Suki | Golden Retriever | Malibu
- Chelsea Benz
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
Please welcome Suki!
Suki is an 18-month-old Golden Retriever from Malibu, California, joining us for our Old School Three-Week Board and Train Program!
This sweet girl has quite the story. Suki was adopted through a rescue organization that saves dogs from the meat markets of China. While we can only imagine the challenges she may have faced early in life, one thing is certain; her journey has led her to a loving family here in California, where she's been given the opportunity to thrive and experience all the comforts a dog could ask for.
Despite her loving home and happy life, Suki has developed a few habits that have become frustrating for her family. From pulling on the leash and counter surfing to mouthing, ankle nipping, stealing snacks from the kids, and always trying to be the one calling the shots among the other dogs in the household, Suki has plenty of opinions and isn't afraid to share them!
The good news is that many of these behaviors stem from a lack of structure, clear communication, and appropriate outlets for her energy. Over the next three weeks, we'll be helping Suki learn better manners, improve her impulse control, build her confidence, and develop the skills needed to become a calmer, more enjoyable companion both at home and out in the world.
She may be small in stature, but she's got a big personality, a sharp mind, and all the potential in the world. Follow along as we help Suki channel that energy into positive habits and guide her on her journey toward becoming the well-mannered companion her family knows she can be!
Pupdate 6/14
Today, we decided to take things nice and easy with Suki and headed to our local neighborhood park to get a feel for where she's currently at with her leash manners and begin introducing the foundations of a proper Heel.
Needless to say, Suki had a few opinions about that.
Like many dogs who are used to leading the way, Suki felt that she had a pretty good idea of where we should be going and how quickly we should get there. To help her understand that walks are a team effort, I utilized a technique we call the pivot. A pivot is simply a change in direction whenever the dog begins forging ahead. By turning and moving the opposite way, it encourages the dog to reconnect with the handler and match their pace rather than charging ahead on their own agenda.
The goal isn't to make the walk difficult; it's to teach the dog that paying attention to their handler is valuable. After all, this walk belongs to both of us, not just Suki!
What I loved seeing today was the moment things started to click for her. Towards the end of the video, you'll notice Suki frequently glancing up at me, checking in to see what my next move might be. Every time she offered that attention, I was quick to praise her. Those check-ins are incredibly important because they show that the dog's focus has shifted away from the environment and back onto the handler. It's one of the first building blocks of a great Heel.
As the session progressed, Suki began to realize that when I turned, she should turn too. Rather than fighting the movement, she started flowing with it. You may have noticed my excitement in the video when that happened! It always impresses me when a dog begins watching the handler and working with them instead of against them. By the end of our outing, I found I couldn't "trick" her nearly as easily because she had started paying such close attention to my body language and movement.
I also wanted to test her "Sit" during this to see where we are at. The ears did go up but the follow through will need some work. That's okay! It's the first day and I didn't expect anything nor was I going to push her on the day she was acclimating.
Overall, it was a calm but productive day focused entirely on building communication and engagement. Tomorrow, we'll be introducing the E-Collar to see how Suki responds and how we can continue improving her focus and understanding.
I'm already seeing some promising signs from this girl and have high hopes for her journey ahead.
Until next time!
Pupdate 6/15
(What a cute little smile.)
Today was another productive day for Suki as we continued building the foundations of her obedience and introduced her to the E-Collar. As with any training tool, our goal is to create a clear line of communication and help the dog understand exactly what is being asked of them. While this is something Suki has been exposed to in the past, it's my hope to give her a positive spin on the tool going forward so she knows and is excited to have it on. Because if the e-collar is in use, that means we're going somewhere! It's a bit early to determine exactly how she'll progress with it long-term, but she handled the introduction nicely and showed a willingness to work through the learning process.
Afterward, we headed over to Klingerman Park to put some of our training into practice around real-world distractions, including one of Suki's favorites; other dogs. Given her predisposed tendency to insert dominance in an aggressive situation, she acted quite mellow and was very desensitized to the dogs surrounding her for the most part.
Public outings like these are incredibly valuable because they allow us to work on obedience in environments where there are plenty of exciting things competing for a dog's attention.
I'm happy to say that Suki did a nice job! While she certainly noticed the other dogs around her, she was able to work through those distractions and focus on the tasks at hand. Her body language showed a dog that was interested and aware of her surroundings without becoming overly fixated on them. She remained engaged in the training process and showed growing confidence as we moved through the park.
One area where she's making particularly nice progress is with her Sit and Come to Sit. These commands are starting to come together much more naturally for her. You can see the gears turning as she begins to understand not only what is being asked, but where she should be positioning herself. Those little moments of understanding are always exciting to watch because they mark the transition from simply following guidance to genuinely learning the behavior.
Overall, Suki put together a solid day of work. Between being introduced to a new communication tool, practicing her obedience around other dogs, and continuing to sharpen her Sit and Come to Sit, she gave me plenty to be proud of.
I will definitely be keeping an eye on her body language and how she engages with dogs as we progress to see if I can catch those tendencies for reactions. Today, everyone behaved. But it's likely whether walking on the street or in a public place we will run into a dog that wants to try and "throw hands". That will be a real test for Suki. But today, pretty darn good success!
Great job, Suki! You're starting to realize that sitting pretty and coming when called is a pretty sweet deal after all!
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