Meet Ozzy! He's an eighteen month old Mixed Breed pup from Venice, California. Ozzy is Here for our Two-Week Board and Train program! Ozzy is very friendly and sweet, but he has some issues with pulling on his leash, barking at dogs and following basic commands. Over the next fourteen days, we'll show Ozzy how to properly walk on and off leash, and how to greet people and other dogs, so that Ozzy can become the best pup he can possibly be! Stay tuned for Ozzy's two week transformation!
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Pupdate: 11/6/2022
After picking up Ozzy, we stayed at Vineyard Recreation Center for a little while to get to know each other. He seems very friendly! I think he likes me so far. He is very strong and pulls on his leash a great deal, but seems otherwise fairly well behaved!
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Pupdate: 11/7/2022
Ozzy went to Home Depot for his first full day of training! He was very nervous while we were inside. He especially didn't like the carts and forklifts moving anywhere near him. While outside he gained a bit more confidence, but was still slightly on edge. We mostly worked on his Heel command today! For Heel, I want Ozzy to walk politely next to me with his ears at my left knee. He seems to be slowly getting the hang of it, except when close to any moving object with wheels!
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Pupdate: 11/8/2022
Ozzy and I tried to avoid the rain by going to Brea Mall today! He was nervous for a lot of the time we were inside. He would have moments where he seemed more confident and playful, but then if someone walked near us he would get very nervous again. We worked on his Come To Sit command today! For this command, I want Ozzy to come to my right side, go around my legs, and sit on my left side with her ears at my leg. He seems to be picking up this command well! I think he is the least nervous when he's right by my side, so he likes performing this command.
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Pupdate: 11/9/2022
Ozzy and I went to Hillcrest Park today for training! While he was much less nervous as he has been the last two days at the indoor locations, he was still quite nervous working around the other dogs and trainers. He spent some time today working with another trainer, and we worked very close to each other, like you can see in the above video. After a while, he started to loosen up a bit. Once we got home, we did a little more work in my house, and there is a great difference between his work at home and his work out in public. He is much more responsive and attentive when we're alone in a neutral environment.
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Pupdate: 11/10/2022
Ozzy and I went to Glendale Galleria today for training! He was very nervous around all the people and noises, and there were several scooters rolling around which Ozzy was particularly not fond of. We worked on his Place command today. For Place, I want Ozzy to hop up onto a raised object, such as a bench, when asked. He didn't like jumping up at first, but he's slowly starting to get the hang of it. Practicing this command a lot should help with Ozzy's confidence! Ozzy also had accidents in his kennel yesterday morning and this morning, but I gave him a bath to keep him smelling fresh!
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Pupdate: 11/11/2022
Ozzy and I went to the Santa Monica Promenade today for training! Ozzy still struggled with many of the distractions present. It seems he is making slow but steady progress with the distractions. These issues are outlined in the first video above by Sheena, Offleash SoCal's head trainer. In the second video, you can see the difference in Ozzy's demeanor while he's at home with me! He's more lively, his tail wags much of the time, and he's able to perform most of his commands with almost zero leash tension. Ideally, with enough outside exposure and practice, Ozzy will behave like he does inside the house even when out in public. That can take quite a bit of time, however. Ozzy also had another accident in his kennel last night, so I'm going to try offering him a bit more food in the morning, and a bit less in the evening to aid this!
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Pupdate: 11/12/2022
Ozzy and I went to Cheviot Hills Park today for training! I saw glimpses of Ozzy's playful self while we were fairly secluded in the fields. At these times, Ozzy performed wonderfully, and had no hesitation while working through his commands. There were some golf carts driving around doing maintenance in the park, and when they were anywhere near us, Ozzy would freeze and become very nervous, much like he's been with the scooters and bikes at other locations. It was nice to see Ozzy come out of his shell a little outside of the house, even if it was only when we were alone! Good work, Ozzy!
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Pupdate: 11/13/2022
Ozzy did a great job at Almansor Park today! When we had the opportunity to play, his best self came out. When I kept my energy up and kept Ozzy moving, he seemed to progress the most! When he is allowed to sit still and observe the distractions around him he will internalize everything and become very insecure. He's getting better with each day, however! In the above video, you can see Ozzy working on his car manners. The progress he's made in this regard is outstanding. At first, he didn't want to even look at my car. Now he is willing to hop inside relatively easily!
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Pupdate: 11/14/2022
Ozzy and I went to Wilderness Park today for training! He did a good job with his commands, and he seemed a lot more comfortable being outside at the park today! We mostly worked on his Place command, because he still sometimes hesitates to jump onto certain objects. We also spent a lot of time practicing Ozzy's durations. For Sit, Place and Down, I want Ozzy to be able to hold his positions for at least two minutes. He made a lot of progress today!
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Pupdate: 11/15/2022
Ozzy went to Citadel Outlets today for training! He was nervous on several occasions, but he mostly did a good job. When people or other distractions got too close while Ozzy was trying to perform commands, he would either stop and wait for them to pass, or pull away from them. Ozzy also had another potty accident this morning, although it wasn't as bad as before!
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Pupdate: 11/16/2022
Ozzy and I went to Cheviot Hills Recreation Center today for training! He did very well. There were a few times where Ozzy would focus heavily on passing dogs or people, but unlike some other days, when I asked for his attention back he looked at me almost every time! I think he did a great job in this regard.
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Pupdate: 11/17/2022
Ozzy went to Citadel Outlets today for training! He did the best he's done with me so far! In today's video, you can see Ozzy go through each of his commands around Citadel Outlets without stopping. You can see him looking around in a nervous manner from time to time, but he manages to perform each command and hold his positions very competently!
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Pupdate: 11/18/2022
Ozzy and I went back to Citadel today for training, and he did better than yesterday! He was much more attentive. We worked on having Ozzy allow strangers to approach him and pet him without trying to dodge or evade their hands. He started off a little nervous, but eventually he seemed to warm up and was more receptive.
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Pupdate: 11/19/2022
Ozzy and I spent most of our time at Almansor Park for his last full day of training! In the above video, I go through some of the manners we've been working on throughout our two weeks. For food manners, I want to be able to put food in front of Ozzy without him trying to gobble it up immediately. For door manners, I want him to sit nicely at the door when I open it without trying to rush through before me. For car manners, I'd like Ozzy to hop into the car and walk straight into his kennel when asked. For greeting manners, Ozzy should sit while someone pets him, without using me as a shield and backing away. The most difficult one for Ozzy was definitely his greeting manners, because he was so nervous around people and noises at first. By the end, he's gotten good with all of these! Ozzy is such a sweet boy. It's been a pleasure to work with him. Seeing him start to come out of his shell over the course of two weeks warms my heart, and I'll definitely miss him once he's home.
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