Roo | Doberman Pinscher | Los Angeles, CA. | In Training.
- heatheroffleashsoc
- Apr 12
- 15 min read
Updated: Apr 25
Meet Roo! š¾
This seven-month-old Doberman Pinscher from Los Angeles, California has just joined us for our Two Week Community Board and Train Programāand sheās bringing all the energy youād expect (and then some).
Roo is at that fun, fast-paced stage of puppyhood where playtime is always on the schedule and every personāor dogāis clearly her next best friend. While her enthusiasm is endearing, she hasnāt quite figured out that not everyone appreciates a full-speed, jump-first introduction. Roo also tends to overlook other dogsā boundaries, and when excitement is at an all-time high, listening skills tend to take a back seatāespecially when it comes to coming when called.
To top it off, Roo shows a touch of separation anxiety, making it clear that sheās ready for some structure, confidence-building, and guidance as she continues to grow.
Over the next two weeks, weāll be working closely with Roo on her basic obedience and house manners, helping her learn how to channel her excitement into more polite greetings, respect boundaries, and become a more reliable listener. Our goal is to give Roo the tools she needs to make better choicesāwhile still keeping that happy, playful spirit intact.
Stay tuned for Rooās transformationā¦ itās going to be a fun one!
4/12/2026
To kick off our first day of training together, Roo and I started with a relaxed walk at the park to get better acquainted. This gave me a great opportunity to assess what she already knowsāand she knows quite a bit already!
We focused on fine-tuning her āheel,ā along with her āsitā and ādownā commands. Roo has a solid understanding of these, so moving forward it will be all about improving duration, adding distance, and working through distractions. Everything is still very exciting for this young lady, but sheās off to a fantastic start.
After our walk, we headed back to the car to load up and make our way home. Roo handled the ride in the crate very wellānice and calm the whole time.
Once we arrived, Roo was eager to explore her āhome away from homeā for the next couple of weeks. So far, she seems very comfortable and has no complaints! The only small complaint came at nap timeāshe wasnāt too thrilled about the crateābut she handled it like a trooper and settled in.
After her nap, we had another short training session to reinforce what we worked on earlier, and she did a great job. With that success, we followed it up with some well-earned playtime. After dinner, we wrapped up the evening with a little snuggle on the couch and a movie āsuch a sweet girl!
All in all, Roo is adjusting very well. Sheās a smart cookie, and I have no doubt sheāll pick up on everything quickly as we continue working together!
4/13/2026
Today Roo and I headed out to a park in Rosemead to meet up with some fellow trainers and their pups so we could continue building on her commandsāand wow, was she a distractible girl today! With all the new smells, people, and dogs around, Roo definitely had her attention pulled in every direction.
We started things off simple with heel. At first, she really struggled since she would have much rather been off exploring everything and greeting everyone. But we stayed consistent, heeling around all the distractions until she began to settle and focus a bit more. Once she found that rhythm, we started sprinkling in some of her other commands.
Her sit is looking solid, and we began slowly adding both distance and duration. We worked on the same with her down, which initially threw Roo for a bit of a loop. She didnāt quite understand why she couldnāt follow me right away, but with a few reminders to stay put, she started to catch on.
With her come to sit, Roo tends to rush through the command, which causes her to overshoot and pass me on the left side. As we continue practicing, weāll work on cleaning up that motion and helping her slow things down.
We also worked on place, which Roo had no problem hopping up onto things or laying down or sitting on them. However, just like with sit and down, staying in position is the tricky part for her right now. This is completely normal for a young pup, and with consistent practice, sheāll absolutely improve.
Overall, Roo is making great progress and continuing to learn, even on a highly distracting day like today. And of course, she definitely enjoyed the playtime that came afterward!
4/14/2026
Today Roo and I headed to Home Depot to continue working on her commands with plenty of distractionsāand of course, she brought all of that fun puppy energy with her!
When we first arrived, Roo was very excited and wanted to jump up and greet everyone she saw. With a few reminders of her āoffā command, she quickly started making better choices and kept all four paws on the ground. Great progress for such an enthusiastic pup!
We began our session with her heel command, walking through the store until she was able to settle in and focus a bit more. Once she was in a better headspace, we moved on to her extended sit and extended down. She did break command a few times at first, which is completely normal in such a stimulating environment, but after a few repetitions she really started to hold her positions nicely.
Her come to sit is also improving well. She already had a solid understanding of it, but the busy store environment encouraged her to slow things down and think through the task more carefullyāwhich is a good thing!
I also asked Roo to be a little brave today and hop up onto a cart for place while I held it steady. She was understandably unsure at first, but she trusted me, gave it a try, and even surprised me by laying down for a moment! I didnāt ask her to hold it for long, but she handled it beautifully, and I was very proud of her willingness to try something new.
All in all, Roo is showing a great understanding of her commands. Sheās a smart little cookie and handled the noise and distractions of Home Depot very well!
4/15/2026
Today Roo and I headed out to the park to continue working on her commands in a more distracting environment. When we first arrived, Roo was understandably excited and immediately wanted to run off and explore. Instead, we found a nice balance and explored together, with Roo doing a great job heeling right at my side.
There were a few distractions, like other dogs, that definitely grabbed her puppy attention and made her want to jump into play. However, with a simple verbal correction, she was able to refocus and bring her attention back to me, which is a great sign of progress.
One of our main focuses today was her come-to-sit command, specifically working toward having her perform it with less leash guidance. This is an important step, as once she can confidently complete that along with maintaining a solid heel, we can begin transitioning into off-leash work. Roo still gets a little confused at times, but with a quick reminder, sheās able to work through it and find the correct position on her own.
Roo is also improving with her extended sit and down commands. While she does still need occasional redirection back into position, itās taking fewer reminders with each repetition, which shows sheās starting to understand the expectation.
Her place command is coming along nicely as well.
She still needs some correction to remain in place, but thatās completely normal at this stage. I especially love how brave she isāsheās willing to hop up onto just about anything I ask, which is awesome to see!
All in all, Roo is doing a great job, and Iām so proud of the effort and trust sheās putting into her work.
Iāve also introduced Roo to my pup, and they hit it off right away! Theyāve been thoroughly enjoying their playtime together, and itās been so fun to watch them build that connection.
4/16/2026
Today Roo and I headed out to Home Depot to continue working on her commands with distractions, and we added a fun twistāpracticing on a loose leash, which is about as close as we can get to leash dragging in a store environment!
Overall, Roo did a wonderful job. She was a bit nervous at first since the store was much livelier than our last visit, but thatās completely okay. We started off with her heel using less slack on the leash, and as she began to relax and tune into me, I gradually gave her more and more freedom. One of my favorite moments was during heel workāI held my hand right where I wanted her position to be, and she kept gently nudging it with her nose as if to say, āIāve got it, Iām right here!ā It was such a great example of her trying to stay connected and engaged.
Even with added distractions, like a man making kissy noises to get her attention, Roo did a nice job refocusing when asked. Thatās a big win in an environment like Home Depot!
We also spent a good amount of time working on her extended sit and down. These were a bit challenging at first with all the noise and activity around us, but we stayed consistent and calmly redirected her back into position each time she broke command. By the end, she was able to settle in and hold them much more reliably.
Her come to sit is progressing nicely as well, and youāll see that in the video! Sheās starting to understand the motion with simple hand gestures, and when she does get a little confused, giving her a bit of space and time to think really helpsāmore often than not, she works it out on her own.
All in all, Roo did a fantastic job today. Iām so proud of how brave she was working through her initial nerves. Sheās a very smart girl and continues to make wonderful progress!
4/17/2026
Today Roo and I headed back out to Home Depot to continue building on the progress we made yesterday, and she absolutely rose to the occasion! We continued working with loose leash, and Roo handled it like a pro. She stuck right by my side as we heeled through the store and performed each of her extended commands beautifully.
Her come-to-sit is looking very nice as well, and sheās even starting to do it on her own with just hand gestures, which is awesome to see. Of course, she still has her moments where she just has to be a puppy and get a little silly, but thatās all part of the processāand honestly, it keeps things fun and interesting!
Weāve also been putting some focus on her jumping. I can definitely see where she got her name, especially when she gets excited! She is improving, though, and while she still needs occasional reminders, sheās starting to understand whatās expected of her.
All in all, today was a great mix of work and play. After such a successful trip to Home Depot, I made sure to reward her with some supervised playtime with my pup, and they both had an absolute blast.
Iām so proud of this sweet little lady and all the effort sheās putting into her trainingāit really shows! š¶š
4/18/2026
Today Roo and I headed out to Lake Balboa Park to work on her commands around real-world distractionsāall while leash dragging! Weāve reached an exciting stage in her training where weāre relying more on the e-collar for guidance, with the leash there as a backup just in case Roo decides sticking with me isnāt the plan. This setup gives her more freedom, but also the responsibility of making the right choicesāand she rose to the occasion.
With it being the weekend, the park was full of activityāpeople, dogs, and all kinds of distractionsābut Roo handled it well. She definitely showed interest in other dogs and animals, but when she started to get a bit too excited, a quick āoffā and a reminder to heel brought her right back in. She responded nicely and stayed engaged with me.
During heel, Roo did a bit of weaving, which is totally fine at this stage. I allowed her some freedom to take in her surroundings as long as she stayed with meāand she did a great job of that. Her sit command continues to be solid and prompt, which we love to see!
With her down command, Roo initially wanted to lay at my feet rather than at my side. On the next repetition, I used my leg to help guide her into the correct position, and by the third try she nailed it right next to meāthird timeās the charm!
Off camera, we continued walking around the lake and worked on her come-to-sit, extended commands, and place. She did very well across the board. I also noticed her heel tightened up quite a bit once the selfie stick was put awayānot uncommon, as having that overhead can be a little uncomfortable for dogs. Plus, it freed up my hand to give clearer guidance with hand signals.
All in all, Roo handled this new level of freedom and responsibility better than expected. Iām so proud of the work she put in today!
4/19/2026
Today Roo and I headed back out to Lake Balboa Park to continue working on her commands while leash dragging, and Iām happy to report she showed a big improvement in focus compared to yesterday! Roo stuck right by my side in her heel and moved through each of her commands with very little trouble.
The only small hiccup we had was with her come to sit. At one point she got a bit mixed up and went straight to my left side instead of completing the full motion of the command. I took a step back, gave her a clear hand gesture to guide her, and she quickly understood and corrected herself. It was a great reminder that sheās learning and just needs a little clarity sometimes!
Since Roo was doing so well and weāve been putting in a lot of hard work this week, I decided to keep todayās session short and positive. We wrapped things up on a high note and headed home for some well-deserved downtime.
Back at home, Roo enjoyed some playtime with my pup Quinn, and after getting all that energy out, she was more than happy to settle in for some relaxation. We ended the day with a cozy cuddle on the couch while I got some work done and watched a showāRoo definitely appreciated the balance of work and play today.
All in all, it was a wonderful day, and Iām very proud of Rooās progress and focus!
4/20/2026
Today Roo and I headed out to a park in Rosemead to meet up with some fellow trainers while continuing to practice her commands with the leash draggingāand once she got past the initial excitement of seeing all the other pups, she did a wonderful job!
Roo settled in nicely and began performing each command right on cue, just as weāve been practicing. I was especially proud of how well she was able to focus despite the added distractions around her. Not only did she work with me, but she also had the opportunity to work with another trainerāand she listened very well!
Sometimes we see dogs who do great with their primary trainer, but as soon as someone else takes over, itās like all the training goes out the window. Thankfully, that wasnāt the case with Roo. She showed great consistency and understanding of her commands no matter who was handling her. There was one funny moment where the other trainer called her to come, and Roo came running overā¦ only to come sit right next to me instead! It definitely melted my heart a little.
Aside from that adorable mix-up, Roo truly did a fantastic job today. Iām so proud of the progress sheās making and how well she handled herself in a more stimulating environment!
4/21/2026
Today Roo and I headed indoors to Home Depot to escape the rainy weather while continuing to work on her commandsāstarting on a loose leash and eventually progressing to off leash work.
We began with loose leash to gauge where Roo was at for the day and to help her settle into a focused, working mindset. She did a great job, so we progressed to off leashāand Roo absolutely rose to the occasion! She stayed right by my side as we heeled through the store, even with distractions like people making kissy noises to get her attention.
Roo performed all of her extended commands with great patience and reliability. Her come to sit is looking especially nice and continues to improve. Of course, she had a few goofy puppy moments here and there, but thatās completely to be expected. What mattered most was her ability to bounce right back and refocus on the task at hand.
As we made our way through the store, Roo received lots of compliments on how well-behaved she was, and she seemed to genuinely enjoy the outing.
After our training session, we headed back home and wrapped up the rainy day with some cozy cuddles and a movie. Overall, today was a fantastic day, and Iām so proud of how well Roo handled everything!
4/22/2026
Today Roo and I headed back to Home Depot to continue building on the great progress sheās been making. To add a bit of a challenge, we worked off leash today with all the people, movement, and noise throughout the storeāand Roo rose to the occasion!
She showed a healthy interest in the people around her, which meant she needed a couple of reminders to reset and refocus. She also had a bit of confusion with her extended commands at times, choosing to follow me instead of holding her position as I stepped away. With a few well-timed corrections and guidance, Roo quickly caught on and began holding her commands more reliably while keeping her attention on me.
Roo definitely had her share of fans today! Many people wanted to stop and say hello and compliment her on what a good girl she is. I allowed her to greet a few people, and she did a wonderful job remaining polite and keeping all four paws on the ground. On the occasions where she looked tempted to jump, we gave her a quick reminder with the āoffā command, and she responded very well.
Overall, Roo had a great day of work. She handled the added freedom and distractions nicely and continues to show steady improvement. After all that hard work, she thoroughly enjoyed heading back home to relax and just be a pup with my girl Quinn!
4/23/2026
Today Roo and I kept things a bit closer to home, working on her commands off leash around my neighborhood. This setting gave us a great opportunity to fine-tune a few things, since off-leash work offers her more freedom but less built-in guidance than a leash would provide.
For the most part, Roo knows her commands well, but recently sheās started stopping just slightly behind my left side. On top of that, when asked for a sit sheās been offering a down, and vice versa. So today we focused on clearly differentiating between āsitā and ādown,ā while also helping her consistently find and hold the correct position at my side.
With her come-to-sit, whenever she ended up just behind me, I would simply step forward and give her the opportunity to correct herself while reminding her to ācome.ā For sit and down, if she offered anything other than what was asked, she received a correction followed by a clear reminder, allowing her to think it through and ultimately make the right choice. It only took a few repetitions throughout our walk for her to really start putting it all together.
Roo continues to show just how smart she is, and itās been so fun watching her problem-solve in real time. Of course, she still has her puppy moments! During heel work, she occasionally lost focus and drifted toward an interesting smell or distraction. But the nice part is how easily her attention comes right back when asked.
All in all, Roo is doing a fantastic job. Iām especially proud of her thoughtful moments todayāitās clear sheās starting to slow down, process whatās being asked, and make better choices on her own. That kind of progress is exactly what weāre looking for!
4/24/2026
Today Roo and I headed out to Lake Balboa Park to continue strengthening her commands while off leashāand she absolutely showed off her understanding today! She performed each command just as weāve been practicing, with great consistency and confidence. Itās clear all the hard work is really sticking!
Since Roo was doing so well with her commands, we decided to shift our focus to something a bit more challengingāher impulse control around wildlife. This park gave us the perfect opportunity with plenty of squirrels, ducks, and geese around. We worked on maintaining a solid heel as we passed by, and used the āoffā command whenever her interest started to peak a little too much or if she thought about stepping away to investigate.
By the end of our session, Roo was doing a much better job keeping her focus on me. She still noticed the animalsāwhich is totally okayābut the important part is she wasnāt trying to chase or leave position. Thatās a huge win!
All in all, Roo is doing incredibly well and continuing to make amazing progress. I know Iāve said it before, but Iāll say it againāIām so stinkinā proud of this sweetheart! š
4/25/2026
Today Roo and I kept things closer to home and focused on her house mannersāfood manners, door manners, and car manners. These are all things weāve been working on daily, and overall Roo does a nice job with them. The areas where she tends to get a little impatient are door manners (because outside = playtime) and car manners (because the car = adventures), so sheāll sometimes try to break her sit before being given the cue.
After a few repetitions today, Roo really started to settle in and understand the expectations, showing much more patience as we continued working.
For her food manners, Roo practices sitting politely while I place her food down in front of her and waiting until sheās released with āok,ā whether I walk away or not. She does very well with this and has a solid understanding overall.
Her door manners consist of sitting calmly at the door and waiting until sheās released, even if I step outside and briefly out of view. This is where her excitement can creep in, but she showed improvement with consistency today.
With her car manners, Roo worked on sitting patiently by the car while I got everything ready, waiting for the āload upā cue before hopping into her crate. This is another area tied to excitement, but by the end of our session she was much more composed and waiting appropriately.
After finishing up with manners, we went for a long off-leash walk around my neighborhood and practiced her commands along the way. Roo did a great job staying engaged and responsive. Once we got back, she enjoyed some playtime with Quinn followed by a bath. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and enjoying our last evening together.
I will truly miss having this happy girl aroundāsheās an absolute joy to spend time with. I also want to thank you for trusting me with Rooās care and allowing me to be part of her training journey. Itās been so rewarding to watch her learn and grow. My hope is that Iāve given you both the tools to continue building on her progress and to go on many amazing adventures togetherābecause she really is an incredible companion for it!
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