Steven | Labrador/Malinois Mix | Los Angeles, CA | In-Training
- Scott Hansen
- 4 days ago
- 7 min read
Updated: 22 hours ago
Meet Steven! Steven is a three-year-old Labrador Retriever/Malinois mix here for our Three-Week Reactive Board and Train Program. Steven is a sweet pup; however, he does display several unwanted behaviors. Steven was adopted by his pup parents about a year ago. Steven is a sweet, loving pup. However, Steven displays several unwanted behaviors. Steven can perform a command or two and has been to prior training; however, he lacks structure and will perform the tasks inconsistently. Steven cannot be left alone due to his anxiety. He will get into cabinets, jump on countertops, and eat or destroy anything that is left unattended in the house. Over the next twenty-one days, Steven is going to learn to be an obedient pup through consistent, clear communication and balanced training at home and by discovering new people and places. Steven will learn to perform all these things on leash through a positive and balanced training environment. Through structure and consistency, Steven will demonstrate how great a pup he can be! Stay tuned for Steven’s three-week transformation!
Steven | Labrador/Malinois Mix | Pupdate 11/9/25
Today, Mr. Steven joined me for his three-week board and train program. On the way home, we stopped at a local park to see what commands Mr. Steven could perform. He did not do very well! But I think you know that, and that's why he's here. After I tested his skills, we had a mini photoshoot for his profile picture for his blog. I don't know if you know this, but as soon as dogs see a phone or camera in front of their face, you are now invisible to them, and they must ignore you at all costs. Once we got what we needed, we loaded up and headed to Mr. Steven's temporary residence for the next two weeks.
Once we got home, I let Mr. Steven smell Ms. Toji, Ms. Bear and Mr. Mookie through the front gate. Ms. Toji was excited to see Mr. Steven. Mr. Steven had his tail wagging and was curious to meet them. Mr. Steven had no issues coming to the house. I let him explore each room and meet everyone. Throughout the introductions, Mr. Steven showed no adverse reactions. My whole family likes him already. I took Mr. Steven outside to meet Ms. Toji only.
We then went on a long walk around the block so that he could get used to the sights, sounds, and scents of his temporary new neighborhood. He didn't pull me around the block and did poop and pee. I didn't see too much unwanted behavior on the walk, except for sticking to a specific spot that interested him. That should be easily corrected with the prong collar and e-collar.
I brought him inside and convinced him to go into the crate. He wasn’t too happy about going into the crate but I hung out in the office with him while he was in there so he should start getting more comfortable.
As a reminder, I keep track of his weight and will ensure that he maintains his weight while he is with me. He was not too excited about getting on the scale either, but we figured it out. I started defrosting his food for the next few days.
I've attached the e-collar familiarization video. On his e-collar, I have already added the hypoallergenic titanium contact points. Please review it a few times before Mr. Steven's turnover. We'll practice together to make sure you are comfortable with the system before using it with Mr. Steven. I will introduce the e-collar for tomorrow’s training.
Steven | Labrador/Malinois Mix | Pupdate 11/10/25
Mr. Steven and I headed over to Whittier Narrows in El Monte, CA, today to kick off his training. I was impressed with Mr. Steven's responsiveness to the training. I used the prong collar just in case he had any adverse reactions to the other pups. This collar gives me a lot of control. I have been observing Mr. Steven interact with Ms. Toji. He's had no issues. I let him interact with Mr. Mookie, another Labrador Retriever who is going home today, and Mr. Steven had no issues with him. They were both chasing after the ball, and there was no growling or fighting.
I introduced the "place", "down", "heel", "sit", "sit" when I stop walking and door manners. Door manners are that he has to sit politely until I open the door and walk through it. He can go through with me or after me, but never before me. Also, he cannot go through the door unless I allow him to. This does not mean he won't run through an open door, but rather a structured process for him to understand that nothing happens unless I allow it. I think we are going to do well over the next few weeks. Tomorrow, I will introduce the e-collar into our training, and we'll see how responsive he is to it.
Mr. Steven also spent the entire night in his crate without any issues. He has been nice and loving to my wife and kids. I'm hesitant to let him be outside by himself for too long because I don't want him scaling any walls. I am hoping that if he hangs out with Ms. Toji, after my other two dogs go home today, he will enjoy being out there with her and interacting. I'll have to let him out in short spurts to monitor how it goes.
Steven | Labrador/Malinois Mix | Pupdate 11/11/25
Today, we took the time to formally introduce the e-collar system to Mr. Steven. As you can see in the video, I started by playing fetch with Mr. Steven. I love a pup that is driven by a ball or toy. This is going to make the training so much more productive and fun! After a few times going back and forth with the balls, I loosely put the e-collar onto Mr. Steven, then back to fetch. I started using "centerline" drills. The premise of this drill is that you stand in the middle, send the pup in one direction with the ball. When he gets back to me or you, in the middle, you show him another ball and say "out", then he releases the ball, and we throw a ball in the other direction. We stand in the "middle" of the line, and the dog goes back and forth obtaining the ball. This will continue to reinforce the command "out" that I will work on with him. Once we did this a few more times, I put the collar on properly, nice and snug. Then I started at 0, and slowly moved the numbers up 5 at a time until I noticed a reaction from Mr. Steven. I observed the first reaction around 10. 10 is a great number, but we finished around 20ish due to the extra excitement and the collar moving.
After playing for a few minutes like this, I went into some training with Mr. Steven. We worked on his "place" and "extended down" while my mini-trainer went around him as a distraction. She was extremely helpful, and Mr. Steven was extremely respectful of her.
Lastly, I brought out Ms. Toji to play fetch with all of us. Mr. Steven is having no issues with Ms. Toji. I let them interact in the dog run, and they have no issues. I wanted to show you how well Mr. Steven is interacting with another pup that is about his size.
A few things that I have learned/confirmed about our four-legged friend in the last 48 hours:
He LOVES to play with the ball! To the point that he has already destroyed one tennis ball, I'll be ordering more as soon as possible. He would put the ball on my chair to get me to play with him more.
He can be stubborn about releasing the ball. I will introduce the "out" command paired with the e-collar to teach him how to perform this task more consistently. I call this the eject button/method.
He definitely is not a pure lab because he has an engine that doesn't tire. He can go for hours and hours. I was skeptical at first about the Malinois links, but the toy drive and energy levels are off the charts.
He CAN stay in the crate for extended periods of time without freaking out.
He does have separation anxiety and will look out my front window, will stay at the door when we let him out to go potty, and will bark and cry if left unchecked.
He has had no issues interacting with other dogs to date.
He LOVES his food and LOVES treats.
I believe with the structure that I am teaching him, he will learn how to be a much better behaved pup that will fit into your lifestyle.
Steven | Labrador/Malinois Mix | Pupdate 11/12/25
Today was another backyard session for Mr. Steven and me. I am pleased with the progress that Mr. Steven is making. We reviewed his commands. He gave me a great two-minute "extended sit" followed by an extended "place" and an extended "down". I then introduced the "come-to-sit" using a tennis ball. He did ok with this task, but we will have to keep practicing.
His "heel" was not that pretty today, but that's something that we will hammer over and over again.
We have been working on his food manners and door manners each day, also. Mr. Steven does love his food, and it requires a tremendous amount of impulse control not to jump up and get the food as I put it down. He wants to run through the door when I open it. We don't do either one of those things around here. The structure is having a nice, positive impact on Mr. Steven.
Mr. Steven made it through the whole night in his crate without making a cry, a bark, or scratching at the crate to get out. I have a cover over the crate at night to comfort him and so that he can't necessarily see, although he can hear when I or a family member is coming or going. I even caught him in his crate on his own earlier today after playing with him. I was still in the room with him, but he went in on his own, which was impressive considering that he really, really, really didn't want to go in on Sunday, a mere 4 days ago.
Great progress so far, Mr. Steven!
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