Meet Teddi, a three year old Multipoo from Northridge, CA. He has joined OffLeashSoCal for our Two Week Board and Train Program. Teddi is a very lovable and playful pup, but he stuggles with manners at home. He tends to bark and jump on guests when they enter the door and he does not listen to his owners when they ask him to stop. He has knowledge of some commands, but he stuggles to follow through. Teddi loves to play with his brother at home, but with other dogs, it takes him time to warm up. He will growl or bark when he feels intimidated by other pups. Out in public, Teddi can get easily distracted and at times be reactive. Over the next fourteen days,Teddi and I will be working on his off leash basic obedience and manners. Stay tuned to see his progress!
Pupdate 12/8/2023
Teddi took his time warming up to my home. At first he was nervous and he growled at my pups when they approached him. He was not in the mood to play, so he kept his distance. He explored the yard and got familiar with his surrounds. He started to be okay with walking near my pups, but at times if they got too close to him and Desi, Teddi would growl and charge at them. I corrected him when he would be reactive. Today, I wanted Teddi to become familiar with his new surroundings and give him time to shake off his nerves before we introduce the E-collar. Although he was unsure of his surroundings, he warmed up to me and was excited when I would pet him. We can't wait to get started on Teddi's training!
Pupdate 12/9/2023
Today Teddi and I worked at Parnell Park on the command place. In the video I go over what place is and how I taught Teddi. He was unsure of the place cot at first, but after helping him on his nerves had settled. We did lots of reps to help him understand this command. We also got a visitor while Teddi was training, which was a great distraction. A little girl wanted to come up to Teddi and pet him. He did great not barking or jumping on her! I asked him to sit on the cot while she came to greet him. We also tried to work on down with Teddi, but he was a little stubborn with that command. It is understandable for him to be nervous to go into the down because that is a vulnerable position for dogs. Although Teddi may lay down at home all the time, he may not want to lay down in a environment he is unfamiliar with. It is similar to how we would not want to lay down in the middle of the park if we donāt know our surroundings. It took a few times to get Teddi to go into the down, but he ended up following through with the command. It willĀ take a little practice to get Teddiās confidence up. I also attached a video tutorial about the e-collar. I introduced the e-collar to Teddi which he was nervous about. When I noticed he felt the stimulation, I would pet him while saying good boy. The e-collar will take some time for him to get used to, but overall Teddi had a great first day of training!
Pupdate 12/10/2023
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Today Teddi and I worked at Creek Park on a new command, heel. Teddi did great with the little distractions that were around. He even got compliments on what a good boy he was being. In the video I go over the command heel and how I teach the command to Teddi. In Desi's video I go over how I implement the e-collar into their training. Teddi did great learning heel and we even got to practice walking with Teddi and Desi together. At first the boys would pull on the leash and be very distracted with their surroundings. After some practice, they did not pull on the leash and followed my lead with the walk. Teddi still needs practice since he tends to lose focus, but for his first day learning heel, Teddi did great! We also continued to practice place, sit, and down and today Teddi showed that he is understanding the command! There were a few times he tried to break command, but I held him accountable to following through and added in corrections with the e-collar. I also was able to add more distance and duration into the commands! Teddi is doing a lot better not being so stubborn with going into a down. I am also happy to see Teddi warming up to the other pups at home!Ā
Pupdate 12/11/2023
Today Teddi and I worked at Central Park on a new command, come to sit. When we first got to the park, Teddi was very nervous and it took him about 30 minutes till he calmed down. After his nerves settled, he was able to focus more on the commands. Because he was nervous, he was having a little trouble learning come to sit, but with more practice Teddi will do great! We also need to work more on his heel because he tries to pull away from me during the walk. He is improving on the other commands and we are building more distance and duration. Teddi has built off his knowledge of place from the cot, to now higher surfaces. He is no longer being stubborn going into a down. After Teddi's individual training, we practiced heel with Desi. They had trouble going into a down together but after some practice they were able to follow through with the command.
Pupdate 12/12/2023
Today Teddi joined me for some Christmas shopping at Whittwood Mall. We worked on all his commands around lots of distractions. I walked Teddi around before we got to work so his nerves would calm down and he could focus more on his commands. He was doing great until we put the e-collar on and his nerves got the best of him again. We will practice more of him just wearing the collar even without training so he can be more comfortable. I'm happy to see Teddi's heel improving and his duration and distance with sit, down, and place. I starting to drop the leash and walking away as he holds his commands. We focused a lot of come so sit since Teddi was having trouble with the command. After lots of reps, Teddi would come without me applying leash pressure. We also worked without Teddi and Desi together because they rely on teacher a lot, so I want to build their confidence up individually.
Pupdate 12/13/2023
Today Teddi and I trained at Lowe's and worked on improving all the commands he has learned. Yet, Teddi's fear got the best of him today and he struggled to follow through. He was very nervous to be out in a new environment, so we walked around the store to bring down his nerves. Then, when I started asking Teddi to do commands, he would not follow though and the e-collar caused him to stress even more. We took a walk around the store again to get him familiar with the environment. Teddi's heel was great, even when walking past people in the aisles. We started again to work on commands and Teddi still was anxious. He held his down and sit well as I created distance between us. I took Teddi home to give him a break, then after, we continued his training at home. I let Desi run free as I worked with Teddi so there could be a distraction. When I had Teddi place on the cot at home, he started to become nervous again and was very tense laying down. It seems that the e-collar correction makes him nervous because he is relating it to the bark collar he has at home. To work on this, I had him lay on the cot as we relaxed at home. I want to teach Teddi that he does not have to be tense when working on commands. After a while of him laying on the cot with Desi, he started to calm down, but it did take some time. Teddi knows all his commands, so we just need to work on him building his confidence.
Teddi also had one accident in the house and marked on the wall when I was not watching. There has been times where he tried, but I caught him before he was able to mark. I now only allow the boys in a certain area in my house and they are let outside on a schedule to go potty.
Pupdate 12/14/2023
Today Teddi stayed home to work on perfecting all his commands. Because of his nervousness, I wanted to work with him in an environment he is comfortable with. I started off practicing commands without putting the e-collar on Teddi. I noticed he started to shake, so it seems his nerves don't only come from the e-collar, but also from being told what to do. I tried leash dragging with Teddi, but at times he would not come or try to go an opposite direction, so I held on to the leash but very loosely. After some practice I added the e-collar on Teddi and worked with him on low numbers. I never went higher than a four on the stimulation. Normally when he does not follow through with commands, we would turn up the numbers until he follows through, but with Teddi I stayed at a four and just held the stimulation button down for a continuous stimulant. I had him hold his down on the floor for long periods of time and I walked around him at a slow, calm pace. Even when I would break Teddi, I kept the energy calm instead of getting excited because I wanted to lower his energy rather than raise it up. He has grown more comfortable with the e-collar. Before he would try to run when he felt it, now when he feels it, he follows through with commands. Even though he was nervous through our training, Teddi is still showing improvements in understanding the commands! We will continue to work on his confidence and teaching him how to relax at home and out in public.
Pupdate 12/15/2023
Today Teddi was able to get out and train at the Brea Mall. I first tried to work with the boys together but in the video you can see it was a little hard to get both of them to work together. They both feed off each other's energy, so they would tend to break command. You can also see in the video how Teddi is very nervous when we train. The best way to get him to be more confident is to keep exposing him to new environments and distractions while also having him work through his nerves. One thing they are doing great together is their heel! After a long walk around the mall, they tired down and were able to be more calm. Since their energy lowered, they were able to follow through with commands together. I then worked with Teddi one and one, and he did great! We got to practice his leash dragging skills. Teddi needs to work on his down out in public because instead of going into a down when asked, he likes to run around my legs as if he were doing a come to sit. This could be because he is uncomfortable, but I had held him accountable and praised him each time he went into the down right away. Even though Teddi was nervous, he showed that he is improving because he was able to work through commands even when he is anxious.
Pupdate 12/16/2023
Today Teddi and I worked on his door manners at home. I am teaching Teddi to either sit, down, or place while I open the door and allow guests to come in. I want him to hold the command while I open the door and walk outside. This is great for preventing Teddi from running out the door once it opens, or being overly excited when guests come through the door. He did great not reacting to the doorbell and he stayed in place as I opened the door. We are still working on his anxiety when it comes to him being told what to do. I noticed when we are training, Teddi tries to run and find a safe place for him to hide, like under the bed. To help with his anxiousness of working, I leave the e-collar on him all day other than when he is sleeping. I am also now leaving the leash on him for when he does try and hide, I can correct him and prevent him from going under furniture. Each day Teddi improves on understanding and following through with the commands and overtime his confidence will grow.
After we trained, the boys needed a bath. This was their least favorite part of the day, but after their bath they had a great time running around, playing, and drying off.
Pupdate 12/17/2023
Today Teddi joined me for a Christmas get together with my family. I was so proud of him today because he was not as nervous as he normally is! He was calm and did not jump when everyone greeted him at the party. We took a walk around the neighborhood and worked on all Teddi's commands on leash. He has gotten a lot better with his come to sit. I was happy to see him not as nervous when we trained as well! A few times he tried to run back to the car but I had the leash and corrected him with the collar then he came back to me. It was great to see Teddi's confidence growing!
Pupdate 12/18/2023
Today Teddi joined me to do some Christmas shopping and we continued to work on perfecting all his commands in public. Teddi did a great job today and I noticed he did not shake! I can see his confidence growing each day! He still is a bit nervous because I noticed he tries to sit or down closer to the walls or lean on me. Overtime and continuing to work with him, he won't be as nervous to follow commands. He was greeted by a lady at the store and she said he was very well behaved. We also got to practice Teddi's food manners and load up. Teddi loves going for car rides and he tries to jump in the car the second the door opens. Instead of rushing in, I have him wait patiently in a sit or down then break him when I'm ready for him to jump in. Teddi had a great day of training today!
Pupdate 12/19/2023
Today Teddi and I worked at the Citadel Outlets. Teddi was very nervous when we first started and it may have been because Desi was around. When we separated the boys, Teddi was shaking and had a hard time following through with commands. It took some time for Teddi to calm down without his brother being around, but once he did, he did amazing following through with commands! Teddi did great with his on leash heel and even sitting with lots of people passing by. A little girl wanted to come pet Teddi while he was working and I was proud of Teddi that he did not move when she went up to him! I told her no just because he was in a command but later on Teddi was greeted by even more people.
I noticed Desi and Teddi are each other's biggest distraction, so working them separate and away from each other is best when trying to fix their separation anxiety. It will help build their confidence and teach them independence.
Pupdate 12/20/2023
Today Teddi headed down to Home Depot with me and Desi joined us for some training together. The boys started off a little messy with the structure in commands. When one would mess up, the other followed along, but the boys were able to work on the mistakes. We did lots of repetition so the boys could get used to being next to each other while doing the commands. They struggled with their come to sit just because they would bump into each other causing one of them to either sit too far back or too far ahead of me, but I was happy to see them follow through with the command. I still wanted to work on their structure, so I went close to a wall which prevented them from sitting too far away from me. I had Teddi's leash dragging while Desi was off leash. They did great with heeling together, going into a sit or down, and even doing place! Teddi still starts to shake when we train, but I am proud to see him work through his nerves!
Pupdate 12/21/2023
Today Teddi and Desi got to work together at the Cerritos Mall. It was very busy, but the boys did great staying focused and following through with commands. Today they did much better with their structure in sit and down. There was one time where Teddi moved after being in a sit, but it was not his fault because I accidentally pulled on his leash when untangling it. Teddi was very nervous during the car ride to the mall, but once we got in, we did a long walk which helped Teddi bring his nerves down. Teddi has been working so hard these past two weeks and he can't wait to come home and show you everything he has learned!
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