Meet Ninja! He's a three year old Coton Du Tolear from Pasadena, California! He's joining us for our Three-Week Board and Train Program, although due to his breed and size he'll be staying on leash without the use of an E collar. Ninja is a sweetheart and very cuddly, however he loves to bark and jump on people when he first meets them. He has trouble following his basic commands, and also needs some potty training! He also has been known to chew on objects throughout the house. Over the next twenty one days, we'll work with Ninja on his basic commands, teach him proper manners in and out of the house, show him how to properly greet people, and show him how to be the best pup he can be! Stay tuned for Ninja's three week transformation!
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Pupdate: 8/27/2023
After picking up Ninja, we stayed at Almansor Park for a little while to get to know each other. Ninja was a little nervous about me touching him, but he didn't bark at me at all! We walked around the park, and he did pretty well at following me around. At one point, I sat down in the grass, and Ninja immediately crawled into my lap. I was told he was a big cuddler, and now I know for sure! I asked Ninja for some basic commands, and he did lay down for me several times! The only issue was he would lay down when I asked him for any commands, instead of just his Down command. Once we got home, I let Ninja sniff around and get comfortable inside. He seems to be settling in well, although he hasn't eaten his dinner yet. This is pretty normal since he's adjusting to a big change, but I'll leave it for him to eat when he's ready.
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Pupdate: 8/28/2023
Ninja and I went to City Terrace Park today for his first full day of training! He was around some other trainers and dogs, and he did well! He was sometimes a little nervous when meeting someone new, but he ended up letting the other trainers pet him and even hold his leash and walk with him! We mostly worked on Ninja's Heel command and his Place command today. For Heel, I want Ninja to walk politely at my left side with his ears in line with my legs. I don't want him to pull forward or backward, and I don't want him to veer into me or away from me. He started doing a pretty good job sticking with me! For Place, I want Ninja to hop onto a raised object, such as a bench! This command is great for confidence building. It can also be useful inside the home when you need him to stay put for a while when you're making dinner or doing something where Ninja needs to be out of the way! Ninja was able to Place on a few different objects today, including planters, and some playground toys!
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Pupdate: 8/29/2023
Ninja and I went to Almansor Park today for training! We continued to work on his Heel and Place, and started on his Come To Sit command! In the above video, we go through these commands, and he does a pretty good job with each. For his Come To Sit command, I want Ninja to come to my right side, walk around my legs and sit at my left side with his ears at my leg. He's starting to get the motion of this command, although he has trouble sitting in the correct position once he gets there! If he doesn't sit, I help him out and then we try again!
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Pupdate: 8/30/2023
Ninja and I went to Almansor Park and Garfield Park today! He had the most fun he's had so far, since we went by the ponds in Almansor Park. Ninja is still being a champion at his Come, Heel and Place commands. He's still having some trouble sitting when asked, since he wants to play with me and move so much! Ninja loved watching the birds and playing around the pond, but the unfortunate part is that the mud by the pond got onto his snow white fur whilst playing, so he's getting a bath tonight. For his dinner tonight, I swapped his chicken with the beef and some warm water to see if he would eat more of his kibble. He seems to be enjoying that so far, but we'll continue to update you. So far, Ninja has been eating an alright amount, but he seems to like to try to pick out the tasty meat rather than eat his kibble.
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Pupdate: 8/31/2023
Ninja and I went to Santa Monica Pier today! Towards the beginning of our day, Ninja was a little nervous around the large crowds and noises, but he pretty quickly grew more confident! Today's video was taken toward the end of our session, and you can see Ninja walking and hopping onto a bench happily. Prior to this, there were a few sudden noises that spooked little Ninja, but he did a good job overall!
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Pupdate: 9/1/2023
Ninja and I went to Rancho Cienega Park today! There were a few other dogs running around the park, but Ninja stuck with me without any issue! He's also becoming much more responsive to his commands, especially his Sit command. There's a skatepark in this area, but Ninja did a good job of ignoring the skateboards, and they didn't seem to bother him very much!
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Pupdate: 9/2/2023
Ninja spent his day at Almansor Park and at my home today! It rained last night/this morning, so Ninja had quite a few puddles to prance about in. This was great for getting Ninja to have fun and engage with me, since he seems to like the splashing, however it does mean he will need another bath tonight! For his commands, Ninja did an excellent job at home and at the park. About thirty seconds into the above video, a neighbor comes out with their barking dog off screen. Ninja stood up from his Sit a few times in response to the dog, but did an amazing job of staying on his Place and mostly paying attention to me!
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Pupdate: 9/3/2023
Ninja and I went to the park today and he had another fun day! My main goal for him is to achieve a more or less perfect Heel and Come To Sit. We are pretty close with his heel, and his come, but he still needs to work on his positioning with each of these. He's been eating his meals much better recently, and I've been giving him his dinner a little earlier than usual, but hey, it's five o'clock somewhere!
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Pupdate: 9/4/2023
Ninja and I went to the park to continue his training! He did a good job around the birds and the pond! There was one person jogging who Ninja didn't seem to like, and any time the jogger ran by, Ninja would get distracted and not want to perform his commands. Other than that, he's still doing a great job!
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Pupdate: 9/5/2023
Ninja and I went to Central Park today! Ninja did a great job with each of his commands, even around a few other trainers and their dogs. He wanted to lay on his back for belly rubs some of the time I would ask him for his Down command, which I prefer he doesn't do. Other than that, he's still doing well! For Ninja's potty training, he's had a couple piddle accidents over the course of the last week, but he's able to hold it until we get outside to the grass nearly every morning! When Ninja goes potty in a spot I want, I give him tons of praise and celebration. This positive reinforcement seems to be working well with Ninja. He usually does best if taken out at night at 9:30pm or later, and taken for his first walk outside at about 7:30am.
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Pupdate: 9/6/2023
Ninja and I had a slightly more relaxing day today, and we worked mostly on his Down command, since that's what he seems to be struggling with the most. I had him hold his down on various surfaces, such as a place cot, a bench, grass, and hardwood flooring to try to get him more comfortable! He's still not quite as responsive as I'd like, but he did a much better job with this command today!
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Pupdate: 9/7/2023
Ninja went to Santa Monica Pier today! He seemed a little bit nervous today, but still did a good job. I found myself having to remind him to stay in his Heel position more often than normal, which was strange because this is normally his best command. Other than that, he performed each command on the pier and behaved very well!
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Pupdate: 9/8/2023
Ninja went to Santa Anita Mall today! This mall has a very nice outdoor area as well as indoor spaces, both of which were completely new to Ninja. He didn't seem to have much of an issue with the new area, even inside where it was much more crowded. His Heel command was much better today than at the pier. There were a few times when he wanted to roll over when asked for a Down, but I would quickly pull my hand away and stop petting him until he rolled back over and this seemed to get him to want to stay right side up!
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Pupdate: 9/9/2023
Ninja went to Santa Monica Pier today! The streets in front of the pier were extremely busy. It seemed like they were setting up an event for today or tomorrow. Ninja did a better job with his heel than he did last time at the pier. He was well behaved all day, although he started getting tired by the time we were done in Santa Monica. Afterward, we went home where Ninja took a well deserved nap, and we'll be going to the park for a more relaxing workout later this evening!
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Pupdate: 9/10/2023
Ninja and I went to Brace Canyon Park today! He absolutely loved it. It seems that Ninja takes after his namesake and enjoys parkouring on and over rocks and boulders. There were plenty of these obstacles around this park, and Ninja had a blast. Occasionally, I would ask Ninja to lay down and perform his other commands, but I my main goal was to get him playing and having a good time today.
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Pupdate: 9/11/2023
Ninja and I went to Whittier Narrows Park today for training! For the first part of our session, he was working with a different trainer. This can be a great way to tell if Ninja is willing to perform his commands in general, or just for me. He was a little stubborn for the other trainer at first, but pretty quickly got used to her handling him and ended up doing alright. I noticed when I walked away from them, Ninja whined a little and stared at me most of the time I was in eyesight. He definitely likes me, but having someone else work with him will be invaluable in the long run! While he was working with me, he was responsive, and we'll mannered!
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Pupdate: 9/12/2023
Ninja and I went to Almansor Park today for his normal training, but we spent a great deal of time working and relaxing around the house. For Ninja's Place command, I want him to be able to hold his positions for about two minutes around distractions. That being said, while at home I'd like that time to be more or less indefinite. This way Ninja can hold his place while I cook dinner, prepare food for the dogs, and whatever else I need to do around the house. He's been doing a great job with this, however, I still only walk a short distance away at any given point, whereas I'd like him to be comfortable holding his spot even if I'm all the way across the house.
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Pupdate: 9/13/2023
Ninja went to Santa Anita Mall today! I tried to get more of that playfulness out of him today, but in an environment other than a park or at home. When I was able to keep my own energy up, and give Ninja lots of breaks and cuddle time between workouts, he gave me a little more of the energy I tend to get out of him at a fun park or at home. As far as his commands, he was very responsive and well behaved for the whole day.
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Pupdate: 9/14/2023
Ninja and I went to Almansor Park for our normal training, and we worked on his household manners for the rest of the day! For today's video, I wanted to show Ninja's door manners. I want Ninja to be able to hold his position, whether that is a sit, down or place, even when the front door is wide open. I don't want him to feel like a door being open is an invitation for him to go through it. We work on this each time we leave or enter my home, so he's gotten fairly good at it!
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Pupdate: 9/15/2023
Ninja and I went to Cerritos Mall today! He did a great job all day. The one issue I had was when we took a lunch break, Ninja would hold his down for most of the time, but every once in a while he would try to climb into my lap for some cuddles. Ninja tends to be a cuddle monster, so this isn't completely unexpected, but I'd like to try this a few more times to see if I can extend the time he's able to relax in public without feeling the need to cuddle me.
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Pupdate: 9/16/2023
Ninja and I went to Cerritos Mall again for training! He was a little more relaxed today since he's a little more familiar with the environment. In today's video, Ninja walks around quiet a few people without any issue. He's also able to hold his down position without breaking until I release him!
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Pupdate: 9/17/2023
Ninja and I went to Santa Monica Pier today for training! We went later in the day than we normally do, and it was much more crowded. He did well nonetheless. There were a few times someone in the crowd walked way too close to him and startled him a bit, but generally he kept his cool demeanor! He also got a bath with some coat whitening shampoo today! No potty accidents today!
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Pupdate: 9/18/2023
Ninja and I went to Venice Beach today! We walked along the boardwalk and on the beach! I expected Ninja to hate the water, but he did an amazing job and had fun! We walked along the boardwalk and up to the skatepark and Ninja was a trooper the whole time.
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Pupdate: 9/19/2023
Ninja went to the park today for training! He was well behaved as ever, and even got a chance to play by his favorite pond. Ninja is leaving tomorrow, and I'm going to miss him! He's been such a pleasure to work with. His cuddles have gotten me through the day several times!
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