Toby | Golden Retriever | Redondo Beach
- scottoffleashsocal
- Jun 21
- 5 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
Meet Toby, the golden retriever from Redondo Beach! Toby joins us for our two week community board and train in hopes of creating an obedient and off-leash lifestyle with him parents back home. Toby currently only knows "sit" and that is occasionally ignored and is also reactive to other dogs. I look forward to bringing some clear structure to Toby's obedience understanding so he can prosper under his training.
06/21/2026
Today, Toby and I just bonded and since he knows how to “sit” (with treats present) we just began exposing him to the various training locations and tools such as my garage, front yard, and place cot. Toby did well and kept his “smile” out.
06/22/2026
Today, Toby the Golden Retriever worked through a structured dog-reactivity training session around another dog in a controlled environment. To safely address his reactions, I utilized a well-trained Border Collie that was staked out and capable of providing appropriate canine communication if Toby became overly excited or attempted to behave aggressively. The goal was to help Toby learn accountability from both the handler side and the canine side while maintaining a calm, neutral state of mind. Throughout the session, Toby was guided through proper leash handling, obedience commands, and exposure at distances where he could remain successful. As his confidence and understanding grew, he demonstrated improved self-control around the other dog and began making better decisions when faced with canine distractions. The session focused on teaching Toby that calm behavior results in freedom and reward, while overreaction is neither necessary nor productive.
06/23/2026
Today I took Toby the Golden Retriever to a dog park to continue working on his reactivity around other dogs. Rather than entering the park, we remained outside the fence where Toby could observe dogs running, playing, and moving at high levels of excitement. The focus of the session was building engagement with me and teaching Toby that he does not need to monitor every dog in the environment. Through structured obedience exercises, reward-based engagement, and consistent redirection, Toby learned to shift his attention away from the distractions and back onto his handler. As the session progressed, he became noticeably more relaxed and responsive, demonstrating improved impulse control and a greater ability to remain focused despite the activity occurring around him.
06/24/2026
Today I took Toby to the dog park to continue working on his dog reactivity and overall engagement in a highly distracting environment. He initially struggled to maintain focus on me, frequently checking in with the other dogs and becoming more interested in his surroundings than our training. Rather than pushing through the same approach, I adjusted the session by creating a much clearer communication system so Toby could easily distinguish between correct and incorrect choices. By consistently marking and rewarding engagement while fairly interrupting unwanted behaviors, he began to understand exactly what was expected of him. As the session progressed, Toby showed noticeable improvement in choosing to focus on me despite the distractions, laying the groundwork for more reliable engagement in challenging environments.
06/25/2026
Today we continued building Toby's reliability by beginning to trust him with more off-leash fundamentals during our walks. As he consistently demonstrated good decision-making and responsiveness, I started dropping the leash during both extended sits and downs, allowing him greater freedom while still holding him accountable to his commands. This exercise helped reinforce that obedience is expected even without physical restraint and encouraged Toby to make the correct choices on his own. He showed excellent progress, remaining calm, focused, and committed to his position until released, marking another important step toward dependable off-leash obedience.
06/26/26
Today, Toby continued making excellent progress with his heeling work on leash. Our primary focus was building consistency and reliability while maintaining proper position at my side through a variety of distractions. As he demonstrated a better understanding of the expectations, I gradually reduced leash guidance to encourage him to make the correct decisions independently. By the end of the session, Toby was showing enough consistency and engagement that we began preparing for dropped-leash heeling exercises. The goal is to ensure he remains focused and committed to the heel position without relying on leash pressure, creating a smooth transition toward confident and dependable off-leash heeling.
06/27/26
Today Toby visited Home Depot to continue building confidence in a busy public environment. We challenged him by asking him to climb onto a variety of textured and elevated surfaces, including different building materials and displays, helping him become more comfortable navigating unfamiliar footing. Throughout the session, Toby also practiced extended sits and downs with the leash dropped, reinforcing his ability to remain composed and committed to commands without relying on leash pressure. Despite the distractions of shoppers, carts, and noises, he showed steady improvement in both his confidence and impulse control, demonstrating increased trust in his training and a growing ability to relax in stimulating environments.
06/28/26
Today we introduced Toby to the first stages of reliable off-leash training during a field trip to Home Depot. We began by allowing him to drag the leash while practicing short recall-to-heel repetitions, reinforcing that returning to my left side is always the correct choice despite the many distractions around him. As his confidence and consistency improved, I unclipped the leash entirely and transitioned into true off-leash heeling. Toby stayed engaged, maintained position well, and responded to directional changes and stops with increasing reliability. This session marked an important milestone in building trust and preparing him for safe, controlled off-leash work in public environments.
06/29/2026
Today Toby trained at the park with a strong emphasis on off-leash reliability while working around several other dogs. We focused on extended down and sit stays, challenging him to remain calm and composed despite the movement and excitement happening around him. Toby demonstrated excellent impulse control, maintaining his positions without the need for leash guidance and consistently looking to me for direction before making decisions. These exercises continue to strengthen his off-leash obedience, build trust in high-distraction environments, and reinforce that remaining patient and engaged with his handler is always the correct choice.
06/30/2026
Today’s session with Toby focused on strengthening his heel and duration downs in a busy park environment with several reactive dogs nearby. The goal was to build his ability to remain calm, engaged, and responsive despite the distractions around him. We worked through structured heeling exercises, rewarding consistent attention and proper position while encouraging Toby to ignore the reactions of other dogs. He also held extended downs under increasing levels of environmental pressure, learning that remaining calm and committed to the command is the correct choice regardless of what is happening around him. Toby made excellent progress, showing improved focus, confidence, and the ability to settle more quickly in challenging situations.
07/01/2026
Today Toby and I began residential off-leash. Which involves pressure from cars, different dogs in their own properties reacting to us walking by, and neighbors in their yards. Toby did well and held the heel only breaking once to use the restroom (allowed).
07/02/2026
Toby worked off leash in the outdoor mall area, practicing calm obedience and reliable focus around real-world distractions. With people walking by, sounds from nearby stores, and plenty of activity around him, he continued learning to stay connected to his handler and make good choices without relying on the leash. Toby worked through heeling, sits, downs, and check-ins while building confidence and proving he can remain respectful, responsive, and under control in a busy public setting.
07/03/2026
Toby the Golden Retriever is finalizing his food and door manners by practicing patience, impulse control, and calm decision-making in everyday routines. He is learning to wait respectfully for permission before approaching his food bowl and before moving through doorways, rather than rushing ahead out of excitement. These small but important exercises help Toby build stronger obedience, confidence, and self-control while reinforcing that he should look to his handler for direction.
07/04/2026
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