Roxy is a 6 year old Staffordshire Terrier Mix from Los Angeles, California. She is enrolled in OffLeash SoCal's Two-Week Board and Train Program to address her general manners and give her a working obedience that her owner can better manage. Roxy is generally a very well tempered dog who likes people and other dogs but has once reacted to another dog in the past so she will need supervision when she interacts with other dogs during training. Roxy has little to no experience being crated and we will specifically address her crate manners and show her how to relax when she is inside. Stay tuned for Roxy's two week transformation!
The first day is about diagnosing any specific issues and concerns that will need to be addressed during training. Every dog is unique! They are not robots. It is important to keep in mind that any challenges that the dog faces in the world create stress and part of our training is aimed to build obedience so that it becomes an island of calm and relaxation amidst the stress and noise of an evolving landscape. Consider the potential distractions in the world and what the dog has to learn to ignore in order to better focus on the task at hand. Right now Roxy is distracted by her nose when I walk her and she chooses to entertain herself rather than engage with me. The first step in building focus is building a relationship so my goal for the first day beyond observing her general behavior is to spend time just getting to know one another. There were kids playing baseball that she largely ignored along with people walking dogs and bicycles rolling by. She seems distractible but without any specific triggers which is ultimately a good problem to have. We can simply show her that a prerequisite to exploring the world and interacting with her environment is checking in and being obedient. I am fully confident she will achieve strong results while she is with me.
I took Roxy to a park with other trainers and their dogs to work on leash pressure around some distractions. Roxy does have some excitement but it was mostly just friendly curiosity from what I saw. We have spent a lot of time just hanging out making friends and she is very sweet and loves to play. She just has a lot of strength for her size and it is important to show her how to be polite. So far I have been working with a prong collar in advance of the later e collar work. The idea with a prong is to enhance leverage so we dont actually need as much force as with a flat collar in order to communicate with the dog. She has offered some resistance here and there but only gently and she doesn't take it personally. She will need some more repetitions with the positions and the behaviors with the leash before I begin the e collar but with how quickly she has been learning everything I am confident she will be fluent with e collar and leash both within another day or two. I am very pleased with her! Her crate manners have also been rather good. She is quiet and while initially she was panicking she eventually settled down and relaxes when she goes inside. Sometimes we just have to be in the right environment to grow and she is rising to the occasion brilliantly.
Today I continued shaping Roxy's positions using leash pressure. Tomorrow I will begin layering the e collar stimulation over the leash pressure. The idea is to first use a leash to provide directional context so the dog has a clear understanding of how to turn pressure off when the leash is removed. Think having a hand held while walking vs walking alone. Roxy has a good understanding already of the various things I am asking her for. She will continue to develop a concept of what the verbal commands mean as we get the repetitions throughout the training. She sits, downs, comes and walks nicely at my side on the leash. Place is coming along nicely as well. When I introduce the e collar my goal is to create scenarios where Roxy is able to problem solve and figure out the answers to the questions that I ask her without needing guidance from the leash so I want to make sure that her response to leash pressure is yielding and automatic in order to make the transition smooth and simple. Simply put we want the dog to anticipate the physical guidance of a leash and make the right choice before that sensation would occur...with enough anticipation and pattern recognition we can then add another signal in the form of e collar stimulation to encourage the dog to behave without needing the leash actually attached. I need her to have a strong enough grasp of the final pictures so the e collar is motivational and not just confusing. Her grasp of the material is strong already and I am looking forward to seeing how she does tomorrow! Good job Roxy!
Today Roxy and I worked on introducing e collar stimulation and combining the pressure from the leash that she already understands with the new sensation. Roxy was somewhat frustrated by experiencing both the stimulation and the leash pressure so I made sure to go slowly and provide as much help as possible without making it too easy. Going forward as much as I can I will be having Roxy solve her own problems. When dogs learn something by themselves the learning is far stronger than any association we can create which is why bad habits can be so hard to change. If we use the same pathways in the brain to put Roxy into a situation where she will form good habits we can ask her for more complex behaviors and she will choose to return to the pictures she has learned are the most rewarding and relaxing: being obedient and under command. In the beginning stages of e collar stimulation there is inevitably some confusion so I am providing a lot of help initially in the form of leash pressure and gradually removing it.
Today we worked mostly inside because of the rain/weather. I worked on door manners and being able to relax in a place bed for longer durations. Obedience is coming along but Roxy has had long enough in her life to become very deeply entrenched in her habits. Retraining what she thinks are correct answers is sometimes tricky so keep in mind if she reverts back to a previous pattern to stay the course and not lose patience. Dogs are inherently creatures of habit and while that can mean a problem is resilient to simple fixes sometimes it also means that if we replace a bad habit with a good one the dog will find relaxation and familiarity in the routine. Consider if a dog has learned something over a number of exposures to a problem they have solved in a particular fashion it is up to us to teach the same or greater number of correct repetitions to account for the pathways in the brain that have already been mapped out by the wrong information. To put it simply if we can turn the bad habit into a good habit a resilient problem becomes training that is resilient to problems! So remember that she has taken a long time to come to this point and she will need dedicated routine maintenance in order to stay sharp and ensure she is on the track of good healthy habits. She is learning impulse control first and foremost and as she gains control of herself and focus on me the rest of the obedience is coming naturally.
Today Roxy and I met up with Mike the owner of OffLeash SoCal to do a little bit of problem solving. She was frustrated and wanting to resist the e collar we had been using so we fit her with a different brand and also attached a "comfort pad" which is an attachment that diffuses the stimulation over a larger area of her neck so while it can still be reinforcing it isn't so intense she doesn't want to work anymore. After finding the right fit for Roxy we were able to be more productive with our training and even managed to walk her around a shopping mall to get some exposure to various environmental pressures as well as crowds of people. Roxy even greeted some new people and practiced her greeting manners. Roxy's largest hurdle is that she has had so many years to rehearse the behaviors we are now modifying so the effort she is making is nothing short of phenomenal but we also need to be realistic that without continued effort to maintain her new skills she will certainly revert back to what she was doing. Roxy does best with kind and gentle encouragement but remember the goal of using an e collar is to make the answers to the questions we ask more obvious, not to force her to perform. We have provided understanding for what we expect in terms of behavior after a command is given in the form of praise, rewards and reinforcement. Roxy will work for food but I am trying to now limit her food rewards so we can practice her working even in the presence of other treats and high value distractions.
Today, Roxy and I worked on more of the same obedience routine as we continue to hone in on the level of autonomy I would like to see before challenging Roxy with being totally off leash. She is responsive to the e collar stimulation and given more practice I feel will be competent in making better choices without having to be leashed at all. The steps need to be gradual to ensure that the dog doesn't figure out how to avoid working without having a way to reinforce a command when she does decide to break away. Currently Roxy will work nicely for me if she knows she is wearing a leash so I will slowly change the size and style of leash until I am using something that doesn't weigh very much at all. The idea is to allow her to make the mistakes in the first place so we can show her what we think is wrong or right. Roxy is largely well mannered but stubborn so do remember to hold her accountable to the obedience as she does have a good grasp of what to do. In situations where she shuts down and doesn't seem to understand it is totally acceptable to give her a helping hand and guide her into position. All tools or techniques in dog training are ideally transitional and when the dog understands a concept they aren't strictly necessary to reinforce, however when we find the dog is struggling it is important to maintain the clear picture moreso than let her panic without any learning or progression so go back a step or more to what was working well and then make progress again later. Sometimes when we put the dog in a position to answer for things on their own they will initially have anxiety but then the process of self discovery and reinforcement/reward makes them feel more comfortable. It is when we put them in these positions for the most growth to take place that they can also flounder. Do use your best judgment but remember it takes adversity to become stronger. The balance is a natural part of dog training and you will find the result reflected in Roxy. If she is too forward and making mistakes because of enthusiasm she needs perhaps some more clear reinforcement when she is out of order...but if she is slow to respond and not enthusiastic we will want to offer more frequent and satisfying rewards. Her current level of understanding is strong but we are finding the balance between sufficient motivation and her nature to be stubborn and try to ignore any reinforcement. I do think she will continue to improve.
Today Roxy and I continued to evolve our obedience routine by only using the lightest weight leash that I own and having her be responsible for herself for the majority of the time. I will still give her help when she needs it but I do first ask her to make multiple attempts to figure out what I want before I intervene. Roxy has been able to either make her own decisions or been conditioned to different patterns of behavior for an extended period of time before coming to training so we need to keep that in mind when we are working through roadblocks. Sometimes she offers what she thinks is the right answer and reinforcement at that stage would be unfair. I like to follow a general rule that if she consistently makes the same mistake the same way every time she thinks she is supposed to do it that way and I need to give her help in understanding. Be patient working through her wanting to shut down or avoid because she certainly will try to hunker down and get out of making an effort and adding any emotional stress to the situation will only make it worse. Instead offer first the command again with reinforcement, try raising the level to the point she begins moving again and encourage her to continue. If she panics and won't figure out what we are asking we need to take a step back and show her with either the leash or food or both how to find the position consistently. When she is doing it for an obvious reward or with leash help consistently then we can hold her accountable again. Good luck!
Today, Roxy and I worked on her obedience around the distractions of a shopping mall. She did very well! There were other dogs, people walking by and small children that she ignored and was able to relax around. Going forward, be considerate of Roxy's age when progressing the level of distractions or the amount of duration in a behavior. So far, I have been able to increase the duration she will hold her behavior as well as the distance I can be away from her while she maintains her behavior. Change these variables around to work on keeping her obedience sharp. We are asking the dog to stay focused on the task at hand, and Roxy is generally committed to her positions but also will become impatient, so I have mostly been working on the duration element. However, when more distance or distractions are present, the duration she is able or willing to stay focused will fluctuate. Keep in mind the concept of adding help back into the picture when we also add more layers of difficulty. The point of dog training is to help the dog understand the best place to be is where we have asked them to be so we must always have a perspective of the challenges the dog is facing in a given situation while also holding them personally accountable. Finding the balance between forward motivation in the form of rewards and reinforcing your commands with e collar stimulation will take some getting used to but when you do find your rhythm and the natural flow of communication makes sense to you, the stress of being confused or frustrated by your dog will be massively reduced. Remember that Roxy isn't a robot, but if we are consistent, we should be able to predict with reasonable accuracy her behavior in a given scenario. The repetitions and routine of training are the safety net for being able to expose the dog to new stress and then if things are not going perfectly we can return to the familiar amidst the unfamiliar and find confidence in our routine. Good luck!
Today Roxy graduated to off leash obedience! I worked in an area with less environmental stress so she had an easier time focusing on the task at hand. She did quite well! When we step up in terms of challenge it is important to control for other variables that could potentially set us back. So work in areas that are less crowded with less going on initially but as you both feel more comfortable it is important to challenge yourselves. Roxy's biggest hurdle will continue to be what she already knows and has the most experience doing so it is of the utmost importance to get quality practice as often as possible in order to maintain the enhancements we have made to her existing behaviors and continue the performance of her new behaviors as well. Practice doesn't have to be overwhelming and ideally you will work the obedience during a daily walk in order to make it routine and constant. So long as the sessions are 15 to 30 minutes long each and the dog is leaving on a good note then you are doing enough! Be more concerned with reading the dog and making sure she is executing her positions well and in good spirits. Its ok to end early if the dog does especially well. Remember to utilize "break" to release the dog when they are holding a position for a long time or if theyve been heeling nicely at your side etc. Good is for encouraging the dog while they are holding a behavior and break is a release from the behavior as well as a reward. You will want to use break as a jackpot to keep the training exciting.
Today Roxy and I continued to work on her off leash skills. When we were heading back to the car she rushed ahead of me and ran straight to it. She wanted to climb into her crate and lay down. Ultimately this is positive progress with the crate but a potential hazard while walking off leash. I am working on the rushing but it would be a wise precaution to hook her back up to a leash or the long line I will provide at her Turnover when you are heading back to the car or to your home. The goal for every dog is off leash freedom but considering Roxy's history of self reliance I don't want anyone to feel compelled to handle the dog in any way which could potentially be dangerous. If she were to rush across the street for example. This is a major goal of mine to work on in the remaining days we have together but I wanted to emphasize the significance of moving at your own individual pace when working with the dog at home. I have enough experience to know not to chase her or frighten her by being too excited when I followed her to the car, but in the moment it can be easy to add energy to the situation which may excite the dog further and make them continue to run off in their current mind state. I will outline this specific instruction in person at Turnover but I would like for Roxy to get more practice with a longline on to simulate those times she might want to rush so we can be prepared to reinforce our e collar stimulation with directional information as well. Ideally I will be able to eradicate this behavior over the next few days but sometimes problems can be persistent and I want there to be an awareness that it has the potential to reoccur as well as the knowledge to address it properly. The idea is simply that with a long line or other leash dragging if she breaks ahead to rush back home or the car or anywhere she has deemed relaxing and free from work, you will want to either step on the line or grab it (whichever is faster for you at the moment) and just as she hits the end of the line apply the e collar stimulation and recall her with "come". We can't always predict when she will attempt to rush but we can always be cautious in the situations she is likely to do so.
An equally important aspect to training in dog ownership is management. Management merely means having options to avoid any potential conflict or negative circumstances rather than navigating them with training. Roxy knows "come" very well but as she proved very resilient to e collar stimulation this morning when she was rushing, the next step for us is to give her more guidance with leash pressure while we polish these final behaviors as well as be aware she may need that help as a back up despite her level of understanding. Dogs aren't robots and they all have different limits. She will likely be much better about this at home with her family but for myself the trainer she has indicated a willingness to ignore me so she can return to her place of relaxation. Remember to practice all of the obedience but specifically to address her tendency to want to break and run back to the crate/car/home we will have the long line ready to both practice and manage her behavior depending on the situation when she does go home.
Today Roxy and I worked on all of the skills she has learned so far at the Home Depot. Going to a large store can sometimes be overwhelming because of the new type of flooring, the sounds, the smells and especially crowds. Roxy has a unique history of having spent some time independently so she relies on her instincts to survive quite a bit and is prone to wanting to break out of her behaviors when she is feeling overwhelmed. As she is learning with her owner going home it is important to encourage her with our voice and remind her that she is doing a good job. She maintained herself today quite well I think and am very proud of her work so far. There were two moments worth going over the particulars of: a small dog lunging at her and Roxy breaking a sit to go smell someone walking by. When it comes to the predictability of your trained dog of course the comfort in reliability will potentially let your guard down. Remember that other people don't necessarily take the time or care to have their dog trained before stepping out in public and when they do your dog can be in a bad situation entirely out of their control. I like to always have a leash handy even if the dogs dont wear it as well as is seen in the video--a bungee leash that loops around the dog's neck when not in use. Having that extra bit of control when we can see potential threats or hazards will sometimes be the all important difference. Of course the leash for your dog is used as an even more specific and limiting form of control than the e collar to avoid those hazards and having hands on may even be necessary depending on the situation. As far as breaking to sniff the man walking by when she was reinforced with stimulation she did a down instead of the sit I had asked her for. I gave her stimulation again but also I gave her a physical direction by using that bungee leash. When she finally found her sit the stimulation stopped and I was able to mark that position by telling her good. We are always trying to make the wrong thing hard and the right thing easy. So keep in mind helping the dog to win is ok so long as that help encourages her self discovery rather than limiting it by making her rely on us completely. Good luck!
Today Roxy and I went to the Santa Monica Pier to shoot footage for our Final Video showcasing everything she has learned during her Two-Week Board and Train Program. There were a large number of people, children, dogs, vehicles and of course the ocean itself to pose as distractions for Roxy while working through her obedience. The thing about older dogs is they absolutely do enjoy learning new things but we have to go at their pace and sometimes they can get tired or lose interest earlier than we might have expected. That is ok! We aren't looking for quantity with training but quality and if you consider every outing a potential training session to work for 10 or so minutes then you will be doing enough while on a walk or going to a cafe etc without having to make a dedicated trip just to train. Mix things up and go to lots of new places because the exposure for short periods while being successful in obedience is the best kind of experience to have. We want short and sweet and ending on a good note every time! That being said, feel free to go for a big walk or adventure just do keep in mind Roxy's endurance and fatigue and be aware she is more likely to want to ignore a command or break a behavior if she is tired out. Good luck!
Today Roxy and I spent some time around the house working on general manners and obedience indoors. We paid special attention to going in and out of the crate today but the exercise I show in the video is something I will work on for a moment every time I take the dog out or put her away. We are trying to build healthy habits and that will take time and consistent effort. I open the door to the crate and if Roxy attempts to exit I will close the door right as she does. When she relaxes again I will open the door. The idea is Roxy is activating the door by relaxing and over time she will stop associating the open door with a chance to "escape". This helps her to relax in the crate in general but she has been doing very well overall throughout her stay. Keep in mind she may have returning anxiety if she doesn't have continued practice in a crate at home but if it isn't the usual routine to spend time in a crate she can practice for an hour or two at a time.
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