at the door, Ms. Lyra popped up a few times. No worries! We just reset her and started over again. She figured it out, and she performed well! Duration, duration, duration, duration is going to be the name of the game for Ms. Lyra.
Lyra | German Shepherd Mix | Pupdate 04/12/26
Today, the focus with Ms. Lyra was to reinforce her duration with limited distractions around. She did amazing! We made it to over two minutes for the extended "sit" and "down". I am really proud of her! We do need to practice and reinforce her "come-to-sit" and get a more solid "heel" from her. She knows both of these commands but still makes mistakes. She's about 50% in carrying out these commands.
This week, look to see us at the park with the squirrels, the mall, and other public places!
Lyra | German Shepherd Mix | Pupdate 04/13/26
Today, Ms. Lyra went to the Los Cerritos Center in Cerritos, CA. It was an amazing day at the mall! I still have not seen any triggers or adverse behavior from her. We practiced her extended "place" and extended "down" on a bench. She took a minute to get comfortable, and then she locked in for almost a full two minutes. We worked on her "heel" throughout the mall. We walked over to a carpeted area so that she could perform an extended "sit". It took a few reminders, but then she was good for almost another two minutes! We then practiced her "come-to-sit" a few times at the mall. We need to practice this one a lot more. Overall, another really good day of training for Ms. Lyra!!
Lyra | German Shepherd Mix | Pupdate 04/14/26
Today, Ms. Lyra and I headed over to Rynerson Park to continue to work on her commands in public places. Once again, she displayed zero adversity to any of the stimuli at the park. We went through the routine of regular commands and working on her duration. Her duration is still a thing to be worked on. The good thing is that she's not getting up to leave but rather to come to me. I introduced working with the treats today to help get us over the one to ninety-second hump of her duration. I don't want to rely on the treats too much, as Ms. Lyra is a foodie already. I did rely on the treats in reinforcing the "come-to-sit," and I will be using them as much as possible in the foreseeable future. This task simply requires more practice and more reinforcement. I believe she can get it, but it will take some practice. Other than mastering that command, Ms. Lyra is right on track to be an even greater pup!
I went ahead and brushed Ms. Lyra thoroughly again today. As a German "shedder", she will always have excessive fur, but I am enjoying our grooming time. I may be a dog trainer and not a professional groomer, but I know how to brush a dog's hair. Her coat is looking shiny, soft, and elegant!
Lyra | German Shepherd Mix | Pupdate 04/15/26
Today, Ms. Lyra and I headed over to El Dorado Park in Long Beach, CA, to look for squirrels! We started with a quick review of all her commands, to include practicing her "come-to-sit." As you can see, I let the leash hang out on the ground and meandered around the park while she was performing her extended "place", "sit", and "down". Her "come-to-sit" is highly inconsistent. She will recall but not perform the rest of the task. This will be one of our primary focuses over the next few days.
After the video, we headed over to the skate park, where she had no issues. We walked around looking for squirrels and found a couple. She saw them. Perked up. And carried on with our walk without issues. I didn't see any reactivity such as barking, lunging, or any other adverse behavior. We then headed to the baseball/softball fields and walked through the seating areas where there were kids, other dogs, sports parents, softball, and baseball practice going on, and Ms. Lyra diligently stayed in her "heel" and had no issues with anything going on.
Great work, Ms. Lyra!
Lyra | German Shepherd Mix | Pupdate 04/16/26
Today, we headed over to Liberty Park in Cerritos, CA, to review Ms. Lyra's commands. The review went rapidly and easily. Ms. Lyra is doing so much better with all of her commands and holding the duration. I've built in the distance by being able to drop the leash and walk away from her. She's been doing great with the distance! I even introduced recall to "heel" to challenge her while we have another week together. Lastly, we reviewed "come-to-sit" several times at various distances. She is a little confused about this task still. I might need to just practice in the backyard and make it extra clear on what the expectations are. She is super smart and eager to please, and I know she can do it.
We skipped the brushing today because it appears that I left my brush at Rynerson Park. I ordered a new one, and it will be here tomorrow.
Lyra | German Shepherd Mix | Pupadate 04/17/26
Today, Ms. Lyra and I focused on her house manners. She is doing amazingly well with all her commands. As you can see in today's video, she has vastly improved in patiently waiting at the door for me to allow her to go through. This is because we have reinforced her "sit" everywhere each day. We also practice the door manners every single day when we go places to train and when she needs to go potty. I even left the leash on the ground while I went in and out of the house multiple times to simulate bringing things in. I even "tripped" and dropped the box to see if she would get up, and she stayed! What a great pup! Lastly, her car manners are really locked in. She's doing so great, and I'll keep challenging her. I'll introduce "out" for the tennis ball this final week to help you get the ball back from her.
Lyra | German Shepherd Mix | Pupdate 04/18/26
Today, Ms. Lyra and I headed over to the Los Cerritos Center in Cerritos, CA. I have not seen the parking lot this full since the holidays. It's hard to tell in the video, but each branch of the mall was full of people. You also can't hear the background noise of that many people moving around inside there. This is a lot of stimulation for Ms. Lyra, but she performed so well! I think one of the signs of Ms. Lyra's stress is her licking her lips. She is not sure what to do, and this is a sign to be aware of to ensure she's doing well. We don't have to stop and take her out of this situation, but we should be aware of any possible triggers. We can reassure her and keep her on task. She is a great dog, and we can be strong leaders and help her through it. We reviewed all of her tasks. My favorite part of today was that she let a little girl pet her and say "hi," and she also performed multiple excellent "come-to-sit" commands today.
Lyra | German Shepherd Mix | Pupdate 04/19/26
Today, Ms. Lyra and I headed over to our local Home Depot in Lakewood, CA. There were people in every section, but Ms. Lyra paid them no mind. We continue to reinforce her "come-to-sit". Today were some of her best ones!! After the picture where she's lying down at least 20' from me, I had her perform her "come-to-sit" without me holding the leash, and she executed the command perfectly! Great job, Ms. Lyra!!!
Lyra | German Shepherd Mix | Pupdate 04/20/26
Today, we headed over to Klingerman Park in Rosemead, CA, to meet up with our fellow Off Leash trainers and their pups. Ms. Lyra had no issues with the other pups or other trainers. Ms. Lyra performed all of her commands without issues around all the distractions. She was curious but not reactive towards any of the other pups.
Lyra | German Shepherd Mix | Pupdate 04/21/26
Today, Ms. Lyra and I headed over to our local Petco in Lakewood, CA. This was an interesting trip. This was the most stressed I have seen Ms. Lyra in almost the whole time I have had her. She was all the way in the back of the crate and was excessively panting inside the store. She broke her "down" a few times, which she has been highly consistent with. I gave her plenty of reassurance and was gentle with the commands. I wanted her to have a positive and calm experience. We checked out the toys, birds, cats and even ventured down the treat aisle to test her obedience. She did amazing!! I am very happy with all the progress she has made with me.
Lyra | German Shepherd Mix | Pupdate 04/22/26
Today, we practiced all of Ms. Lyra's commands around the house. For the video, I recruited my mini-trainers to display how well Ms. Lyra is doing with all of her commands. It doesn't matter who is walking her; Ms. Lyra will perform her tasks. I walked with her in the "heel," and then my son and daughter took turns walking her without me right by their side. Although I was managing the e-collar remote from the side, I rarely had to use it. Ms. Lyra had no problems with them leading the way. Ms. Lyra is a sweet pup. Over the next few days, we will be doing comprehensive reviews of all her commands.
Lyra | German Shepherd Mix | Pupdate 04/23/26
Today, we had a comprehensive review of all her manners around the house, including door, car, and food manners. Ms. Lyra was in a mood to say the least. She was not happy about performing the "place" and "down" for the door manners. I went back to basics and used some treats to lure her onto the place cot. A few treats and she was back in the swing of things.
Door manners and car manners went well. Even her food manners went well. Overall, she's been locked in and highly consistent with all of her commands. When she does become a little resistant, just stay persistent with your request. Do not let her get away with not performing the task at hand. Even once can set you back tremendously. She will learn and try to test you repeatedly after that. Then you will conflict with her, as she is confused about when she does or doesn't need to complete the task at hand.
Tomorrow, we are heading back out to the malls and public places for her last few days to make sure she is ready to go home!
Lyra | German Shepherd Mix | Pupdate 04/24/26
Today, Ms. Lyra and I headed over to Rynerson Park in Lakewood, CA, for one last review of her commands before we head back to the mall tomorrow to conduct a comprehensive review of her commands in a busy environment! She is doing well after her minor protests the other day during house manners. I was simply having Ms. Lyra perform a multitude of different "heel" today. I was turning into her, turning away from her, spinning into her, and ensuring that she was cognizant of where I was and held a good "heel". She was like glue and performed so great! Her recall is going well. I think the more distance we have, the easier it is for her. When I am too close to her, she doesn't perform this task very well. I like that she can perform these tasks at a distance of 15-20'. Great job today, Ms. Lyra! One final day of putting it all together, and she's ready to go home!
Lyra | German Shepherd Mix | Pupdate 04/25/26
Today, Ms. Lyra and I headed over to Los Cerritos Center in Cerritos, CA, to conduct one last review of her commands in a public place with medium-level distraction. As I have stated before, she has shown no adversity or reactivity when out and about with me. I only wear black shirts, and she has been very loving towards me. The best part of Ms. Lyra's progress is her respect for, and ability to respond well to, low-level stimulation from the e-collar. One thing I want to remind you about is how snug the e-collar should be on her for it to be effective. I will demonstrate this for you. The snugger it is on her, the lower we can keep the numbers while maintaining her obedience tasks.
Please review the e-collar video from Day 1 before our turnover.
As a reminder, here are the obedience commands that she has learned while with me:
Sit/Extended Sit: Press the black "S" button + say "Sit".
Down/Extended Down: Press the black "S" button + say "Down".
Place/Extended Place: Press the black "S" button + say "Place".
Come-To-Sit: Press the black "S" button + say "Come" + use your hands to guide them into place and say "sit" when they are on your left side.
Heel: Press the black "S" button + say "Heel".
Food Manners/Refusal: The pup must patiently wait in either a "sit" or "down" while you prepare the food and then say "break," allowing the pup to access the food.
Car Manners: Press the black "S" button + say "Load up!"
Door Manners: Place the pup in a "sit", open the door, and then allow the pup to go through with you, or say "ok" and let the pup inside.
"Off" + black button "S" to stop the pup from performing unwanted behavior. Always press the black "S" when using this command.
"Break!" - no stimulation, and the pup can freely sniff or go potty.
We will be reviewing how to perform all these tomorrow during the turnover! We can't wait to show you how much she has learned and how great a pup he will be in the future!
Comments