Pepper | Husky X | Pasadena, CA | In Training
- Alex Kruse
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 8 hours ago
Meet Pepper! She's a year-and-a-half-old Husky/Border Collie Mix from Pasadena, California, and she's here for our Two Week Urban Board and Train Program. Pepper is a smart girl who loves people, but she can be a bit dominant with other dogs and will lunge and bark at them while on leash. She also has a tendency to pull, she has issues coming when called, and she jumps. Over the next two weeks we'll get her shaped up when it comes to listening to all her commands, we'll show her how to properly walk on a loose leash, and teach her that she doesn't need to go after other dogs. We'll also make sure she knows what proper greeting manners look like! Stay tuned for Pepper's two-week transformation!
9/1/26
Today was a getting-to-know-eachother day, and at the park I learned that Pepper is really good with her Sit command, and also really wants to dig at ground squirrel holes! She's definitely easily distracted, and has a solid pull on that leash. I was excited when she came when I called her, but was very quickly surprised when she flew right past me! I can see that she's a smart dog, so I believe she'll able to learn those commands pretty quickly once I can get her to focus in. For now, though, I need to work on her letting her know she can't walk all over me! At home she settled in pretty well in the dog run adjacent to the play yard where she could see the other dogs play, and they could also sniff each other through the fence. That went just fine, but when I tried to actually introduce her to the others? I learned very quickly that she's a really dominant lady. She did somewhat okay with the dogs who weren't paying her any mind, but if anyone even remotely tried to correct her for attempting to hover over them, it was clear that she'd be ready to put them in their place in ways that were not going to be appropriate. That being said, for now she'll be hanging out in her own space, and I can try again later if she seems to adjust to the other dogs being nearby. Inside the house she was certainly curious about everything! I had her on leash in the main parts of the house to make sure she didn't get into things, then let her off when she was inside the room where she'd be sleeping. She found the toys pretty quickly, and I introduced her to her crate, which she settled right down in without issues. I can tell her impulse control is going to be a bit of a challenge, but she's a sweet girl and I'm looking forward to working with her!
9/2/26
I took Pepper out to Pamela Park today, which is a little park in my area that typically has a few scattered people, but otherwise is pretty quiet. I wanted to work her with very little distraction since she's one of those dogs that wants to be everywhere all at once doing all the things! I let her sniff and wander around a bit first just to bring some of that energy down, then we got to work on her basic commands introducing the release word, "Break!" to her so she can begin learning that she cannot break those commands until she hears that word. She definitely has a hard time staying still in one place for too long, so I kept her extended Sit and Down short and simple for her today while she's catching onto the concept. She was picking up on the Heel command fairly quickly, which surprised me some considering how much of a puller she is! I kept a treat lure in front of her face for a little while just to show her where her alignment should be, and also to get her used to following my hand. Then I was able to already begin fading the lure, which means I hold the treat up against my chest and only give her a piece of it after several steps. This helps her keep her focus on me while walking, as well - if she's looking up at me because I have the treat, then she's not looking at all those other distracting things around her! I'll be able to fade that out eventually, as well, but for right now I really need to get her to start checking in regularly. Once you lose her attention it can be a little difficult to get it back! She was more relaxed today at home when it came to the other dogs. She was watching them more with a playful eye and less of a challenging one, which is hopeful. I still didn't feel ready to try her with anyone just yet, but we'll see how she's engaging tomorrow. If she seems like she's going to behave, I'll see about integrating her again with a couple of mellow, non-dominant dogs. If that doesn't pan out, I would simply suggest she doesn't get play time with others unless you know she's very familiar with the other dog, and the other dog doesn't try to challenge her. And that's totally okay! Not all dogs are going to be social creatures, just the same as how some people are introverts. She can get plenty of play and exercise with her people just fine, and a little bit of training work per day is a great way to help wear her out!
9/3/26
Today Pepper and I wandered over to yet another little neighborhood park to practice. It's always hit and miss whether there are kids on the playground or not, which there weren't today, but there was a group of people just offscreen to the left who were hanging out at the picnic tables. It was pretty much what I wanted - distractions that were closer to us, but not so intense that they would trigger Pepper's impulsiveness. She actually did really great with that today, I'm pleased to report. She was much more attentive in general today and willing to show some patience so she could get those rewards. Her Heel was much cleaner without me having to rely quite as much on the leash pressure, she held her Sits and Downs for much longer, and she's beginning to grasp the coming around into the sit when I call her. I figured she'd catch on quick with her breed and all! I also introduced her to Place today using the picnic table as her frame of reference. She was a little bit wary of laying down on it the first few times, and pretty quick to pop back up, but she got it down pretty well after running through it several times. I'll gradually increase the amount of time she's expected to be in her Place position for, as well as adding more distractions and creating some distance from her. We're at a good place to start, though!
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