Meet Meeko! He is a 4 month old Malinois from Wilmington, California here for our Two Week Board and Train program! Meeko is a friendly and playful pup who has a tendency to be very bitey and gets overexcited with new guests/friends and pee's. Over the next two weeks, Meeko will learn how to behave on leash and off leash, how to properly greet people and other dogs, and how to be the best pup he can be! Stay tuned for Meeko's Two week transformation!
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Pupdate 02/13/23
Meeko and I spent some time at a local park to see what he knew. He was curious with all the new smells and wanted to sniff and pull around. He struggled getting into a sit or down and had a tendency to bark at other dogs. We then headed home and let him get acclimated to his new environment. He is so sweet and playful and has settled in well. Today we focused on bonding and building a relationship, tomorrow we will get started training!
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Pupdate 02/14/23
Meeko and I headed off to a couple local parks to introduce the remote collar and his come to sit command. When I ask him to come to me I need him to come all the way to me on my left side, and pop into a sit for me. He picked up on things quickly so we started to add some more distance and duration to this command. We used some of his breakfast as a way to lure him into these positions as we teach him what is expected. He did bark at every dog and person that passed by so over the next few days as we gain his focus and attention we will be able to push him through that! He is a blast to work with and a bright young pup.
_______________________________________________ Pupdate 02/15/23
Meeko and I headed off to meet up with some other trainers and work around some new distractions. When we first arrived Meeko barked up a storm and wanted to chase the leaves, skateboarders and bicycle riders. After about 15 minutes he paid little to no mind to the people passing but still did lose his focus at times when a leaf blew by. Today we worked on tightening up his come to sit command and his heel command. On the concrete he walks well but on the grass he gets distracted much easier with the smells. He did have an accident in his kennel this morning on the way to the park after already going.
_______________________________________________ Pupdate 02/16/23
Meeko and I headed off to a couple local parks to work around some new distractions. When we first got started he had a tendency to bark at anybody new that came by but within 5 minutes he got into the swing of things. Today we focused on his down command which he has picked up quickly. We also worked on his come to sit command in a big field with the leash dragging. He does well with his “heel” command but does still get distracted at times when a leaf blows by or a new distraction appears. A tap on the remote and he gets back into position quickly. He is a superstar and a blast to work with!
_______________________________________________ Pupdate 02/17/23
Meeko and I headed off to a couple different parks with some more distractions today. He did much better today and we were able to successfully pass multiple dogs and people with no barking or reaction. There was a group of kids who rode by quickly on bicycles which startled him and started his barking again but I was able to regain his focus quickly. Today we worked on dragging the leash with all commands and starting to phase out treats for every command. I will still reward him but I am moving away from being a pez dispenser now that he understands everything being asked. He is a smart pup and a blast to work with!
_______________________________________________ Pupdate 02/18/23
Meeko and I headed off to a couple new parks and then Home Depot today! Our main focus was to start adding in some higher distractions for Meeko. The busier parks we went to he was very successful and did not bark one time today and followed through with all of his commands well! New place objects are still a work in progress at times due to him being uncomfortable on higher objects, but we are usually able to work him through that within a minute or two. We then headed to Home Depot, he was a bit more timid and had a tendency to want to avoid the shopping carts rolling by him. After about 5 minutes he got into the swing of things but seemed extra tired from a day full of training so we just focused on him holding his downs with people passing by!
_______________________________________________ Pupdate 02/19/23
Meeko and I headed off to a couple new parks and Home Depot today. In the video he is a bit tired from a full day of training so you may see him fall behind at times. He did fantastic around all the new people he saw today and was a superstar at holding his positions. He still struggled getting on new place objects at times but is improving. At times when he sees new dogs he still gets over excited and wants to go say hello so we will focus on working around some more dog distraction along with that socialization. Meeko is a favorite everywhere we go and is a blast to work with!
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Pupdate 02/20/23
Meeko and I headed off to a local park this morning to work on all of his commands dragging the leash. He did much better with his heel command today and needed little to no reminders. We then headed home to work on his crate manners. This is very important for a young puppy for a couple different reasons. Safety is always important, so if we are on a tight busy street we know that Meeko is not bolting out as soon as the door is open. It also helps his mindset continue practicing that impulse control which will create a calm happy pup!
_______________________________________________ Pupdate 02/21/23
Meeko and I headed off to a lower distraction park this morning to start proofing all of his commands off leash. He did fantastic following through with all of his commands and I was very pleased with his come command when he was running around on a break. We have continued phasing out treats but will still continue to reward him from time to time to reinforce how great of a job he is doing and that we want him to continue that! I did notice today that he wanted to sniff a lot more than usual and needed some reminders to stay in his heel command when working off leash. Overall he is making great progress and over the next few days we will work on tightening up some commands and layering in some more distractions off leash.
_______________________________________________ Pupdate 02/22/23
Meeko and I got started this morning at a couple local parks and worked on all of his commands dragging the leash. We then headed off to Lowes to find some more distractions as we could not find anyone today! He was pretty tired by the time we went to Lowes so he is moving a bit slower and sloppier than usual but still did fantastic. He walked like a champ, paid no attention to the dogs barking at him in the store and got many compliments. He did struggle a bit today with his place command, getting on and off new objects so that will be our main focus tomorrow.
_______________________________________________ Pupdate 02/23/23
Meeko and I headed off to a local park this morning and then to Hollywood to work around some distractions on and off leash. Meeko did fabulous today and even had a group of barking dogs pass him that he paid little to no mind to! He did struggle a bit holding his sit command for extended periods and had a tendency to lay down halfway through. While sometimes the pups do get tired this was when we had just started and is a bit lazy and him checking out. Over the next few days we will focus on him holding his sit command for extended periods along with working on getting him up on some new place objects.
_______________________________________________ Pupdate 02/24/23
Meeko and I headed off to a local park this morning and then back home to dry off. While at home we worked on his food manners along with holding place for extended periods of time. He did great with his food manners as we have practiced having him wait for his food daily. This shows him that he can’t just go straight to eating his food and that he needs to wait until I release him. Holding place is important for a young pup to learn for a couple different reasons. It helps teach him impulse control and how to practice being calm, along with giving him a place to go to when we have guests come over so he does not have the opportunity to get overexcited and pee or jump on new guests.
_______________________________________________ Pupdate 02/25/23
Meeko and I had a small window of no rain and headed off to a local park first thing this morning. The rain started coming down heavy so we finished our session and headed off to Lowes. Our main focus the past two days has been working on duration and distance with his sit and down command. As stated in a previous pupdate Meeko had a tendency to want to drop into a down when asked to sit after a short period of time. Over the past few days Meeko has mastered that sit means sit and down means down. Tomorrow we have a break in the rain and are headed off to find some higher distractions for him!
_______________________________________________ Pupdate 02/26/23
Meeko and I headed off to a local outlet to work on all of his commands off leash. He did fantastic today and only broke his down one time when a group of kids came by yelling. We then headed home to work on his door manners. This is vital for a young puppy to understand that even if the front door is open he can not bolt out. If I need to grab groceries or something heavy from the car and need to leave my door open for a short period I don’t want to have to worry about Meeko running out. He has mastered this command and is looking forward to showing off all his new skills tomorrow!
