Penny | Australian Shepherd | Glendora, CA | In- Training

Meet Penny! She’s a four-year-old Australian Shepherd from Glendora, California, here for our One-Week Board and Train Program! Penny is a sweet, social girl who loves everyone she meets, but her excitement often gets the best of her. She tends to jump on guests the moment they walk in the door, and her over-the-top greetings sometimes even lead to accidents on the floor. On walks, her enthusiasm comes out as loud barking, whining, and pulling, making it hard to enjoy a calm stroll.

During her stay, Penny will be working on mastering her everyday manners, practicing polite greetings without jumping, building impulse control, and learning to walk calmly on leash without all the extra noise and pulling. We’ll also help her settle down during the leash-up routine so the whole household stays calm when it’s time for a walk. Stay tuned for Penny’s 1 Week Transformation!

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Pupdate 8/23/25

Penny’s first day update! When I picked her up, she was full of restless energy—whining, moving around, and even jumping up on me out of excitement. The car ride was a challenge too, as she isn’t crate trained yet and let me know with plenty of whining from the back. Once we got to the park, I worked her on just a slip leash to see where she was at. She offered a few sits, but not much else, and her heel position was very loose—walking slightly in front of my leg instead of right beside it. That’s something we’ll be tightening up during her program.

We’re already putting in some work to help her calm down before heading outside. I’ve been having her sit    before I put her leash on, making sure she’s not wiggling around with excitement. I’m also holding her accountable to sit as I go through the door, so she learns that an open door is not an invitation to bolt outside. Once we get outdoors, I’ve been keeping her in a loose walk and not allowing her to go crazy right away, which helps set the tone for a calmer outing.

At home, she’s been whining quite a bit both in and out of the crate. I think she really misses her family and her siblings, so part of her adjustment will be learning how to settle on her own and feel more comfortable without constant attention.

We also had a great chance to work on her greeting manners today. While chatting with a man at the park, I had Penny hold her sit before receiving pets. It took a few tries, but she quickly caught on that staying seated earned her attention, and by the end she was able to sit politely while being greeted. A strong first step for her training journey!

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Pupdate 8/24/25

Today we introduced her to the e-collar using commands she already knew, like sit and come. At first, she wasn’t quite understanding what it meant, and the numbers had to go fairly high without much response. To help her out, I switched to keeping the numbers low but focused on lots of repetition, pairing the two types of communication so it would start to click for her.

We took advantage of the cool morning to walk around the neighborhood and worked on her heel position, her come-to-sit, and holding her sit even when I walked away or turned around. She did a nice job starting to build up that focus and impulse control. I also introduced her to place on different objects around the neighborhood. At first, she was hesitant to jump up onto new surfaces, but once she tried it once, she became comfortable and was willing to do it again without hesitation.

We continued building her door manners as well, having her sit and stay calm before going outside so she learns that the open door is not something to get overly excited about. With a lot of work both in and out of the house, Penny is learning that excitement isn’t necessary—what we’re really looking for is calmness and self-control.

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Pupdate 8/25/25

Penny’s update! Today we met up at the park with some other trainers to practice all of her commands around distractions like people and dogs. She actually did very well—her heel and come-to-sit commands were much more focused even with all the activity around her. During her place command she did whine a little while practicing “doing nothing,” but there was no barking, jumping, or lunging the entire time, which is huge progress for her.

Penny is showing me that she can hold still and remain calm, but she really benefits from daily exercise—especially mental exercise through her heel, place, and come-to-sit work. With consistent training, she’s proving that she can be a calmer, more controlled dog. At home, I’ve been making sure to keep her calm before we ever step outside. I put her in a sit before the leash goes on and only interact with her when she’s settled. She waits in a sit as I open the door, and I always walk her out in a heel so going outside isn’t a big, overexcited event.

She’s also been responding really well to the e-collar and is starting to understand that it means she’s expected to perform a command. With this structure, Penny is learning how to slow down, think, and channel her energy in a much more productive way.

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Pupdate 8/26/25

Penny’s update! Today we continued focusing on helping her learn how to stay calm in different situations. She did have a little bit of submissive urination when greeting my mom as she came home. This stems from an involuntary response to excitement—it’s not something she can control, so I don’t correct her for it. Instead, I’m teaching her that she doesn’t need to bow her head, slink up to people, or pee a little to show she’s not a threat. Instead, she can simply sit politely in front of people and still receive attention and affection.

We are also working hard on her come-to-sit command, and she’s starting to understand that it means more than just walking toward me. By adding the U-turn motion behind me, she’s learning to not only come toward me but also stay close by my side, which is helping prepare her for a stronger heel command. Her heel is coming along nicely as well—she’s beginning to understand that her head should stay right by my knee instead of drifting out in front.

She’s also learning that jumping is not an option, which has been one of her biggest issues. As we head out on more field trips, Penny will have plenty of opportunities to practice calm greetings—sitting politely for pets instead of wiggling around or jumping up. With each interaction, she’s building confidence and learning that calm, polite behavior is what earns her the attention she loves so much.

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Pupdate 8/27/25

Penny’s pupdate! In today’s video, you can really see how much exercise and working her brain helps calm her down. At the start, in the car before training, she was very pent up and involuntarily whining with all the energy she had inside. The next clips, right out of the crate and on the grass outside the store, show the same thing—lots of energy bubbling up with no clear outlet for it. Even though she had all that energy, she still did a good job of staying still when I asked her to, which shows me that she’s trying to control herself. But at the same time, it was my job to guide her and give her a productive way to release all of that pent-up energy.

Once we got into training, we worked for about 30 minutes straight, cycling through heel, place, come-to-sit, and sit. I’ve noticed that keeping her engaged in continuous work without too many “breaks” really helps her stay focused and burn off energy in a positive way. Heel gives her both physical exercise and mental focus, place helps her practice impulse control, and come-to-sit keeps her sharp while also teaching her to stay close and attentive. Mixing all of these commands together keeps her from getting bored and makes her work her brain just as much as her body.

The difference in her energy before and after the session was very clear. The videos afterward show how effective this kind of focused mental and physical exercise is—Penny was calmer, more balanced, and happily tired from the structure of our session. This kind of training isn’t just about obedience commands, it’s about giving her the right outlet for her energy so she doesn’t have to let it out in unproductive ways like whining, barking, or jumping. With consistency, these kinds of sessions will help Penny not only learn her commands but also find that calm state of mind her family is looking for.

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Pupdate 8/28/25

Penny’s pupdate! Today we took a field trip to Target to practice her commands in a busier environment. Inside the store, we worked on her come-to-sit commands right in the aisles, which helped her stay focused and really dial in the position. She also practiced staying in her heel around people and carts passing by, and she did a great job sticking to her commands even with all the distractions moving around her.

There was one moment when I stopped to look at something and she wanted to sniff a passerby, but I quickly corrected her and put her back into her sit. She settled back down nicely and was able to stay with me without pushing the boundaries again. I have noticed that Penny can get a little restless if she has to stay in a sit or place command for too long, but keeping her in a steady heel as we walk through the store helps her stay engaged and also wears her out in a healthy, productive way.

Overall, she handled the outing very well and showed me that she’s becoming more capable of holding her commands in public while keeping her excitement under control.

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Pupdate 8/29/25

Penny’s final pupdate! In today’s video, she gets to showcase all the commands she’s learned during her board and train. Working on leash, Penny really showed off how far she’s come. You’ll see her heeling through the aisles with focus, staying right by my side even as people and carts moved around us.

She also demonstrated her stability in both place and sit, holding her commands calmly even with distractions nearby. This has been one of her biggest areas of growth—learning that she doesn’t need to get wiggly, jump, or lose control when there’s excitement around her. Instead, she’s learned that calm, steady behavior is what earns her freedom and attention.

Penny has made incredible progress and it’s been such a joy to see her transformation. She’s leaving this program with the tools to be a well-mannered, obedient, and much calmer pup!