Pupdate 9/20/2021
Today was Sam’s first day with me. She got to ride in a crate in my car and I was able to witness a little barking from what she could see when I was stopped at stop lights. I really liked that she so willingly jumped in the the car as if she was ready and knew me. Then was the introduction into my condo and some of her new training environments. She weighed in at 79.6lbs. She is does pull on leash and didn’t seem to pay attention to her name much at first. However, she did great seeing as she is away from you and in a new completely new environment. I brought her into my condo and took her to her crate/chillout/sleep area. She got to meet my bengal cat Gimli through the crate and definitely started barking. So the first thing we worked on was a “leave-it” command (meaning she doesn’t need to bark/mess with or go after something.) She finally got used to seeing him walk around and her barks became less intense and much less frequent. I love the progress with that already! Then I took her to the park across the street. We worked on some leash manners first, meaning she can’t pull on leash. This will help her transition into a nice “heel,” command. I worked her “come,” command (come to me around my right-side and end up on my left-side near in a “sit,” position with her head lined up with my left knee.) I also worked on her “sit, down and stay” command. I got a good feel of where she is and the game-plan for how to get her up to the Off Leash standard. Overall she is picking up things quickly. I really enjoyed the work we put in today and the weeks ahead. Lastly, she did eat all of her PM feeding which was great, so no issues there. 1 down 20 to go!
Pupdate 9/27/2021
Today Sam and I took a trip to the Sherman Oaks Galleria. Nearly the entire training session was done off leash. There was plenty of pathways and objects to heel through and she kept up really well. She got to relax (place command) near a water fountain and take in the scenery. Sam got a lot of compliments from people passing by. It was a solid overall session and she is getting better day by day!
Pupdate 9/28/2021
Sam and I hit The Outlets at Orange today. She got to work around a new training buddy today, a French Bulldog named Elton. I ran her through the gambit of her commands and she did really well. I still need to tighten up her under command but her progress is right on point. She growled at a man that came up to see the training, I gave her the “off” command and she left him alone right away and allowed the conversation to continue without another peep. A great overall session!
Elton and Sam on a down.
Pupdate 9/29/21
Today Sam and I went down to the Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier and Home Depot. She got the ocean breeze in her long hair, and seagulls and pigeons provided some distractions today. We worked through all her commands and she is starting to understand the “under” command better! Worked some food refusal today as well. New environments sometimes prove a little distracting for Sam but she is adapting quicker with each passing day. We’ve reached the halfway point of her training so time to make her look more crisp!
Pupdate 9/30/2021
Today Sam and I went and trained by the Recreation Dog Park in Recreation Park in Long Beach. We practiced a ton of impulse control in the form of extended downs/sits, heeling and recalls (come). There were as many dogs off leash with their owners outside of the dog park as there were inside. She didn’t bark or react to them other than wanting to probably go off running with them. She even got to witness a cat stuck in a tree and stayed on an extended down while I tried to help the cat’s owners. She is doing amazingly well!!!
Pupdate 10/1/2021
Today Sam and I hit the Outlets at Orange. We had a solid run through and are honing our training to be ready to go home in just about a week. We worked some food refusal and greeting manners out there and she did wonderfully well. All the pieces are really starting to connect and she is almost exactly where I want her to be. I will make this coming week a little more challenging for her in order to push her to the next level.
Pupdate 10/2/2021
Today Sam and I hit Central Park...in Santa Clarita. We got some good reps in with a decent amount of distractions. Sam excels really well when its mainly people as distractions, but she tends to lose a little focus around dogs. However, like the trend throughout her training has been she is able to overcome them and perform well. She is a great dogs and I am still working on unlocking more of her potential. Sam has come a long way and we will continue on our positive path!
Pupdate 10/3/2021
Today was an easy fun day for Sam and I. We worked around my local neighborhood and she even went to restaurant (for pick up). She got to meet a local stray cat and did an extended down by it. On top of that she also got to meet two pitbull puppy brothers. She did well with them! A nice easy day for Sam and she even got to enjoy some time around my nephews. We are entering our final week of training and I look forward to the work we will put in.
Pupdate 10/4/2021
Today Sam and I hit the Westfield Shopping Center in Valencia, CA. It provided more human distractions than most of her previous sessions and she did GREAT!!! We worked through most of her commands and she got to greet a few people. She got a ton of compliments! She has also gotten really good with my cat Gimli. She is almost ready to play with him! Looking back on all the training we have done so far it has been a pleasure to see Sam's progress. Finals week we are ready!!!
Pupdate 10/5/2021
Today Sam and I hit the Citadel Outlets. It was a great overall training session and showed me 3 things to focus on more the next 3 days. I am super happy with how far Sam has come! She loves to use her nose in new environments, but quickly overcomes that when she kicks into training mode. We aim to make it a way of life while also incorporating fun and just being a dog in her everyday life. 5 more days to continue sharpening the sword!
Pupdate 10/6/2021
Today Sam and I hit the Westfield Shopping Center at Valencia. I wanted to make the main focus of our training the “place” command. She is still having some slight issues getting it completely. However, she is eager to please and I need to make sure I am being clear enough myself. I will look forward to the last few days together to make sure we get that command down pat. Keep an eye on the next few Pupdates!!!
Pupdate 10/7/2021
Today Sam and I visited a childhood favorite park of mine, William S. Hart Park. The main focus of today's training session was the, "place," command. I wanted to make sure that I was as clear as possible. It seems like it really clicked for Sam today and I was really happy with her progress today. I will continue to make it look better in the remaining days of her time with me. I am extremely pleased with our session today!
Pupdate 10/8/2021
Today Sam and I went down to the Huntington Beach Pier. Still working to clean up a few things, but overall I am super happy with how she performed. Sam got to play some tug today which she loved. Plus she also got some time in to play with my cat Gimli who she really likes. 2 days left and I’ll be sad to see Sam go but happy to know how far we’ve come!
Pupdate 10/9/2021
Today Sam and I hit the Fashion Island in Newport. This was her toughest test to date. Plenty of dogs, people and water bowls (boy does she love water.) Either way it was great exposure for her and she picked up quick despite the distractions. I am really pleased with how she did. Her final day is tomorrow and it will be an awesome last day!!!
Pupdate 10/10/2021
For Sam’s final day we tackled Fashion Island in Newport Beach once again. There were plenty of dogs and people. There were dogs that were mainly behaving and some that weren’t and Sam did great around both. It was our longest session to date and it really put Sam to the test both mentally and physically. I was really impressed with how well she did. I am so happy with how far she came in her 3 weeks with me and I look forward to her drop off tomorrow. Lastly, Sam also got free time this morning to just explore off leash and watch some of the Long Beach Marathon that passes right by my house. I will surely miss Sam but I know she is on the right foot to be the amazing dog she was meant to be.
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