Pepper | Siberian Husky | Laguna Beach, CA | In - Training
- cristianoffleash
- Feb 2
- 24 min read
Updated: Feb 22
Meet Pepper! She’s a 1-year-old Siberian Husky from Laguna Beach, CA, and she’s joined us for our 3-week Board and Train Program. Pepper is an extremely friendly dog who gets along well with both people and other dogs. However, she tends to become overly emotional, which can lead to behaviors like jumping, begging, and not responding when called. She also gets easily distracted, which we’ll be addressing during her training. Over the next three weeks, Pepper and I will work on obedience skills and her ability to focus on tasks and commands, even in outdoor settings with distractions. While Pepper already has a great foundation, we’ll be refining her skills to help her become a more well-mannered dog, especially in social situations. Stay tuned to see her progress as she works with me, her personal trainer!
Pupdate 2/2/2025
Today, I met Pepper, a Siberian Husky from Laguna Beach, CA. She did fairly well during our car ride home, whining a few times but eventually settling down and staying quiet for the rest of the journey. Before heading home, I decided to stop by a local park to engage with Pepper and begin building our relationship. I let her walk around and explore on her own for a bit before asking for some obedience commands. She responded well to her name and the "sit" command, though she would occasionally get distracted by the scents around her or break her sit when I created some distance between us. After a little while, I introduced her to the e-collar, which helped improve her focus and engagement. With better communication in place, we headed home to settle in.
Upon arriving at my house, Pepper made her way inside with ease, taking time to explore and familiarize herself with her new surroundings. Once we moved to my side of the house, she met Hunter, who was inside his crate. They sniffed each other briefly without any noticeable reaction, so I allowed Pepper some freedom to roam my room. She often returned to sniff Hunter from a distance. After about twenty minutes, I let Hunter out of his crate, and the two dogs interacted more directly, sniffing each other with calm intentions before walking away. Slowly, they began to engage more, and at one point, Hunter rolled over, which led to Pepper going into a play bow. This sparked a brief, playful interaction between them.
Later, I introduced Pepper to her crate, and she entered without hesitation. However, when I closed the door and stepped away, she immediately began barking. I put her e-collar back on to address this issue, which quickly reduced the barking and helped her calm down when left alone in her crate. Eventually, she settled and fell asleep. I’ll continue to monitor her progress and keep you updated as the days go by!
Pupdate 2/3/2025
Today, we went to Whittier Narrows Park in El Monte, CA, to meet up with friends from Offleash and their dogs, who were undergoing training. We were the first to arrive, so we took the opportunity to work on our training before the others showed up.
In the video above, we focused on several commands, including "heel." When I asked Pepper to "down," she resisted at first, but I remained persistent, not allowing her to act impulsively. This gave me the chance to guide her through the command. After a few attempts, she responded more quickly, allowing me to praise her for her obedience. I then conditioned her to walk with me, practicing left and right turns while maintaining focus on the heel command. Each time I made a turn, I would ask her to "heel," and when she followed through, I didn't need to use her e-collar or leash pressure. When I asked Pepper to "sit," I created some distance to challenge her. She was able to remain in the sit position for about a minute before attempting to get up out of impulse. To correct this, I used her e-collar on a low to medium setting (around 15–20) once to guide her back into the sit. After a short walk around, I released her with the "break" command, which signals her to be free from working, and she was immediately praised. I also reward her with treats during this moment.
Once our friends arrived, we worked on additional challenges, such as Pepper's excitement when seeing other dogs. It was clear that her reactions were driven by curiosity rather than aggression. For example, when she met Oso, a chocolate lab, all they did was smell each other, and Pepper showed no signs of wanting to play after the sniffing. To help manage her excitement, I introduced the "off" command (also known as "leave it"), which helped her calm down and refocus her attention on me. She quickly learned to ignore the other dogs and relax in a down or sit position. By the end of our session, she was calm and confident, though she still displayed some impulsive behavior when I moved away from her. We will continue to work on increasing her comfort with distance, as she tends to get very attached to me when I leave her sight.
Pepper’s crate training has also improved. Last night, she remained quiet and slept through the night without crying. Throughout the day, she occasionally whines in the crate, but I ignore the crying and only attend to her when she's calm, rewarding her with praise or treats at those moments.
Pupdate 2/4/2025
This morning, I took Hunter and Pepper on a walk together, and it went really well. Pepper was calm throughout the walk, not overly excited or eager to play. When we got home, I gave the dogs some playtime before heading out to a lesson. Upon my return, I noticed that Pepper had moved her crate around the room while inside it. She only shifted it by about two feet, but she remained inside the crate during the process.
Later, we focused on door manners, starting with the side gate of the house before moving on to the front door. In the backyard, I worked on Pepper’s “place” command before opening the door. We took our time reinforcing the “place” command, ensuring that Pepper understood that once she’s asked to stay in place, she should remain there until given another command or a break. I was impressed with her progress—she only got up once, driven by impulsiveness, but was easily redirected. I walked to the front of the house and returned to the backyard to release her. Once the training was over, Pepper’s Husky personality kicked in, and she became more independent. During moments like this, I continue to redirect her back to me for praise.
When my brother returned from school, I had him spend some time training Pepper as well. This allowed him to bond with her while also helping her become more neutral toward kids and teenagers during obedience training.
Pupdate 2/5/2025
This morning, we went on a walk with Hunter, and it went well overall. There was no pulling on the leash, and Pepper made an effort to stay close to both Hunter and me as we walked. Occasionally, if Hunter tried to take the lead, Pepper would become motivated to follow. However, as I redirected Hunter, Pepper naturally followed along. Once we returned home, the dogs had some playtime before settling down and resting on the floor.
Later, we visited Brea Mall in Brea, CA, to expose Pepper to a new environment and observe her behavior. She did well, remaining calm and not overly excited. From the moment we started our walk from the car, she was able to maintain a proper heel. We did have one moment when a woman walking her Australian Shepherd passed by us. Although Pepper initially remained calm, the other dog lunged at her, causing Pepper to bark. I quickly redirected her to stop the barking. After that, we continued walking around the mall, practicing obedience commands like sit, place, and down, with a focus on duration. When we practiced the down command, Pepper would often break position and try to move toward me. I used her e-collar to stop her in her tracks and maintain a proper distance, giving me the opportunity to move around her. As she began to succeed more often, it became easier to ask for her down and walk away without needing as many redirections. During our training session, several people passed by and asked about how well she listens and about our training process. For the most part, she stayed down, surprisingly uninterested in greeting those who called to her.
In the later part of the day, my brother trained Pepper to help her get more comfortable listening to teenagers when asked to follow commands. Pepper was highly attentive to my brother Nick and was able to perform her obedience commands with ease while training with him.
Pupdate 2/6/2025
This morning, the dogs followed their usual routine, starting with an early walk, followed by playtime. Hunter and Pepper have been getting along well during play, engaging in tug-of-war or passing a ball back and forth without any arguments or attempts to fight. Pepper has a funny habit of pawing at Hunter repeatedly until she gets a reaction from him. These days, they tire out more quickly when playing together, and Pepper is becoming better at settling down as time goes on.
In the video above, we worked on house training in the kitchen. The goal was to clean dishes while asking Pepper to stay patiently on her place pad. Getting her to go to her place was easy, but over time, she started to vocalize and complain, which led to her getting up. When Pepper decides she’s done with training, she needs to be redirected—this is important for proper house training, even inside the house. Throughout the video, Pepper got up about three times. Once I finished the task at hand, I was able to release her and offer praise. We also trained with a neighbor who stayed home from work today. We practiced obedience outside, with my neighbor and her dog acting as distractions.
Nick and Pepper worked on training inside the house instead of in front of the house today. I had Nick practice her obedience in the center of the house, where we placed her on her place pad while we moved around the house to keep her challenged. As usual, Pepper would occasionally get up out of impulsiveness, so I had Nick continue redirecting her. Nick also participated in the training to act as a distraction, which helped reinforce Pepper's obedience.
Pupdate 2/7/2025
This morning, we followed a slightly different routine, starting with playtime since it had rained earlier, and we needed to wait for the outside to dry a bit. After about an hour, we went for our walk, which went smoothly, with Pepper consistently heeling beside me along with Hunter.
Around noon, we headed to Anaheim Pet & Feed Co Supply in Anaheim, CA, as it was still wet outside and we wanted to stay warm and dry. Upon entering the store, Pepper seemed excited, so we focused on working through her initial reaction. Once she was settled, she resumed walking in a perfect heel next to me. As we passed people, Pepper attempted to smell them, so I used her "off" command to disengage her from this behavior. We also encountered several dogs, and Pepper remained calm and unreactive, which was helped by the fact that the other dogs were also calm and didn't bark at us.
While training in the store and navigating through the aisles, most of Pepper’s commands went well. However, I noticed that she took longer to respond to the "down" command compared to when we’re at home, where there are fewer distractions. Since we were in a new environment, Pepper was more focused on her surroundings, so I had to be consistent and firm to reinforce her obedience. By the end of our visit, Pepper was responding to all her commands with ease, and we made our way home.
Later, when my brother came home from school, I had him continue training with Pepper, which has been helping to strengthen their bond. Their relationship is progressing very well, and she responds to him well during obedience training.
Pupdate 2/8/2025
This morning, we followed our usual routine of taking Hunter on a 45-minute walk before heading home to give the dogs some playtime. I had stepped out of the house for a while, and during that time, Pepper barked for an extended period. As a result, my brother took the initiative to calm her down, which he successfully did. When I returned home, Pepper was eager to greet me and seemed more energetic than usual, based on my observations.
In the first video, I worked on Pepper's recall to help her expend some energy and relax. We practice this command regularly, as we do with all training, to properly condition Pepper. By now, she understands the process well and knows to position herself on my left side when coming around me, although she can still be slightly angled. I plan to continue praising her more consistently when she faces me directly.
In the second video, my brother demonstrates his obedience training with Pepper while I supervise. Nick is familiar with e-collar training and continues to help improve Pepper's obedience. When working on small tasks, like shaking hands, Nick ensures that Pepper stays close to him rather than letting her approach me, even when I move toward them. While heeling, however, Nick tends to give Pepper too much space when turning, so I step in to adjust his shoulders and help him make more precise movements. The final part of the video shows Nick working on Pepper's recall again, where I make baby noises to distract her, but she remains more focused on my brother during the exercise.
Pupdate 2/9/2025
The dogs followed their usual morning routine, which was followed by some playtime in the backyard before we took Pepper to a park in Downtown Fullerton.
Our visit to Hillcrest Park went well, with Pepper maintaining a consistent walking pace. We passed many people walking their dogs, but Pepper showed no interest in any of them, even at first sight. The focus for today’s training was on leash dragging, place commands, and sit positions in various areas of the park. We took our time, spending 5 to 10 minutes in different locations, working on obedience exercises, and Pepper seemed to handle them with more ease than usual. When we trained near the park’s fountain, I dropped the leash to focus on improving Pepper’s leash dragging for off-leash obedience.
A new challenge we tried today was walking up and down the large staircase in the park, which has about 1,000 steps. Going up was easy for Pepper, but walking down was more difficult. We focused on pacing ourselves, which helped us descend more
comfortably without rushing.
The rest of the day was dedicated to continued obedience training with my sibling. I had them carry on with Pepper’s e-collar training, which has been progressing well, as Pepper is becoming more responsive to them and giving me less attention. I also followed up with off-leash training inside the house. While we had some successful moments, there were times when Pepper acted independently and tried to wander away. However, we will continue focusing on leash dragging as part of our ongoing efforts to improve her off-leash obedience.
Pupdate 2/10/2025
Today we focused on home training, conditioning Pepper's impulses inside the house to keep her situated and more obedient instead of being explosive and energetic. We started off with door manners going over Pepper's obedience once she see's me leave. She was doing very well but once the wind got stronger it slammed the gate on her but surprisingly she remained in her sit even while being startled. As I open the gate she remained neutral and I was able to break her for praise. The second time went with ease and I walked her to the front with the leash dragging and once we are in the front I break her again for more praise.
In the second video clip we focused on impulse control while placing Pepper in the center of the house. I ask Pepper to down and walk throughout the house with Pepper getting up a few times but redirecting her back into her down until we get the task done is the name of the game for all obedience training. It is very important to never let a dog get away with misbehaving since it takes one time for them to understand they could do it again. Once Pepper is done being impulsive I'm able to do as I please with any type of distraction that I'm doing.
Pepper's crate training has progressed well by now with her being less vocal inside for short moments at a time. She was quiet for the first time waking up this morning allowing me to go into my restroom without being vocal. Although this is the first day she's show different behavior being more calm we have to focus on the mornings now since the rest of the day and night after going out and training she gets tired and sleepy easily. Pepper has the ability to demand things and once that happens she need to be redirected for that which is easily done with her e-collar once she gets to that point.
Pupdate 2/11/2025
Today, we headed to Whittier Narrows Park in El Monte, CA for our training session with the off-leash team. Upon arrival, we met Mike and his dogs, Oso and Ruby, to practice training with them present. Their dogs ignored Pepper, which helped us focus on her obedience in a real-world environment. We worked on leash dragging, and Pepper responded very well, remaining engaged and obedient with me, even without the use of the remote at times.
When Jose and Tanner arrived with their dogs, Pepper remained unfazed, continuing her training without any impulse-driven reactions. I walked around, performing different tasks to see if they would trigger a reaction, but Pepper stayed in her down position on the place pad. In the final video clip, you can see how well Pepper did, staying in her down and performing excellently throughout the session, even with other dogs around.
After the video, we shifted focus to reinforcing our under-obedience command and assisting others with their dogs as distractions, since Pepper is calm and confident. This allowed our friends to continue training their pups without issue. We also took a walk around the park with the leash dragging. During this lap, Pepper stayed calmly by my side, showing no desire to run off or react impulsively to anything around her. We spent the rest of the day practicing more leash dragging to further condition Pepper for off-leash obedience.
Pupdate 2/12/2025
This morning, the weather in the neighborhood wasn’t too wet, so we followed our usual routine of a morning walk. Since both dogs tend to get wet, I always clean them off with a towel afterward. In past rainstorms, Pepper has been vocal and resistant to being cleaned, but today she was surprisingly calmer during the process. Her vocalizing when leaving the house has improved, but she still gets a bit excited when I return. To address this, I continue to ignore her when I come home, ensuring she doesn’t learn to act excited when I enter the room after being away. I’ve applied this same approach with my own dog, who no longer gets excited when I return, especially after being in his crate.
Today, we also did some obedience training inside. I used a platform to teach the "under" command, which involves getting the dog to go under any platform with enough space. This is useful for social situations or when the dog needs shade in hot weather. I started by placing treats under the platform, and Pepper quickly figured out how to go under and crawl out. When practicing with her leash, she was easily lured into position. Eventually, we transitioned to just using hand gestures and her e-collar, allowing her to perform the command smoothly.
In the video above, I demonstrate the "under" command as I’ve been working on it this week, continuing to break the behavior and reward Pepper for her confidence. I signal her with a hand gesture to indicate the command. In the second video, we practice the "send away" command, where I direct Pepper to go to her place by pointing at it. We started with her first place, with me holding the leash, but for the rest of the attempts, I let the leash drag and created distance while pointing to the mat. I’m also now able to signal Pepper to sit or lie down from a distance using only the remote, without needing the leash. The rest of the day was dedicated to refining these two commands and working on preventing impulsive behavior, though Pepper has been doing very well overall.
Pupdate 2/13/2025
This morning started off rainy and wet, but fortunately, the rain stopped just in time for our walk with Hunter. Our walk was a bit shorter than usual, but once we got back home, the dogs had a quick play session with a few toys I had out.
Later, we went to Home Depot in Anaheim, CA, where we focused on leash dragging around the store, gradually transitioning into off-leash obedience training. When we arrived, Pepper immediately settled into a consistent heel, and there was no sign of her trying to lead, as has sometimes happened. We walked through every aisle, passing by multiple people, and Pepper remained calm, showing no interest in anyone who passed. Today, we concentrated on all of her obedience commands, which went really well—she even nailed her recall on the first try when asked. She demonstrated a lot of focus, letting the leash drag while regularly checking in with me every few steps.
We also worked on her “place” command using stable materials, like the ones shown in the third photo above. Initially, we needed some leash assistance to guide her onto a platform for the “place” command, but she quickly figured out how to get onto the material herself without help.
Since it was still raining, we continued with more training at home, incorporating additional playtime with Hunter. It seems more manageable now to leave the house, as long as Pepper has some mental stimulation training before being placed back into her crate, as she remains quiet during that time.
Pupdate 2/14/2025
This morning, the weather began to clear up, so we waited for the right moment when it was dry enough for an hour-long walk. When we returned home, I cleaned the dogs' paws with a towel and gave them some playtime in the backyard. I then briefly left the house to watch a friend of my dogs, whom I was hosting for the day. Pepper also had a new friend to play with in the morning. Once the dogs had worn themselves out, it was time to rest.
We focused on off-leash obedience training to help Pepper become fully comfortable off-leash. We started by practicing door manners, using the front door since Pepper is already well-conditioned to the side gate. This new focus helps us work on her behavior in more realistic situations. When practicing with the front door, Pepper only gets up once, but she can easily be redirected from a distance and asked to return to her down position to recreate the situation. After filming the first video, we repeated this exercise a few more times before moving to the backyard to practice recall.
In the second video clip, we worked in the backyard since the front yard was still wet. Pepper now responds to the recall command on the first try, demonstrating that she fully understands it. If she gets distracted by a smell while coming toward me, I use her e-collar to redirect her attention. When I asked her to down before ending the video, she ignored me, so I used the e-collar to guide her into completing the down command. After finishing the practice session, I said "break" and planned to continue training after the video.
The rest of the day was spent playing with Hunter and Winnie, who stayed over for most of the day. I had my brother work with Pepper on her obedience training to help her become more accustomed to working with children.
Pupdate 2/15/202
Today, I woke up feeling more unwell than usual, but I was still committed to taking the dogs out for their potty walk and playtime as soon as we returned indoors. Pepper has been a bit constipated recently, so I bought some canned pumpkin to help with her digestion, but she refused to eat it. Despite this, she still seems energetic and motivated, so she appears to be fine, though she definitely needs to poop soon!
I took Pepper to Peralta Canyon Park for obedience training, as it's always quiet there, with no games or distractions. We began by practicing under obedience with the park benches. Pepper was initially confused by the new command, but after some leash guidance, she picked it up quickly. When we moved on to our send-away to place, Pepper seemed uninterested at first because it wasn’t her usual mat, and she wasn’t keen on placing herself on something unfamiliar. I had to repeat the exercise multiple times to reintroduce the send-away, but eventually, she was able to complete it without the leash.
Our final practice session involved off-leash heeling. I detached the leash, and Pepper performed beautifully, with no issues observed in the video. Her heel is now more consistent, and she responds to commands like heel, sit, down, and recall with less reliance on my remote. After the video ended, a group of people arrived at the park for a dog training class and invited us to join. However, Pepper showed little interest in interacting with the other dogs since she’s confident when I’m around. She only reacts when dogs are uncontrolled and lack guidance from their owners. Most of the dogs we passed by were calm, lazy breeds, and none of them rushed towards Pepper during our walk.
We ended the day with more offleash training with my brother training Pepper in the backyard.
Pupdate 2/16/2025
This morning, Hunter and Pepper went for a one-hour walk around the neighborhood. Once we returned home, they had their usual playtime, which lasted about five minutes before both dogs became tired.
Later in the day, I took Pepper to Cerritos Mall in Cerritos, CA, to work on her obedience. The session went very well. When we entered the store and started walking, I used a thin leash to create the feeling of no leash at all for Pepper. To my surprise, she was very consistent with her heeling, remaining focused and unbothered by passing people, smells, or any dogs we encountered. After completing our first lap, I switched leashes to work on creating more distance, while also adhering to the mall’s leash policies, which made training easier.
When asking Pepper to lie down, this was the only command she responded to impulsively, but for every other command, she followed through effortlessly. I took time to walk through parts of the mall with heavy foot traffic, allowing Pepper to observe and adjust to the bustling environment. When people stopped to talk to me or ask questions, Pepper remained calmly in her down position.
Overall, it was a successful visit with minimal impulsive reactions, and it gave us both a clearer understanding of how to handle obedience in a busy setting.
Pepper took her mid day nap and continued more home training with me and younger brother as always. I continue to keep Nick train Pepper on leash only in front of the house and offleash inside the house and in the backyard for safety purposes. One small detail about Pepper now is it seems training looks something she looks forward to, even booping me with her nose walking to the leashes and e-collar as an indicator which has been new for the past 2 days!
Pupdate 2/17/2025
Today, we went to Citadel Outlets in Commerce, CA, to practice Pepper's off-leash obedience training. Upon arriving at the parking structure, we took the elevator down. Pepper handled the elevator's motion without any issues. We then took a lap around the shopping center, allowing Pepper to familiarize herself with the surroundings she would be passing by. During the walk, we focused on obedience commands, and Pepper performed exceptionally well. Most of the commands were executed correctly on the first try without the need for her e-collar, except for the "under" command. However, we quickly addressed that and she performed it with ease afterward.
In the video above, you can see our second walk, where Pepper is off-leash. Throughout the walk, she consistently follows commands and holds each position, transitioning smoothly between them. The commands demonstrated in the video include heel, extended sit, under, come to heel, and send away to place. At the end of the video, I call for Pepper's break, and she returns to me for praise and a reward after the training session. I'm thrilled with how confident Pepper is in a busy environment, showing great commitment to her obedience training as we approach the final week of her program. We’ll continue to explore new locations to further condition Pepper and help her adjust to different environments.
After returning home, Pepper played for a few minutes before settling down for a nap. During her nap, I took Hunter out for some time, and when we returned, Pepper wasn’t crying in her crate, which is a great sign of her comfort each time I leave the house.
Pupdate 2/18/2025
Today, we went to Whittier Narrows Park to continue working on Pepper's obedience training. Although not many of our friends joined us, we still made sure to practice all of her commands and work on socializing her with Oso and Ruby, who were there. We took a lap around the park with Pepper off-leash, and as always, she did great. We walked along the park's pathways with Oso, practicing training together. There were a few moments when Pepper showed some impulse to get up, but she quickly redirected and was able to continue training with Oso. Towards the end of our visit, I focused on reinforcing the "under" command and practicing the "send away to place" command.
Around 4:00 PM, when my brother returned from school, I had him practice Pepper's off-leash obedience in the front yard while I supervised. Pepper did really well maintaining distance, though she occasionally tried to sit next to me when walking nearby. I had Nick stay firm in ensuring Pepper heeled next to him, which she did after a bit of redirection with the e-collar. I also had Nick focus on reinforcing the "send away to place" command to make sure Pepper consistently follows it with ease.
Pepper spent the rest of her day playing with Hunter, and I noticed her going into her crate to rest on her own, something she hasn't done before.
Pupdate 2/19/2025
This morning, we followed our usual routine with a walk with Hunter, followed by some playtime in the backyard. Afterward, I left for errands, but this time I would be gone longer than usual. While I was out, I checked in with my mom, who was at home, and she informed me that Pepper had been quiet and sleeping.
Later, we headed to Anaheim Pet & Feed for some indoor training, hoping that some of the staff would interact with Pepper. Upon arrival, Pepper maintained a calm heel and wasn’t overly excited as we entered the store. We focused on training in the center of the store, where foot traffic was heaviest, and Pepper did well, responding to obedience cues as expected. We then walked through each aisle to see if any scents would distract her. She did well until we reached the treat aisle, where the smells from the bags caught her attention. I used the "leave it" command, which is part of her ongoing obedience training, to redirect her focus. Soon after, a couple of employees approached and greeted Pepper. These interactions are captured at the end of the video above. With one employee, Kaylin, I didn’t ask Pepper to sit beforehand to see how she would react. As expected, Pepper leaned against her, which is typical behavior when allowing dogs to greet people without specific obedience commands.
The rest of the day was filled with more playtime with Hunter. Later, after my sibling came home from school, we continued working on obedience training. Pepper and Hunter have both made progress, and Pepper now has fewer impulses to come to me, allowing her to stay with Nick without acting on instinct.
Pupdate 2/20/2025
This morning, we started with an early walk followed by playtime in the backyard with Hunter. The play lasted about 10 minutes before both dogs got tired and settled down to rest.
In the video above, Pepper and I are at a park near my house, having fun running around and enjoying some time together. As I run, Pepper chases me, keeping her focus on me as if I were another dog playing with her. After a bit of running, I ask her to perform the “down” command to see if she can hold it despite all the excitement. She does it effortlessly. After the video ends, we spent another 15 minutes resting, allowing Pepper to look around and simply be herself. In the second video, we shift focus to home training, continuing to reinforce door manners, which Pepper handles easily as usual. This is a consistent practice whenever we return home from outings. I walk to the front of the house and then return to Pepper, guiding her to heel and walking to the front door. She does this calmly, without becoming overly excited. The last clip shows our car-loading routine, where I ask Pepper to sit and wait before I open the door. Once she hears these commands, she patiently waits until I ask her to get inside the car.
Afterward, Pepper spent some time lounging around the house with Hunter. If she got overly excited and started zooming around the living room, I redirected her to prevent her from thinking the living room is a play area. There are designated spots where she’s allowed to play, but in places like the kitchen or my parents' living room, the dogs need to settle down before they’re allowed in those areas. This is also to discourage Pepper from couch surfing when she's excited while hanging out with Hunter.
Pupdate 2/21/2025
This morning, Hunter and Pepper followed their usual routine of a walk and playtime, which went smoothly as always, with both dogs being their best selves. I also spent some time working on Pepper’s send-away to place exercise before giving the dogs their first nap of the day.
In the video above, around 12:00 PM, we did some training while my mother cared for a baby on the couch in the living room. Pepper was exceptionally well-behaved, remaining on her mat as my mother and the baby were in the room. I chatted with my mom while walking around the house, heading toward the front backyard. Throughout this, Pepper stayed calm and relaxed, demonstrating a solid understanding of her obedience. She was able to ignore the distractions around her and focus without acting impulsively. Once the session with my mom and the baby was complete, we went for an off-leash walk around the neighborhood. Pepper maintained her obedience consistently throughout the walk and stayed focused until we returned home.
Later, we waited for my brother to come home from school so we could do some training with him. Pepper worked with Nick for about thirty minutes, and their obedience together was excellent. We focused on training with baby noises and recall practice. When I asked Pepper to come to me, she would sometimes hesitate and stay with me instead of automatically going to Nick. However, as long as Nick used the remote to communicate with her, the training remained consistent, and Pepper didn’t show laziness in coming when called.
Pupdate 2/22/2025
This morning, we went on a pack walk with another dog I’m currently caring for, and Pepper had no issues participating in a group walk with three dogs. We walked for about 45 minutes before heading home, where I conducted individual training sessions for each dog before breakfast.
In the video above, I’ve used a microphone to demonstrate Pepper’s obedience training. When training dogs, it's important not to overdo the verbal commands. Excessive talking can actually discourage a dog from performing well if the trainer or owner isn’t calm and relaxed during the session. In the first clip, I explain key details, such as how to properly redirect Pepper and when to increase the difficulty if she doesn’t immediately respond to a command. During her break, Pepper continues to follow me without being asked to perform commands, which reflects her natural desire to engage.
The second part of the video shows Pepper training with my younger brother, Nicolas, who is well-versed in dog training and knows how to redirect Pepper when necessary. Nick drops the leash and continues training with Pepper, demonstrating the skills we've been practicing throughout her board and train program. Pepper performs her place command, recall, heel, and send-away to place without any leash assistance. At one point, Pepper tries to approach me, but Nick redirects her to keep her attention focused on him since I’m not actively engaging with her at that moment. When they’re training together, I don’t give Pepper any commands, as Nick is the one communicating with her, including using the e-collar if necessary. If anyone else were to give Pepper commands while she’s working with her handler, it could confuse her, so I remain disengaged while she’s working with Nick.
Today marks the last day of Pepper’s training, and I will truly miss her presence. It has been a joy to expose her to new places and see her progress with obedience commands every day. From day one, Pepper has maintained a positive attitude, consistently showing kindness and friendship. My brother, Hunter, and I have all formed a strong bond with her, but we know it’s time for her to return to her family, where she’ll be able to demonstrate the new skills she’s learned.
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