Rocky | Husky Mix | Cypress, CA | In Training

Meet Rocky! He's a six year old Husky Mix from Cypress, California here for our One-Week Board and Train Program! Rocky is very sweet with people, however he has some reactivity to dogs. He loves most dogs, but he will bark and lunge at others. Rocky knows some basic commands, sometimes doesn't respond when asked to perform them. He also loves to pull on his leash, and if he catches the scent of something he wants it's very difficult for him to ignore the distraction! Over the next seven days, we'll work on Rocky's basic obedience skill, teach him how to ignore distractions, help him ignore other dogs, and show him how to be the best pup he can possibly be! Stay tuned for Rocky's one week transformation!

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Pupdate: 10/30/2023

After picking up Rocky, we walked around the park to get to know each other! He's very sweet and he seemed to take to me immediately. He seems to know his Sit command, however he only follows through about half the time and he can't hold the position for very long. I also noticed Rocky seems to hobble a bit when walking across rough terrain. He walks perfectly normally on smooth concrete and grass and the rough terrain was cool to the touch, so I think he just has very sensitive paw pads.

Once we got home, I let Rocky sniff around my house to get settled in! He sniffed my personal pup through her crate, and they both wagged their tails vigorously, so I think they'll make good friends soon. Rocky seems to be settling in well so far!

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Pupdate: 10/31/2023

Rocky and I went to Almansor Park today for training! We introduced him to his E-collar, and started working on a couple basic commands. We're starting with Come To Sit, and Heel. For Come To Sit, I want Rocky to come to my right side, walk around my legs, and sit at my left side with his ears at my knee. For Heel, I want Rocky to walk politely at my left side, again, with his ears at my knee. He's doing a great job of getting the motions of the commands down, although he definitely has a tough time ignoring all the great smells around the park! When Rocky decides to stop and sniff, I want to keep walking, use the Off command, and then reiterate the Heel command to let him know what he should be doing. Each time I utter a verbal command, I also apply a light stimulation with his E-collar. The Off command is our "do not do" command. We can use this in any instances that Rocky presents unwanted behavior, such as jumping, barking, and hyperfocusing on distractions. In the above video, you'll see us practicing these basic commands. He did an excellent job, especially considering there were a couple squirrels around that Rocky really wanted to pull towards. You can even see one climbing up the tree about halfway through the video!

In addition to his video, I've also added a tutorial for the E-collar you'll be using with Rocky. I recommend watching it before Rocky goes home so you can be somewhat familiar with the device!

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Pupdate: 11/1/2023

Rocky and I went to the park this morning, then spent most of the day around the house working on his household manners. He was around my personal puppy and my other board and train dog. He was extremely friendly with each dog, and wagged his tail, and played with my personal pup for several minutes.

We also introduced him to his Place command! For Place, I want Rocky to hop onto a raised object, such as the cot pictured above. This command is amazing for confidence building, which Rocky could use a bit of. I also love to use this command in the house when I need my dogs to hold steady while I clean, cook dinner, or some other task that they might be in the way of. Rocky did an amazing job of placing himself on the cot when asked, and holding that position for a minute or two.

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Pupdate: 11/2/2023

Rocky went to Santa Monica Pier today! This was a huge increase in the amount of distractions he was around. He was pretty nervous among the crowds, and there were several times he didn't want to perform his commands, but he eventually started to calm down. His Heel was a little bit all over the place compared to how his Heel has been at the park, and he had trouble laying down when asked. After plenty of repetitions, he started gaining some confidence which made his commands better, but he still needs a lot of time around these distractions to get more comfortable. Great job today, though!

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Pupdate: 11/3/2023

Rocky went to the park today for training! He found this much easier than the pier yesterday, and seemed much more comfortable. The command he's having the most trouble with is Down, so we spent a lot of time working on it today! Laying down when asked can feel very vulnerable, so it's understandable that Rocky isn't a huge fan, but with enough repetition, he was nailing it today. While Heeling, Rocky got distracted by a few other dogs, but fixed his position pretty quickly when asked. It started to get hot in the middle of the day, so we went home to the AC, and we'll go back out to the park this evening when it's cooler!

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Pupdate: 11/4/2023

Rocky and I went to Santa Anita Mall today for training! He was a little nervous at first, but just like at the pier, after walking around for a while and performing several repetitions of each command, he did a very good job! Toward the end of our time there, he did an especially good job with his down command. He very much doesn't like to lay down around distractions, so him laying down around the people and the smell of food was great!

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Pupdate: 11/5/2023

Rocky and I went to Garfield Park today for training! He had a mostly relaxing last day, and did a great job. There were quite a few families and other dogs around the park today, but Rocky behaved well the whole time.

Rocky will be going home tomorrow, and I'm proud of him and the progress he's made! He's been a very relaxing presence around the house for the last week, and he will be missed!