Meet Reggie, a three-year-old Labrador Retriever from Marina del Rey, California! He's here with us for our Two Week Board and Train Program! This friendly and playful pup has some general knowledge of a few basic obedience commands, but he can be selective with his listening and is easily distracted by his surroundings, causing him to have a hard time staying focused. He gets along with most dogs very well, but isn't a big fan of large male dogs and can sometimes be reactive towards them. He loves people, but he often becomes very overexcited and has a habit of jumping up to greet them. Reggie also has some other bad habits, such as pulling heavily on the leash while walking, and counter surfing when he thinks no one is looking. Over the next fourteen days, we will be working to improve his manners and obedience both at home and in public, and set him on the right track to becoming a well-behaved pup both on and off leash! Stay tuned for his transformation!
Pupdate 5/12/2024
Today Reggie and I spent the day bonding and getting to know each other after his pickup! We spent some time at the park together, where I tested his knowledge of basic commands to gain an understanding of what his starting point will be, as well as get an idea of what areas we may need to focus on in his training going forward. He warmed up to me quickly and seemed happy to spend time with me, though I noticed he was quite easily distracted by his surroundings, which seemed to impede his ability to listen or follow through with what was asked of him. There was also a small dog who was off leash with no owner in sight, and it seemed to think Reggie was its best friend ever. Reggie mostly ignored this pup however, and remained rather neutral to his presence even while it followed him around everywhere we went for a while. Eventually it wandered off, and Reggie and I were able to continue spending time together without the little dog around.
Overall, Reggie was sometimes able to perform Sit and Down when asked, though despite having an understanding of these commands, he often needed to be asked several times before he followed through with it, if at all. If he eventually listened, he was typically quick to lose focus and stand back up or walk away after a couple of seconds. He was able to Come when called sometimes, though again despite his understanding of the command, he often chose to ignore his name and the recall command the first several times he was called, especially if he was distracted. Reggie did not seem to understand Place, and was not interested in jumping or climbing onto any objects around the park, even low, easily accessible objects. Most notably, he was veering off in different directions a lot as we walked, and didn't seem to understand the Heel command. His interest and focus were fully on his environment, and when given freedom with the long leash, he almost always chose to wander away from me to explore around rather than stay near or walk beside me. When walking with a shorter leash, he tried very hard to pull ahead and lead me towards different areas he found interesting, and ignored the leash tension that was created.
After we'd spent some time together at the park getting to know each other, it was time to head home and get him settled in! Reggie had no trouble jumping into my car, but he was a bit unsure about the kennel in the car. However with a piece of his kibble he was easily lured inside and settled down for the ride home. Whenever Reggie is to travel with me in a car, he will be secured in a kennel to ensure his utmost safety. We will also be using a kennel while at home for sleep or if he is otherwise unsupervised. The goal is for him to be able to enter a kennel without needing any physical assistance or food motivators, so we will spend some time working on this throughout his program. At home, he quickly settled in and made himself at home! He sniffed around the room, played with some toys, and found a comfy spot to relax at. Later, we went out for a walk around my neighborhood to help him become familiar with the area. We will be taking walks around my neighborhood daily, so getting him used to this environment will be good for him. I noticed when exiting the house to start our walk, Reggie kept trying to run out the door as soon as it was opened, so we will also be working to improve his Door Manners to make sure he can respect the boundary a doorway creates as this will help keep him safe. At dinner time, he happily ate his food, although he did try to jump on me and rush to his food as soon as it was visible, which is something we will work on as well! Reggie seems to be settling in nicely, and we are so excited to begin this training journey together!
Pupdate 5/13/2024
Today Reggie and I visited a park, where we met up with some other OffLeash SoCal trainers and their pups! The park wasn't super busy, but the other dogs created some good distractions to test Reggie's focus around. He was interested in some of them at first, but after spending some time with them in the general area he started to ignore them. There was even a large male dog with one of the trainers, and he did not react negatively to him at all which was great to see! During our training session, we focused on improving his understanding of leash pressure, introducing the e-collar, as well as introducing the Come to Sit command.
Pressure is a fundamental tool used in teaching basic obedience commands. The idea is that whenever pressure is applied, it is used as a reinforcer and paired with a command. The pressure then remains present until Reggie follows the pressure and the command being asked. The moment he follows through, the pressure immediately turns off and a reward is given. Based on his behavior yesterday, it was clear he didn't fully understand the concept of leash pressure, as he often tried to ignore it or pull against it. So today, we spent a good amount of time focusing on teaching him what leash pressure means, and how to turn off the pressure once it's applied. This was done by walking around and making various directional changes, and teaching him to follow the guidance. After a while of practicing with this, he did much better and began showing a good understanding of leash pressure. Once he understood the leash pressure, we began adding in a new form of pressure from the e-collar stimulation. By pairing these two forms of pressure simultaneously, he will come to understand that they have the same meaning. With time and practice, he will become conditioned to the e-collar which will allow the leash and e-collar to be used interchangeably, and eventually allow the opportunity to begin training with the e-collar only, without the need for a leash! Overall Reggie wasn't quite sure what to think of the e-collar at first, but did seem to catch on quite quickly that it was being used to communicate with him, which is good to see! Be sure to check out today's videos, as one is an in-depth tutorial explaining the e-collar.
The Come to Sit command is an important command to introduce early on in Reggie's training journey, as this will be his main form of recall. Developing a solid and reliable recall is important for any pup's obedience training, though this will be especially important for Reggie to learn if he is to be allowed off leash in the future. The goal for Come to Sit is for Reggie to come directly to his handler when called, then circle around from their right side and finish the command with a Sit on the left side facing forward. While Reggie has some general understanding of the Come command already, he was largely unreliable, as he often choose to ignore what is being asked of him and was quick to run back off after approaching. When performed in its entirety, Come to Sit ensures that he not only comes when called, but also requires him to Sit beside his handler and not leave that spot unless released or given a new command. We introduced this command by first working on teaching him to Come when called by guiding him and getting his attention using the leash and e-collar paired with the verbal cue "Come". Once he followed the guidance and approached me, the leash was used to guide him around to my left side, where he was then asked to perform a Sit. As we practiced more, he began to rely less on the leash pressure to grab his attention and guide him, which is a good sign of progress and understanding! With each successful repetition, I made sure to reward him with lots of praise and occasional pieces of kibble when he did a good job, to build up a positive association with the command and the act of coming to me when called. He seemed to catch on to the expectations for this command relatively easily, so when focused he was able to perform it pretty well but when he was distracted he needed much more guidance to follow through.
Pupdate 5/14/2024
Today Reggie and I visited a park, where we worked on introducing the Heel and Off commands. The park was on the quieter side, but had some distractions around such as other dogs, some people, and a few small animals like birds and squirrels. Overall Reggie did a good job with his commands when minimal distractions were present, but when bigger distractions were around he sometimes struggled to focus. This was a good time to implement the Off command!
The goal for the Off command is for Reggie to stop whatever he is doing, and focus on his handler. This is a very versatile command, similar to "no" or "leave it", and can be used in various situations, such as to interrupt fixation on distractions, barking, jumping on people, eating or sniffing things he's not supposed to, or any other behaviors that are undesirable or inappropriate at that time. The Off command when paired with leash and e-collar pressures allows me to interrupt the behavior and get him to focus on me so that he is in a better mindset to listen for upcoming instructions. Once the Off command is given, it's beneficial to immediately follow it with another command such as Sit, Heel, Come, etc. Once his focus is regained, asking him to focus on a task will help keep his attention away from what initially distracted him or caused the undesirable behavior. Reggie has shown great progress in understanding the Off command so far, and it came in handy a lot today to help redirect his attention back onto me.
Another command introduced today is the Heel command. Heel is an important concept for Reggie to begin improving early on in his training, as his strong pulling while on the leash can pose dangers to his handler, himself, or others in the area if it is allowed to continue. The goal for the Heel command is for Reggie to be able to follow directly alongside his handler on their left side at their heels, and maintain that position while walking unless released or given a new command. This precise positioning takes a lot of practice to master, but it will effectively eliminate pulling on the leash or veering off in different directions, and allow his handler to take the lead on walks instead of him trying to pull them around wherever he pleases. To introduce this command, I kept the leash short but loose, and ensured he stayed on my left side in roughly the Heel position as we walked. If he began to veer off or pull ahead, leash and e-collar pressure were applied, and the verbal command Heel was given. When walking in the correct Heel position, the leash was loose, no pressure was applied, and lots of praise and rewards were given to create value in this position. Overall he did a good job for his first day practicing this with me! We'll need to work on this every day to ensure this skill continues to improve so he can easily be walked regardless of the distractions around.
Pupdate 5/15/2024
Reggie and I visited a park today, where we practiced his Come to Sit and Heel commands, and worked on introducing the Place and Down commands. The park had some common distractions present, including people, other dogs, and some small animals. Overall he did a good job staying focused, and was able to ignore many distractions we came across with the use of the Off command. The biggest distraction for him today seemed to be the smells along the ground, as he was often tempted to lower his nose to the ground to sniff things. This was most noticeable during the Heel command, as while walking he would sometimes forget to stay beside me when scents distracted him, but with a quick reminder he was back on track! He did not try to pull very much on the leash, and seems to be learning this command well! He also did pretty good with the Come to Sit command overall, and was reliable about coming to me when called. He sometimes needed some guidance for the maneuver around to my left side, but seems to be developing a good understanding of the command overall. The goal for the Place command is for Reggie to jump or climb onto a designated object, such as a bench, a bed, or other object with defined borders, and hold a stationary command while remaining on the Place object until released or given a new command. We introduced this command by using some leash pressure to guide him onto an object while giving the verbal Place cue, which he quickly picked up on. Once he seemed to understand the behavior, we began pairing leash pressure with e-collar stimulation as additional reinforcement and communication when needed. Reggie showed great confidence with this command! After a few repetitions, he quickly picked up on what was being asked of him, and eagerly Placed on a variety of objects at the park. We will continue practicing this command with different objects in a variety of environments to improve Reggie's balance, confidence, and overall skills with this command!
The other command introduced to Reggie today is the Down command. The goal for the Down command is for Reggie to lay down completely when asked, and remain in that position until released or given a new command. Reggie has some knowledge of this command already, but was previously very inconsistent about performing it when asked. To begin working on this command, we used leash pressure and physical guidance to guide Reggie into the Down position while the verbal command was given. We used treats during the first few repetitions, but quickly weaned them out and replaced the lure with a hand signal and the reward with praise! After some practice, Reggie was able to perform Down without needing to be physically guided or lured into the position, and was able to Down when asked with the verbal cue paired with e-collar stimulation as reinforcement when needed. We practiced Down on different surfaces and objects, including on the pathways, grass, as well as place objects. We kept the duration for this command pretty short at first with lots of breaks and praise, as this helps make the training fun and rewarding to help him develop a positive association with this command! As we continue to practice this we will continue increasing the duration gradually so he can learn to remain in this position for extended periods of time.
Pupdate 5/16/2024
Today Reggie and I visited a local shopping strip, where we continued practicing each of his commands around distractions. This location had an increased amount of distractions to work around, such as groups of people, other dogs, food and smells from nearby restaurants, and lots of loud noises from the busy nearby street. Overall Reggie was a bit overwhelmed by his surroundings upon first arriving, though he did great about ignoring distractions when asked with the Off command, and he adjusted quickly to the new environment. After just about five minutes of walking around here, he seemed much more relaxed, at ease, and focused on training.
Reggie did a solid job with his Heel today, and is showing great progress with this command! When we first arrived he was a bit unfocused and would sometimes try to lead ahead slightly, though after warming up to the environment along with some gentle reminders when needed, he had a much easier time remaining in the Heel properly. He was able to Heel consistently with only minimal leash pressure needed today, which shows great understanding of the command! Whenever occasional adjustments did need to be made, he was responsive to the e-collar, verbal cue, and hand signal as reminders to correct his positioning, allowing for the leash to remain loose for much of the time. Reggie also did great with his Come to Sit today, and was very reliable about coming straight to me when called. He seems to be understanding the maneuver as well, but sometimes he needed a bit of guidance to complete it in it's entirety if he was distracted by something. Reggie also did well with his Down, and was able to perform it anywhere when asked without needing a food lure or leash pressure. He sometimes tried to offer his paw instead of laying down, but after being asked again he understood to lie down and not paw at me. His Place command has shown good progress as well, and he showed a lot of confidence about jumping onto different objects. We spent some time focusing on improving his duration for his stationary commands, as he tends to get impatient quickly and want to break commands before being released. By staying consistent and ensuring he returns to the position asked of him if he breaks it, and rewarding him when he waits until released, we can help him understand the concept of an implied stay. During the start of our session, he would average around twenty seconds before he would break position, but by the end he was consistently able to wait nearly up to a minute, which is great progress! We will continue working on this as his training journey continues.
Pupdate 5/17/2024
Today Reggie and I took a walk over to a local park, where we practiced all of his commands around distractions. The park had some people, children, other dogs, as well as an abundance of small animals such as squirrels and birds. The small animals running around did catch Reggie's attention a few times, but he was able to show impulse control and redirect his focus away from them when prompted with the Off command. Reggie also got distracted by the grass a few times as he was tempted to become invested in the scents within it, but with consistent reminders he was able to keep his nose off the ground while training. We made sure to take plenty of breaks to give him time to enjoy exploring around, and we also played some more of his favorite game, fetch! We have been keeping him on a long leash during our games of fetch until we feel he is ready to be fully off leash, but he doesn't seem to mind either way! When it was time to leave, he happily carried his ball in his mouth all the way home, which earned him some compliments about how cute he is from some people we passed by!
Overall Reggie did a pretty good job with all of his commands today! His Heel is improving a lot, and he was able to follow along directly beside me with only minimal reminders or guidance needed. He is starting to be able to correct himself when he begins to fall out of position, without needing the leash for guidance. His Come to Sit has also seen a lot of progress, and he was able to perform the maneuver without any guidance several times which was good to see. He also did great with his Place command, and was able to jump onto many different objects with ease. He also did a good job about performing Sit when asked without any leash pressure, though his extended duration is still a work in progress as he does get impatient from time to time.
Down seemed to be his biggest struggle today, especially when we first arrived and he had lots of energy still. He would sometimes try to paw at me instead of laying down, and once he was down he was prone to standing back up and being a bit stubborn about going back into the position. As always, we remain consistent in what is being asked of him and ensure he follows through, so we do not reinforce the idea that he can get out of performing commands by acting out or ignoring the cues. Once we had been training and playing for a while and his energy levels were a bit lower, he was a lot better about performing and holding his Down, though more work will need to be done before he can perform this command reliably regardless of his energy levels.
Pupdate 5/18/2024
Today Reggie and I took a walk down a local shopping street, where we practiced all of his commands around distractions. We encountered a variety of distractions during our visit, including groups of people, other dogs, food, and loud traffic sounds from the nearby street. Overall Reggie did a pretty good job staying focused, but he needed regular reminders to stay on task as the busy surroundings did tend to catch his attention from time to time.
We also walked past a restaurant with a cow statue sitting on the sidewalk, and Reggie was very unsure about it. Upon initially walking past it, his hackles rose and he refused to walk any closer. He may have mistaken the statue for a "dog" who was standing still and staring at him, which understandably made him a bit hesitant to approach, as for a dog, the statue was displaying unfriendly body language. We ended up taking a few steps back and working on his commands from a distance he was comfortable with, while using the Off command to keep him from fixating on it. After a minute or so he became much less concerned about it, and when given a break and encouraged to follow me towards the statue, he worked up the courage to investigate it closer, and quickly realized it was nothing to be worried about! This is a great example of how we can help Reggie through tough situations, build trust, and boost his confidence!
Reggie overall did a good job with each of his commands today, but notably the ones he struggled with the most were the Heel and Down commands. He did not try to pull on the leash at all and was generally responsive to the Heel cue when given, however he tended to begin leading ahead a few seconds after the command was given, instead of following my lead until released. This may have been due to the narrow sidewalks, and him assuming the obvious direction we will be walking in as the straight path is easy to predict. To improve this, we focused on making sudden turns and stops, to encourage him to pay closer attention to me and his positioning alongside me, as my movements could not be predicted. Reggie also was a bit stubborn with his Down again today, and while it's clear he understands this command as he's able to perform it with zero issues when in quieter environments, he chose to protest and insist on physical guidance to assist him into the position while we were at this location today. The goal is for him to be able to perform this command on cue without assistance regardless of the environment, so we will be spending some extra time focusing on this going forward!
Pupdate 5/19/2024
Today Reggie and I visited an outdoor mall, where we practiced all of his commands around heavy distractions. The mall was very busy due to the weekend, so we had numerous distractions to practice around, including crowds of people, lots of children, other dogs, strollers, bicycles, food, and more. Reggie did appear to be a bit overwhelmed by it all when we first arrived, so we spent some time warming up in an area that was slightly quieter before moving into the more busy areas. While working in the busy areas, he definitely needed lots of reminders to focus on his commands, but overall he did a good job!
Reggie was a bit less consistent with his commands than usual while training at the mall today, but this is to be expected given that this was his first time in such a highly busy environment with me. We will continue working on exposing him to distracting environments like this to help him become desensitized to different distractions and become more neutral to his environment. Since he was less focused than usual, he had some trouble responding to leash pressure at times, so we switched our usual slip lead out for a prong collar for the session so that communication and reinforcement could be more clear for him, which helped significantly! We also used a long leash during training today, which allowed us to practice some commands with some added distance between us which will be an important step to begin working towards the goal of having him off leash.
Reggie did pretty good with his Heel overall and wasn't often trying to lead ahead while walking, but the main mistake he seemed to consistently make was walking a bit too far away from me instead of directly next to me. While this may seem like a minor issue, him walking with too much space between us is not proper Heel positioning. Especially when walking through crowded spaces, we don't want him far enough away to where a person could walk in between us. Anytime he began to drift off, he was reminded of the Heel cue and leash and e-collar pressures were applied to guide him back into position. At first he seemed confused and would try to slow his pace, but with enough repetitions he began to understand I was asking him to come closer rather than slow down. Reggie did good with his come to Sit for the most part, and did a good job coming to me when called. He sometimes needed to be asked to correct his positioning for the Sit, but he was often able to do this without any physical guidance. His Sit, Place, and Down commands were all pretty good as well, though his duration while at the mall was slightly decreased from his usual performance.
Pupdate 5/20/2024
Today Reggie and I visited a park, where we met up with some other OffLeash SoCal trainers and their pups again! This was another great opportunity to practice his commands in a distracting environment, as the other dogs, people, small animals, and grassy fields provided plenty of tests for his focus during training. We also brought his ball along as usual to play fetch with, and incorporated it into our training by using it as a distraction, a reward, and a tool for improving his impulse control! He gets very excited when he sees the ball so it's always a fun way to train him. Overall he did a pretty good job staying focused, and even though he had some excited moments, he was able to regain his focus and keep his attention on his training with some reminders. He also got to work in close proximity to a large male dog, and he did not show any signs of fixation or reaction towards this pup, and mostly ignored him. We also worked near a young puppy who was a bit rambunctious at times which sometimes excited Reggie, but with the Off command he understood not to let the other pup's energy take his focus away from tasks being asked of him. Reggie did well with his commands overall, and today's focus was on practicing his commands with as little leash pressure as possible. In order for Reggie to be reliable with his commands while off leash, he first needs to master his performance with them on leash without the leash needing to be used to guide or reinforce. This is done by focusing more on the verbal cues and hand signals for the commands, and using only the e-collar as reinforcement. By reserving the use of the leash only for when he truly needs it, we can wean him off the concept of always needing physical guidance for his commands, and instead teach him to problem solve and use his knowledge of commands to follow instructions given to him. He was able to Sit, Down, Place, all without any leash pressure very consistently here which was great to see! He also was pretty solid with his recall and positioning for Come to Sit, however on some occasions, some light leash pressure was needed to help him into the precise position asked of him. The command he struggled with the most without leash pressure was Heel, as he continued trying to veer slightly too far to my left instead of walking directly beside me, and he seemed to get confused about where to go when asked to correct his positioning. Tomorrow we will spend some extra time focusing on Heel and hopefully this issue will begin to resolve with more practice!
Pupdate 5/21/2024
Today Reggie and I visited an outdoor mall, where we practiced all of his commands. The mall wasn't overly busy, but still had a good amount of visitors, along with some birds, music, and smells of food from nearby restaurants to serve as distractions. Reggie was pretty focused today, and didn't seem to let any of the distractions we encountered get the better of him during training. He warmed up to the environment quickly, and seemed pretty neutral to the environment though out our visit.
We started the session as usual working through each of his commands, and continued to practice with as minimal leash pressure as possible. We utilized a long leash during training today, and started by holding onto just the end of the leash as we practiced his commands. This allowed him plenty of physical freedom to make choices, while still having a tether in the event the leash was needed. After a while of practicing like this, he proved the leash to be unnecessary so we went ahead and continued the training with the leash dragging along the floor as we trained. This is a great way to simulate how Reggie might behave while fully off leash, while still having it available and within reach should it be needed for any reason.
Overall Reggie did a great job today, and showed excellent understanding of his commands! We spent some extra time focusing on his Heel command, and ensured he understood exactly where he was to walk once the command was given without physical guidance. He would occasionally test the boundaries of Heel, but once reminded he was able to return back into the correct position without me needing to pick the leash up and physically guide him. Reggie was able to perform Sit, Down, and Place all without leash pressure being needed. He did struggle a bit with Come to Sit today while the leash was dragging, so we spent some more time focusing on this command. He would sometimes try to approach from the wrong side, then get confused about where to go. There were a few times when I needed to pick the leash back up and physically guide him through the maneuver, but after some more practice he seemed to fall back into his usual consistency and was able to follow through without the leash being needed. Mistakes seemed to be more frequent when practicing from larger distances, so we spent some time returning back to the basics and recalling from a short distance, then gradually increasing the space between us with each repetition until he was able to perform the command correctly from about fifteen feet away.
Pupdate 5/22/2024
Reggie and I took another trip over to an outdoor mall, where we continued practicing all of his commands around distractions with the leash dragging. The mall wasn't quite as busy today as it was over the weekend, but there were still plenty of distractions present. Overall Reggie did a great job staying focused while we trained, and didn't appear to let any distraction in particular get the best of his attention. We were able to walk through groups of people, past other dogs and ducks, as well as past tables of food all without him making any poor decisions even with the additional physical freedom while the leash was dragging and remaining unused. Reggie did a good job with his Heel today, and while he did sometimes tend to drift too far to the left while we walked, he was able to correct his positioning without me needing to pick up the leash and guide him. He seems to understand that he is supposed to walk close to me during Heel, but likes to regularly test how far away he can go, so staying on top of holding him accountable is important! Reggie did great with his Come to Sit today, and was able to be recalled from around fifteen feet away and perform the maneuver with correct positioning consistently without any leash pressure needed. Reggie also did well with his stationary commands, including Sit, Down, and Place. He was able to perform each of these commands without any leash pressure, and today he was able to reach his goal of two minutes for duration with each command. Reggie had a strong tendency to become excitable and impatient, especially when asked to stay still, so this is an impressive feat for him! He does need consistent verbal praise and reminders of the command, but he is learning that remaining in the position asked of him until released or given a new command is the most successful and rewarding option, as breaking before told to will never be successful and he'll always end up having to return to position. Reggie got lots of compliments from mall visitors about how well behaved and photogenic he was while he posed for his pictures today!
Pupdate 5/23/2024
Today Reggie and I visited an indoor mall, where we practiced all of his commands off leash around distractions! The mall wasn't overly busy, but still had plenty of distractions to train around. Reggie was pretty calm and focused here today, and had little issue following instructions and ignoring his surroundings. We encountered groups of people, other dogs, loud music, and lots of food smells but nothing seemed to distract Reggie from his training. Whenever he began to slightly lose focus, the Off command was effective in shifting his attention back to where it needed to be. When we first arrived, we took a lap around the mall walking on leash to allow him to warm up to the new environment and settle into a good mindset for training. After we walked around for a bit, Reggie was doing very well so we transitioned to leash dragging exercises, and as expected he did great with this! At no point did I need to pick up the leash to guide him or provide any reinforcement, so we went ahead and removed the leash to practice his off leash skills! Reggie did great with his Heel today, and was able to follow my lead and pace as we walked around the mall and past various distractions. He would sometimes fall slightly out of position, but with regular reminders and lots of verbal praise to motivate him, he understood to correct himself and remain in the proper position as we walked. Reggie also did fantastic with his Come to Sit today, and was consistent and reliable with both his recall and positioning for this command. He also did a solid job with all of his stationary commands of Sit, Down, and Place. He was able to perform these commands whenever and wherever asked of him, and was able to remain in the position for extended periods of time, waiting patiently until released or given a new command. Reggie had several admirers today who were very impressed with his off leash obedience skills!
Pupdate 5/24/2024
Reggie and I took a trip over to the Santa Monica Pier today, where we put his skills to the test in this highly distracting environment! It was extremely busy today, with dense crowds of people, lots of other dogs, food, loud music, and birds all to serve as distractions. We also met up with some other OffLeash SoCal trainers and their pups, which was yet another great opportunity to work on his commands while in close proximity to other dogs. This location definitely wasn't Reggie's favorite place to be, and he was a bit overwhelmed by everything. We ended up taking some time to find a slightly quieter area of the pier to warm up at, which seemed to help him get into a more focused and relaxed mindset. Once he seemed to be feeling more calm, we made our way down the pier to more busy areas, and he seemed to gradually adapt to the unfamiliar and busy environment which was great to see! Reggie's Heel started off a bit shaky when we first arrived, as the overwhelming distractions caused him to have a hard time focusing on his positioning beside me. We ended up switching to the prong collar to help guide him with as minimal leash pressure as possible, as he was struggling to respond to the e-collar and slip lead like he normally would. Thankfully, this helped significantly and within just a few minutes he was back to Heeling beside me without any leash pressure needed, and we were eventually able to practice his leash dragging and off leash heeling around the pier, which he ended up doing great with! Despite the plentiful distractions, Reggie did fantastic with his Come to Sit, and was always consistent about recalling to me as soon as he was called, and was able to find the correct position beside me each time. He also did a solid job with his extended Sit, Down, and Place commands, and was able to perform each of them wherever he was asked to as well as hold the positions until released. Towards the end of the session Reggie did get a bit tired, so he would sometimes struggle to remain in an extended Sit as he wanted to plop into a Down instead. Whenever this happened, I would ask him to return to the Sit, and then prompt him to Down which he happily followed through with. This is to remain consistent with his obedience training and reinforce the implied stay of each specific command, while also being fair to him and giving him the opportunity to rest when he is physically tired.
While at the pier, Reggie got tons of attention, compliments, and requests to be pet! This was another great opportunity to practice Reggie's Greeting Manners. Greeting Manners are an area of training we have been working on anytime the opportunity arises, such as when out in public with new people who want to say hello to him, or at home when greeting myself or guests in my home. The goal for Greeting Manners is for Reggie to be able to calmly and politely say hello to people, and never jump or behave impolitely around anyone. An important step in teaching these manners is to first ask Reggie to perform and hold a stationary position, such as Sit, before he is approached or petted. This encourages Reggie to focus on holding his position, and discourages overexcitement or jumping. When practicing with new people, it's important to inform them that Reggie is in training, and that they can help by only petting him when he is calm and stationary. If he breaks position for any reason, the person should step back and wait for him to return to the position asked of him before they can resume the affection and attention. Allowing someone to pet Reggie after breaking position or behaving impolitely will be detrimental to his progress, so ensuring any who greet him can follow this rule is crucial. By showing Reggie that greetings can only take place when he is calm and still, we can encourage him to default to this good behavior as he is very motivated by praise and affection! With consistency, Reggie has broken out of his habit of jumping to greet, and was able to have a ton of fun saying hello to lots of nice people today without displaying any impolite behavior. He did a fantastic job about holding his positions as well, and showed his joy through tail wags and kisses rather than jumping on people!
Pupdate 5/25/2024
Today Reggie and I visited a park where we put all of his learned skills to use to have a great last day together! He did fantastic work today, and was very enthusiastic about his training! The park was full of all kinds of distractions, but Reggie was unbothered and performed all of his commands excellently. We also played lots of fetch, and Reggie thoroughly enjoyed himself! Reggie also got lots of compliments on his great obedience skills, and he got to say hi to lots of nice people. He further impressed them with his polite greeting manners! Reggie is not only excelling with his skills and manners while out in public, but he has also made huge transformations in his behavior inside the home as well! House manners are something we have been working on little by little each day since day one. Even seemingly mundane day-to-day tasks can provide excellent opportunities for training. These manners include areas such as Food Manners, Door Manners, and Car Manners.
The goal for Food Manners is for Reggie to be able to hold a stationary command while his food is prepared and set in front of him. He is then asked to remain in that position until he is released before he can get up and eat his food. Reggie always gets excited about his food, and in the early stages of his training he was prone to jumping on me or counters when anticipating food, and rushing to the food bowl the moment it was set down even if it meant knocking me out of the way to get to it. Meal times are a great opportunity to sneak in extra training every day with Reggie , as he is extremely food motivated and is always eager to work for food. As he progressed in his overall obedience and impulse control, he quickly replaced his bad habits and learned to be polite and patient even when faced with very tempting distractions such as food directly in front of him! He now does very well with his Food Manners, and despite him drooling with anticipation of his meal, he is able to control his excitement and await the release command before digging in! We also have been working on eliminating Reggie's counter surfing habits, as he would sometimes try to put his paws on counters hoping to steal human food when he thought no one was looking! By turning this into a training exercise, we have successfully discouraged this behavior and he is no longer prone to doing this, even if I leave food on the counter and walk away.
Another area of manners we have been working on is Reggie's Door Manners. The goal of Door Manners is for Reggie to hold a stationary position while near a door and remain there until released or given a new command, such as Come or Heel. He is asked to hold the position at the location asked of him, and not break the command even if the door is left open, if someone is knocking on it, or if people walk in or out of it. This practice teaches important boundaries, and prevents impolite and possibly dangerous behaviors such as trying to escape through open doors, shoving past people when walking through doors, or rushing over to jump on people who enter through the door. With daily practice, Reggie has made great progress with his manners related to doors, and understands to follow instructions no matter what distractions the door may create. After Reggie has been asked for a stationary command, a door can be left wide open, and he understands to not walk through the doorway unless given permission to, and when invited he can walk nicely through the doorway without shoving through or trying to rush out. I can even leave his sight completely and walk outside without him feeling the need to get up and follow me. Having proper Door Manners is also a great way to set Reggie up for success with in-home Greeting Manners as well, as he is prompted to hold the position asked of him and discouraged from jumping on those who enter through the door.
Having good Car manners makes transporting Reggie easy, safe, and as hassle-free as possible. Since Reggie and I travel in the car almost every day, this is another area of his training we have been practicing organically during his time with us. The goal for Car Manners is for Reggie to be confident and able to jump into the car when prompted without needing any physical assistance. Once in the car, the goal is for him to willingly enter a kennel when asked, without needing to be physically guided or lured inside. From day one Reggie came to us with the confidence and ability needed to jump into my car without issue, but he was often a bit overexcited and would practically run me over trying to get into the car the moment the door was opened. So we worked on teaching him to wait for a cue to ask him to jump in, which he quickly got the hang of! He was a bit unsure of the kennel at first, but with plenty of positive reinforcement and proper introductions, he now sees the kennel as a safe and relaxing space, and no longer has any hesitation about entering the kennel either in the car or at home. Reggie has made such an amazing transformation in these past two weeks, and the differences in him are truly night and day! Before the program, he had a tendency to immediately become overexcited, overwhelmed, and overstimulated by everything around him, causing him to struggle to pay attention or follow commands. He has since learned to stay calm, focused, and neutral to his surroundings even in the most busy of places. His reliability with commands has increased drastically, as has his impulse control and patience levels. Reggie also replaced many bad habits with good manners and polite behaviors, and no longer is a leash-pulling, jumping, out of control pup. His acquired skills and good behavior now allow him to safely enjoy the freedom and fun that comes with being off leash, which opens the door for training and fun times without the hassle of a leash! While he may seem like a whole new dog, he is still the same goofy, loving, and playful pup he always has been, and with his new obedience skills he is even more of a joy to be around and take with on all sorts of adventures! Reggie has been such a pleasure to train and share my home with, and I am forever grateful to have had the opportunity to help this good boy become the best version of himself! With his intelligence and eagerness to please, the sky is the limit for this pup, and I know he has a very bright future ahead in his continued training journey with his family!
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