Meet Sam! He's a very friendly three year old Bernedoodle from Long Beach, CA here for our Three-Week Board and Train program. He's very outgoing and loves people and dogs alike. However, he does get a little too excited sometimes and has issues with jumping, pulling and following basic commands. Over the next twenty one days we'll be posting here to keep you updated on Sam's transformation!
_________________________________________
Pupdate: Sunday, February 20th 2022
After picking up Sam, we went over to El Dorado Park. We started off by introducing him to the Sit, Extended Sit, and Come To Sit commands. In the above video, you'll see me ask him to Sit. If he doesn't, I give a gentle tug upward with the leash as well as a small muscle stimulation with the E collar. When I ask him to Come, I want him to come to my right side, move behind me and sit by my left side with his ears about at my knee. If he gets off track, same thing, gentle tug and a stimulation to get him headed in the right direction!
He can't hold a Sit for very long at the moment, about fifteen to twenty seconds, but that's not bad at all for his first day of training!
After El Dorado, I took Sam to a local park near my residence, where we did a some more Come To Sit and Extended Sit, as well as introducing Sam to Heel. For Heel, I want Sam to walk nicely on my left with his ears at my knee. If I turn or stop, I expect him to turn or stop with me. Sam actually did a very good job at this for his first day! He did get a little distracted at times and try to stop and sniff interesting things, but with a small tug on the leash and a stimulation, his attention always went back to me.
Overall, I think Sam did a great job, especially for his first day! I can't wait to see how he progresses in these next few weeks. Check back tomorrow for another Pupdate!
_________________________________________
Pupdate: Monday, Feb. 21st 2022
Sam and I went to Legg Lake today! He had an accident right before we left the house, but I think I gave him water a little late last night so that's easily fixable and not his fault!
At the park we worked more on his Heel, his Come To Sit and his Extended Sit. Sam's Heel is still looking really good, and his Come To Sit is getting better every time. I was most impressed with his Extended Sit today. I had him hold a sit while another dog walked circles around him. He was able to hold the sit for almost a full minute. This improvement is especially promising because Sam is still very interested in other dogs and has trouble keeping engaged with me if he spots potential playmates. So seeing this progress from day one to day two, even with a canine distraction gives me confidence.
Ideally Sam will be able to hold a sit indefinitely, so he still has a long way to go.
_________________________________________
Pupdate: Tuesday, Feb. 22nd 2022
Today Sam and I made our way to Hacienda Park. Sam seems to know Heel and Come To Sit pretty well at this point, but we will continue to practice them each day to really cement them. I introduced Sam to the Place command, which is where I have him sit on a raised object. As you can see in the above video, Sam's leg slips off when he first climbs up, but he quickly recovers and sits nicely on the bleacher!
In the second half of the video, I wanted to showcase Sam's Extended Sit, which is getting really good! The video is sped up but Sam manages to hold his Sit for a full two minutes! You can see me walking behind him and all around him while he holds it. I do this to raise the difficulty just a bit, as Sam should be able to hold the Sit without me standing right in front of him the whole time. He does so without much trouble at all!
Something else to keep in mind is the break at the end of each clip. After a nice workout with Sam, I release him from command and give him tons of love and scratches. This serves as his reward for his hard work! I gave him extra belly rubs at the end of the second clip because I was so pleased he made it to the two minute mark without moving! Check back tomorrow to see another pupdate starring Sam!
_________________________________________
Pupdate: Wednesday, Feb. 23rd 2022
At the Pawsadena Dog Park Sam and I worked on all the commands he's learned thus far, as well as a new one. Down!
With Down, my expectation is that Sam will go from a standing or sitting position to fully prone, belly on the ground, and stay there until released. To first show Sam how to Down, I start with him sitting next to me, apply leash pressure straight down, and say the word "Down." I might also use my other hand to point to the ground, get his attention and guide his nose until he lowers himself naturally. The second his belly touches the ground, I give him verbal praise and maybe a pat on the head!
Sam's been a quick learner so far, and the Down command seems to be no different. He seems to be picking it up quickly.
_________________________________________
Pupdate: Thursday, Feb. 24th 2022
Sam learned a new command today! Now that he's got a little experience with the Down command, we started working on the Under command. With Under, I want Sam to crawl underneath an object such as a bench or a chair, and hold a Down until released.
I think Sam likes this one a lot because it means he gets a moment of rest in the shade while training. This is perfectly fine, unless Sam decides he wants to go Under when he is asked to do otherwise. As you can see in the above video, I rotate through other commands (Place, Come To Sit) to keep his mind engaged. This ensures he is not simply falling into a routine only to forget the command moments later. He has to actually know which command I'm asking of him at any given time in order to perform correctly!
Another notable instance in the video is the second time I ask him to Come To Sit. He sits far away from me, which is incorrect, so I call him again, until he plants himself in the right spot. It's important to be consistent with the commands and expectations to make sure Sam doesn't think he's performing correctly when he isn't.
Sam got the hang of Under fairly quickly today, but I'm excited to see how he fairs when we raise the difficulty by introducing distractions in the form of crowds of people and dogs! Check back tomorrow to find out!
_________________________________________
Pupdate: Friday, Feb. 25th 2022
At the Glendale Galleria today, Sam and I practiced all the commands he's learned thus far.
This was my first time taking Sam to a place with a lot of people and other dogs, so I had to stay on top of him while training. He was a little overwhelmed at first, and he found it difficult to perform commands with all the additional distractions. After the first half hour or so, he started to loosen up and follow commands! It's important to give your pup a little warm up time when visiting a new, interesting place. The new smells and sounds can be a lot, even for a really good dog like Sam!
Sam performed well with the commands he knows after the first few minutes, which tells me he definitely knows them. The name of the game now is exposure. I want Sam to follow commands in a high stimulation environment just as easily and effectively as he does when we're alone in a park! To do this, a lot of the places I'll be taking Sam from now on will be more crowded, such as the Galleria today.
________________________________________
Pupdate: Saturday, Feb. 26th 2022
Sam got the most exposure he's had so far at the Santa Monica Pier today! He took a little while to warm up to all the buzz, and he never quite got to the level of performance we've seen from him in quiet areas. That being said he did very well for his first there!
In the above video, you'll see Sam Heel down the pier, and then get into Place on a bench. He gets into Place and holds it very well, but the Heel needs some work. I found myself tightening up on the leash and having to correct him nearly every time he saw a dog or someone made a loud noise. While he got better with these things by the end of the day, he was still not quite where I want him to be. This isn't a problem though, as he will have many more hours of these high stimulation levels and time to get used to it.
After we got back home, I let Sam take a long nap. I think he earned it after experiencing the anxiety of the Santa Monica Pier!
_________________________________________
Pupdate: Sunday, Feb. 27th 2022
Sam and I went to Citadel Outlets today. I wasn't sure if it would be crowded enough to get Sam some good exposure, but fortunately my doubts were unfounded. It was packed!
Sam did well following all his commands with crowds of people around him. He even got several compliments from fans telling him how well behaved and pretty he is!
Sam's biggest issue at the moment still seems to be other dogs. While people don't seem to bother him, he will quickly alert to nearby dogs and try to go play with them. When this happens, I say, "off" and give him a small muscle stimulation. More often than not, this directs his attention back to me, but I'd like to get him to the point where walking by a random dog isn't a big deal.
I added a couple splashes of warm water to his food. This gets the aroma rising up from the bowl to make the meal a little more appetizing. It worked! Sam ate all of it this way so I think I'll continue with it.
_________________________________________
Pupdate: Monday, Feb. 28th 2022
Sam had a long day at Pan Pacific Park! He knows his commands so today I tried some of them with the leash dragging.
In the above video you see Sam Heeling with the leash dragging, and he does this pretty well! When I ask him to Place, you'll notice I pick up the leash again. He still needs a little help with this because he wants to go under the bench instead. After I call him from Place, I grant his wish and have him Under the bench.
There were plenty of dogs at the park today, which is good because Sam definitely needs exposure to these distractions. One example of why he needs this exposure happened today. He reacted to a dog that was staring him down and posturing in a dominant way. So Sam decided to stand his ground but, as the human, it's our job to remain in charge and not have Sam feel like he needs to protect us. After a correction Sam snapped out of it but he was still on high alert. We can always redirect his attention and be aware of our surroundings as all dogs are not always friendly.
_________________________________________
Pupdate: Tuesday, March 1st 2022
Sam and I had a relaxing day at a local park. We focused on doing reps of all the commands he knows with the leash dragging. The few other people and dogs at the park didn't bother Sam at all and he performed beautifully!
We spent a lot of time practicing the Under and Place commands. Sam knows each of them very well, but he still sometimes wants to go Under when asked to Place. He's definitely getting better about this though! He's getting to the point where I can confidently ask him to Place from about ten to fifteen feet away (Send Away To Place) and he did so very well today.
We also started working on a new command. Come To Heel is similar to Come To Sit except instead of having Sam Sit to my left, we immediately go into a Heel. Sam didn't seem to have any issue learning this, but just like the other commands, we will continue to practice it each day.
_________________________________________
Pupdate: Wednesday, March 2nd 2022
Today Sam and I went back to Citadel Outlets for training. Sam's been doing such a good job working with the leash dragging, I took off the fifteen foot leash and replaced it with a six foot leash. This allows me to still have something to grab onto if I need it, but reduces the extra drag Sam deals with while walking.
In the above video you see Sam start in a Down position, I call him to Come To Sit, then ask him to Place. He gets a little too interested in someone sitting near him, but I give him a little correction and he Sits in Place and holds it well. Next I call him again except this time it's a Come To Heel, where he goes directly into a Heel instead of a Sit. I then ask him to Under, which he does. You'll notice while he is getting under the bench, I use my left calf and foot to nudge him further under the bench. This is so his rear end isn't sticking out when I mark the position with verbal praise, which helps Sam understand exactly where I want him!
_________________________________________
Pupdate: Thursday, March 3rd 2022
Sam went to Sequoia Park for training today. Based on his performance working with the leash dragging the last few days, I think he's almost ready to begin training off leash! There were three or four other dogs at the park. While Sam did look at them a little too much, he never pulled toward them and easily brought his focus back to me with the Off command. He is becoming very responsive to all his commands and getting much better at ignoring distractions to focus on the tasks at hand.
________________________________________
Pupdate: Friday, March 4th 2022
Sam and I went to Hollywood Boulevard today for training. He worked off leash for about half the time! We practiced his commands on leash for a little while, then after Sam got used to the area, we started training off leash.
I noticed Sam pulling ahead of me while going up and down stairs. After working the stairs for a few minutes, he managed them a lot better. You can see the results in the above video! You'll notice Sam looking up at me or at me feet and legs frequently. This is good and tells me he's really paying attention and focusing on where he needs to be while Heeling!
________________________________________
Pupdate: Saturday, March 5th 2022
Sam had a fun and windy day at the Santa Monica Pier! He did his commands off leash, and performed really well.
His biggest issue is still his interest in other dogs, but I can see it improving daily! Now that he's off leash he really has to pay attention to me while Heeling or holding a Sit/Down because he can't rely on leash tension to tell him where to be. He's doing great in the regard, and I think it's helping to draw his attention away from dogs!
________________________________________
Pupdate: Sunday, March 6th 2022
Today Sam and I trained off leash at a local park. We worked on all the commands he knows, as consistency is the key to success!
The above video is Sam practicing for his final yesterday at the Santa Monica Pier. As you can see he is doing very well off leash, but there are still a couple things I'd like to improve throughout this week. For example, when Sam performs the Send Away To Place command, he sniffs the bench and moves around it before stepping up into Place. I'd like him to go straight onto the bench without hesitation. For the Under command, Sam goes a bit too far under and his body is sticking out from under the bench (the angle makes it hard to tell). I want Sam to go all the way under without any part of his body sticking out.
Overall Sam's performance was very good, and will only improve over the coming week!
_________________________________________
Pupdate: Monday, March 7th 2022
Sam and I went to Wilderness Park today for training. He did very well off leash! This morning I found a small hot spot, or irritated skin on Sam's neck. I've included a picture of it above. It doesn't seem to bother him too much, but I cleaned it and we'll keep it clean until it heals over. We think it might be an allergic reaction to the metal in the contact points of Sam's E-collar. I'll be switching Sam to hypoallergenic contact points just in case!
________________________________________
Pupdate: Tuesday, March 8th 2022
Sam and I practiced all his commands off leash at a local park today.
Now that he is off leash and knows all his commands, it's time to focus on fine tuning. One of the things we worked on today was Sam's Load Up. He's been doing this every single day, so he basically knows what I expect, but it never hurts to hone each of Sam's skills. In the above video, you see me Heel Sam up to the car. I have him Sit and I want him to hold it until I'm ready for him to jump in. Once I say, "load up" I expect him to hop up, go right into his kennel and then stay inside while I close the door. Before, Sam would hop up into the car, but then try to avoid getting in the crate. As you can see, he now goes in without hesitation, and we're ready to go!
_________________________________________
Pupdate: Wednesday, March 9th 2022
Today we went to Century City Mall for training! Sam is still doing very well off leash, although he still likes to focus on dogs sometimes. When I see we're about to pass a dog, I preemptively say, "Off" to get him thinking about what he should be doing before he even has a chance to hyper focus on the dog.
Also, Sam's little hot spot seems to be going away quickly! I've been keeping it clean with antibacterial spray and neosporin, which is working well!
________________________________________
Pupdate: Thursday, March 10th 2022
Sam and I went to a local park for training today! One thing Sam has had trouble with is jumping and putting his paws on people, so I wanted to demonstrate how I train that behavior. My general rule of thumb is you're not allowed to touch me or my stuff with your paws or your teeth. In the above video, you'll see me release Sam from command and initiate play. I give him rubs and scratches until I feel one of his paws or his teeth touch me. At this point play time ends and I ask him to Come, Sit or Down. Once he's calm again, I'll initiate play once more, and repeat that cycle. Sam and I enjoy this exercise because it allows him to learn while also getting a good amount of playtime!
_________________________________________
Pupdate: Friday, March 11th 2022
Sam and I went to Glendale Galleria today! He did all his commands off leash. He was a little more anxious today, especially when practicing his Under command. The chairs I had him under were a bit smaller than his usual spots, so we had to put in a bit more effort. He got through it though! And as you can see in the middle picture above, Sam was very well behaved even when sitting around a handful of other dogs!
________________________________________
Pupdate: Saturday, March 12th 2022
It's my last day with Sam! We went to Hollywood Boulevard to train. In the above video, you'll see a few manners Sam's been working on.
The first is greeting manners! I expect Sam to maintain composure and hold his Sit while being approached by a stranger. You'll see that Sam neither dodges the stranger's hand nor pulls toward him to jump. This is perfect!
Second, we have food manners! When I feed Sam, I expect him to be respectful while I'm preparing his food and while I'm setting it in front of him. He shouldn't jump to try to get to the meal faster. Furthermore when I place it on the floor I want him to wait patiently until I give him the all clear to eat the food. Practicing this comes in handy for when you're making dinner for yourself and accidentally drop some food on the floor. Instead of rushing it and gobbling it up, he'll stand clear and let you decide what to do with the dropped food.
Last but not least we have door manners! It can be very frustrating when you're trying to go in or out of your door and your dog is pushing to get through. When I'm leaving I expect him to sit nicely and wait for me to allow him through the door. The door being opened is not necessarily an invitation to enter or exit!
I've had a wonderful three weeks with Sam, and I must say I'm sad to see him go! He's been a pleasure to train each and every day, and it's been great getting to experience his transformation with him!
Comments