Prince | German Shepherd | Los Angeles, CA

Meet Prince, a three month old German Shepherd from Los Angeles, CA. Prince has joined Offleash for our Three Week Puppy Boarding Train Program. Prince comes to us with no knowledge of any commands. He has normal puppy behavior, such as not knowing how to walk on leash, play biting, and is unfamiliar with potty training. With us, Prince will learn his basic commands, how to walk on leash, and work on his potty training. He will also socialize with other pups and even be exposed to many different types of distractions! Over the next three weeks, Prince will learn basic obedience and manners and be the best pup he can be! Stay tuned to see his transformation!

Pupdate 5/26/2024

Prince did well adjusting to my home. I let him explore a bit before letting him meet all the pups. Max was so excited to meet Prince and the boys played very well together! Max is learning how to play with Prince by being more gentle. Prince had the most fun meeting new friends, but he burned all his energy and was soon ready for a nap. Prince had an accident in the crate on the way home and he did not go potty on the grass yet. I gave Prince his dinner and he took a nap right after. We are so excited to get Prince started on his training to make him the best pup he can be!

Pupdate 5/27/2024

Today Prince and I went to the park to work on the commands place and sit. I started off having a slip lead on Prince rather than the prong collar. This is because we use the prong to give a corrections whenever the pups make a mistake, but Prince is learning the commands so we want him to have an understanding before corrections are given. Since this was Prince’s first time being at the park, he was very distracted which is understandable.

When first teaching Prince place, I used treats to lure him onto the cot. He was a little scared to jump on at first, but once he did he started to be comfortable getting back on the cot. He even would jump on when I did not ask him to place. Each time he fully got on the cot, I would constantly say “place” or “good place Prince.” I also would give him treats when he jumped on then break him right after. I don’t expect Prince to be able to hold any commands for more than a few seconds in the beginning, but as our training goes on, we will work more on his duration. Place is a great command for many reasons. One way we use place is to have our pups relax such as when guests come over, we can ask Prince to place while people walk through the door, then break him to greet the guests. We can also have a place spot away from the dinner table to prevent Prince from begging. Another great way to use place is at the Vet when needing to get Prince on the scale weigh him. Once Prince has a better understanding of the command, we will start to work on different objects while out in public.

We also got to practice the command sit. One thing about ‘place’ is we want to make sure our pups either go into a sit or a down while in a place. This is because place is suppose to be a spot for our pups to relax, so we want to make sure they go into a relaxing position. To teach Prince sit, I used the treats and put it to his nose while bringing it up. This way, his head will go up and will cause him to go into a sit. Whenever he was a bit stubborn, I would push his butt down for some extra help. I would constantly say “Prince, sit” until he would follow all the way through with the command, then I would break him. He was a bit stubborn to go into a sit and after a while he became tired and would just go straight into a down. He still did great learning sit and even when he would down I would praise him and say “good down Prince.”

Once Prince started to get tired, it was time to head home for a nap. We continued to practice place and sit throughout the day. Prince also got to have some fun with Max which also tired him out pretty quick.

I have been keeping a Potty Log and also working on potty training Prince. He has been doing great going on the grass except for one time he almost went potty inside. I caught him just in time and I was able to pick him up and put him on the grass. We do not want to punish Prince for trying to go inside because it may confuse him into thinking going potty is a bad thing overall. Instead I praise him when he goes on the grass by saying “good potty Prince.” With the log we will be able to see a pattern for when Prince has to go potty. From what I noticed today, he has been going each time he is let out of the crate. Price did great sleeping through the entire night and not having any accidents in the crate! When first putting Prince into the crate, he will cry for a few minutes, but then he stops and falls asleep.

Pupdate 5/28/2024

Today Prince and I stayed home and worked on sit and place. He also learned a new command, down! Prince was a bit distracted by his friends watching him train, but I made sure to work him through it. Prince is starting to understand sit and place and is even holding a sit for a few seconds longer. To work on his duration sit, I would give him treats as he holds it and say “good sit Prince.” I then started to work on ‘down’ with him as well. To teach him this command, I would have him sit first, then hold a treat to his nose while slowly luring him down. He did very well learning a new command and we were able to do lots of repetition before he tired out. Prince is also learning how to be on a leash. He tries the bite the leash and he throws little tantrums when he feels any tension. When he bites I will tell him off while pulling up on the leash. He is slowly getting use to it and soon we will start to incorporate the prong collar for corrections.

Prince only had one potty accident today which was not his fault. I had let Prince out to play with Max before letting him go potty first. He couldn’t hold it and went potty on the porch, but the rest of the day he has been doing great going potty on the grass!

Pupdate 5/29/2024

Today Prince and I trained at Lowe’s. He was very distracted by any noise or movement around us. He also got a bit nervous when first walking around the store. He would stop walking, but I would call his name and try to get him excited so he can become used to a new environment. Once he settled down, we went to an empty aisle and worked on a new command, come to sit. Prince is doing very well going into a sit and he even is starting to do it without treats! Since he is starting to understand sit, now we can work on his recall. With come to sit, I used the treats and leash pressure to guide Prince around my right side and then have him sit on my left. We first started next to a wall so Prince can have a structured sit. This means I want Prince to sit facing the same direction as me and close to my leg. If he is facing a different way then he is distracted. Also, by having Prince sit on our left, he is set to go into a heel. When Prince would follow through with the command, I would give him the treat and also toss a treat to get him distracted. By tossing the treat, it keeps Prince excited and engaged and also we can practice recalling him when he is distracted. At times he would get distracted or not want to follow through, but I held him accountable and used leash pressure to guide him with the command.

Today Prince did very well holding his commands as well! He is starting to hold them a few seconds longer and even focus on me while he is in the sit or down! We also worked on Prince placing on new objects. This shows me that he is understanding the command and he is even building confidence by placing on unknown object!

At home, Prince had two accidents. After going potty on the grass, he followed me inside and went potty again. I may have given him too many treats yesterday which caused him to have to go potty some more. Overall, he has had no accidents in the crate and he is doing great going on the grass right when he is let out of the crate. We will soon be introducing the potty bell to Prince.

Prince has not yet been introduced to the prong. Since he has been learning so many new commands, we want him to have a good understanding before any corrections are given. He has been doing great with his training and he is a quick learner!

Pupdate 5/30/2024

Today Prince and I trained at the Santa Monica Pier. Today’s main focus was getting Prince used to a busy environment. He was very distracted and had high energy during our walk around the pier. There were times where Prince was scared of certain objects or people, but I would continue to walk him past it and try to excite him while doing so. When we got to the end of the pier, we met up with the other pups in training. At this point, Prince was tired, so he took a quick nap in the shade. After his nap, Prince seemed to be less worried about his surroundings and we were able to work on the commands he has learned. We also started to introduce the prong collar. Whenever Prince would not follow through with a command the first time I asked, I would give him a quick correction with the prong until he followed through. I am still using treats as a reward so he learns not to be scared of a correction. For his first time working around large crowds and lots of distractions, Prince did a great job. He did need time to adjust, but we were able to work him through it! On our way back to the car, Prince and I worked on his heel. He has gotten a lot better at not biting the leash and also getting used to any leash pressure. He had the prong collar on as we walked which helps prevent Prince from pulling on the leash. With a heel, we want Prince to not lead ahead of us. When dogs lead, they feel they are in charge of the walk. We want him to follow along by our side and be paying attention to what direction we are going which makes us in charge of the walk. Today we worked with him on the left side, but we will start conditioning him to walk on the right.

Prince had many admirers on the pier today. He got many compliments and lots of people came up to say hello. Prince did great meeting all the people. He stayed in a sit while a few kids came up to pet him and he did not try to bite at their hands or jump on them!

Today Prince had no accidents and he is even waiting to go potty until he gets to the grass. I have started to work on Prince’s food manners which means he is learning to sit and wait for his food. He gets very excited for breakfast/dinner and he will either jump or rush to the bowl before I put it down. To practice this, I will ask him to sit, then I slowly move the bowl down. If he gets up from the sit, I will pick the bowl back up and ask him to sit again. It takes a few times of me taking the bowl away until he finally holds the sit. It is a work in progress, but Prince is showing improvements already!

Pupdate 5/31/2024

Today, Prince and I trained at the Hacienda Park. We worked on conditioning him to heel and to

come on the right side. We also are starting to use the prong collar more for corrections and also leaning off treats. Prince is doing great with the command sit. He follows through right away, and he has gotten better at holding the command longer. Now we are working on Prince not breaking commands. When he does break command before being released, I will give him a correction and put him back into the command he was in. With place, Prince will get a bit nervous stepping on new object, so I will lure him on with treats. After some practice and lots of repetition, Prince was doing great placing on different objects.

Prince and I focused a lot more on heeling. The prong collar is working great by preventing Prince from leading or going in a different direction. We did lots of turns and to keep Prince close while changing directions, I would use a treat to guide and reward him. Prince can get distracted at times, but I will continue to walk and use leash pressure to get his attention back.

This morning Prince had one accident in the house. Instead of running outside with me, he ran to a mat and went potty. I’ve been making sure to spend a little more extra time with him outside. If he is out with Max, Prince will be too distracted and not go potty. So I have been giving him some alone time to make sure he goes to the bathroom before playtime.

Pupdate 6/1/2024

Today Prince and I went to Lowe’s to train. Prince also got to work with Amanda! He did great following through with all his commands. He is still getting use to the prong collar and we were able to wean off the treats today! Prince can still get distracted during the walk. In the video you can see that he looks back and tries to stop but Amanda kept walking and applied leash pressure which makes him have to catch up. Prince is getting comfortable with being out in public and he did not get scared of any object today.

Prince had no accidents today, but he did wake up in the middle of the night needing to go potty. Prince tends to drink lots of water so I make sure he goes potty after he drinks. I also make sure he drinks and goes potty before going to bed. Prince normally goes potty every 1-2 hours.

I have noticed Prince can get toy possessive when playing with Max. Most the time they will chase each other with the toys, but every once in a while Prince will growl if Max comes up to grab a toy from him. I have started working on taking toys away from Prince while saying “out” so he learns not to be possessive.

Prince has gotten better at his food manners. He no longer jumps and rushes to the bowl but we are still working on him holding the sit until I release him.

Pupdate 6/2/2024

Today, Prince and I trained with the potty bell. When first teaching Prince, I would hold the bell and have a treat hiding behind it. When his nose would touch, I would give him the treat. I then started to move the treat away from the bell so he can touch it on his own. To make it fun and like a game to keep Prince engaged, I would throw the treat for him to chase it. Once I started to notice he was understanding the concept of touching the bell, I then hung it on the door. I still had to put my hand near it and even lure him with the treat, but after a few tries, Prince was touching the bell on his own! I am also saying “potty” every time he goes to touch the bell. Once he has a better understanding, I will then start adding in opening the door. Prince made a new friend today! He loves to play rough with Max, so he is learning to play gentle with a smaller pup.

Pupdate 6/3/2024

Today Prince and I trained at Whittier Narrows Park. We worked on all the commands and Prince got to socialize with the other dogs. Prince had two struggles today which were heeling and going into a down. With his heel, he was a bit distracted when walking by the dogs and he would try to stop. I continue to walk and apply leash pressure with the prong collar which helped guide him to catch up with me. Amanda also practiced heeling with Prince and Max together. The boys did great following through with commands and walking with Amanda. With down, Prince was a bit stubborn and he threw a lot of tantrums. I held him accountable and I would use downward leash pressure to guide him into a down position. This is when he would throw his tantrums, but I still stayed consistent with the command until he followed through. After some practice, he learned that throwing tantrums was not going to work and he started to follow through right away. He also tried to bite at my hand when I would use the leash at times, so I would stay consistent and ask again when he would do this which made him stop. It is crucial to not give into any sort of puppy tantrum or protest as he would learn that is a way for him to get what he wants.

Pupdate 6/4/2024

Today Prince and I trained at the Cerritos Mall. When first arriving Prince had two accidents in the mall. I had tried taking him potty before going in, but there was no grass and he was not familiar with going potty on wood chips. His potty training has been going great and he is now going potty even when the other pups are out with him. Before he would be too distracted to go, but he is finally taking breaks when he feels the need to go. Every time I let Prince out of his crate I take him straight to the grass where he will go potty every time. Last night he had woken up at 2am, but normally he sleeps through the night and goes potty in the morning. I have also been working on making Prince run the potty bell before letting him outside. It is still a work in progress but he is doing great so far.

At the mall, we practiced all the commands. We are now starting to focus on me being able to move around Prince and create distance as he holds his commands. Prince will break command if I move too far or walk behind him, but with more practice Prince will improve! So far he did great going back into the command after a correction was given and he even held his sit as people passed by! We practiced a little more with Max moving around Prince as he stayed in a sit. This was a bit more challenging for Prince but I made sure to hold him accountable to following through.

Pupdate 6/5/2024

Today Prince and I headed to Huntington Beach for training. Our main focus today was working on his duration and distance. Prince did great holding a sit as I moved away from him, but his biggest struggle was when I would walk behind him. He was not interested in the distractions around him, but more on where I was going. Since he had trouble staying in a sit as I walked behind him, we did a little practice and I made sure to stay close by. Prince also struggled, with holding his down as I walked away. I made sure to hold him accountable by placing him back in the same spot and asking him to go back into a down while implementing corrections. Prince showed I mprovement with our practice today, but of course it is still a work in progress.

At home, we have been working with the potty bell. We are now practicing opening the door when Prince rings the bell. He is doing well touching the bell when I say “go potty”. We are working towards him understanding to ring it on his own when he wants to go outside.

To stay cool in this hot weather, we brought out the doggie pool at home. The boys are having so much fun playing in the water!

Pupdate 6/6/2024

Today Prince and I trained at La Miranda Park. We worked with the boys together and focused on them holding their commands. Prince is still a bit stubborn when it comes to holding a down, but after I implemented a correction with the prong, he went back into the down and held it longer. We also practiced placing on higher objects, but sometimes Prince can be lazy and not want to jump. Other times he is just unsure about jumping on an unknown object, so to build his confidence we can encourage him with treats and praise him each time he tries putting his paws on the object. Once I see he is comfortable, I’ll give him a running start to bring his energy up to jump. When Prince gets bigger, he will have no problem jumping on high objects, but for now we’re practicing with things lower to the ground.

Today Prince had no accidents. I‘ve also been asking Prince to ring the potty bell before opening the door. Prince also has been waking up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, but he has been doing great not going in the crate!

Pupdate 6/7/2024

Today Prince and I stayed home and practice the potty bell. He is starting to ring the bell on his own without me asking him. We also started to open the door and walk down the steps after he rang the bell. When practicing, I would stand away from the bell and not say anything so Prince would ring it on his own. He is showing lots of improvement!

We also practiced on Prince’s recall. At home, Prince can be more stubborn than out in public. He try’s to chew on plants and run away if he picks something up, so we worked on fixing those issues today. He thew some tantrums when it came to having him come, but I made sure not to give in and hold him accountable to following all the way through. After some repetition, Prince was doing a great recall even with all his friends running around him. We have been leaving the prong and long leash on while Prince runs around the yard just to correct him when he does try to chew on things he’s not supposed to.

Pupdate 6/8/2024

Today Prince and I trained at the Block of Orange. Our focus today was on Prince’s duration as I moved around him. He was struggling to hold a sit or down whenever I went behind him, so we did lots of repetition and used treats as a reward. I would hold the treat above Prince’s nose as I did a full circle around him. Once I completed the circle, I would give him the treat. I started off by walking very slow and stayed close by, then as he got better, I added distance.

Prince is doing great with his heel, he does not react or try to pull towards other dogs. He sometimes gets distracted, but once he veers off from the heel, the leash tightens up and gives a slight correction which brings his attention back.

Prince is also doing great with greeting manners. Before he gets attention, I will ask him to sit. I also tell people to stop petting him if he breaks his sit. This is so Prince can learn to stay calm and not jump when getting attention. He does well around kids and he does not try to bite or play rough with them.

Pupdate 6/9/2024

Today, Prince and I trained at home. We continue to work on his recall, especially when he is distracted. He was being a bit stubborn at first, but I continue to implement corrections and hold him accountable until he followed through. After some repetition, he started to improve. He did really great holding his commands as I moved around him. Yesterday he struggled with me going behind him but today I was able to do full circles around him! Prince did break his down a few times, but I held him accountable by placing him in the same spot and asking him to down until he followed through. I then let out the other pups for distractions. Max did get in the way a bit, but Prince did great working around him!

Prince had been doing great with his food manners. He knows now to sit patiently until I break him. I’ve also been introducing door manners as well. Before letting Prince out the crate, I will ask him to sit as I fully open the door then break him.

Pupdate 6/10/2024

Today Prince and I trained at the Whittwood Center. We also worked inside of Pet Smart for some more distractions. Prince is doing a great job with his distance recall, loose leash heel, and distance and duration! He did get distracted a few times during our walk, but when he veered off I would give a quick correction which brought him back to the correct position. Prince had gotten lots of compliments on how well behaved he is.

Prince has had no accidents inside and is still doing great ringing the bell before going outside. He still wakes up throughout the night needing to go potty normally around 2am and he wakes up around 6am. Prince is showing lots of improvement with all his commands and is doing great while out in public!

Pupdate 6/11/2024

Today, Prince and I trained at Whittier Narrows and met up with the pups in training. Prince was a bit distracted when walking by the dogs, but I continued to work him through it and implement corrections when needed. We also focused on placing on higher objects. He still can’t jump too high and is a bit clumsy so I used the cot to give him an extra step. At first, he was a bit nervous to step onto the bench, but once he put his front paws on it, I rewarded him. After some repetition, he built up confidence to jump on the bench. Prince is doing really great holding his commands and I can now walk behind him. He is also improving on his recall and is needing less leash pressure as guidance. We also did not use any treats today and instead rewarded him with affection.

Prince made a new friend today as well. He has finally met his match with someone he could play with. Max could not tire Prince out, but Rocky sure can!

Pupdate 6/12/2024

Today Prince and I trained at the Brea Mall. He did very well staying focused today even with his friend Poppy by his side. We heeled around the mall before working on his duration sit and down. We tried getting Prince to place on the fountain, but he was a bit tired from the walk to be able to jump on it. When working with Prince, he normally tires out pretty quickly, about 30-45 minutes, and especially if we start with a long heel.

At home we are continuing to practice the potty bell, food manners, and now door manners. Prince is showing improvement with the bell, but he still only taps it when he is told to. We are working on him ringing it on his own when he wants to go outside.

Pupdate 6/13/2024

Today Prince and I trained at the Citadel Outlets. He did great working around all the distractions and followed through with every command. He was even able to place on a higher object! We also practiced his greeting manners, which he sat patiently as he was getting pet. Today Prince showed lots of improvement!

Prince is now ringing the potty bell on his own while inside. He is also starting to sleep throughout the night and not waking up needing to go potty. I also noticed while out in public he will wait to go potty until he is on grass or dirt. Prince did such a great job today and I am so proud of how much he is improving!

Pupdate 6/14/2024

Today Prince and I trained at Lowe’s. Prince was very tired during our training today since he spent all morning playing in the sun with his friends. He tired out quicker than normal but whenever I asked him to do a command he would follow through right away. There were a few times he went into a down when I asked him to sit, so I would ask him to sit and give a correction until he followed through. We want to make sure he follows through with the command we asked so he does not learn to push any boundaries. I gave Prince breaks throughout our training today but overall he did great pushing through! He had gotten many compliments today and we were even able to work on his greeting manners. He is doing so well with his training and I can see how confident he has become being out in public!

Pupdate 6/15/2024

Today Prince and I stayed home to work on his door manners. This is great for preventing Prince from running out the door when it opens. It’s also great when we have guests coming over and we want Prince to be away from the door as people come in. With door manners we are going to ask Prince to either place, sit, or down away from the door. When practicing, he did break command a few times, but I would give a correction, place him back into the same spot, then close the door. We repeated this many times till Prince held the command. A few times he would get up to ring the potty bell to go outside. He’s doing great ringing the bell, so now we want to teach Prince to not rush out the door as it opens. I also implement door manners each time I let Prince out of the crate. The rest of the day Prince spent playing with his friends and jumping in the pool. He has learned so much and I’m so proud of all his hard work. He can’t wait to show you everything he has learned!

Prince | German Shepherd | Los Angeles, CA | In-Training

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