This is Tokopah! He is a 11 month old German Shepherd from Ventura, CA here for our one week Board and Train program! Tokopah is a super sweet and friendly pup who loves to go on nose-safari's everywhere he goes. He also loves meeting new friends, especially other pups! He also jumps on the kitchen counters and pulls on the leash. Over the next week, Tokopah will learn basic and fundamental commands on leash to be the best pup he can be so stay tuned for his PAWsome transformation!
PUPDATE 6/13/2022
I wanted to start training Tokopah before it was too warm outside today so we stayed at the park that we had our pick up. Overall, he did very well for the first time working! I can tell he wants to please and is happy when you are happy. I did notice he was not too responsive to the e collar so tomorrow I will try longer contact points that will go through his long Shepherd fur. He is doing great in the crate and had lots of water. I think he is settling in here nicely!
PUPDATE 6/14/2022
Tokopah had a great day learning the Place command. He is a very smart boy and he picked up the lesson quickly! There were some moments he would lay down on the place cot when I told him to sit but I mentioned in the video how I worked on that. Also in the video he got out of the down command and sat up. To keep consistency, I placed him back in a down command even when he was being stubborn about it. After filming, we walked around the park to practice on different place objects and he did great! He was not afraid to go on the park bench that was high or an uneven surface of the rock! He is eating/drinking/peeing/pooping normally.
PUPDATE 6/15/2022
I took Tokopah to an outdoor mall to see how well he worked in a more distracting environment. Overall, he did well! His Heel command has really improved and he had no problems going on different place objects. The only issue I had today with Tokopah is his Down command. He was still stubborn going into the command. He is eating all his food, peeing and pooping normally, and drinking water.
PUPDATE 6/16/2022
Today I worked on Tokopah's Heel and Down videos so you can see how I started out these commands. With his Heel command, I used the barrier and the e collar to help guide him. His main issue with Heel is when he forgets he is in the command and starts trying to sniff. When he tries to do this, I make sure I have my finger on the collar remote button and my hand close to the leash. Timing is very important in dog training and especially for him to understand what I am asking him to do. With his Down command, starting him on a surface where there was the least amount of distractions seemed to work the best. This way, he can focus on the command rather than the smells on the ground. Then, when he was doing well, I increased the distraction surface (the grass). To work on visual distractions, I practiced throwing sticks around him and if he got up from the command, I guided him back into the original spot he was in.
PUPDATE 6/17/2022
I took Tokopah to a local outdoor mall to show you guys what we have been working on the past week. He does not pull on the leash anymore however I noticed he sometimes drifts away from my left leg as we are in a Heel command. His Down command has been improving. He does excellent with his duration work like Sit, staying on a place object, and Down! There were some nice ladies who really wanted to say hi to Tokopah and I wanted to also show you his improved greeting manners! He was calm the entire time they were petting him.
PUPDATE 6/18/2022
I told him to go potty and he sat in the bushes instead!
Today was a very productive day for Tokopah at The Collection in Oxnard. We practiced all his commands and overall he did well. He did get very distracted with dogs passing by but using the e collar and saying "OFF" really helped get his focus back on me. He went on every place object but he still is stubborn when it comes to going in the car crate. He did better with his Heel command today as he was closer to my left leg as we were walking through the mall. He is eating/drinking/peeing/pooping normally.
PUPDATE 6/19/2022
I worked on Tokopah's home manners today including door manners, crate manners, and food manners. Door manners and food manners were very easy for him because he does well with duration commands. Crate manners took a couple minutes because he continued to be unsure about jumping in the car. To help with this, I stepped back a couple feet so using a running start might help along with the blanket near the crate to help him grasp if needed. At first he had troubles but as soon as he figured out that I gave him lots of praise when he jumped in the crate, he started to jump in the crate without a running start. I knew he could do it! He is eating/drinking/peeing/pooping normally. Can't wait to show you everything he has learned tomorrow!
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