Rusty | Bernedoodle | Marina Del Rey, CA | In Training
- Alex Kruse
- Jun 29
- 8 min read
Updated: Jul 12
Meet Rusty! He's a year-and-a-half-old Bernedoodle from Marina del Rey, California, and he's here for our Two Week Board and Train Program. Rusty is very friendly with other dogs and people, but sometimes he can be a little bit too friendly. He has a history of barreling into people's legs at full speed and jumping up when he wants to say hello, and darting off after other dogs when he wants to play. He somewhat knows how to sit and he understands recall, but once he gets excited, it's his way or the highway. Over the next fourteen days we'll teach Rusty how to properly greet people and other dogs, learn and strengthen all his basic obedience skills, and evolve into a dog that everyone wants to play with! Stay tuned for Rusty's two-week transformation!
Pupdate 6/29/25
After picking up Rusty we stuck around at the park so he could get to know me better before heading home. He warmed up to me pretty fast, so I tested out some of his commands to see what he could do. There were a bit too many distractions on his first outing to really follow through, which I fully expected. New person, new environment, there's a lot going on! Afterwards we headed to my place where he could take some time to explore and acclimate to his new surroundings. He got to run around and play with my dogs which helped put him at ease, then he came in and crashed out for a nice nap. He's been a very polite houseguest so far, and I really look forward to watching him grow over the next couple weeks!
Pupdate 6/30/25
Rusty had an amazing day today! This morning we worked on his sit, down, and come-to-sit at home where there was little distraction, then later went out to practice what we learned in the park. There was some sort of event happening, which meant lots of kids running around, loud music, and lots of dogs. Despite all that, he did absolutely amazing with the commands we had just learned earlier! He didn't attempt to go chasing after any dogs who were walking past, even when I was at a distance. He did jump up to greet a person who came over to say hello, but he responded quickly to a simple verbal "Off" command. He has very good focus and seemed eager to work for me. After seeing him take so easily to the training already, and especially with all the distraction going on around us, I can tell he has a lot of potential! With a little more practice and consistency, I think he's going to do great!
7/1/25
Today we drilled quite a bit on Rusty's Heel work and Recall while off leash in a secure area. I walked him up the wash on-leash for a little ways first, letting him sniff around while working on maintaining a nice, loose lead. Then I tested what he could do off leash, and he did amazing for his first time!
I kept him fairly close at my knee, making sure he knew to stop and Sit whenever I stopped, and to keep up when I turned. We also did a little bit of work on maintaining a Sit and Down even when I walked away. For the Recall, we're continuing to practice his Recall-to-Sit where he comes around to my left side. This sets him up in the right position to go straight into that Heel. Once home, we also worked on his Place command on a bed. This command requires that he go to the bed, lay down, and stay there until I release. I only had him hold it for a few seconds to start, but we'll build on that as we go until he can maintain the position for several minutes. Overall he had a great day!
7/2/25
Today we made a trip to the mall! Mostly I wanted to work on Rusty's impulse control when around a lot of people, making sure he could maintain focus without being tempted to go say hello without permission. I worked with his leash clipped to my training belt and kept very loose, simulating a hands-off approach while still making sure he couldn't slip away if he got any ideas of shopping on his own! At first he was a little overwhelmed by all the sounds and crowds, His Heel was excellent since he wanted to stick close, but he struggled a little with staying in position on his Sit and Down when I would move away from him. With some encouragement and lots of praise, he was able to keep a solid Sit and a nice Place in a chair while children were running around right next to him. We also did some more practice with his Wait when getting into and coming out of the car. He gets a little excited to go to new places, but he's catching on. Overall, his first mall trip was a great success!
7/3/25
Today we challenged Rusty's impulse control around other dogs. We started off working his Come-to-Sit and extended (2 minute) Sit in the open area across from a dog park. Other dogs were nearby and off leash, but he didn't pay them any mind at all!
Then we worked on our Place where we had an unexpected park worker come right up behind Rusty. He kept his cool and maintained his Place with very little coaxing from me, which was amazing!
We next entered into the dog park where I kept his long line attached to my belt at first just in case he decided training was over and it was time to play. We picked a quiet corner to do some quick reinforcing of his Sit, Place and Come-to-Sit, then shifted into the busier area of the park where there'd be other dog distractions. His commands were a little less solid than when we're working alone, which was totally expected, but he did a fantastic job. We were even able to do a little bit of Heel totally off leash!
I allowed him some free play afterwards where he could mingle with the dogs and the people. We worked on his Recall off and on mid-play, and he came every time. He's a very fast learner and eager to please, and I love working with him!
7/4/25
Happy Fourth! Due to the risks that may come about for dogs on this particular holiday, Rusty and I decided to play it safe and do our training indoors today. We worked quite a bit on solidifying his Sit, Down, Come-to-Sit, and Place, making sure he can perform each command more smoothly with less hesitation.
We also worked on him holding his Place and Sit at the door while it was wide open, allowing me to go in and out without worrying about him darting off. He's a champ at this one! And then I allowed him to visit with house guests as long as he was being polite and not jumping up on anyone. He was a huge hit all around, a perfect gentleman!
7/5/25
First, I want to let you know that Rusty made it through the evening just fine! The fireworks were going off for hours, and he was a little nervous at first, but then settled in no problem once he got used to the noise. For today we went on a little beach adventure! I took him to Santa Monica Pier to get used to walking through tight crowds, greeting strangers, and solidifying all his commands. He did fantastic with only a couple hiccups as he navigated the extra distractions. He's come a long way in just his first week. I'm proud of him!
7/6/25
Today we went to a local park and worked mostly on our Heel and our manners! He still has to resist the urge to jump up on people when he wants to say hello, but he's getting much better at remembering to Sit instead, and he's at least gentle now when he does forget. At one point he even self-corrected, meaning he started to jump, caught himself, and dropped right into that Sit instead all on his own without any correction from me. He's getting there! He was also very gentle with the other dogs, taking all their cues and making himself get lower and even roll over when they were more nervous. He was off leash for a good portion of the time we spent at the park, and his Recall even while playing was a solid 8 out 10 times without any use of corrections. His Heel was much more solid off-leash as well. He definitely earned an A+ on his first full week of training!
7/7/25
Another successful park day for Rusty! We met up with several other dogs and their trainers so we could practice with one another in a high-distraction environment. There were dogs, bikes, joggers, geese and squirrels, but Rusty nailed just about all of his commands no problem! And all using just verbal cues and hand signals too! I was extremely impressed with him today, especially during the last clip in the video. He held his Sit all on his own with zero guidance from me even with all those geese right in front of him and that squirrel mocking him from the tree. He's really come a long way with his impulse control and I'm incredibly proud of him!
7/8/25
Tutorial time! For the next several Pupdates I'm going to be walking you through how to go about teaching and reinforcing your commands. In today's video I'll walk you through the importance of your Marker and Release words, and show you how to teach a dog to Sit and Down!
7/9/25
Tutorial Day 2! Today I'm going to teach you about the 3 D's of Dog Training: Duration, Distance and Distraction. These techniques will show you how to get your dog to hold their commands until you release them no matter what's going on around them!
7/10/25
Recall Time! I know this was one of your biggest ones you wanted to learn, so here is your Recall tutorial! Rusty has the addition of coming around to sit on the heel side, so when you're calling him at home, be prepared for him to want to circle around behind your legs. Practice this one regularly and you'll have no issues with that Recall even while he's mid-play!
7/11/25
And finally the Heel! Here's a quick breakdown on how you get a dog to start walking with you on a Heel, how to reinforce it, and how to shift into maintaining the command off leash!
7/12/24
It's our last Pupdate in your two week program! We went back to the beach for some more practice where he did absolutely amazing. His commands have all gotten much more solid over the weeks, and even better, he didn't try to jump up on anyone while greeting! He's come such a long way! It's been an absolute pleasure having Rusty stay with me for his training and social growth process. He's incredibly sweet and well-mannered, and very eager to please. While we were working he did his best to perform everything accurately, and during down time he was perfectly happy chewing on a toy or just snoozing anywhere nearby. I'm honestly going to be really sad to see him go! You have a fantastic little guy, and I know he'll do really great for you as you keep up with his training. Thank you so much for letting me be a part of his learning journey!
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