Meet Teagan! A 2 year old Labrador Retriever from Pacoima, CA. Teagan has joined our Three Week Board and Train program and is here to work on her manners, build confidence in new environments as well as work on some proper socialization, especially around other pups! Over the next three weeks we will be implementing structure and proper communication with the ultimate goal of being Off Leash! Stay tuned for her Three Week transformation!
Pupdate 10/2/2022
Teagan and I spent the day today warming her up to her new temporary home. After getting her settling in, we hung out in the backyard together. She saw my other pups through the fence and displayed curiosity. I then opened the fence and introduced her to my other pup Houey which she did well with. Houey tried to initiate play at first, but once she backed off he did not continue. She appreciated a calm energy. Houey then held his Down command as she approached him a few times. Towards the end of the session, he rolled over into a submissive state which helped her become more comfortable with him. We will begin working on introducing her to new commands tomorrow!
Pupdate 10/3/2022
Teagan and I started our day by introducing her to the Heel command while out on a walk. Heel is the action of Teagan walking by my left hand side, turning when I turn and sitting when I stop walking. She shouldn’t be distracted sniffing around. The more she checks in with me during the Heel the better. Whenever I call Teagan’s name she is expected to offer me eye contact. Once she does I mark it with a Yes and reward. To teach Heel, I utilized a slip lead and the E collar together, pairing leash pressure with stimulation from the E collar. Initially Teagan was very excited to be out and tried to pull. Every time she pulled, I turned the opposite way with her cuing her to Heel. If she turned with me, I marked it with a Yes and rewarded her. If she kept pulling, I popped the leash in the direction I wanted her to go. After a few leash pops Teagan began to understand to follow the directional changes of the leash. Following the leash pressure is how the pressure turns off. Anytime I popped the leash I stimulated her with the E collar. The E collar has 100 different levels to it which are finely tuned to every dogs sensitivity level. The level that works for Teagan fluctuates according to her environment. While we were out on a walk we passed by reactive dogs. Teagan was alert and wanted to react. I never let Teagan fixate on another dog or person. She can look but not fixate as fixating leads to reactivity. When she began to fixate I created distance, popped the leash and Cued Heel. If she didn’t Heel with me I cued off then stimulated her with the E collar. Off means to leave whatever the distraction is alone. Teagan then Heeled with me and offered me her attention again. We will continue to work on her Heel around dogs specifically to build consistency. I then introduced Teagan to Come to Sit. Since she quickly understood how to follow the leash pressure, it took her no time to learn how to follow the leash to Come to Sit by my left hand side ready to Heel. At times she tried to come in between legs. To correct this I guided her with the leash, back to my side. Good job Teagan!
Pupdate 10/4/2022
Today Teagan and I emphasized our work on her Heel command as we took a stroll around the neighborhood together towards the local school. We made frequent turns to redirect Teagan every time she pulled forward. It is important to turn away from whatever she tends to pull towards. Before I turn I give Teagan a heads up we are changing direction by cuing Heel. After a few turns and leash pops combined with the stimulation from the e collar, she turned with me quickly. We then worked on her Extended Sits. Teagan can now hold her Sit for a total of 30 seconds consistently. I reward her in increments of 15 seconds while she holds her Sit. Her Come to Sit is improving, she does not resist leash pressure and follows my lead quite well!
Pupdate 10/5/2022
Teagan and I spent the day Heeling together around the neighborhood, making frequent turns which helps her check in with me and by my side. She sits when I stop walking and checks in with me frequently. I introduced her to the Down command today utilizing slight leash pressure towards the floor along with my palms facing the floor signaling Down. At times she tests it and resists the pressure then eventually gives in. Once she holds her Down I reward her in increments of 15 seconds for holding the command. We are building duration with her Down. The goal is to be able to have her hold her Sit and Down for two minutes so we have some work to do!
Pupdate 10/6/2022
Teagan and I spent our day Heeling as we had a pack walk around the neighborhood. Teagan had the chance to work on all of her commands with another trainer which is great for helping her generalize commands with any handler. At first she resisted walking with someone new as I was away from her due to her separation anxiety. She worked through it with some guidance of leash pressure and encouragement from the other trainer. Teagan was then able to Heel as we pack walked together working on Heels and Extended Downs. She does great when around other pups, staying by the trainers side, checking in frequently .
Pupdate 10/7/2022
Today Teagan and I worked at the park with another handler , she did great besides having separation anxiety when distance was being added . It took some time for Teagan to acclimate to the transition of working with another handler. After some time the anxiety started to settle down. We started Teagan on the slip lead to help guide her head every time we did 180 turns. Once she got more familiar with the slip lead we transitioned to the 15 foot leash and utilized the ecollar stimulation to reinforce the commands with more distance between the handler and Teagan . Towards the end of the session Teagan and I worked on car manners teaching her how to properly jump into the car and into the crate, on command. With a lot of encouragement she worked up the confidence to jump in all on her own without help. Excellent Work!
Pupdate 10/8/2022
Teagan and I took a trip to the local Petco today! We Heeled together around the store and I gave her frequent breaks so she could explore her surroundings. I practice calling her to Come to Sit from real world distractions so she can get in the habit of coming regardless of the environment she is in. She held her Extended Sit and Down for a minute and 15 seconds while crowds of people and other dogs were nearby. She has improved greatly with her ability to jump in the car, jumping in consistently on command!
Pupdate 10/9/2022
Teagan and I worked on her proper socialization skills today around another pup that I have, Houey! At first Teagan was practicing avoidance, not wanting to leave the room because she saw Houey on the other side. I applied slight leash pressure to guide her out of the room as she worked up the courage to come with me. I cued Houey to Place as Teagan and I walked around Houey. We started from a distance then worked our way up to Houey. I rewarded her every time she passed a threshold she was previously at. She began to display calmer body language. Although she is not the type to initiate play, it is important for her to be neutral towards other pups. We will keep working on this to improve her confidence near dogs. I also included a video of Teagan working with another trainer from the other day. As you can see in the video, it was difficult for her to work while away from me. Eventually she was able to not cry as much while being apart from me. Separation anxiety is what we will emphasize our work on as well.
Pupdate 10/10/2022
Teagan and I ventured out to the park today where we worked on her Place command, and overall obedience while being away from me to work on her separation anxiety as well. Place is a great command to use inside and outside of the home, to prevent unwanted behaviors like jumping on guests or lunging towards other dogs. It helps create a calm state of mind for a pup as well. Place is the action of sending Teagan to jump onto a new surface which can essentially be anything from an elevated dog cot to a park bench. Dogs are visual learners so it helps them to have a visual target they know to stay on until released. Since Teagan does have anxiety, Place is great to practice with her to build confidence. She is improving everyday with jumping onto new surfaces and worked with another trainer while I was able to eventually go out of sight for a few minutes. She cried initially but stopped crying fairly quickly. Much quicker than the first time we tried that! Good progress Teagan.
Pupdate 10/11/2022
Teagan and I worked on proofing all of the commands she has already learned while adding more duration to it as well as increase distance between us. I also introduced her to a new command today which is Come to Heel. Teagan has had a habit of coming in between my legs which is a form of a safety net for her. This demonstrated to me she lacked confidence in new environments. We have been working on building her confidence by my left hand side. I placed Teagan in a Sit then created distance between us, cuing her to Heel as I tapped my left hand side. The first few times she went straight to the middle of my legs. I popped the leash towards my left hand side as I cued Heel along with stimulation from the e collar to correct it. We tried it repeatedly until she came to my left hand side. As soon as she came to my left hand side instead of in between my legs I marked it with a Yes then rewarded her on my left hand side. Timing the marker word Yes at the right moment is extremely important, as this teaches her correct placement. She doesn’t know what she is doing right unless we communicate that to her. Rewarding her on my left hand side also builds value to her as she knows she gets paid for being there. She has become much more consistent with jumping onto Place, as well as jumping in my car. This shows me she is gaining much more confidence! As she was in Place a friendly biker asked to pet her. Although she went to the Sit from the Down, she stayed in Place and did not jump off when the biker stopped petting her to ask for more attention. Good work Teagan!
Pupdate 10/12/2022
Teagan and I took a trip to The Citadel Oulets today! We worked on proofing her commands around distractions utilizing the 15 ft leash to gain distance between us around crowds of people and other dogs. When we initially arrived she was very excited to be there. I released her to sniff and soak in her new environment for a minute then we began to Heel together down the stairs, and through the outlets. As we walked around more her Heel improved without me needing to guide her as much with the leash and stimulation from the e collar. I marked it with a Yes whenever she offered some her attention to build engagement and towards the end of the session she began to check in more frequently.
We then worked on her Extended Sit as I went out of sight and came back to reward her for remaining in the Sit position. She did well and did not cry at all! I began to increase the amount of time I went out of sight and was able to reach a minute, which is great considering just the other day she cried excessively the second she saw me leave. Excellent progress Teagan!
Pupdate 10/13/2022
Teagan and I took a trip to the local park where we introduced her to a new command, Under. Under is a great command to practice with Teagan when out in public. It can be utilized under a table, chair, etc. She is expected to stay there until released. She learned this behavior rather quickly and had no problem holding it for up to a minute and a half. We then practiced her Send Away to Place which she can do with a distance of about 15 ft. Great progress Teagan!
Pupdate 10/14/2022
Teagan and I had a fun day of training at the Block of Orange! We worked on proofing all of her commands as we had a pack walk with other pups. She is improving with her Under command as I weaned her off leash pressure today. We then added distance between us as she worked with another trainer. Working with another trainer has been helping with Teagan’s separation anxiety with me. She does not cry or whine nearly as much as she did the first day but definitely still displays signs of stress as I leave. It is imperative to keep working her through these difficult scenarios to help her build confidence without me present. It is also important to come and go as if it’s not a big deal so it won’t be a big deal to her as well.
Pupdate 10/15/2022
Teagan and I started our day with a stroll around the neighborhood in the morning before we got to work on her manners. Before Teagan is fed, she is cued to Sit or Down before I bring the food over to her so she can already be in a calm state of mind. I then place the food in front of her as I go out of sight. Once I come back I release her with the cue Break! She has learned to control the impulse of wanting to go after her food right away when I am gone. Good work Teagan!
Pupdate 10/16/2022
Teagan and I had the opportunity to work on socialization with new friends today! She was introduced to a new puppy that I picked up today for boarding and training. Teagan allowed the other puppy to approach her and sniff her. They walked around together and although they didn’t play much, Teagan was okay with being near her. She does not have much patience when it comes to puppies or dogs with high energy levels as she is a very relaxed pup for the most part so she enjoys company with pups that match her energy level. We then went on a walk to work on her Off Leash Heel. She does well with staying by my side although initially when first out in a public setting together, she becomes over stimulated. After a few stops to get her to Come to Sit back on my left side, she improves for the rest of her Heel, checking in with me frequently.
Pupdate 10/17/2022
Teagan and I took a trip to the local park where she had the chance to work on all of her commands. After Heeling around the park together we went to the jungle gym where we worked on confidence building with other trainers. Going up stairs and down the slide is something she was unsure of at first but was a lot quicker working through it the second time around as her confidence began to build. She then performed Under and Place with different surfaces until released with the cue Break. Although she displays signs of anxiety when working apart from me, she is learning how to work through it and follow her handlers lead.
Pupdate 10/18/2022
Teagan and I went on a trip to the beach today where we had the opportunity to have a pack walk with another trainer’s pup. This was great exposure for Teagan as it was our first time at the beach together. She was a bit skiddish at first when around loud noises. As we spent more time Heeling together around the beach she displayed more confidence near crowded areas. As she displayed more confidence I then took off the leash and worked on proofing all of her commands with stimulation of the E Collar paired with verbal and visual cues. Teagan held her commands for two minutes as bicyclists and other dogs passed by her.
Pupdate 10/19/2022
Teagan and I took a trip to the Citadel in the morning to work on her Off Leash skills near crowded areas. She even got to practice her Greeting manners with a friendly man that wanted to say hi to her. At first Teagan was unsure of him, but after some encouragement she was okay with him greeting her. I then released her and rewarded her so she can have a more positive association with new people. She seems to enjoy female company most. We then Heeled together around the outlets as she held her Extended Sit and Under Command until released.
While Teagan was in Place, I was able to go out of sight for about a minute until Teagan started to look for me. This was a big improvement for her and we are working ourselves up to more duration apart!
Pupdate 10/20/2022
Teagan and I worked on proofing all of her commands at the park! The park had plenty of distractions to test Teagan around like squirrels, birds, and dogs. Teagan is very neutral towards squirrels, not paying much attention to them which is great! She was engaged during training as I marked all her good work with a Yes! We added distance for her Send away to Place and and Extended Down.
Pupdate 10/21/2022
Today Teagan and I went on a trip to the Outlets where she had the chance to work with another trainer, while I was out of sight. This was a great test for Teagan, as she would typically begin to whine as soon as she couldn’t see me. Now she has a very small whine that goes away rather quickly when working with another trainer. The hardest part for her at the moment is walking with another trainer while I am in front of her or behind her. We worked her through this as she tried to pull initially to catch up to me. With a few stims from the E collar and the handler reminding her to Heel, she stayed by the handlers side.
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