Meet Red! Red is an excitable, 7 month old Basenji from Los Angeles, CA who has joined us for our 3 week Board and Train program. Red struggles when it comes to following through with commands when distractions are present, puppy bites when he is trying to initiate play, and needs help with potty training as well. Over these next three weeks we will work on building a relationship to create a solid foundation for the ultimate goal of being Off Leash trained!
Pupdate 8/22/2022
Today Red and I got him all settled in at his new temporary home. I walked him around the front yard then walked him around the back to explore his new surroundings. Once he sniffed around and drank some water, we began to work on introducing Red to the concept of leash pressure. When I apply leash pressure during our training sessions, I am guiding Red through the directional changes of the leash. By popping the leash upwards, and giving Red the hand signal similar to the movement of scooping my hand up and over his head, he knows to sit. Once he does, I mark it with a yes and reward. By pairing Yes with a reward, he knows he is doing the right thing. Red learned this rather quickly, although in the beginning stages, he went into the Down position immediately. I corrected this by adding leash pressure upwards again until he was sitting. After correcting it a few times Red understood what I asked of him. I then guided him with the leash to Come from my right hand side to turn behind me and Sit directly by my left hand side ready to Heel. Red followed the leash pressure path I created for him quite easily and did not resist. He was able to hold his Sit for about 30 seconds as I circled around him. Tomorrow we will begin our E collar conditioning!
Pupdate 8/23/2022
Red and I took a trip to the local park today! I let him sniff around and explore before we started off our adventure by Heeling together around the park. Heel is the action of Red staying by my left hand side while we walk. He is expected to check in with me frequently, turn when I turn, and sit when I stop walking. I noticed Red was very interested in the ducks that were at the park. We Heeled together by the ducks, at a distance where his threshold was. He was able to still check in with me and whenever he became too fixated on the ducks, I cued Off popping the leash
forward to encourage him to walk with me. We then worked on his Come to Sit. Red is a very fast learner and was very consistent with coming to my side with minimal leash pressure. As we were practicing, a husky passed by us. Red became very reactive and over stimulated. I increased the distance between us and the husky, popping the leash to discourage Red from lunging and barking. After taking a few laps further and further away from the husky, Red was able to check back in with me. Now that I have seen his reactivity, I am able to see where his threshold is around other dogs and work him there until we can gradually get closer to other dogs. I want Red to see other dogs and check in with me which is something we will focus our work on moving forward.
Pupdate 8/24/2022
Today Red and I ventured out to a regional park. We had the opportunity to work near other trainer’s and their dogs. After we Heeled together around the park, we Heeled closer and closer towards the other trainers dog’s. I started at a distance because Red can be very reactive towards other pups. We worked on his Off command as we Heeled because at times Red became curious and tried to approach the other pups. When I cue Off I pop the leash back towards me along with stimulation of the E collar. Red began to check in with me more frequently which showed me he was being mindful of the boundaries set.
I then introduced Red to the Place command. Place is the action of Red jumping onto an elevated surface, ready to Sit or lay Down. We haven’t worked on Down yet so we had him perform an Extended Sit while in Place. In order to build drive, I sprinted towards the bench with Red to motivate him to jump. Once Red jumped onto Place, I rewarded him then released him. I wanted to first focus on getting him up and down from Place fluently. Once he felt comfortable with just jumping up, we then worked on building duration. If Red tried to release himself, I stepped forward then reminded him to Sit. Red was able to hold his Extended Place for up to 35 seconds. We then worked on his Come to Sits. Red comes to my left hand side rather quickly but takes his time to Sit. We will work on having him perform the sit more fluently.
Once we got home I introduced Red to my other Board and train pup Yoshi. They got along great and chased each other around the whole backyard.
Pupdate 8/25/2022
Red and I took a trip to the beach today! We walked around the beach together first to expose him to his new surroundings then began to Heel around the beach. We are working on building engagement together, especially when Red sees other dogs around. He checks in with me but not as frequently when he sees another dog which is what we are working to come closer to. If we are Heeling together he can pass by another dog without fixating which is a great improvement. Now we want to build that same engagement when he is in a stationary position holding a Sit or Down. Red takes his time to Sit which may be due to pain he may have from his previous knee injury. I don’t rush him into the Sit just in case he is experiencing any discomfort.
We worked on introducing him to the Down paired with Place today. Red enjoys jumping onto new surfaces and automatically Sits. I added slight leash pressure towards the floor along with signaling him to Down with my palms facing the floor. Once Red was in the Down position with his elbows relaxed I marked it with a Yes and rewarded him. He was able to hold his Down for about a minute. Great job Red
Pupdate 8/26/2022
Red and I went to the beach today! This was great exposure for Red since there were many distractions to practice around. We Heeled together around the beach which at times Red struggles with. He walks at a very fast pace naturally. I make frequent turns with him to keep him engaged with me which helps prevent pulling. We practiced around many dogs as I cued Off to him ahead of time before he even thought of approaching. It is important to be proactive not reactive. Red did well with staying by my side and did not react to any dogs. He checks in with me frequently and has become much more fluent with his Down command. He held his Place command for a record of two minutes today which is great! We will keep building duration and now add some distance to his commands.
Pupdate 8/27/2022
Red and I started our day by Heeling together to the local park. Red did great with his Heel. The biggest distraction for him that we continue to work through is his interest in other dogs. As long as I cue Off consistently, he fights the impulse to react. I ask for his attention and reward more around those difficult scenarios which he is improving on, checking in with me a lot more frequently than before. He can hold his Extended Sit and Place for 2 minutes in a moderately distracting environment. We will keep adding some more distance, duration and bigger distractions to proof all of his commands.
Pupdate 8/28/2022
Red and I began our work today utilizing a 15 ft leash which created distance between us during commands. I have noticed that Red has a mild form of separation anxiety and struggles to be alone as I walk away from him. We focused our work today on creating distance between us while he stayed in the Down position. I eventually went out of sight. When I first went out of sight I only left for about 5 seconds then rewarded him if he was still in the Down position. If he got up I walked him back to where he was and repositioned him back into the Down. As time went on and we repeatedly practiced this, I was able to increase the amount of time I was gone for. We ended the session with me being able to leave for 20 seconds at a time before coming back and rewarding him. We will keep working on this and add more time as he improves to prepare him for the CGC test! The test requires him to be comfortable with being away from me for a minimum of two minutes, so we have some work to do! At times Red gets a little nippy when he gets frustrated while working. I correct this with a firm no and stimulation of the E Collar along with a leash pop. He then calms down and stops trying to nip my leg. We are working on improving his Come to Sit. At times he can sit a little far away so we will be using a wall next session to keep him closer to me during his Come to Sit.
Pupdate 8/29/2022
Red and I ventured out to the local park where we focused our work on introducing him to the command Under. Under is a great command to use when out in public with Red. It is the action of him laying underneath an object and staying there until released. Red was naturally good at this. It didn’t take him long to go underneath the object and hang out there until released. We then began to work on his separation anxiety. I let him work with another trainer while I increased distance between us then eventually went out of sight. Red began to vocalize to get my attention as I walked away. I came back to Break him every twenty seconds to slowly work him up to more duration of time apart. We will keep working on this to build more time apart.
Pupdate 8/30/2022
Red and I began to work on all of his commands that he has learned so far at a local park, with the leash dragging. Since we are one step closer to his Off Leash goal, we emphasized our work on his Come to Sit to solidify his recall. He is becoming more fluent with Coming to Sit by my side in a distracting environment. We were able to add quite some distance between us today while he stayed in the Sit position as well.
Red’s potty training is improving. He has only had one accident in his kennel since he started his program and that was on his second day with me. We have him on a consistent schedule of when he eats which is at 7:30 a.m everyday and 3 or 4 p.m in the evenings. He only has the food bowl left out for about 30 mins every time to teach him to eat when he is fed. Knowing the time that he ate is important to be able to predict when he will need to go on a potty break! After it has been about an hour since he has drank or eaten, I throw his leash on and walk him to the grass area in the front yard or backyard and cue “Go potty”. Once he has gone I mark it with a yes and then reward.
Pupdate 8/31/2022
Red and I took a field trip to the beach today where we had the opportunity to work on all of his commands with the leash dragging. After Heeling together around the beach we worked on his Come to Sit, Under, Place, Come to Heel, and potty training. Red now goes Potty on command whenever we are about to leave anywhere new. At times he tests the Off command when he is really interested in something so that has been our primary focus as well as adding distance between us.
Pupdate 9/1/2022
Today Red and I went to the local park in the morning. We practiced all of his commands with the leash dragging and at a greater distance. Red performed all of his commands fluently. When practicing his Come to Sit, he would sit a bit of a distance away from me. When Red did this, I had him immediately practice another Come to Sit until he sat right next to me. Having Red reposition himself helps him learn exactly where his placement should be. We also worked on his Under command. During the command Under, Red should be directly under the object. If he would sit too far out, I had him do over it again. By remaining consistent with expectations, he will only improve. Good work Red!
Pupdate 9/2/2022
Red and I ventured out to Fashion Island today! There were some distractions to work around, the biggest ones being other dogs. Red will fixate on another dog if it gets closer than he is ready for. Though he does still stay in Place when another dog is present, his attention will be completely on the other dog and his hackles will raise. I cue Off while stimulating him and after a few tries, he will look away. Red vocalizes and tries to bite out of frustration at times if I work him through these scenarios. When he is still having a hard time focusing, I add some distance away from the other dog to work with Red at a threshold he responds best to. We will work on desensitizing Red to other dogs by visiting a dog park together in the future! His distance away from me while working in a stationary position is improving which is great as he is showing more confidence away from me.
Pupdate 9/3/2022
Today Red and I started our morning by Heeling towards the local park together. We passed by reactive dogs barking from their front lawn and used it as a training opportunity to desensitize Red while working near that environment. Red was able to perform his commands consistently while we were 3 houses away from the reactive dog. We Heeled back and forth in calming circles which helps diffuse Red’s reactivity. If we stay in one place while there is a reactive dog, and Red’s attention is 100 percent on that dog, there is no point in stimulating him to grab his attention because that will only frustrate him further. By creating distance and gradually coming closer when he shows he is ready for it, we set him up for success.
Once we got back home we worked on his Door Manners. Every time Red and I cross a threshold like a door, I set a boundary by requiring him to Sit before opening that door. He is understanding that the door opens when he is patiently sitting, and the door will immediately close on him along with stimulation from the e collar if he tries to dart out. Eventually Red will voluntarily Sit or lay Down every time we pass the door. As for now he does great with waiting for my release!
Pupdate 9/4/2022
Red and I spent the day working on proofing his Off Leash obedience in my backyard. He has a hard time with consistency while around the other dog Bailey. I challenged him by asking him to Place as I worked with Bailey as well. After a few resets Red was able to hold his Place until released at about a minute! We will keep building more duration with his Place while around other dogs as that is his biggest challenge so far. We have also been working more on his Down command. Since he displays signs of discomfort, it is best to skip the Sit as much as possible. He is doing great with this, offering the Down right away from a standing position.
Pupdate 9/5/2022
Today Red and I focused our work on creating distance between us to help with his separation anxiety. We Heeled together at the park by the beach, then worked on his fluency with going straight to a Down from a standing position. He is improving with this, offering the behavior more quickly. I then walked about 30 ft away from him until I went out of sight for a quick second. I was able to see Red but he couldn’t see me. He did well with this, holding his Down. I came back to reward him every time I went out of sight and eventually was able to be out of sight for 15 seconds while he stayed in position. I believe he could’ve even held it for longer but the temperature outside was rising and I didn’t want to leave him unsupervised. We will keep working on this when other trainers are present to build the duration of me being gone.
We have also been working on his recall and Off command around other dogs. He doesn’t test the
Off command as much as he did before, understanding that he needs to stop whatever he is doing when he hears it. If he chooses to Come to Me the very first time I call him away from a big distraction, I make sure to reward. This has helped his motivation with coming. Great work Red!
Pupdate 9/6/2022
Red and I began our training session at the local dog park today. We went at an early time in hopes of having the opportunity to work around dogs playing behind the fence. Luckily we encountered other dogs and worked on all of his commands with the leash dragging. Red impressed me with how well he performed his commands first at a distance from the other dogs, then he proved he was consistent enough to work right outside the gate where the dogs were at. He was curious of the other dogs, but every time I said Red’s name and he looked at me I marked it with a yes and rewarded. Red was not reacting to these dogs at all. We even passed a reactive shepherd and Red was not phased! I noticed that as long as I stimulate Red at very low numbers and focus more on capturing and rewarding his attention on me, he doesn’t react or get easily frustrated. There were no attempts to bite me today! He was able to hold his Extended Down and Place command for two and a half minutes today with high level distractions. We worked on Under and he did well with holding it for up to a minute. Excellent work Red!
Pupdate 9/7/2022
Red and I worked some more on proofing all of the commands he has learned so far Off Leash, and around other dogs. Since Red is very reactive towards other dogs, it has been our primary focus to gradually bring him closer to other dogs while working. In the beginning of our session, Red and I worked at about 20 ft away from the other trainer’s dogs. When he showed fluency, we tested the waters by breaking through his current threshold which has been at about 15 ft away from other dogs so far. Red did great and was able to hold his Down while the other dog passed by him with a distance of about 6 feet. After about a minute, Red did try to initiate play with the other dog. I Cued Off and stimulated Red with the E collar, repositioning him back into the Down. After that he held it until released. We will keep proofing his commands around other dogs as we will begin filming for his final video tomorrow!
Pupdate 9/8/2022
Red and I took a trip to the Beach today! We began to film for his final video and worked on all of his commands he has learned over these past three weeks. We emphasized our work on Under today to help Red keep his whole body under the table, as sometimes he stuck part of his body out. Once we got consistency with that we worked on all of his other commands. Red had a hard time Coming to Sit as he struggles to sit quickly, he veers out with his body to find a comfortable position. Due to this we stuck to Come to Heel which he did great with, staying by my left side throughout the Heel. He can Sit for about 30 seconds before showing signs of discomfort and lying Down. Red did great with distractions, especially around other pups. In the beginning he shows interest in the other dogs which is fine to only glance, not fixate. Fixating leads to reacting. As long as he doesn’t lunge or fixate, he can continue on with his commands. I Cue off whenever he needs to leave an object or other dog alone. Red is responding to this quicker, coming to my side when I cue Off.
Pupdate 9/9/2022
Red and I ventured out to the Santa Monica promenade today! Since it is a Friday there definitely were plenty of distractions to proof Red’s commands around, Off leash. Red Heeled with me around the promenade as we passed by other dogs, crowds of people, and musicians. Red is still curious of other dogs when we pass but he has learned to fight the impulse to react or approach. I make sure to remind him Off as we pass by other dogs and create some distance. He hasn’t tried to nip me this week which shows me we are overcoming any stubbornness he had before. With consistency Red will continue to improve with fluency in all of his commands!
Pupdate 9/10/2022
Red and I began the day by Heeling together towards the local park. Since it was gloomy and early, there was not a lot going on although we did have the opportunity to work on his Heel as we passed reactive dogs barking in front of their house. Red shows interest in the dogs, but doesn’t react as he used to as long as I redirect him with a few turns and mark it with a yes when he looks my way.
Once we got back home we worked on his food manners and door manners. Red voluntarily sits for each door as we pass through, waiting for my release to exit or enter. He also waits for my release to eat his food, looking to me for his release. Excellent work Red!
Pupdate 9/11/2022
Red and I spent the day working on all of his manners before heading back to his home tomorrow! He did well with the water and allowed me to handle all areas of his body.
He has remained consistent with holding his Extended Down command and Place for 2 minutes with a record being 2 and a half minutes. He gets excited and likes to rough play when initiating contact. Whenever an unfamiliar dogs is near it is recommended to keep cuing Heel to Red because walking diffuses his reactivity. He has greatly improved with Heeling near dogs and not approaching. As long as that is reinforced with him at all times and he only interacts with friendly playful pups during play dates, Red will continue to improve by desensitizing him to new dogs while training.
Due to Red’s injury he can only Sit for short periods of time, so we default to utilizing Down which he is consistent with. His Come to Sit is consistent at distances of 15ft or more and he has improved with allowing me to go out of sight. Red has a routine of going out to potty as soon as he is released from his kennel at 7 a.m. then eats inside of his kennel at 7:30. He goes potty again before we go anywhere new which is usually at about 9 a.m. everyday. Red then eats his second meal at about 2-3 p.m. everyday. At 5 p.m. he is taken out and walked over to the grass where I cue him to go potty as soon as we walk over. When Red goes potty I mark it with a yes and pet him or feed him a treat. He goes on two more potty breaks at night, one being at 8 p.m then the last one being at 12 a.m. Maintaining Red’s crate training will help ensure he only gets freedom to roam the house after he has gone potty. Dogs do not like to soil in their own bedding and would rather hold it till they are released to go outside. Sticking to a routine of potty breaks is crucial for his training as well. Red now understands what go potty means, as he goes on cue when we initially walk over to the grassy area. Red is a smart boy and we can’t wait to show you what he has learned over these past 3 weeks!
