Meet Sky, he's a seven-month-old Border Collie from Los Angeles, California! This sweet and energetic pup is joining us at OffLeash SoCal once again, this time for our Three Week Board and Train Program! He joined us a few months ago for a Puppy Board and Train, and he's back to take the next step in his training journey. We will work on reinforcing his obedience and manners, teaching him some new commands, and diminishing some bad habits. Despite having an understanding of basic commands, he often chooses if and when he will listen, and struggles to stay focused when around distractions. He likes to be a bit mischievous, and will often try to pull on the leash, eat things off the floor, and steal items from around the house when seeking attention. Sky also experiences some separation anxiety, and tends to bark excessively when left alone. Over the next twenty one days, we will be working on improving his obedience and manners to set him on the right path to becoming a well-behaved pup both on and off leash. Stay tuned for his transformation!
Pupdate 10/6/2024
Today Sky spent the day refamiliarizing and bonding at a park after he was picked up. He was very happy to see me again and was very excited to play and get attention from me, though he was also very easily distracted by everything around us. The park had a variety of distractions present and Sky was keen on investigating all of them, often staring, pulling, and trying to interact with our surroundings.
Similar to the first day of his previous board and train, I also spent some time testing his current ability with commands to get an idea of where his starting point will be this time around. He would sometimes Come to me when called, but it often took several asks before he responded, and he was prone to sprinting past me rather than stopping near me. When asked to Heel, he didn't seem interested in following the command and was almost always at the end of the leash attempting to walk or pull wherever he wanted to go. He was able to perform Sit, Down, and Place, though generally he was a bit inconsistent with these stationary commands and often needed to be asked a few times before he would follow through. He was also prone to breaking these commands as soon as something caught his attention, and seemed to struggle to stay calm and still.
After our time at the park, it was time to head home and get him settled into my home again. He had no issues jumping into the car and happily went into the kennel when prompted, and was calm and quiet for the ride home. He seemed to remember my home and quickly made himself comfortable by curling up on a Place cot for a nap. When he woke up, we got ready for a walk around the neighborhood. He was pretty excited about this and was jumping and running around the room while I was getting things together. He was able to hold a Sit by the door for a few moments, though did try to break position and run out a few times, so we spent some time reminding him of his door manners before we began the walk. He also displayed a habit of barking and whining whenever I walked out the front door without him, which is likely due to his separation anxiety. We spent some time doing repetitions of me walking in and out to help desensitize him to this occurrence, and after a while he lost interest in barking even when I completely left the house and closed the door behind me. During his mealtimes he was very excited as well, and while he seemed to understand the expectations for food manners he was quite wiggly and needed to be consistently reminded to hold his position before being released to eat.
On another note, Sky came to us with a small cough that appears to be due to some throat irritation. I have been monitoring him closely throughout the day and so far have seen nothing to raise concern about. Every now and then he will seem to clear his throat, though no other symptoms have been noted to indicate an illness. As a precaution, he will remain closely monitored and quarantined away from other dogs in my care until the cough clears or we can confirm the cause.
Pupdate 10/7/2024
Sky and I worked around my neighborhood today, where we focused on introducing him to the e-collar while practicing his known commands around minimal distractions. There were still some basic distractions such as a few other dogs, bicycles, people, and squirrels, but the familiar and relatively calm environment helped to promote learning and focus. Pressure is a fundamental tool used in teaching basic obedience commands. The idea is that whenever leash pressure is applied, be it from a leash or e-collar, it is paired with a command. The pressure then remains present until Sky follows the pressure and performs the behavior or command being asked of him. The moment he follows through, the pressure immediately turns off and a reward is given. He understands leash pressure, so to introduce the e-collar we began pairing these two forms of pressure simultaneously. This will help him come to understand that each pressure has the same meaning and concept. With time and practice, the goal is to allow the leash and e-collar to be used interchangeably, and eventually create the opportunity to begin training with the e-collar only, without the need for a leash! For his first day with this new tool, he did a great job and seems to be catching onto it very quickly! Be sure to check out today's video for an in-depth e-collar tutorial.
Sky did great overall with each of his known commands, including Heel, Sit, Down, Place, Come to Sit, and Off. Once he began to grasp the concept of the e-collar, he began responding with less and less leash pressure needed, which is a great step in the right direction! He would make some minor mistakes here and there such as breaking a position before being released or getting distracted by something momentarily, but the longer we spent training the more he seemed to shift his focus onto his training and have an easier time performing his commands correctly. He seemed to really enjoy his training today, and was very enthusiastic and happy while working with me.
His throat irritation seems to be improving a lot as well, and only coughed/cleared his throat a small number of times over the course of the entire day. He hasn't developed any other symptoms, and appears to be in good health!
Pupdate 10/8/2024
Today Sky and I visited a local park, where we continued layering in the e-collar to each of his known commands, this time around slightly higher amounts of distractions. The park was not super busy today, but there were still plenty of common distractions around such as people, dogs, children, and lots of small animals. Sky did a good job overall staying focused on his training, and while he did sometimes become interested in various surroundings, the Off command was effective in helping him to reset and focus back on his training. He definitely had some excess energy when we first began the session, though after some time at the park training he seemed to settle down a lot and easily shifted his focus towards training. He seems to be catching on to the e-collar quickly, and seemed to understand the communication that was provided when it was used during training.
Sky did well with his Heel, and seemed to understand where to walk in the correct position when the command was given. He did sometimes test the boundary by trying to walk ahead of me slightly, though by making frequent turns and holding him accountable for the command, he understood to stay focused and remain in position with minimal physical guidance needed. His Come to Sit was great, and he always came right to me when called and performed the maneuver correctly, which shows he clearly understands the expectations for this command! His stationary commands of Sit, Down, and Place were all good as well, and he was able to perform each command when asked without issue. When we first began the session he was sometimes prone to breaking position if he was a bit excited or grew bored of staying still, though after some time he got much better about calmly and patiently remaining in the position asked of him. He seems to be doing well with his basic commands overall, so tomorrow we will begin introducing some new advanced commands that we will be using during his program!
Pupdate 10/9/2024
Today Sky and I visited a local shopping strip, where we trained around different kinds of distractions. The shopping strip had a variety of distractions present, including people, other dogs, birds, food, and noisy street traffic. Overall he was a bit excited but was able to settle into a focused mindset! We practiced each of his basic commands, as well as introduced a new command, Under. He ended up doing a great job with his basic commands, and caught onto the new command quickly as well. One of the new commands we'll be adding to Sky's training program is the command called Under. The goal for Under is for Sky to crawl underneath an object, and perform a Down while under it. Similar to his other stationary commands, this comes with an implied stay, and he is expected to remain in the position until released or given a new command. This is a very useful command for Sky to know, as it gives him a designated area to stay tucked beneath which can help him stay out of foot traffic, such as having him perform Under at a table while sitting at a restaurant patio, or under a bench his handler is sitting at.
When approaching an object such as a bench, Sky naturally assumes he is going to be asked to Place on it, since this is what has typically been asked of him whenever he is walked up to an object. So to introduce Under, we used some leash pressure to prevent him from jumping up on the object, and used a distinctly different hand signal and verbal cue from Place to differentiate the difference between these two commands. Having him Down near the object, then encouraging him to crawl under it while staying low to the ground also seemed to help him understand to not jump on top. He picked up on this pretty quickly, and when walking up to an object with potential space for either Place or Under, he seemed to understand to wait for the specific cue instead of assuming one or the other. We'll still need some practice before he can perform Under without leash pressure, though he is a fast learner and seems to have gotten down the concept which is great!
Pupdate 10/10/2024
Today Sky and I visited an outdoor mall, where we practiced all of his basic commands, along with Under. We also introduced another advanced command, Come to Heel. The mall had a fair amount of distractions present, including groups of people and children, other dogs, food, birds, and music. Sky was a bit excited when we first arrived, but very quickly was able to settle into a focused mindset! The goal for Come to Heel is for Sky to come when called, and fall into the Heel position as he begins walking alongside his handler. This is a variation of recall, though to differentiate it from Come to Sit, we use the verbal command "Heel" instead of the verbal cue "Come". This is helpful as it allows for Sky to be recalled and continue to stay in motion alongside his handler, instead of having to Sit once recalled. We introduced this by practicing Heel as usual with me standing directly next to him, then gradually asking him to Heel while standing further and further away. After just a bit of practice, he quickly picked up on the command and was able to perform Come to Heel while I was at a distance of over six feet away! Sky did great with his other commands today as well, and was able to Heel alongside me as we walked around with almost no leash pressure needed to guide him! He wasn't trying to pull, lead ahead, or veer off once the command was given. Minor mistakes were made here and there, but he did great with responding to the e-collar whenever small adjustments to his positioning were needed, and very rarely was the leash needed to guide him. He was able to perform Come to Sit without any leash pressure also, and he was always very enthusiastic about coming when called. His stationary commands were great overall as well, and he was able to perform Sit, Down, Place, and Under with good reliability. He was generally good about holding his commands as well, with the only notable issue being if I reached down to touch or untangle his leash or go to pet him, he would sometimes mistake this movement as the hand signal for Down. While it's great he is so quick and eager to perform Down when he believes he is being asked to, we want him to wait for the actual cue before jumping to assumptions which can lead to small mistakes like this. He was quick to correct himself when reminded to Sit, which was good to see.
Pupdate 10/11/2024
Today Sky and I trained in a busy urban area, where we practiced all of his commands around distractions. This location had a variety of bustling distractions, including groups of people, other dogs, food, music, and loud noises from the busy street nearby. Sky did seem a bit excited at first, though very quickly was able to achieve and maintain an excellent level of focus. Whenever needed, he was quick to refocus when the Off command was used.
Sky was also introduced to a new command today, Send Away to Place! Send Away to Place is an advanced command similar to the basic Place command, though the goal is to have Sky be able to Place on an object from a distance, without his handler having to walk all the way up to the object with him to guide him onto it. The idea is to simply cue Place and point towards an object, and have Sky approach it on his own and Place on it while his handler remains at a distance. Sky was a natural with this command, and instantly picked up on the concept without needing much of an introduction to it. He has always been fond of the Place command, and gets excited about showing off his doggy-parkour skills, so he was of course ecstatic to be able to run up to an object on his own and Place on it, even if I was standing a good distance away. He showed great confidence, problem solving skills, and independence. Sky was able to be sent away to Place on objects that were nearly ten feet away with no hesitation! It did help to first do a practice run by walking him up to the object most of the way at least one time to show him where to go, especially if there were multiple objects nearby that he could potentially try to Place on
Sky did fantastic with each of his other commands today as well, and was able to perform each of them with very minimal to no leash pressure needed. He was able to Heel very well, and engaged with me almost constantly which is a great display of his focus and attention towards his training and handler. If he began to fall out of position slightly, he would often correct himself almost instantly before I even had the chance to say anything about it. His Come to Sit and Come to Heel commands were excellent, and he had no trouble with either of these commands. His Sit, Down, and Place commands were all great as well. We did have to spend a bit of extra time with his Under command today as our practice with Send Away to Place did get him in the mood to jump on things, so we had to slow him down a bit and remind him to wait for the cue when approaching an object.
Pupdate 10/12/2024
Today Sky and I visited an outdoor mall, where we practiced all of his commands around distractions. The mall was decently busy, with lots of people, other dogs, children, music, and food. Sky was a tad excitable at first, though as usual was very quick to settle into a focused and training centered mindset.
We practiced with a long leash today to give him ample physical freedom, which is a great way to test how Sky might behave while off leash. By reserving the use of leash pressure only for when he truly needs it, we can encourage him to problem solve, make his own choices, and use his knowledge of commands to follow through with what is being asked of him. Having him become comfortable with training without leash guidance will help him depend on it less, and is the first step towards transitioning him to off leash training!
Sky did great with his Heel overall, and while he did sometimes become distracted by all the hustle and bustle around us, he was able to refocus when prompted and correct his positioning without the use of the leash. There were a few times when we used some brief light leash pressure for the Off command, but more often than not he was able to respond to Off without the leash needed. He was also able to perform Come to Sit and Come to Heel consistently without needing any leash pressure. Sky also did great with his stationary commands of Sit, Down, Place, and Under, and did not rely on leash pressure for any of them. He did great with his Send Away to Place also, and was always very enthusiastic and confident with this command. When working with new objects he was sometimes a bit unsure of where exactly I wanted him to go, but he was able to figure it out just by me taking a step or two closer and pointing again at where specifically I wanted him to be.
One issue with working in such a busy environment was that many of the place objects were occupied by people sitting on them, and while Sky was happy to Place next to people sitting on these objects, he would easily forget to focus on training if someone gave him attention such as talking to or calling him. Instead of holding his Sit or Down on these objects and staying put, he would sometimes scooch over to the person and give them kisses and try to get pets from them. While it's great he's so friendly, we want him to learn to stay neutral towards strangers when training, and be able to ignore the temptation to approach others even if they are trying to engage with him.
Pupdate 10/13/2024
Today Sky and I visited an indoor mall, where we practiced all of his commands around distractions. The mall was busy, with groups of people, other dogs, food, music, and other distractions all around. As usual Sky was at first a bit excitable and eager to explore the new and exciting environment, though he did an amazing job of settling into a focused mindset and quickly adapting to the situation.
We continued working on each of his commands around as many distractions as possible, all while using no leash pressure. One thing to note is that while we haven't been using leash pressure during training lately, he still seems to be on his best behavior while the prong collar is on him. He appears to have developed an association with the prong collar with being in work mode, and when it's not on he tends to make more mistakes, push more boundaries, and be less focused overall. Sky is a smart pup, but can be stubborn at times and will tend to only listen when he knows he will be held accountable, which for the past few months has only been from prong collar reinforcement. We have been working to wean him off the need for the prong collar, and transition his understanding of this association with training to the e-collar instead. As of today, we were able to effectively train while having the prong collar still on him, but the leash attached to the flat collar instead. Since we didn't use leash pressure at all, he didn't seem to notice this at all and did a great job with his obedience and manners!
Sky did great with his Heel, and was able to stay in the proper positioning beside me without any issues. He was given a full fifteen feet of freedom with the long leash, though he never left my side despite being physically able to do so. He was able to perform Come to Sit and Come to Heel reliably and consistently, both without leash pressure needed at any point. His stationary commands were each excellent as well, and he did an amazing job of staying calm, patient, and in the exact position asked of him even as numerous distractions passed by around him. He fully understood the expectations set for him, and stayed completely neutral to his surroundings even as large groups of people walked past him. We also spent some time sitting at a café area while I sat down for a tea break, and he contently held his Under position beneath my chair for well over ten minutes despite people walking past, cooing at him, and eating food nearby. He actually ended up falling asleep, which was both adorable and a great display of his ability to relax and feel comfortable even in busy environments.
Pupdate 10/14/2024
Today Sky and I visited a park, where we continued to practice each of his commands around distractions using no leash pressure. The park was decently busy, with other dogs, people, children, and small animals. The grassy fields also served as a good distraction due to all the interesting smells on the ground. Sky was a bit excited when we first arrived but had no trouble focusing on his commands.
We continued working with the long leash to allow Sky additional physical freedom during training, and he did an exceptional job with performing his commands without the use of the leash. He did so well that we were able to move onto the next step in his transition to off leash training by dropping the leash completely and having it drag along the ground as we trained. This allows him to have full physical freedom, while still having the leash handy should it be needed for any reason. He didn't seem to notice or mind that I wasn't holding onto the leash anymore, and was able to perform all of his commands excellently without me ever needing to pick the leash back up.
Pupdate 10/15/2024
Today Sky and I visited a park, where we practiced all of his commands around distractions with the leash dragging or remaining unused. The park had lots of distractions around, with plenty of people, playing children, other dogs, bicycles, toys, and small animals. Despite the busy surroundings, Sky did a fantastic job staying focused and on task! He performed all of his commands excellently, and at no point did he need any leash pressure to guide him. We were able to have the leash either dragging or simply tucked into my pocket, and it was never needed during training. He was able to Heel wonderfully, and never strayed from my side. His Come to Sit and Come to Heel were both reliable and consistent, even when recalled around distractions or from distances of fifteen feet or more. His stationary commands were all great as well, and he had no trouble with Place, Send Away to Place, Under, Sit, or Down. Sky also did a great job about holding his positions for extended periods, and very rarely broke a command.
We were also able to train without Sky needing to wear a prong collar today, which is a great step for him! He seems to now understand that he will be held accountable for commands and follow instructions even when he is not wearing it.
Pupdate 10/16/2024
Today Sky and I visited an outdoor mall, where we continued practicing each of his commands with the leash dragging. The mall wasn't overly busy, but still had a variety of distractions present including people, other dogs, food, and pigeons! Sky did an excellent job staying focused and on task, and as usual he had a great time performing all of his commands. Sky didn't experience any notable issues with his commands today, and the few minor mistakes that occasionally happened were easily corrected without the use of the leash. Since Sky has been doing such a good job with his leash dragging training, we opted to use a shorter leash during our session today.
Sky got lots of compliments about his adorable looks and impressive obedience skills while we were at the mall, and we had some great opportunities to practice his greeting manners with nice people who wanted to say hello to him. As always, we ensured Sky maintained polite greeting practices, and while he was a bit wiggly due to being so happy while getting pet, he understood not to break positions or behave impolitely.
Pupdate 10/17/2024
Today Sky and I visited the Santa Monica Promenade! We continued to work on each of his commands while training around numerous distractions. The location had many groups of people, other dogs, music, food, and some areas had some busy street traffic as well which provided additional noise distractions like cars honking and loud engines. Overall Sky was a bit excitable and overwhelmed at times, though generally he was very focused and was quick to redirect his attention back onto me when asked. As usual, Sky got lots of compliments and attention, and we had some great opportunities to work more on his greeting manners. Sky also spent some time being handled by other trainers, which was a good way to improve his handler transferability and ability to follow commands from someone besides myself.
Some minor command mistakes occurred here and there such as him mistaking Under for Place when working with new objects, as seen in a clip in today's video, though these were easily corrected and addressed with very minimal or no leash guidance needed. We did however have a more major incident where Sky wandered off a bit too far for comfort while we were practicing without holding onto the leash. He was Sent to Place on an object, and he ended up accidentally jumping over it and off the other side of it. There was some foliage blocking his line of sight of me, and since he couldn't see me, he seemed to have a brief moment of panic trying to figure out where I was and he began to run off to search for me. There was lots of noise and commotion around as well, so he wasn't responding to my verbal recall cues, and the e-collar wasn't effective in grabbing his attention at this moment as he seemed overwhelmed. Thankfully he didn't go too far, and I was able to get him safely back to my side after around ten seconds, at which point he immediately calmed down and focused right back on his training without any further issues. For his safety, we ended up keeping hold of the leash for the rest of the session to prevent any more incidents, since some areas of the promenade were near busy streets, which could be dangerous had this occurred too close to one.
While Sky is generally not a flight-prone pup, and has shown great consistency with commands without the use of the leash in other environments we have trained in so far, the promenade was perhaps just a bit too much for him currently. We will continue working towards his off leash goals and practicing leash dragging during training when possible, though when working in overly busy areas or locations with potential hazards such as busy streets, it'll be a good idea to keep a hold of his leash unless we can feel certain something like this would not occur again.
Pupdate 10/18/2024
Today Sky and I visited an outdoor mall, where we practiced all of his commands around distractions. The mall was pretty busy, with plenty of people, other dogs, food, music, and other distractions around. We also visited with his buddy, Frodo the terrier mix! Sky loves Frodo and they always have lots of fun playing around together at home, so he was a great distraction to train around while working at the mall.
This area was away from any potential hazards like busy streets, though to be on the side of caution we opted to keep him on leash for today's session. Since the mall had a lot of people walking around, we kept hold of the leash while passing through areas with dense foot traffic to avoid creating a tripping hazard when letting the leash drag. Sky did a great job as usual, and we were able to simply tuck the leash in my pocket and avoid using it during most of our visit, and in areas with fewer people walking around he did a great job training with the leash dragging as well.
Pupdate 10/19/2024
Today Sky and I focused on improving his manners while at home. He has a solid foundation of manners such as Food Manners, Door Manners, and Car Manners, due to his previous board and train and the continued efforts from his owner, though there's always room for improvement! We ended up spending most of our time focusing on his door manners, as this was the area that clearly needed the most work.
Door Manners are something Sky normally does very well with. He gets a bit excited to go out sometimes, though he generally understands to wait as patiently as he can by the door until invited to walk through it. We had practiced this with the long leash many times and even with the leash dragging without issue in previous days, though while practicing today we unfortunately encountered another incident with Sky trying to run off. He had never displayed any flight prone behaviors while in calm environments like at home before, so this was unexpected and alarming to witness. We had completed several successful repetitions of Door Manners both on and off leash today, however during one of these repetitions where the door was open and he was asked to recall to me, he chose to instead bolt out of the front door and take off running. I immediately attempted to recall him, but he ignored the verbal cue, and in his panic, the e-collar was not effective in stopping him and only seemed to overwhelm him and make him run faster. Thankfully I had someone waiting at the bottom of the stairs that was able to catch him right away, though had this precaution not been taken he would have almost certainly continued to flee with little hope of successful recall. He had a break to calm down after this, and we later wrapped up the day by practicing Door Manners while on leash. He did try to run out a few times during this, but the leash physically prevented him from doing so and he quickly snapped out of it once he felt leash tension.
This, combined with the incident on Thursday in Santa Monica, is a clear indicator that Sky is not ready to be trusted off leash. His safety is our top priority, and his willingness to fully flee and refuse recall without the safety net of a leash is not something to take chances with. It's unclear what exactly causes this behavior from him, as it seems to occur regardless of distraction levels. Most of the time Sky is a very focused, collected, and confident pup, though in these moments his mindset seems to change on a dime, and he ends up panicking and losing all ability to stay calm or respond to commands unless the leash is present to physically interrupt it. Going forward, we will continue to practice his commands without leash pressure whenever possible, though to ensure his safety we will be keeping his leash on and in hand when working in outdoor or public spaces. At home, with no access to the outdoors, is the only place I currently feel is safe for Sky to be off leash.
Pupdate 10/20/2024
Today Sky and I visited a local shopping strip, where we continued practicing each of his commands around distractions. This location had a variety of distractions present, including groups of people, other dogs, and noisy traffic from the nearby streets. The narrow sidewalks also put us in close proximity to these distractions, as well other distractions such as food on outdoor tables at restaurants along the strip. Sky's buddy, Iggy the sheepadoodle who is also staying with me for a board and train program, joined us for our session here as well. He loves Iggy, and they spend lots of time playing and goofing off together while at home, so working on his obedience commands around her also served as a great distraction and test of his ability to concentrate around tempting distractions such as his playmate!
Overall Sky did a great job while training today, and as usual was able to perform each of his commands without any leash pressure needed. Due to his recent escape attempts, we opted to keep a hold of his leash during our visit, though thankfully no further runaway attempts occurred. The leash was able to remain as simply a backup safety measure, and remained unused for guidance or reinforcement during training.
His Heel was solid and consistent, and he only needed occasional reminders to correct his positioning if he began to lose focus. Providing lots of verbal praise and communication during Heel while passing by major distractions also helped to keep his engagement up with me and motivate him to stay focused. His Come to Sit and Come to Heel were both good overall, and he was consistent with his recall and positioning even around distractions. Sky did excellent with his stationary commands as well, and was able to perform Sit, Down, Place, Send Away to Place, and Under all without any issues. He consistently was able to hold these positions for as long as was asked of him, with his only mistake being laying down instead of holding his sit, though this mainly occurred after we had been here for a while and he began tiring out.
Pupdate 10/21/2024
Today Sky and I visited a park, where we met up with some other OffLeash SoCal trainers and their pups! This was a great opportunity for Sky to practice his commands in close proximity to dog distractions, as well as work with other trainers for experience in handler transferability. He did a great job working with the other trainers overall. He was able to quickly adjust and become familiar with the handler working with him, and very rarely had any notable trouble focusing, respecting, or following their commands. While working with me as his handler he also did an excellent job overall, and experienced no major issues.
We spent some extra time working on Sky's recall today. In normal circumstances, Sky's recall is very reliable, consistent, and dependable, though in recent days we have seen his recall fail during the most critical moments. His failure to recall only appears to occur when he is actively fleeing a situation due to feeling panicked, overwhelmed, or overexcited. While it's a rare occurrence, it is a dangerous one to have on the table of possibilities if he is to ever be allowed off leash, so working to address this was a major topic of today's training. We worked with a very long leash today for most of the session, where he was given full physical freedom of over thirty feet. It is difficult to recreate the exact scenario where he feels the need to suddenly run off due to the rarity and unpredictability of it happening, though we ended up seeing one attempt to run off today which helped to give us more insight on the matter. It was while he was working with another trainer, and Sky decided to leave their side and come running over to me. This seemed to stem from him experiencing a sudden rush of anxiety about being away from me, and he decided to leave his handler's side to get back to me. While it's great that this time he chose to run to someone familiar instead of running away aimlessly, it was still concerning to see him disregard his handler's instructions and take off suddenly without warning.
While we only had that one run off attempt during the session to observe on his anxious fleeing tendency, we were able to get a lot of training in that helped to improve his recall during moments of high excitement. We achieved this by getting Sky riled up, excited, and in a playful mood by encouraging him to run and play during breaks, which was easily accomplished as Sky loves to play! During these playful moments where his obedience focus was completely absent, we practiced doing recalls to teach him that regardless of what is he doing or how he is feeling, he needs to come directly to his handler the moment the cue is heard. He was a little goofy at times when we first began practicing this, though very quickly he understood to drop the excited and playful activity, and immediately switch to a focused mindset ready for work.
Pupdate 10/22/2024
Today Sky and I visited a Petco, where we practiced all of his commands around distractions. This was a great location to work on his training around common distractions such as people and other dogs, plus some more unique distractions such as shopping carts, small animals, toys, and treats.
Overall Sky did an excellent job here, and while he was a bit excited and distracted when we first passed through the toy and treat aisles, he understood to not let these tempting distractions get the best of him and was able to maintain excellent focus! We continued to work on each of his commands using no leash pressure, and at no point was the leash needed to provide guidance during any portion of his training. He also did not experience any anxiety or make any attempts to run off, which was also great to see!
Sky won over the hearts of shoppers and store employees alike, and got lots of attention and compliments about his cute looks and great obedience skills! This was of course another great opportunity to practice his Greeting Manners, and he did a great job with being polite and calm with everyone he met.
Pupdate 10/23/2024
Today Sky and I visited a park, where we practiced all of his commands around distractions. The park was on the quieter side overall but still had a few other people, dogs, and children around. There were also a lot of squirrels around, which excited Sky at first but he quickly learned to ignore. We also worked to create distractions by running around, throwing sticks, and tossing leaves around, which worked to test his focus and ability to remain calm and collected even if his handler is being a bit silly!
We continued to work with long leashes today, swapping between a fifteen foot and a thirty foot leash. The fifteen foot leash was useful when working in smaller areas of the park with more obstacles around, where we focused on commands where Sky is asked to be close to me such as Heel. The thirty foot leash was great in the open fields while we practiced long distance recall as well as adding distance between us while he holds stationary commands. Both of these options provided Sky with ample physical freedom to move around freely and make choices, mistakes, and use his brain to problem solve without guidance from the leash. He didn't seem to experience any flight response issues today, and at no point did he try to run off or leave my side without specifically being given permission or instructed to.
Sky did a great job with all of his commands overall, and he was typically very focused, calm, and obedient. We did work to rile him up a bit by getting him excited during training to focus on recall in these moments, though he was able to settle down and quickly direct his attention to training once prompted. He seemed to want to be close to me today and did struggle slightly with me creating distance while he held stationary commands as he would sometimes try to inch closer to me, though after a few reminders of this he understood to stay put. We also practiced having me step behind trees or bushes to leave his line of sight, and work on his confidence and independence when seemingly separated from his handler while in a stationary position. With some practice he was able to hold his positions even while I was out of sight without trying to break the command to find me or move closer until he was asked to. He ended up having a lot of fun with this training, and we turned it into a game of sorts which he had a blast with all while learning important skills!
Pupdate 10/24/2024
Today Sky and I visited Santa Monica, where we practiced all of his commands around lots of distractions. There were numerous crowds of people, busy street traffic, food, other dogs, and lots of birds. We practiced his commands in many different areas around this location, including along the pier, along the sidewalks of the city, and in the grassy park area near the beach.
Sky was a bit overstimulated by the environment, especially when we first arrived, though as we spent more time working here he was able to calm down and have an easier time focusing on his commands. Overall he did an excellent job today, and was generally very eager to perform commands, engage with me, and explore around the city together! He tended to be a bit nervous when working near busy streets due to the loud traffic noises like buses and sirens, though he didn't experience any issues with flight responses today. He didn't seem to mind crowds of people, other dogs, or other major distractions and was able to stay focused and calm even when working around them.
Sky did a great job with each of his commands today, and was able to perform each of them without any guidance from the leash. This allowed the leash to remain as simply a safety net while we trained. He also got lots of compliments from people as usual, and was a very popular pup! He got to say hello to lots of nice people, and as always he was sweet, gentle, and calm while being greeted.
Pupdate 10/25/2024
Today Sky and I visited a park, where we practiced all of his commands around distractions. We continued working on each of his commands with a completely loose leash, and he did a wonderful job! He was a bit excited to be at the park as usual, though was able to maintain a good level of focus and follow commands consistently. Over time he did calm down significantly as well, allowing him to have an even easier time staying engaged with me. He also had a blast running around and playing during breaks, and by the end of our visit he was just about ready to take a nap right at the park!
After our visit at the park and a well deserved nap at home, we finished the day by spending some time working on his Car Manners. Sky loves going into the car, as he knows it almost always leads to us going off on a fun adventure together! Sky's confidence and eagerness to load into the car and enter a kennel has always been a great trait of his, though at times he would get a bit too eager and end up breaking commands to try to run to or jump in before he was asked to. A few times, this led to poor behaviors such as trying to run or pull towards the car, and trying to jump through windows, through or onto people, or into the crack in the door before I had even fully opened it!
We have been working to improve these manners by creating structure and holding Sky accountable even during the exciting time of loading into the car. Some areas we have been working on are ensuring he remains in a proper Heel even if we are walking up to or past the car, and that he does not leave my side to run to it on his own accord. We have also been working to improve his ability to perform stationary commands while near the car by teaching him to remain there even if I open the door. We have him wait for the cue to jump up when prompted, instead of jumping as soon as an opening is created. We've also spent some time working on teaching him to wait until released or given permission to exit the kennel and/or car, even if the kennel or car door is open. This helps to ensure he does not try to run out as soon as the opportunity arises, and makes transporting him that much safer and hassle free.
Pupdate 10/26/2024
Today was Sky's last full day with me, so we spent the day putting all of his learned skills to use to have a great last day together! He did a great job with his training today, and overall was very obedient, focused, and eager to practice his commands!
Sky has made such an amazing transformation in these past three weeks! His reliability and consistency with performing commands have improved drastically, and he has acquired many new skills during his stay. We have taught him advanced versions of his basic commands, as well as introduced brand new commands that will stick with him for life. He has gained the ability to stay neutral, contain his excitement, and maintain his focus even in the busiest of environments. He has replaced many bad habits with good behaviors, and is now significantly easier to handle and more of a joy to be around than ever! He has a solid understanding of right from wrong, and is learning to make good choices in his daily life that make both his life and the life of his handler and family that much better. He is still a young pup who loves to test boundaries when given the chance, though with consistent structure during these critical stages of development, he will continue on the road to success as he matures into an adult. Sky is such a smart boy, and has an outstanding drive to work, learn, and grow, which makes training him a fun, exciting, and enjoyable activity! He was once again such a pleasure to have the opportunity to spend time and share my home with, and I am certainly going to miss his company!
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