This is Strudel, a 5 month old German Short-haired Pointer from Los Angeles, CA here for our Two Week Board and Train! Strudel is a smart and cuddly pup but she pulls on the leash and has selective hearing. Over the next two weeks, Strudel will learn basic and fundamental commands to help her become the best version she can be! Stay tuned for her PAWsome transformation!
Today mostly consisted of getting Strudel used to everything new here. She did great on the car ride here and was very curious about my house. Strudel did not seem too familiar with the hardwood floor so she was not sure about it at first. Even though she is used to a crate, she was whining and eventually stopped. She ate some dinner but not all, had some water, and went pee. No poop yet. Can't wait to start training tomorrow!
PUPDATE 12/13/2021
Strudel is still adjusting to being here. When we go on walks, it seems like she is very confused about how to walk without the harness on. She is not familiar with just her normal collar pressure on her. We went to the local park today to work on all the commands to see what we need to focus on. Besides her confusion on the leash when we walk, she had difficulty with laying down when asked. I put her on the bench to use as a Place object and she did fine with that. Strudel is such a sweet and loving pup but we have lots to work on while she is training here. She ate the majority of her breakfast this morning, peeing and pooping fine, and drinking water.
PUPDATE 12/14/2021
I worked on Come to Sit today at the local park. She is a very sensitive pup so taking it slow with her is very important. Giving lots of praise helps her understand what she needs to do. Strudel is getting the hang of things slowly but she is making progress. I also tried our Down command today and she did a lot better than yesterday.
PUPDATE 12/15/2021
Strudel worked very hard today at the local park. We practiced on a tennis court and outside on the grass. Strudel worked on Heel, Come to Sit, Down, and Place. She is doing better with Come to Sit and using barriers like a tennis court gate helps her not pull on the leash. Strudel did get a little too excited playing with the other board and train puppy I have here but using the e collar helped. She still whines a little when she does not want to do something but that is expected.
PUPDATE 12/16/2021
Strudel worked on the Place command today. She had a little bit of a hard time staying focused on the grass so we practiced and filmed on the walkway. I incorporate treats in the beginning of the training sessions and then use the e collar so follow through with the commands. That method seems to be working well. She had a hard time staying on the Place object today so we will be working on that. She still pulls on the leash but not as bad as it used to be.
PUPDATE 12/17/2021
Strudel had a better day today. We went to a new park to expose her to a new environment and she did well. Here are the things I noticed today. She does better on the Place object when you also put her in a Down command. She was whining more as I increased the amount of distance between her and I. Her Come to Sit was good but she still needs some guidance with the leash. We have been working on her trying to figure it out instead of me placing her in the position I want. I also noticed today that she would anticipate my next command. For example, when I had her on the bench, she would try to get up when I got closer because she thought I would say Break. Strudel needs to work on duration but can hold a Sit or Down for about 30 seconds. She also saw a bird today and she was very curious. She is very prey driven so keeping that in mind is important.
PUPDATE 12/18/2021
Strudel had a lot of ups and downs today at the local mall. I mainly wanted to focus on her Duration commands since she has trouble staying in them. When we first got to the mall, we walked around and she did well with her other commands like Heel and Place. I did have to give her some reminders to have her understand her boundaries. In the video, I do a couple things that are important. First, whenever she got out of the command, I put her back where she was and told her Down again. Second, once she goes into a Down command, I am holding the leash with my foot so if she gets up, she can stop herself from standing up all the way. Lastly, every time I move away I am testing to see if she will stay in command so I am going back and forth from stepping on the leash to not stepping on the leash. I said Break fairly quickly because I want her to succeed at most of the training we do so keeping it positive is important for her. She is eating/drinking/peeing/pooping normally.
PUPDATE 12/19/2021
Strudel had some diarrhea today so I will be updating you on that progress. I took Strudel to another local outdoor mall to get a new environment for her to be in. Overall, she did okay. She goes through these quick phases of doing a command really well for a minute or two and then she doesn't do so well. For example, when I was Heeling her, there were many times she was Heeling right next to me and then a couple moments later and strayed away from my leg soon after. Strudel is still working on her duration commands but it is improving each training session so that is good. Also, I noticed last night she has some toy possession issues so I have been using the OFF command for when she starts to growl at me/the other dog
PUPDATE 12/20/2021
Today mainly consisted of focusing on Heel, Down, and socialization. Her Heel is coming along well but still gets distracted from time to time. I need her to be looking ahead instead of the smell next to her or the leaf on the ground. Using left hand turns help keep her focused. Then, we worked on holding a Down command. She has been getting better at it but sometimes she gets out of the command. It is important to place her back where she got out of the command. Like I said in the video, it is important to note that she is a whiner no matter what I do. Keeping her accountable for her commands you give her is the most important thing you can do even when she is whining about it. To have a break from some hard work, I had her play with other OffLeash SoCal pups and she did very well. She was very excited about the other Pointer that was there and was keeping calm but interested which was great. She is still having some diarrhea so this morning and tonight I fed her chicken, rice, and some pumpkin to help her.
PUPDATE 12/21/2021
Strudel had a great day today. I took her to the Santa Monica pier to work on all commands. She still whines but that is to be expected. Her duration commands are getting much better but she still sometimes gets out of them. Her Heeling has improved and she is not starting away from my leg as much as she has been. She is improving overall so that is great news. We saw some birds and she was very interested in them. Her poop is getting better but not as hard as it used to be so I am still giving her chicken, rice, and pumpkin.
PUPDATE 12/22/2021
I tried having Strudel off leash and overall I am proud of her. However, there were some pros and cons of the day. Her duration commands were awesome. Her Heel command is what we need to work on the most. I think her skin is sensitive to the e collar as she would try to itch as she walked, even when I was not using stimulation on her. I am not sure yet on how she will do off leash in a higher distraction environment. Her stool is getting better but still soft.
PUPDATE 12/23/2021
Strudel had a good day today. I took her to the mall to work on all her commands and overall she did good. She accomplished a lot in the past couple days and I am very proud of how far she has come. Her duration commands are doing well and she was Heeling better with me today through the crowds of people. She still whines but I think she will continue to do that for awhile since she is still just a puppy. I saw a couple dogs in the mall and she did not pay attention to them so that was great to see. She did great on Place. Her stool was much better today so I am slowly incorporating her normal food. Eating/drinking/peeing normally.
PUPDATE 12/24/2021
Strudel had a good day today. I worked on her Door Manners and she did great. I also worked on food manners and crate manners. She still cries when she does not want to sit still but once she starts moving and working, she does well and stops crying. She did sometimes get up when I started to walk away doing Door Manners but after a couple reps, she did great and understood what was asked. She is pooping a lot better so I resumed her normal food. Eating/drinking/peeing/pooping normally.
PUPDATE 12/25/2021
I took Strudel to Venice beach to practice all her commands off leash. Overall, she did well. There are times that she strays away from my leg when we are in a Heel position but she does well with her duration commands. Putting her in Place was good today too. She went on all of the objects I asked with no hesitation. Great work Strudel! I met with another trainer to work on socialization and she stayed calm when I needed her to be and then when we had them play, she was very excited and interested in the other dog. Can't wait to show you everything she has learned tomorrow!
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