Pupdate: 1/23/2025
Murphy had a productive day of training at Wilderness Park! We started with a walk around the pond, focusing on her Heel command. While there were moments she wanted to dart out ahead of me, she did a good job overall of sticking by my side.
We also worked on her other basic commands—Come To Sit, Place, and Down. She performed them well but had some difficulty holding her positions for more than a few seconds. To address this, we spent a lot of time practicing and gradually increasing the duration of each command. Murphy is making steady progress, and I can see her getting better each time.
One interesting note: when asked to sit, she sometimes wanted to lay down instead. However, a quick step forward was enough to help her correct her position. She’s learning fast!
As we headed back to the car, Murphy got excited, so we took the opportunity to practice good manners when approaching and entering the vehicle. She calmed down quickly and ended the session on a great note.
Murphy has been a joy to work with and is making great strides in her training. Looking forward to more adventures with her!
Pupdate: 1/24/2025
Murphy went to Almansor Park today for training, which was a much more populated and lively environment compared to where we trained yesterday. The abundance of distractions—geese, ducks, people, kids, and other dogs—made staying focused on me quite a challenge for her.
Murphy is a very happy and curious pup, and while she was able to perform each basic command nearly every time I asked, her excitement often got the better of her. This led to her breaking position or needing several repetitions of a command before she could perform it reliably. While this isn’t unusual for her at this stage, it highlights the need for continued practice in increasingly distracting environments.
One memorable moment during today’s training was her reaction to the park's baseball statue. Murphy was visibly unsettled by it and avoided walking near it at first. Sensing her discomfort, we spent plenty of time around the statue—walking near it, sitting beside it, and simply existing in its presence. My goal was to show her that it wasn’t as scary as it seemed and to help build her confidence in unfamiliar situations.
By the end of the session, while she wasn’t completely comfortable with the statue, she was able to walk past it without pulling away. This was a small but meaningful victory, as I want Murphy to trust me and know that she’ll be safe with me no matter what unfamiliar sights or situations we encounter in the future.
Overall, today’s session was more challenging than yesterday, but Murphy gave her best effort. With patience and consistency, she’s showing steady progress!
Pupdate: 1/25/2025
Today, Murphy and I visited Home Depot to continue her training in a more challenging environment. Compared to yesterday, this setting had tighter spaces and more distractions, but I was impressed with how well she handled herself.
Murphy was initially a bit on edge, especially in the lumber section where the loud noises seemed to catch her off guard. She also got distracted at times by other people walking around, but she showed great improvement by sticking close to me almost the entire time. Her Heel command was noticeably better today—while there were still moments when her excitement got the better of her, she was able to calm down quickly and refocus to continue walking.
We also had the chance to work on her greeting manners when a couple of people stopped to pet her. It took several tries before she could hold her sit position during these interactions, but with patience and repetition, she finally got it. This was a great opportunity for her to practice impulse control in a real-world setting.
For her first time in a busy store like this, I think Murphy did very well. There’s still a lot of work to do, but I’m proud of the progress she’s making. With consistent practice, I’m confident she’ll continue to improve!
Pupdate: 1/26/2025
To avoid the rain, we went back to Home Depot for another training session. This time, Murphy showed even more improvement compared to yesterday, particularly in the lumber section, which had previously made her a bit uneasy. She stayed much calmer, and it was great to see her becoming more comfortable with the environment.
One of our main focuses today was practicing her ability to stay calm and focused near people. Murphy has a tendency to want to greet everyone she sees, so we worked on showing her that she doesn’t need to say hi to everyone. By the end of the session, she was starting to understand and did a much better job staying composed.
Overall, it was a productive outing, and Murphy continues to make progress. With more practice, I’m confident she’ll continue building her confidence and self-control in busy environments like this.
Pupdate: 1/27/2025
Murphy and I headed to Maple Park today, and while she was pretty excited at first, she settled down nicely after a good warm-up. Once she was focused, I decided to challenge her by dropping the leash for some of our work. Letting the leash drag gave me a sense of how she might perform off-leash while still allowing me to maintain control if needed.
It took some repetition and patience, but Murphy really started to nail her Come To Sit command without any leash guidance. Watching her respond consistently and build that confidence was rewarding. Her Heel command proved to be more of a challenge, but she’s starting to get the hang of it, and I can see the progress coming together.
There were definitely moments when I had to step on or pick up the leash to keep her on track, but overall, Murphy did a great job today. Each session shows her growth and determination, and I’m excited to keep building on the progress we’re making!
Pupdate: 1/28/2025
Murphy had a productive training session today! We used a smaller leash to further replicate the feeling of being off-leash, and she handled it well overall. I did find myself picking up the leash occasionally to help with her positioning, but she’s making steady progress in learning to stay where she needs to be without as much guidance.
A big focus today was working on her Place and Down commands on a variety of surfaces to increase the challenge. Some of the smaller objects required extra effort for her to balance on, and it took a few tries before she figured them out. But once she succeeded, her confidence noticeably grew, which was great to see!
We also had more opportunities to work on Murphy’s greeting manners. As expected, this was still a bit tough for her, and she needed several reminders to sit politely while a stranger greeted her. However, she showed improvement by the end of the session and finished the day on a strong note.
Murphy is continuing to build confidence and self-control, and it’s exciting to watch her progress!
Pupdate: 1/29/2025
Murphy had an adventure at Wilderness Park today! She was a little wiggly at first, excited to meet some new people and dogs, but after a warm-up, she started to settle down.
We decided to take her leash off for a few minutes at a time to see how she’d do. There was one moment when she started walking away from me, but aside from that, she did well and responded to her commands nicely.
Overall, it was an okay first off-leash session for Murphy. With more practice, she’ll continue building confidence and consistency!
Pupdate: 1/30/2025
Murphy had a great training session at Santa Anita Mall today! Since it wasn’t too busy, it was a perfect opportunity to introduce her to this new environment at a steady pace. After a quick walk to get her warmed up, we spent the first hour simply sitting on some benches, helping her learn that it’s okay to relax and be still, even when we’re out and about.
At first, Murphy was wiggly and eager to move, but she settled in pretty quickly. This was an important exercise for her, as it reinforced patience and calmness in a new setting. Once she was in a good headspace, we started moving again and worked on her commands. She handled them well, showing good focus and responsiveness.
Overall, Murphy had a very productive day! She gained valuable exposure, practiced relaxation, and performed well with her commands. We’ll continue to build on this progress, but today was a great step forward!
Pupdate: 1/31/2025
Murphy took on a new challenge today at Bell Gardens Veterans Park. I was expecting a typical training session, but to my surprise, a large flea market had been set up around the entire park—something I hadn’t seen there before. This unexpected change made for a great training opportunity, as it meant navigating through crowds, distractions, and plenty of tempting sights and smells.
We started with a warm-up outside the market to let Murphy get some energy out before diving into the more stimulating environment. Once she was settled in, we began weaving through the market, gradually getting closer to the crowds while reinforcing her Heel command. The goal was to see if she could resist the urge to greet people and stay focused on me instead.
Murphy handled it well, keeping a fairly consistent Heel despite the number of people around. We also worked on her stationary commands, stopping at different points to see if she could sit and lay down amidst all the commotion. While she performed these commands, she still had a tendency to get up and come to me preemptively a few times, but overall, she did well in holding her position.
With all the back-and-forth walking and mental stimulation, today was a big workout for Murphy. By the time we got home, she was more than ready for a well-earned nap. Great job, Murphy!
Pupdate: 2/1/2025
Murphy was back at Santa Anita Mall today for another round of training, and this time, it was much busier than before! With all the extra movement and noise, she was definitely excited, but she managed to stay mostly polite throughout the session.
One of the biggest challenges for her was walking on the upper floor, especially near the glass railing where she could see down to the lower level. At first, she was hesitant and a little uneasy, but we spent a good amount of time in that area, helping her realize it wasn’t so scary after all. With patience and repetition, she gradually became more comfortable.
We also focused on reinforcing her Sit and Down positions in a high-traffic area, testing how well she could resist the urge to greet passing people. This was tough for her, but she stuck with it and showed improvement as the session went on.
Today was definitely a challenge, but Murphy worked through it and made some solid progress. She’s learning to manage her excitement and build confidence in new situations—big steps in the right direction!
Pupdate: 2/2/2025
Murphy had an exciting training session at Maple Park today! For a small park, there was a ton of activity—plenty of other dogs, families, and distractions all around. She was definitely excited to be there, but despite the energy, she did pretty well with her commands.
One of the biggest challenges (and best training opportunities) came when a group of children lined up to pet her. Murphy needed a lot of encouragement to stay seated and polite, but she managed to hold her position for most of the interactions, even though it was tough for her. This was the most attention she's received in public so far, making it a fantastic exercise for her greeting manners. Overall, a great session with lots of progress!
Pupdate: 2/3/2025
Murphy had an exciting training session today at Whittier Narrows Park, where we met up with a few other trainers and their dogs. She got some off-leash time and handled the environment well. While she was curious about the other dogs, she generally stayed focused and behaved nicely.
One thing I’ve noticed with Murphy is that she needs a good warm-up walk before going off-leash, especially in stimulating environments with people or distractions. Today, we started with a long, relaxing walk around the park before taking off her leash and practicing around the other dogs. This approach helped her settle in and focus better. I would recommend this whenever you are planning on bringing Murphy with you to any event or area where she will get excited or distracted.
In today’s video, I’m demonstrating Murphy’s Under command. This command is great for taking her to a café or outdoor restaurant, where she can lay down neatly under a chair or table. When we first started working on this command, Murphy was unsure about going under objects, and she still needs some guidance and reassurance when approaching a new space. But with consistent practice, she’s improving and becoming more comfortable with it!
She’s making progress, and I’m excited to see how she continues to develop!
Pupdate: 2/4/2025
Murphy had a great training session today, spending most of her time off-leash! We started with a short warm-up on the leash, but I tried to keep it brief to test how she’d handle the transition. She did well, showing solid focus as we worked on extending her Sit and Down durations, as well as improving her long-distance recall. These exercises required her to stay still while I walked away—something that’s challenging for her—but she showed good progress.
Once she was performing well, I introduced a new challenge: Sit in motion. This meant asking her to Sit while I continued walking without stopping. After sitting, I’d call her back into Heel, which took a lot of control on her part. She picked this up well after some practice. We also attempted the same drill with her Down command, which was more difficult, but she still made some progress.
This was the most off-leash time Murphy has had at one time, and she handled it impressively. She still needed a warm-up, but she settled in faster than before. The environment was relatively low-distraction, with only a few people and dogs around, but she stayed engaged and focused. Overall, a great step forward in her training!
Pupdate: 2/5/2025
Murphy and I went to Home Depot today to get in some training while avoiding the rain. We started by walking through the store a couple of times, giving her a chance to settle into the environment before taking things up a notch. There were plenty of distractions—shopping carts rolling by, people walking past, and forklifts moving in the background—but Murphy handled them well while on leash. She stayed close, remained focused, and didn’t seem bothered by the activity around her.
After she showed consistency on leash, I decided to take it off. Off leash, Murphy was a little more distracted, occasionally glancing around at all the movement and sounds. However, keeping her engaged by talking her through each interaction made a huge difference. By giving her verbal guidance and keeping the session interactive, she was able to work through the distractions and stay more on task. It was a great way to build her confidence and reinforce that she can stay focused even in a busy setting.
Once the rain stopped, we took a short break before heading to the park for a more fun, active workout. After all the structured training at Home Depot, it was a nice way for her to let loose a little while still practicing her commands in a different environment. Murphy is continuing to make progress, and today was a great reminder of how far she’s come!
Pupdate: 2/6/2025
Murphy took on a big challenge today at Del Amo Mall! This was her first time here, and she was definitely nervous at first, which even showed in her stool, which was more runny and loose. It is getting back to normal this evening, though, so I believe it was from her nerves.
Once she got more comfortable, we moved on to her Canine Good Citizen test. Despite the difficulty of being in a brand-new environment, Murphy performed exceptionally well on most of the test points. One area of struggle was when I handed her leash to the examiner and walked away—she handled the initial separation well but got extremely excited when I returned. After that, it became tough for me to walk away from her without her wanting to follow, showing some separation anxiety. Even with this challenge, Murphy still passed her exam!
To build her confidence, we worked on her Send Away To Place command. This requires her to go to a designated place object without me walking her all the way up to it. Initially, she wanted to come to me instead of the object, but after some repetitions with a bench, she started figuring it out. It was a tough but valuable exercise, and Murphy showed progress!
Overall, this was a big day of growth for Murphy. She conquered a new environment, passed her CGC test, and worked on a tough skill—all great steps forward!
Pupdate: 2/7/2025
Murphy had a great training session today at Santa Anita Mall! We continued working both on and off leash, and she did a solid job throughout, especially after she was nice and warmed up. Her Send Away To Place command is coming along nicely, and she showed good decision-making while walking by and around people.
One of the biggest improvements today was how well she stayed calm early on. She started out more composed than before, which was great to see. The most excitement she showed was when we walked past Auntie Anne's—understandable, given how strong the smell of food was! Even then, she managed to stay on task.
Overall, Murphy did really well today, and I'm happy with her progress!
Pupdate: 2/8/2025
Murphy had a good training session at Santa Anita Mall today! After a solid warm-up, she spent most of the time off-leash, even with the added challenge of a much busier environment compared to yesterday. Navigating through the crowd didn’t seem to faze her, and she stayed engaged and responsive throughout. Again, after a nice warm-up on leash.
She continues to benefit from clear communication, finding comfort in being talked through each command and thriving on verbal praise when she follows through. One of the biggest highlights of the session was her progress with the Send Away To Place command. While she has been hesitant to leave my side in the past, today she showed a huge boost in confidence—going straight to the bench when asked, with no hesitation!
Murphy’s progress is really coming along, and it’s great to see her growing in both confidence and reliability. Awesome job, Murphy!
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