Pablo | Doberman Pinscher | Los Angeles, CA | In Training
- Tanner Strong
- Oct 20, 2024
- 12 min read
Updated: Nov 3, 2024
Meet Pablo! He's a ten month old Doberman Pinscher from Los Angeles, California here for our Two-Week Board and Train Program! Once you get to know him, Pablo is a sweet and playful pup! The problem is, he can be reactive to people and other dogs. He barks and growls at most people he doesn't know. He also needs a lot of work on his basic obedience skills! Even though he's young, he's already big and strong, and he can pull you around without him even realizing it. He has also taken to jumping on people he loves! Over the next fourteen days, we will work on Pablo's basic commands and obedience, help build his confidence while out in public, help mitigate his reactivity to people and other dogs, work on his manners in and out of the house, and help Pablo become the best pup he can possibly be! Stay tuned for Pablo's two week transformation!
Pupdate: 10/20/2024
After picking up Pablo, we hung out at Albion Riverside Park for a few extra minutes to reintroduce ourselves! He barked at me a few times, but quickly seemed to recognize me as the guy who gave him treats last time, and then really started liking me when I pulled out my treat pouch. We stayed clear of most people at the park, but sometimes people would walk by, giving us some idea of how his reactivity is going. The main person he reacted to had a sweatshirt tied around her waist, and you informed me that Pablo often reacts to people holding bags. I second this theory, as one person walked by me and Pablo with no issue, but then a guy walked by with a stick, and Pablo locked onto him. This interaction is in the above video! He locked on while the guy was pretty far away, and the guy gave us a wide berth. Pablo barked once or twice, but didn't lunge or pull towards him, I gave him a pat on the back, and of course, right after that praise he tried to pull towards him.
After this we went over to Almansor Park, where we continued working, this time with the prong collar! He is used to walking on the prong collar, so I was able to keep his movements a little more smooth.
We then went home and got settled in! He's been here before, so I think he remembered my home and got comfortable pretty quickly!
Pupdate: 10/21/2024
Pablo and I went to Whittier Narrows Park today for training! We met with several other trainers and their dogs. When we first approached, he growled at the group but then did a good job bringing his attention back to me using the Off command as well as a combination of his prong collar and E collar. Throughout our time there, Pablo vocally reacted to the other dogs only a few more times, with the frequency decreasing throughout our session. He did, however, frequently stare down other dogs, and sometimes break his Sit or Down positions to try to start walking toward them. One of the great things about the Off command is that we can use it preemptively before Pablo barks, growls or lunges. As soon as I notice him fixating on one particular dog or person, I can go ahead and use Off to bring his attention back to me. Then, as soon as he looks at me, I mark that with a, "Yes!" to help him understand he should be paying more attention to me in the first place! Even though Pablo is extremely food motivated, I tried to refrain from using treats today as much as possible, as I want him to start behaving even if I don't have a treat in my hand.
Later, on one of our walks at home, Pablo had a much stronger reaction to a person walking on the opposite side of the street. He, again, did well to stop when corrected, and we continued our walk without issue. When settled into a group, Pablo seems to pretty quickly reduce his reactivity, but strangers still give him a hard time. Finding a good balance of working him around people he knows and working him around plenty of strangers will be the best for him, I think!
Pupdate: 10/22/2024
Pablo and I went to Almansor Park today for training! It wasn't very busy today, aside from some people walking around the track. The track is a great place to walk Pablo, as we can move against the general foot traffic, creating as many opportunities to correct any reactivity as possible. Much like yesterday, he started by growling several times, but responded well to his Off command. Once he started walking by the people without growling, we stopped walking and tried holding his Sit and Down positions while people continued to walk by. This was a little more difficult for him, since he didn't have the Heel command to focus on, and had a slightly tougher time bringing his attention back to me.
For his commands, we focused on Place! Pablo had done a good job with his Place command on a comfortable place cot, so we tried practicing on some slightly more challenging objects. He didn't have any issue placing on the rock by the pond, but found the bleachers hard to balance on. It took a few tries, but he eventually got the hang of it! Practicing Place out in public on a wide variety of objects can be a great confidence building exercise, which I believe will help with his reactivity in these areas. It can also be very useful at home! Having a specific spot that Pablo can remain on can be convenient whenever you need to cook, clean or even have guests over.
Pupdate: 10/23/2024
Pablo and I went to Garfield Park today for training! We continued working on each of his commands, and focused more on having him hold his positions. He is starting to get more comfortable more quickly, and is doing a great job holding his Place and Down commands. He's having slightly more trouble holding his Sit, as he wants to squirm, lay down, or come to me when asked to hold his Sit for longer periods of time. He's doing a great job working on it though! For his Come To Sit command, he's progressing quickly, and starting to respond and come to me immediately when asked. His biggest issue with this recall command is he sometimes tries to go in between my legs instead of sitting next to me. It's pretty funny when he does this, but I have to try to hold in my laughter, as I don't want him to think he's doing the right thing. He only does this maybe once every five or six attempts, but it's still something to work on!
While at the park, there were only a few other people and dogs there, but he didn't have a reaction to any of them today. He did a much better job staying focused while working on his commands, without me needing to use the Off command constantly. While on our normal walks, there was one time when he turned his nose up at a person and trotted a little bit ahead of me towards them, but he did not bark or growl. I reminded him to Heel, and he regained his position. I believe he is making great progress, even if we didn't see as many people today as we usually do.
Pupdate: 10/24/2024
Pablo and I went to Santa Anita Mall today for training! I opted to put his prong collar back on while we were there just in case his reactivity came out at the mall, so I could have a bit more control over him. It wasn't too crowded while we were there, which was good for his first time! He was very skeptical when we first got there, and went back to trying to pull on his leash for a few minutes. Other than that, he performed his commands reliably. As far as his reactivity, he grumbled at a few people, but did an overall good job containing himself, with the help of his commands. Pablo usually has the strongest reactions to people who are carrying things, but there were plenty of people carrying shopping bags, and his reactions to them were about the same as anyone else we saw today. I'm hoping his reactivity is being reduced by his daily exposure to new areas and distractions. I expected slightly more reactivity today, but he gave me less, which I believe is a good sign, although we will be going back to the mall as often as possible to make sure he wasn't simply too distracted by the new environment to care about the people!
Pupdate: 10/25/2024
Pablo and I went to Almansor Park today for training! We spent most of our time working around the pond and getting as close to the geese and ducks as possible. He was very playful today so he had trouble staying focused some of the time. After some time around the flock of geese, he started behaving much better. The geese were the main distraction for today, but there were some other dogs and people around as well. The other dogs and people added great distractions, but he only had one strong reaction and that was when a person came around the corner and surprised us.
Back at home I had a plumber over for much of the day. When he entered, Pablo barked once, but stopped when corrected and remained calm for the rest of the time.
Pupdate: 10/26/2024
Pablo and I went to Almansor today for training! We went alongside another dog that I'm working with, and they got along very well! Keep in mind, they've had plenty of time to interact at home in a more neutral setting. Pablo loves this dog, and was easily distracted by him, constantly wanting to break his Heel to lick his ears. Working on our commands with only a few inches separating Pablo from another dog was extremely valuable for him. We had a lot of opportunities to teach and remind him that he needs to stay in his Heel and other positions, even when there's a dog that close. They got the chance to play together, but only after we had lots of warm up time with our commands. Pablo played mostly politely, but after playtime was over, he remained excited for a few extra seconds and took that opportunity to try to jump on me. When he does this, I use his Off command, stand straight up, and then ask him to Sit or Down.
As far as his reactivity, he growled at one person at the park, but again, stopped immediately when asked, and didn't do so again while there. He barked one time today, and that was on our morning walk. We were mostly alone, and one neighbor quickly left their house, which I think surprised Pablo. It seems a lot of his reactivity now, is from things he isn't expecting, and he gets spooked. Most of the time now, if he sees someone coming, he's getting very good at containing his emotions, but a quick reveal still spooks him. It's tough to practice this, as replicating these interactions can be quite hard, but we will keep going out somewhere each day, as plenty of areas in the world are full of surprises!
Pupdate: 10/27/2024
Pablo and I went to Garfield Park today! It was very busy! He puffed out his cheeks a couple times, but seemed more playful and distracted today than reactive. He tried to get me to play with him every chance he got. I'm glad he's getting so comfortable while out in public, but now I need him to focus on his commands a little more. He performed all of his commands when asked, although they were a little shakey today at the beginning, when he was the most playful.
Because he is getting so playful with me, we worked on boundaries during play. I would ask him to Sit, then Break, and play with him, but as soon as he jumped a little too much and tried putting his paws on me, I would stand straight up, use our Off command, and ask him to Sit again. Once he calmed down, we could start playing again. He started doing much better with this. He still tried to squirm his way between my legs a few times though.
Pupdate: 10/28/2024
Pablo and I went to Whittier Narrows Park today for training! We were there with some other trainers and their dogs. He's met with these trainers before, but there were plenty of new dogs! He did not react or growl at any of them while we were there although I did need to stay on top of him with his Off command and his E collar. He was a bit distracted and interested in everyone there, but not nearly as much as yesterday. He had the opportunity to get some work in with one of the other trainers, and he ended up doing well. The other trainer also needed to continually work to keep his attention, but this time because he was mostly focused on me. He was able to perform his commands reliably with the other trainer though! This was a great exercise to help Pablo understand that most people he'll come across are friendly and he doesn't need to be scared of them.
I've noticed that most of his reactivity is now not only from being surprised, but also at night. Last night he barked and growled at someone while out on our walk. I'm going to walk him longer at night so he can hopefully get more used to being comfortable in the dark.
Our work on his polite playtime seems to be working. While playing around today, he never jumped, put his paws up, or tried to get through my legs.
Pupdate: 10/29/2024
Pablo and I went to Almansor Park today for training! We practiced his commands with the leash dragging. Allowing his leash to drag gives me some idea of how he might perform off leash while still having access to the leash should I need it. For most of the time, we were in the middle of a field with very few distractions. While distractions were not present, he was fairly reliable with his commands, and stayed focused much of the time. When a dog would walk near us, he would often lose focus and I felt the need to step on/pick up his leash. He never had a reaction, or tried to lunge, but his focus would stay steady on the other dog until I stepped in with his Off command. This is a step in the right direction, and he did a great job with this exercise. We just need to get more time around strangers and dogs as much as possible! I feel confident that with a little more work and exposure, he will get over this hurdle over the course of the next few days.
Pupdate: 10/30/2023
Pablo and I went to Santa Anita Mall today for training! While in the outdoor sections, he did a great job. He was mostly calm, aside from a few playful moments, and stuck close to me and did well performing his commands. More importantly, he was able to mostly ignore all the distractions, including people and other dogs.
Inside, Pablo was much less comfortable. He still stuck close to me and did well with most of his commands, but he found it much more difficult to ignore distractions. His Heel command was less tight, and I needed to use his Off command and remind him to Heel far more frequently. He seemed relieved when we went back outside. He's doing so much better outdoors, I'd like to see that progress translate to indoor malls and stores like Home Depot! We will continue working on that.
Pupdate: 10/31/2024
Pablo and I went to Los Angeles State Historic Park today for training! I was hoping there would be some big event there for Halloween, but there were just the usual crowds walking their dogs and having family picnics. This was still a good time for training, as I got to practice Pablo's leash dragging on a much smaller leash! His commands were better, especially his Come To Sit. Sometimes he likes to move a little too far forward when he Sits, and he did that a lot less today.
We spent a lot of our time working on the difference between him coming to me under command and coming to me on breaks. To do this, I alternate between releasing him from the Place command to come get love, and asking him to perform his Come To Sit command so that he doesn't preemptively start doing one thing or the other.
He growled at one guy doing sprints across the park, but stayed relaxed on the place cot while he did so. To be fair to Pablo, a grown man sprinting directly at us can be intimidating, so I don't really blame him this time. Other than that, he got a little distracted by some off leash dogs running around, but didn't react in any way. We also walked between several sets of families enjoying their picnics and Pablo didn't seem to care at all.
Pupdate: 11/1/2024
Pablo and I went to Almansor Park today for training! He was allowed off leash for several minutes at a time. When around very minimal distractions, he did perfectly fine off leash with his commands. When moving from one section of the park to another, I put his leash on, assessed the environment in the next area, then decided whether or not to remove his leash. If there were more than a few people around, or other dogs, I opted to keep his leash on.
He had the most fun around the pond. This is where we spent the most time, and where he did the best job off leash. I thought taking him to the basketball courts would be more difficult, but he got used to the sound of the ball bouncing pretty quickly and didn't seem bothered by it after that.
Really good progress today from Pablo!
Pupdate: 11/2/2024
Pablo and I went to the park this morning, then the mall this evening! It was starting to get dark when we went to the mall, which Pablo doesn't tend to like. That being said, he still did well at the mall. He usually loves the promenade area, but was less enthusiastic when the sun started going down. There were a few distractions around us, and he did better than usual at ignoring them and staying focused on his commands. When he did get distracted, he stared for a bit too long, but otherwise didn't show any reactive behavior.
Pablo will be going home tomorrow, and I couldn't be more proud of the progress he has made! He is such a sweet pup, and it's been a joy to see him grow and mature. I will miss him a lot once he goes home!
Comments