Stormy | Belgian Malinois | Long Beach, CA | In Training
- Tanner Strong
- Aug 10
- 4 min read
Updated: Aug 16
Meet Stormy! She's an eighteen month old Belgian Malinois from Long Beach, California here for our One-Week Board and Train Program! She can can be very sweet and loves to play, but often wants to pull on her leash towards people and other dogs. She sometimes lunges, barks and throws a fit if she isn't allowed to say hi! She even barks at family members sometimes at home! When playing, she often has a taste for fingers and ankles, nipping to try get attention. So, over the next seven days we will work on her leash manners, help her build confidence, work on her obedience skills, and show her how to be the best pup she can possibly be! Stay tuned for Stormy's one week transformation!
Pupdate: 8/10/2025
After picking Stormy up, we spent some time at the park to get acquainted. She was a little nervous at first, but she’s starting to warm up to me. Stormy seems to know a few commands already, though she sometimes likes to decide for herself whether to follow through — we’ll be working on that consistency!
Once we got home, she had the chance to explore and sniff around the house, getting a feel for her new surroundings. She’s settling in well and seems to enjoy her new environment so far!
Pupdate: 8/11/2025
We met with some other trainers and their dogs today, which gave Stormy a big challenge right from the start! She was definitely very interested in some of the other dogs, watching them closely and wanting to check them out. That said, she did an impressive job of not barking or lunging, especially after a few minutes of warm-up time to settle in.
Most of our focus today was on her Heel command, where I want her to walk politely at my left side with her ears at my leg. She’s starting to catch on to what I’m asking for, but she still gets tempted to veer off now and then when we pass another dog or something particularly interesting. Overall, for her first full day of training, Stormy showed a lot of potential and handled herself well in a new and stimulating environment. I’m excited to see her progress from here!
Pupdate: 8/12/2025
Today we spent some time working on Stormy’s Come To Sit command! This is where I call her over, and instead of just stopping in front of me, she comes all the way in and sits neatly at my left side. She’s starting to understand the motion and where she needs to end up, and each repetition is looking smoother. Check out the video above to see her progress—it’s great to watch her figuring it out and building that muscle memory!
Pupdate: 8/13/2025
Today, I’m showing how we work on her Place command! This is a great confidence-building exercise and also super useful at home—giving her a designated spot to settle when I’m busy cooking, cleaning, or answering the door. Stormy is learning that Place isn’t just a command, it’s her own little “safe zone” where she can relax until she’s released. She’s doing a great job with it!
Pupdate: 8/14/2025
Stormy has been doing really well with her commands lately, and we’ve been making steady progress when it comes to ignoring distractions. Two of her biggest triggers are stranger dogs and birds, so we’ve been putting in plenty of practice around both.
In today’s clip, you’ll see her walk past a stranger dog as well as a flock of birds! She definitely notices the dog, but I simply use her Off command and keep moving forward. Off is our “do not do” cue—it tells her to stop whatever unwanted behavior she’s showing, whether that’s jumping, sniffing something she shouldn’t, or fixating on another dog.
Even though these particular distractions are still a challenge for her, Stormy is getting better every day. I’m proud of how she’s learning to redirect her focus back to me and carry on with the task at hand. It’s great to see her confidence growing as she learns that these distractions aren’t such a big deal after all!
Pupdate: 8/15/2025
We spent our time at the park today, but I also wanted to give a look at how Stormy is doing with her Door Manners. For this, my goal is to be able to open the door and walk through without Stormy trying to rush ahead. She should wait patiently until I invite her in or out, no matter how tempting it might be to move first.
In the video, you’ll see her sitting right near the door for practice. While that’s great for training, I ultimately want her to hold the same calm, patient behavior whether she’s sitting right at the threshold or all the way across the room. The idea is for the door opening to become a total nonevent for Stormy—something she can watch happen without getting overexcited or breaking position.
This is one of those skills that not only helps with good manners but also keeps her safe, and I’m happy with the progress she’s making!
Pupdate: 8/16/2025
We had a fun and productive day working around all the geese, ducks, and pigeons we could find! At first, Stormy was definitely excited to see them moving around, and her curiosity kicked in right away. I used her Off command to remind her to stay focused, and then we practiced walking in Heel past the birds a few times. After just a little repetition, she started to catch on quickly and did a much better job ignoring them.
Stormy is becoming more and more reliable with her commands, which makes it easier to use them in real-life situations like this. By channeling her energy into following known commands instead of reacting to distractions, she’s learning how to stay calm and make better choices. It was great progress today, and I’m happy with how she’s continuing to improve!
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