Nixie | Doberman Pinscher | Laguna Hills, CA | In-Training
Updated: Jul 31
Meet Nixie! Nixie is a nine-month-old Doberman Pinscher here for our Two-Week Urban Board and Train Program. Nixie is an energetic young pup that displays several unwanted behaviors. Nixie has poor leash manners and unreliable obedience. Nixie likes to pull on the leash, counter surf, and jump up at times. Nixie can perform a command or two with proper motivation; however, she lacks structure and performs tasks inconsistently. Over the next fourteen days, Nixie 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. Nixie will learn to perform all these things on leash through a positive and balanced training environment. Through structure and consistency, Nixie will demonstrate how great a pup she can be! Stay tuned for Nixie’s two-week transformation!
Nixie | Doberman Pinscher | Pupdate 07/18/26
Today, Ms. Nixie joined me for her Two-Week Urban Board and Train Program. On the way home, we stopped at a local park to see what commands Ms. Nixie could perform. She performed a sit and down. That was it. She kept trying to sniff the ground and was interested in the people at the park. She pulled hard on the leash everywhere we went. I think you know all 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. Nixie's temporary residence for the next two weeks. Overall, Ms. Nixie had no issues with the car ride; she did whine off and on, but nothing too bad.
Once we got home, I let Ms. Nixie smell Ms. Toji, Mr. Murphy, and Ms. Lola through the front gate. All the pups were excited to meet Ms. Nixie. Ms. Nixie locked up with the pups. Ms. Nixie had no problems coming to the house. I let her explore each room and meet everyone. Throughout the introductions, Ms. Nixie showed no adverse reactions. She was excited to meet everyone. I took Ms. Nixie outside to meet Ms. Toji, Ms. Lola, and Mr. Murphy. Ms. Nixie reluctantly let the pups check her out. She mostly stayed away from them. Mr. Murphy, who is going home tomorrow, was trying to get Ms. Nixie to play with him, but Ms. Nixie was not having it. After tomorrow, it will be the girl squad. I think Ms. Nixie, Ms. Toji, and Ms. Lola will be fine hanging out with each other. Ms. Lola is a six-year-old Border Collie who stays to herself.
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 tried pulling me hard through the walk. I noticed that she has a strong opposition reflex. This means that if we are pulling back on her, she will pull forward. This could also be from being on the harness. She did get tired from fighting and resisting and finally was more mellow for the last third of the walk. She wasn’t super interested in all the usual dog spots around the neighborhood. She ignored all the other dogs in the houses that barked at us as we went around. I did manage her walk a little more, about halfway through, because the pulling is not going to be tolerated after today.
I expect to see her work well with the structure and positive reinforcement. We will be using the gentle leader with her, and this should help make it clear that those behaviors are unacceptable. I don’t think she will need it for more than a day or two, but it will help in managing some of her unwanted behaviors. With clear, persistent communication and expectations, she will learn to be a well-mannered pup!
I gave her dinner and observed how much she ate. 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. Nixie's turnover. We'll practice together to make sure you are comfortable with the system before using it with Ms. Nixie. I will introduce the gentle collar and possibly the e-collar for tomorrow’s training.
Nixie | Doberman Pinscher | Pupdate 07/19/26
Today, I started Ms. Nixie's obedience program. Ms. Nixie is quite the stubborn puppy. She does not like to do a lot of things unless it is on her terms. She resists and uses back pressure on almost everything. She has learned that this gets her what she wants. That is no longer the case while she is here with me. I will be using gentle, steady pressure to guide her into what I am asking for. Consistent, clear expectations are what is going to get us through the next two weeks.
I took the time to introduce the e-collar today. I tried to play and engage Ms. Nixie so she thinks we're just out to have fun. I slid the collar on loosely and then had more interactions. I then put it on more snugly. Back to playing. Then I started to slowly move up on the e-collar remote to find her level. I saw her react slightly at level 10. This is a great low level that I can start to feel the e-collar. It goes up to level 100. I then worked my way up a little more, 5 levels at a time. Ms. Nixie didn't really have any other significant reactions to it as I worked my way up to 25-30. I need to know what her max level is so I don't overdo it if she is not performing her tasks. She was fine up to that point, but I decided to go back down to level 15-20 for her training. She should be good at that level for most of her commands, but since she is a bit stubborn, I can see it fluctuating while she is learning her tasks.
Next, I introduced the gentle leader. Another tool to help me use steady pressure to help Ms. Nixie understand the tasks, such as performing a "heel". There is no pressure when she is performing her tasks correctly. If she lags, pressure is applied. Ms. Nixie is not a fan of the pressure. I will be working to help Ms. Nixie so that she controls whether there is pressure or not. Having a tantrum and lying down are not the answers to the pressure problem. We have a long way to go and a lot more consistent sessions, but we will get there!
Nixie | Doberman Pinscher | Pupdate 07/20/26
Today, Ms. Nixie and I headed over to Klingermann Park in Rosemead, CA to meet up with our fellow Off Leash trainers and their pups. I ditched the gentle leader for today and went with a slip lead and e-collar combination. The idea is that the e-collar will be paired with leash pressure, and then we will only need the e-collar. We won't have to rely on the pressure as much as time goes on and Ms. Nixie understands. She threw a few more tantrums and showed some resistance during the first few minutes I had her out and about. After being consistent with the steady pressure and making it clear that if she performed the tasks, the pressure would be abated, she got praise from me. I could feel her relinquish her conflict with me. We still have a ways to go, but due to my consistency and persistence in what I am asking of her, she is understanding that she needs to carry out the tasks. Her "heel" improved dramatically just today alone. Her "place" is getting there. Her "sit" and "down" are still a little inconsistent, even with pressure and the e-collar. This is all part of her quiet resistance towards what I am asking her. That's ok. I am more persistent and ensure that she performs the task when I ask her.
I gave her a small break to take out Ms. Lola, and when I brought her back out for Round Two, she got on board even quicker than before. She even relaxed on the cot in the "place" and "down" for several minutes while the other trainers milled about or trained their pups. She was able to just hang out there. This is an important skill for a pup to have and is something you guys are asking for. Ms. Nixie can do it! We just have to make it clear to her what our expectations are and ensure she follows through.
She whined off and on the whole way over to the park, but since she got tired from the mental strain of the training, she didn't even make a peep on the way home. She even jumped in the car on her own after both training sessions!
I'll continue to make her "sit" at every door we go through. This is part of the structure for her. She can do it. She's pretty intelligent but also curious and resilient. She can handle a negative consequence, recover, and perform the task well for a positive consequence.
These are all good signs of progress. Good job today, Ms. Nixie!
Nixie | Doberman Pinscher | Pupdate 07/21/26
Today, Ms. Nixie and I headed over to Rynerson Park in Lakewood, CA to practice her commands in a public place. Unfortunately, Rynerson Park has had very little activity this summer. Also, due to the heat, there aren't as many pups walking around as there usually are. Regardless, we still got to practice our commands out and about.
Ms. Nixie is starting to understand that the pressure can be avoided if she performs the tasks. She still gives several tantrums and resistance to certain commands. I simply keep the pressure applied through the slip lead and slowly increase the e-collar. As soon as she performs the task, all the pressure is released, and the e-collar stimulation stops. I will even tell her "good girl" and give her physical reinforcement with petting. She can definitely perform all the skills; it's a matter of overcoming a little bit of her puppy/early adolescent brain in order to consistently perform the tasks.
After the training session, I gave her a break in the car while I trained with Ms. Lola. I then took Ms. Nixie out on the long line with just the flat collar. Ms. Nixie may be quite stubborn and reluctant to perform some tasks, which can lead to a lot of stress during the training. I wanted to help her relieve some of that stress, so we just played in the grass. I let her get the mini-zoomies; she tried to nibble at my feet (we are working on stopping this), and then I wanted to introduce a command, "enough". This means that play time is over. I want her to be able to play and run around and get out some of that energy. It's been hot, and having her inside the house for long periods is not allowing her to use up that puppy energy. I tried letting her relax in my office with me during the hottest part of the day, and she literally ate my shorts. Can't say you didn't warn me! I was letting her play with her duck, but she found something more important. I then went to get her and put her back in the crate, and she stress peed on my floor. She might be stubborn at times, but she can also be sensitive. Atypical Doberman behaviors.
Other than that, she has been eating her food voraciously twice a day. She's sleeping through the night in the crate. She and Ms. Toji are barking at all the people and things that go by. She's doing well here, and she and I are getting along quite well. This helps tremendously with the training.
Nixie | Doberman Pinscher | Pupdate 07/22/26
Today, Ms. Nixie and I headed over to Liberty Park in Cerritos, CA to continue to work on her obedience commands in public spaces. I only used the e-collar and the flat collar for Ms. Nixie today. Luckily, it wasn't too busy. Kids were playing on the playground, one or two pups were at the park, and there was a motorbike that went through at one point during our session.
Ms. Nixie continues to be finicky. She will perform the command briefly, then resist on the next request. She will do the "heel" closely, then when I turn around and the leash pressure is applied, she will resist. She will quickly jump into the car crate but then refuse to come out. I must keep consistent leash pressure while being clear and persistent in what I am asking of her. I have been starting at level 20 on the e-collar. Sometimes she will perform the command on the first request and stimulation. Then she won't. Then I have to go up on the e-collar remote. I slowly work my way up to about 40 before she maxes out and gives in. This cycle repeats a few times during our training. I then lower it back to level 20 and try again for the next few commands. I want to keep it as low as possible and keep her on task, but that is entirely up to her. We will only be using the flat collar unless she regresses and I need to use the slip lead again.
After the first go-around, I went ahead and gave her a break in the car. I then brought her out for another play session like yesterday. We played, and I would say "enough" and ask her to "sit". Then I would give her the "Break!" command, and we would play again. I did this for several minutes to help relieve some stress and energy. My job is to modify her behavior for her to perform these commands consistently in environments with various levels of stimuli. To do that, I need a well-rested, well-hydrated, well-fed, clear mind, and a good connection with Ms. Nixie. I ensure that she is rested, hydrated, fed, and we have a decent connection in this short time. The clear mind is what I am working on. She is still learning to reprogram what she was either allowed to do or was not expected to do before. This creates conflict, which turns into stress.
Speaking of the stress, Ms. Nixie has now peed in my office two times despite being given plenty of time outside with the other pups and plenty of time to go potty. She is eating all of her food and drinking plenty of water, but I think this is related to some stress issues. I gave her the duck to play with a few days ago; she has her rope and blanket in the crate to make her comfortable. I think that she is stress peeing due to the conflict of the structure. Hopefully, as a few more days go by, she will calm down some more and be more comfortable.
Nixie | Doberman Pinscher | Pupdate 07/23/26
Today, Ms. Nixie and I reviewed all of her manners around the house. This includes both types of door manners, her food manners, and car manners. Ms. Nixie is a little scatter-brained and puppy-brained with a little bit of a young adolescent mind.
I displayed for you the two types of door manners. The first type, and most common, is having Ms. Nixie perform a "sit" at a door before being let through. Ms. Nixie can go through with us or after us, but never before us. I let her out and gave her a chance to go potty and burn off some energy from performing the task. Then we came in and did the same thing on the way in. I reset the door and did it again. She was sitting a little far away from me, but for where we are, this is acceptable. I'd like to see her be a little closer, but that will come.
The next type involves putting her in a "place" and "down" at the door. She must stay there while we come in and out of the house. While the kids run in and out, she needs to stay. I had my son help out with this training since you have two sons that Ms. Nixie loves dearly. She struggled at first and wanted to go play with him when he ran in. By using the e-collar and being consistent with my expectations of her, I was able to get her to understand to stay in the "place" despite a high-value person running in and out. We will definitely be revisiting this task and having my son assist with the training.
Next, we performed her food manners. She is a food hound! She loves her food. I even used it to lure her onto the scale today. We have our pup perform a "sit" and patiently wait while we place the food down. Once the food is down, we stand up and then say "Break!" Then she can go get her food. This structure also helps with pups that struggle to eat consistently. They get this chance to eat, and then that's it. They learn quickly to eat their food when presented, or else they may have to wait until the next one.
Lastly, I displayed for you her car manners. We put Ms. Nixie in a "sit" and then open the trunk or door. We open the crate and then say "Load Up!" As you can see, she has no problem jumping in now compared to when I picked her up, and she refused to go in there. We have made a lot of progress with Ms. Nixie in these four days of training!
Good job, Ms. Nixie!
Nixie | Doberman Pinscher | Pupdate 07/24/26
Ms.Nixie and I headed over to Heartwell Park in Long Beach, CA today to continue to review her commands in public places.
I have been working on mixing in play with her commands. I even brought out some treats today to try and work on more positive reinforcement and making the sessions plenty of fun. Although Ms. Nixie does require a lot of structure, otherwise she'll go off the rails if she's left to her own devices, that doesn't mean we can't reinforce her wanted behavior. The only thing we have to be cognizant of is how valuable the reward is and if it is deterring Ms. Nixie from performing the task. This is a skill in and of itself for Ms. Nixie. She needs to understand to be patient or work for the reward(reinforcer). This is part of teaching her the "enough" command. This mitigates the playtime and rambunctiousness. This tells her to calm down and that play time is over.
I focused on her "come-to-sit" by using the food to lure her into position. This went well as long as I didn't drop any treats. She would probably be really good at tracking the way she was inhaling the ground looking for dropped crumbs. This went well and was a nice positive experience. I used the e-collar remote sparingly during this exercise since I needed my hands to pass the treat from one hand to the other.
Overall, Ms. Nixie did well today! No peeing in the house!
Nixie | Doberman Pinscher | Pupdate 07/25/26
Today, Ms. Nixie and I headed over to Los Cerritos Center in Cerritos, CA to review her commands around high distractions. It was quite the busy mall today. Maybe its Summer, or maybe it's so hot that people want to be inside, but this mall was packed today. I had to park all the way in the back and walk quickly to get inside to protect Ms. Nixie's little paws.
We were able to review almost all of her commands except for "place." With this many people at the mall, all my usual "place" spots were occupied with citizens. I was able to practice her "sit" and "down" right in the middle of a busy corridor. She was slightly timid about a wheelchair when we were on our way in but ignored them the rest of the time, including one right next to us during the video. She let a stranger say hi to her. She was highly stimulated with the sights, sounds, and smells of the mall, but she was holding her "sit" and "down". She would break it at times but was easily reset. Her "heel" was really nice once we got her to calm down a bit. I was really impressed with her progression and ability to handle the high-stress environment while still maintaining a good "heel", "down", "sit", and we even practiced the "come-to-sit" with all the people around.
We concluded our mall trip around level 15 on the e-collar, even though at times I had to escalate to level 35. Towards the end, I was only using the vibrate function as Ms. Nixie was performing much better.
I brought home a new board and train today, Mr. Cash. Mr. Cash will be with Ms. Nixie this final week of her training. Ms. Nixie wanted to play with Mr. Cash, but I don't know if it was mutual. Mr. Cash is a seventeen-month-old Labrador Retriever. We will see how they get along, but it should be fine.
Nixie | Doberman Pinscher | Pupdate 07/26/26
Today, Ms. Nixie and I stayed home and worked on her commands in a low-distraction environment. I wanted to reinforce her "come-to-sit" in a quiet, distraction-free environment. I also switched her over to shorter contact points. I had been using 3/4" contact points, but I switched them over to shorter 5/8" points. This should allow for the same contact with her skin.
Overall, the session went well. We practiced all of her regular commands before focusing on the "come-to-sit". I used her kibble to reward her and lure her into the proper positions. I even worked on her "heel" without holding the leash and relied on the e-collar remote to motivate her into position. I even rode my kids' scooter while having her stay in a place. I had to reset her a few times, but she figured it out. We will keep practicing until you receive her back.
Good job today, Ms. Nixie!
Nixie | Doberman Pinscher | Pupdate 07/27/26
Today, Ms. Nixie and I headed over to Klingermann Park in Rosemead, CA, to meet up with our fellow Off Leash trainers and their pups. We continue to work with Ms. Nixie to be calm and regulate her emotions. She comes out of the box really wound up. We have to let her get some of that stress out but not let her get away with doing whatever she wants. We have to make it seem like it was our idea. We can tell her, "ok, break!" and "Go potty" while watching her. We give her those few minutes to go potty or run around, within reason. We don't want her running to the end of the leash and pulling us over or yanking on our shoulders and arms, but we do need to give her those moments to de-stress and focus. If we don't give her that time, we have to go up higher on the e-collar remote. This is fine when needed, but if all we need to do is give her a quick energy break with mini-zoomies so she can focus at a lower level, I'd much rather do that.
Once she's in a better, calmer state of mind, we can stay around 15-20 on the e-collar remote and get good, consistent obedience from her. She was a little nervous of a tiny little pup that came up to check her out, but other than that, Ms. Nixie was fine around the other pups. We focused on her "place" and "down" around the other pups. Overall, Ms. Nixie was much calmer and more improved. I tried to play with her and get her amped up to get the "Enough!" command out, but she was more interested in the various scents when I gave her the "Break!" command.
Nixie | Doberman Pinscher | Pupdate 07/28/26
Today, Ms. Nixie and I headed out to Rynerson Park in Lakewood, CA for a review of her commands in a public place. Ms. Nixie performed extremely well. As you can see, I worked on her "heel," and I varied my pace to ensure that she was staying with me in the proper position. I walked extra slowly to make sure she understood what she needed to do. She did great! Her "place" and "down" have been really consistent. Her "sit" looked good today. She will give up on the "sit" at times and go into a "down." We don't want this. If you think she's been performing a "sit" for too long, then reset her when she lies down, and then tell her "down". We want everything to be our idea and because we asked her to do it. I also added in a lot of play at the end. We had to stop for a moment and go into a "place" and "down" to let another pup go by, but once that was done, we went and played some more. Lastly, we were operating around level 15 on the e-collar for the entirety of the training session.
Nixie | Doberman Pinscher | Pupdate 07/29/26
Today, Ms. Nixie and I headed over to Los Cerritos Center in Cerritos, CA to review all of her commands in a medium distraction environment. Ms. Nixie seemed to be a little on edge today. I am not sure why. The dogs do give what we call an "extinction burst" at some point during the training, and that may possibly be what was going on today. She has been really good with all her commands, and we've had a lot of progress. Dogs will give their final "I don't want to do this" day at some point, but by being consistent and clear about my expectations for her, I maintain and ask her to push through. It wasn't pretty, but she was still willing to perform all of her commands. That will be your pathway to success with Ms. Nixie: be consistent with your expectations of her. She is quite clear about what those expectations are while wearing the e-collar. When it is not on her, Ms. Nixie can do Ms. Nixie things.
While at the mall, we reviewed her extended "sit", extended "place", extended "down", "heel", and her "come-to-sit." Overall, her "heel" was her best command when we got in the groove. Her "come-to-sit' was all over the place. I am not sure why. She gave me about two good ones out of ten. We also got to meet some new strangers. We even met another Dobie that was in the mall.
I did notice a little scratch on her leg. I will treat it with first aid spray and keep it clean. It's probably from Mr. Cash and Ms. Nixie playing a little too rough. They play with each other all day.
Nixie | Doberman Pinscher | Pupdate 07/30/26
Today Ms. Nixie and I worked on her manners around the house. We practiced the two types of door manners, her food manners and her car manners.
Remember that Ms. Nixie needs to perform a sit before opening a door. Everyone else goes through the door first. Ms. Nixie can go through with us or after us but never before us. We can also put Ms. Nixie in a "place" and/or "down" at the door and she needs to wait there while people come in and out. She is not to move from the "place" until we allow her to. She is a sentient being and will want to get up at some point. How long she can hold the "place" will grow over time, but it will not be unlimited.
Next up, we displayed the food manners. Once again, Ms. Nixie needs to perform a "sit" and wait patiently for us to put her food down to serve her. She can eat her food once we say "Break!". She has been doing fantastic eating twice a day, two cups a day, likely to the amount of play time she has been getting with Ms. Toji and especially Mr. Cash. Those two play all day with each other.
Lastly, I displayed for you the car manners. The car manners require Ms. Nixie to perform a "sit" while we open the door to the vehicle. Once the door is open, we say "Load Up!" and she is allowed to jump in the vehicle.
Nixie | Doberman Pinscher | Pupdate 07/31/26
Today, Ms. Nixie and I headed up to Hilltop Park in Signal Hill, CA to demonstrate Ms. Nixie's ability to maintain the "heel" while going up and down hills. I forwent the squirrel training for hill training. As you can see, Ms. Nixie did well with this, as she is good at her "heel". It is important to be consistent with your expectations with her as she will try to break off and sniff things. I am diligent in telling her "Off!" and then redirecting her back to the "heel". As I displayed for you as well, we maintained a level 10 on the e-collar for almost all of the training. She might be used to her old ways when you get her back, so be prepared to be at a higher level if needed.
Attached are the pictures of the e-collar system that I used for Ms. Nixie while she was with me. This is the same one you will be receiving tomorrow.
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 him 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!"
Greeting Manners: Have the pup "sit" then allow for the new person to say hi
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 this 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!
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