Ollie | Doodle Mix | Venice, CA. | In Training.
- heatheroffleashsoc
- 14 hours ago
- 4 min read
This handsome 7-month-old Doodle mix from Venice, CA, has just joined us for our Two Week Community Board and Train Program!
Ollie has been described as quite the energetic young fellow who brings plenty of enthusiasm wherever he goes! When greeting people, his excitement can sometimes get the best of him, leading to some enthusiastic jumping to say hello. He’s also known to be quite the talker and can have plenty to say with his barking! And if there’s a delicious snack within reach,
Ollie has been known to do a little counter surfing in hopes of finding himself a tasty treat.
With all that excitement, listening can sometimes find itself pushed to the back burner. It’s safe to say this sweet boy is ready for a little guidance and structure to help him learn how to better manage all that puppy enthusiasm!
Over the next two weeks, we’ll be working closely with Ollie on off-leash obedience, basic commands, impulse control, and house manners. Our goal is to give Ollie the tools and understanding he needs to make better choices, manage his excitement, and become a more confident and well-mannered companion as he continues discovering what this big world around him is all about!
Stay tuned as we follow along with Ollie’s journey and watch this energetic little man’s transformation unfold!
8/11/2026
Today Ollie and I kicked off his Two Week Community Board and Train Program with a walk in the park! This gave us a great opportunity to get better acquainted with one another while also allowing me to assess what he may already know and where we have some room to grow. And for our first day together, I’d say this smart boy gave me plenty to work with!
I quickly discovered that Ollie does know his sit command … he just likes to decide when he feels like offering it! As for walking on leash, he actually did a pretty good job of staying by my side for the most part, but whenever something caught his attention, he would wander off to investigate. So, we got right to work on building a stronger understanding of his heelwhile also introducing his come to sit command.
For his heel, I simply used a light pop of the leash whenever Ollie attempted to wander away from me. The goal is to teach him that tuning into his handler and staying connected with them is the best policy. We also had a few moments where Ollie decided the grass looked particularly interesting and tried to forage along the way. This gave us a perfect opportunity to introduce his off command, paired with another leash correction. It didn’t take too long for him to figure out what I was asking of him, and before long, Ollie was walking much more smoothly with me without trying to stop and forage at every opportunity.
For his sit, I applied gentle upward leash pressure until
Ollie made the choice to sit. This helps teach him that when a command is given, following through isn’t simply optional, while also beginning to teach him how to turn pressure off by making the correct choice. This foundation will be especially helpful as we begin incorporating the e-collar into his training tomorrow. Thankfully, it didn’t take long for Ollie to become more prompt about offering his sit, and every time he made the right choice, I made sure to give him plenty of praise to reinforce that good decision!
We also began introducing his come to sit, which asks Ollie to come when called, walk around my right side, and finish sitting neatly on my left side. I used leash guidance to help him learn the motion and mechanics of the command, and so far, he is responding very well to that guidance! With some more time and repetition, I’m confident he’ll get the hang of this command. He’s a very smart boy, after all!
Once our training session was complete, we headed back to the car so Ollie could check out his home away from home for the next two weeks. Getting him to hop into his travel crate took a little bit of encouragement, but ultimately he climbed right in. He whined for a bit during the beginning of the ride, but after realizing that the situation wasn’t changing, he eventually settled down and remained quiet for the rest of the trip.
Once we arrived at my house, I gave Ollie some time to explore both inside and outside so he could familiarize himself with his new surroundings. He didn’t seem to have too many complaints until it was time to introduce him to his crate… and boy, did he have plenty to say about that!
However, Ollie quickly learned that throwing a fit wasn’t going to get him what he wanted. I waited for him to settle and quiet down before allowing him back out. This helps teach him that calm behavior gets him what he wants, while also giving him an opportunity to begin learning how to self-soothe and settle independently. We’ll continue working on this throughout his stay so that, hopefully, Ollie learns that his crate really isn’t the end of the world!
All in all, it was a very productive first day filled with introductions, new expectations, and lots of learning. For the most part, Ollie handled everything very well, and I’m already seeing glimpses of the smart, capable pup underneath some of those teenage decisions! I’m excited to see what these next couple of weeks have in store for him and look forward to watching him continue to grow, learn, and build confidence!
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