Tony | Blue Heeler | Santa Monica, CA | In-Training
- meganoffleashsocal
- Mar 4
- 31 min read
Updated: Mar 18
Meet Tony, a three and a half year old Blue Heeler from Santa Monica, California! He's here with us for our Two Week Board and Train Program, where we will be working to improve his obedience and manners. This pup has some knowledge of a few basic commands, but he is easily distracted by his surroundings and struggles to listen when asked to do something. Tony has some bad habits, such as pulling heavily on the leash, jumping on people, and nipping when overstimulated. While he is generally a very sweet pup, he tends to display some reactive behaviors such as barking, growling, and lunging. This can be caused by a variety of triggers including other dogs, bicycles, scooters, joggers, and other stimuli. He also tends to get a bit possessive over his food, toys, or loved ones, and will sometimes display resource guarding behaviors. Over the next fourteen days, we will be working to improve his obedience and manners, as well as address his reactivity issues to set him on the right track to becoming a well-behaved pup! Stay tuned for his transformation!
Pupdate 3/4/2025
Today Tony and I spent the day bonding and getting to know each other after his pickup! We walked around and explored the park a bit, and I worked to develop a positive relationship with him to help him feel comfortable and happy training with me going forward. While he warmed up to me very quickly, overall he seemed to be much more interested in his surroundings and was focused on exploring and looking around rather than paying any attention to me. While there were some of his reactivity triggers around, such as other dogs and some bicycles, he interestingly didn't have any reactions while I was handling him today. However, before he was handed over to me by his owner, I did observe him react towards a bicycle and other dogs, so we'll have to explore his reactivity more in the coming days to get a better understanding of it.
After taking some time to explore the park and assess his general behavior and personality, I began testing his knowledge of basic commands to help me get an idea of his starting point and what areas of his training may need some extra attention. Tony didn't seem to have any understanding of the Heel command, and he was pretty determined to pull on the leash so he could get where he wanted to go when something caught his attention. He didn't seem to have any interest or understanding of Sit, Down, or Place, and was unable to perform these commands when asked. His recall was generally unreliable too, though he did seem to have some concept of the command. When called he would often ignore his name, leash pressure, and the Come command completely, especially if he was focused on something else, which was almost always the case. Sometimes he would come my general direction when called, however he did not stick around for more than a moment or two before immediately wandering back off in a different direction.
After we'd spent some time together at the park getting to know each other, it was time to head home and get him settled in! Tony had no trouble jumping into my car, but he was a bit unsure about the kennel in the car. However with a piece of his kibble he was easily lured inside and settled down for the ride home. Whenever Tony is to travel with me in a car, he will be secured in a kennel to ensure his utmost safety. We will also be using a kennel while at home for sleep or if he is otherwise unsupervised. The goal is for him to be able to enter a kennel without needing any physical assistance or food motivators, so we will spend some time working on this throughout his program. At home, he quickly settled in and made himself at home! He sniffed around the room, enjoyed some attention, and found a comfy spot to relax at. Later, we went out for a walk around my neighborhood to help him become familiar with the area. We will be taking walks around my neighborhood daily, so getting him used to this environment will be good for him. I noticed when exiting the house to start our walk, Tony kept trying to run out the door as soon as it was opened, so we will also be working to improve his Door Manners to make sure he can respect the boundary a doorway creates as this will help keep him safe. At dinner time, he happily ate his food, although he did try to jump on me and rush to his food as soon as it was visible, which is something we will work on as well. Tony seems to be settling in nicely overall, and we are so excited to begin this training journey together!
Pupdate 3/5/2025
Today was a rainy day, but that didn't stop us from jumping into our first day of training! We worked around my neighborhood today, which is a good starting location to begin introducing commands and working on behaviors in a relatively calm environment. The residential areas of my neighborhood are usually quiet most of the day, and were especially so today due to the poor weather. We did still encounter a few distractions here and there, such as the occasional bird, dog, or person, but mostly it was just us two as far as the eye could see. Today's training was focused on introducing leash pressure and the e-collar. Be sure to check out today's video for an in-depth e-collar tutorial! Pressure is a fundamental tool used in teaching basic obedience commands. The idea is that whenever pressure is applied, be it from a leash or an e-collar, it is paired with a command. The pressure then remains present until Tony follows the pressure and the command being given. The moment he follows through, the pressure immediately turns off and a reward is given! We spent some time working with just leash pressure, using simple exercises encouraging him to follow the directional guidance it provides, and then rewarding him each time he succeeded. We then began layering in the e-collar alongside the leash pressure as we continued these exercises. By pairing these two forms of pressure simultaneously, he will come to understand that both forms of pressure have the same meaning, eventually allowing for the leash to remain unused during training.
We discovered that Tony has a bad habit of redirecting onto his leash and/or his handler and having a bit of a temper tantrum when he is feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, or simply does not want to do what is being asked. This behavior includes jumping in the air, jumping on his handler, biting and pawing the leash, nipping his handler, and vocalizing. These behaviors were triggered in instances when the leash or e-collar were used to guide or communicate with him, and they seemed to be his attempt to get the pressure to turn off and to avoid doing as told. Some examples of when this would occur were instances where he was asked to Sit, or if he wanted to pull towards a tree or bush but was prevented from doing so. It will be important to teach him that this behavior will not be rewarding, successful, or get him what he wants, as this is a dangerous behavior to let continue!
One way to help to keep his handler and those around him safe while training through behaviors like this is to introduce a muzzle. A muzzle removes a dog's ability to bite, which makes outbursts like this more manageable. We spent some time today introducing him to a muzzle so that he is comfortable wearing one. Ideally, this will be a temporary training tool used just until he is no longer attempting to bite anything or anyone, though learning how to wear a muzzle is a good skill for any dog to learn during their lifetime. He was introduced to it by placing some food in my hand and positioning the muzzle in a way where he had to place his face into it to reach it, which he happily did as he is very food motivated! After just a few minutes, he seemed to have built a positive association with the muzzle and was eagerly placing his face into it and letting me strap it on, all the while happily wagging his tail! We kept the duration of him wearing it short at first, though we will work on gradually extending the time so that it may be effectively utilized during training should it prove needed.
Pupdate 3/6/2025
Today Tony and I visited a local park! The rain persisted throughout today, so people and dogs were rare to come across, though the park was next to a busy street, so there were some noise distractions present. We focused on introducing the Heel and Come to Sit commands today. His muzzle training has been going very well, and he is now comfortable wearing it for longer periods of time, so we opted to utilize this tool during training today to ensure he could not bite at his leash or at me when he became frustrated. His outbursts did make some aspects of training rather difficult, however we were able to work through them and we did see some good progress overall today which is good!
The Heel command is an important concept for Tony to begin developing, as his strong pulling while on the leash can pose dangers to his handler, himself, or others in the area if it is allowed to continue. The goal for the Heel command is for Tony to be able to follow directly alongside his handler on their left side at their heels, and maintain that position while walking unless released or given a new command. This precise positioning takes a lot of practice to master, but it will reduce and eventually eliminate pulling on the leash or veering off in different directions, and allow his handler to take the lead on walks instead of him trying to pull them around wherever he pleases. To introduce this command, I kept the leash short but loose, and ensured he stayed on my left side in roughly the Heel position as we walked. If he began to veer off or pull ahead, leash and e-collar pressure were applied, and the verbal command Heel was given. He quickly began to grasp the concept, stopped trying to pull, and instead learned to follow my lead. He didn't have any outbursts while practicing Heel, and didn't seem to be triggered by the use of the leash or e-collar while practicing this command, which was good to see!
Come to Sit is another important command to begin practicing early on in Tony's training journey, as it will be our main form of recall. The goal for Come to Sit is for Tony to come directly to me when called, and circle around to perform a Sit on my left side. The Come to Sit command when performed in its entirety, ensures that he not only comes when called, but also requires him to sit beside his handler and not leave that spot unless released or given a new command such as Heel. He seemed to quickly understand the concept of coming to me when called, and was easily guided through the maneuver into position on my left side, which was great! However, getting him to Sit, whether for Come to Sit or otherwise, proved to be a very big challenge for Tony today. Whenever asked to Sit with either leash pressure or e-collar involved, he immediately resorted to the problematic behaviors we described yesterday, with lots of jumping, vocalizing, flailing around, and trying to grab at the leash. Thankfully, the muzzle prevented him from successfully biting the leash or myself, which did make dealing with this much safer. Other methods of guiding him into a Sit, such as using hand pressure on his rear end or using a treat to lure him were both unsuccessful. Whenever he had an outburst, the best option was to stay calm and wait until he gave up the behavior. Sometimes, he would end up in a Sit once he was done, so anytime this happened he was quickly released from the position and rewarded.
Pupdate 3/7/2025
Today we ended up doing the majority of our training with Tony at home and around my neighborhood, as the relatively calm environments helped to promote learning and progress. We introduced two new commands, Place and Down, and continued to work on his Heel, Sit, and Come to Sit commands.
The goal for the Place command is for Tony to be able to jump or climb onto an object, such as a bench, bed, or other platform, and hold a stationary position such as Sit or Down while remaining on the object until released or given a new command. We introduced Place at home today using a comfortable dog cot that Tony is already familiar with climbing onto and relaxing on in his own time, which helped to promote confidence and learning. By using a small amount of leash pressure, light e-collar stimulation, and the occasional treat, he quickly seemed to understand the Place command and began to rely less on physical guidance to follow through! The goal for the Down command is for Tony to lay down completely when prompted to, and remain in that position until released or given a new command. This was a tough command for Tony, and he seemed set on refusing to perform it on command. When using any leash pressure or e-collar stimulation, he would react and have an outburst of jumping, rolling around, vocalizing, and attempting to bite me and the leash. He also didn't seem motivated enough for food for this to be a successful lure, and other methods of physical guidance were also unsuccessful. So to make some progress with this command, we opted to simply reward him whenever he chose to lay down on his own accord, and used the verbal cue while doing so, so that he can begin to develop a new, more positive association with the position. On a good note, we did see some progress with his Sit command today, and he was less prone to reacting when asked to Sit than he has been thus far. He did however still need some physical guidance to get him into the position, as he was unable to do it without this extra help.
Later in the day, we made a trip over to a shopping strip to get some training in around distractions. This location provided a variety of distractions to work around, such as people, dogs, bicycles, and noises from the nearby street. Overall, Tony did well with his Heel, Come, and Place commands, and was decent with Sit apart from some tough moments, but he was unable to perform Down at all. We opted to muzzle Tony while working in this environment, which ended up being very important as he did have some close calls today that could have potentially resulted in a bite had the muzzle not been on. Not only was he more prone to redirection and outbursts towards me while working in this environment, but he also had some bad reactions to people. Interestingly, he didn't seem to have much reaction towards dogs, bicycles or skateboards today apart from a bit of staring that was easily interrupted before it escalated. However, his reactive behaviors towards people were much more unpredictable, as he would give very little to no warning before an explosive reaction would occur. He made an attempt to lunge at and bite three different people today. Proper leash handling and the presence of the muzzle were key in ensuring no physical contact was made, though had these precautions not been taken, it likely would have ended very differently. There didn't seem to be any pattern to his reactions, as some people he seemed to completely ignore without any issue, while others would set him off and result in a reaction.
The first incident was a lady who we were simply walking past going opposite ways on the sidewalk, she didn't engage with us or make any unexpected movements, though Tony jumped up and lunged towards her face while in passing. This one had nearly caught me off guard as we had just walked past several people in the same fashion with no issue, and since she was relatively close to us, he came within inches of making physical contact with her. We made sure to keep more distance between Tony and people going forward. The second was a man who was on his phone walking slowly on the sidewalk in the same direction as we were heading, so we moved around to pass him. Despite being nearly six feet away from the man, Tony had tried to turn around and go for his leg once we had just passed him. The third was a teenager, who was walking by us while we were standing still. While several feet away from us, he had reached out his hand to wave to Tony. The sudden movement seemed to startle Tony, and he made an attempt to lunge at his arm. This was definitely troubling behavior to witness, so we will be making solving this issue a high priority.
Pupdate 3/8/2025
Today Tony and I continued to work around various parts of my neighborhood. The residential area was mostly quiet, with only the occasional person or dog around, which was good for warming up his training and focusing on command progress. Within walking distance, there were also some more areas along busy streets with higher distraction levels, such as noisy street traffic, bicycles, people, and other dogs. We spent majority of our time today in the quieter areas, but we made sure to venture into these more challenging areas as well to continue exposing him to distracting environments, as it will be important for him to become more desensitized and familiar with these real world situations as they cannot always be avoided.
One command that is also important in Tony's training journey is the Off command. The goal for the Off command is for Tony to stop whatever he is doing, and focus on his handler. This is a very versatile command, similar to "no", "leave it", or "stop it", and can be used in various situations, such as to interrupt fixation, jumping, nipping, barking, or any other behaviors that are undesirable or inappropriate at that time. The Off command when paired with leash and e-collar pressures allows me to interrupt the behavior so that he is in a better mindset to listen for upcoming instructions. Once the Off command is given, it's beneficial to immediately follow it with another command such as Sit, Heel, Come, etc. Setting his focus on an alternative behavior will help keep his attention away from what initially distracted him or caused the undesirable behavior, and give him something better to do instead that we can reward him for. Tony has shown good progress in understanding the Off command so far, and with each repetition, he seems to be quicker to respond and refocus when prompted! It has also proven useful in interrupting him when he begins to fixate on a distraction, such as another dog or a bicycle, which allows us to de-escalate the behavior so that it does not progress into reactive behaviors such as barking or lunging. More work will need to be done overall before he is fully reliable with this command, especially during intense moments when he is in an agitated state of mind.
During training today, we saw some good progress with his Sit and Down commands, as we spent a good portion of our sessions focusing on these commands. He still had some moments when he would display his reactive behaviors towards me if he was feeling a bit aggravated, though more often than not he was able to both Sit and Down without doing this! He seemed more receptive to guidance with these commands today, and was also motivated enough by food for it to act as a lure and reward. Ideally, we want him to be able to perform these commands when asked without these extra steps needed from the handler, however we of course should celebrate these small victories along the way! He also did an exceptional job with Place, and was comfortable and confident with jumping onto any object asked to, which included various surfaces such as tree stumps, rocks, and benches. Tony did struggle sometimes with his Heel and Come to Sit commands today, especially around distractions. When he was feeling calm and happy, generally when no distractions were present, he was reliable with them and didn't experience any notable issues apart from the occasional minor positioning error that was easily corrected. However with even just minor distractions present, such as a car passing, someone walking within his sight, or a dog barking in the distance, he was more prone to redirecting towards me and trying to avoid the command with his outbursts. The more we practiced, this did become less frequent to a degree, though he still seems to have some hope that this would be successful, hence why he continues to display this behavior. As always, staying consistent by not allowing these behaviors to deter his handler from reinforcing the command or holding him accountable is crucial for continued progress.
Pupdate 3/9/2025
Today Tony and I visited a park, where we practiced all of his commands around distractions. This park wasn't overly busy, but did have a decent amount of distractions, including people, dogs, ball games, squirrels, and birds. Overall Tony seemed a bit unsure of how to feel when we first arrived, and seemed a bit overstimulated, though the longer we spent training here the more he appeared to adjust and settle down. We started out by finding a relatively quiet area, far away from the bulk of the distractions, and began some simple training exercises. He did well with this, and gradually we were able to work our way closer to more distractions to continue the training around. We still made sure to keep some distance from potentially triggering surroundings as to not push too far past Tony's comfort threshold, as we want to set him up for success whenever possible to continue making progress in the right direction. When working in busier areas, he was naturally a bit less consistent with his commands, though overall he ended up doing a good job today, and we are so proud of him!
Tony managed to go our entire visit at the park without having any major reactions towards anything, though he still needed close supervision to ensure any fixation or other precursor behaviors were interrupted before they escalated. He had a few moments when he tried to bite at the leash, but would quickly abandon this behavior as he seemed to understand he would not be able to due to the muzzle. He jumped on me a few times, though this most often seemed to result from overexcitement rather than frustration today, as he was not trying to snap at me or vocalize towards me during these moments and had looser body language overall. Still, this was interrupted and discouraged with the Off command as we do not want to reward him for jumping on his handler or anyone else, as even with friendly intentions, he could accidentally hurt someone.
Pupdate 3/10/2025
Today Tony and I visited a park, where we met up with some other OffLeash SoCal trainers and their pups! This provided a great opportunity to practice Tony's training within close proximity to other dogs and people. The park also had some other visitors, along with distractions such as birds, squirrels, bicycles, and grassy fields. Tony did especially well staying neutral to the other dogs around us, and he didn't have any poor reactions towards the other dogs. While he did tend to keep his eye on them at times, he seemed to understand that they would be minding their own business and that he would not have to interact with any of them, which seemed to bring him some peace of mind.
While at the park, we had some of the other trainers spend time practicing commands with Tony, as developing handler transferability will be a good skill for him to learn. It's ideal for Tony to learn how to behave when being handled by other people apart from just myself, as it can help prepare him for real life scenarios once he returns home. Tony warmed up to the other trainers quickly and was overall quite neutral to their presence when around them. However when it came time for the other trainers to work with him, he was noticeably prone to redirection behaviors whenever they used any form of pressure when asking for a command. Tony has gradually begun to display this behavior less while I am personally handling him, though despite this progress with me, he was keen on testing these behaviors with each new handler that worked with him. Each trainer is knowledgeable and skilled in dealing with reactive pups, so they did a great job holding him accountable and remaining consistent with the training we have set in place. This is key in his success, because if he feels that this poor behavior will succeed in getting what he wants while working with someone, he will be encouraged to continue it. After a while of working with a new handler, these behaviors did appear to lessen to a degree, though it would take more hours of working with him than we had available today in order to achieve the same level of trust and respect that he has with me. He was able to perform most commands for the other trainers, though his tendency to try to bite the leash or flail around first would sometimes cause a delay in his response time.
Overall Tony did a good job with his commands while working with me. He was able to perform his Heel with decent reliability, with his main issue being lagging behind slightly while we walked, though this was easily corrected by putting some pep in my step and encouraging him to perk up and follow me more closely. His Come to Sit was good overall, and he seemed motivated to come to me whenever I called him. He was able to Sit when prompted, and rarely needed any guidance for the command, which is fantastic! He was also able to Place quite well, though he did have some challenges with the picnic benches as the narrow seating area required some precision to access, which sometimes meant he needed a bit of guidance and extra encouragement. He was able to Place on other objects without issue. His Down is seeing some improvement, though he was still only able to Down when asked about half of the time, with the other half requiring a food lure and/or physical guidance to get him into position.
Pupdate 3/11/2025
Today Tony and I took a walk over to a local park, where we practiced all of his commands around distractions. We had visited this park together once before, though since the weather was nicer today than our last trip, the park was noticeably more busy. There were several groups of people, children playing, other dogs, and of course other distractions such as squirrels, birds, and the grassy fields to work around during training. This was the perfect level of distractions for Tony today, as there was just enough to test his focus, but not too much to the point where he was completely overwhelmed.
Tony seemed to remember this environment and adjusted to it fairly quickly! He was a bit unsure of what to make of all the distractions around at first, though by doing our usual method of finding a quieter area to warm up in before moving into busier areas, he managed to stay relatively calm and collected throughout our visit here. He did have one minor reaction towards a bicycle that zoomed past us during our walk to the park, though it seemed to be a result of it catching him off guard, as the cyclist came from behind us and swerved around us just a few feet away as they passed by. He made a small lunge towards the bike, though the leash prevented any contact from being made. He quickly recovered from it and returned back to his Heel immediately after without further issue. While at the park, we saw many other bicycles being ridden, though since Tony had the opportunity to calmly observe them from a distance first, he didn't seem to have much interest in them and displayed no reactive behaviors, even if they got rather close to us.
Tony successfully made it through our whole day of training without having any reactive behaviors towards people or dogs, and displayed no major redirection behaviors towards me or his leash, which was great to see! We practiced putting him in situations where he tends to struggle a bit, such as walking past people, applying leash pressure, and generally being close to distractions. Apart from some general loss of focus and minor tension at times, he conducted himself well overall and we were able to work through any challenges that arose without any explosive reactionary behaviors involved. Whenever he did begin to tense, fixate, or otherwise display precursor behaviors to a reaction, we were able to successfully interrupt him and shift his mindset back to a more positive and neutral space which helped to avoid any escalation. He seems to be coming upon the realization that these reactive behaviors are not worth his energy, and that when he avoids acting out like this, his time spent training and working with me is much easier and enjoyable. He is also beginning to trust me more in that he can rely on me to read his body language and subtle cues he offers about how he is feeling in any given moment, so he does not feel as inclined to escalate these signs in problematic ways. He was able to perform each of his commands with decent reliability today as well, and at this point in his training he seems to have a solid understanding of the expectations set for each one.
Pupdate 3/12/2025
Tony and I took another trip to a local shopping strip, where we practiced all of his commands in a highly distracting environment. During our visit, we encountered people and other dogs along the sidewalks, along with the occasional bicycle, scooter, skateboard, and stroller. The busy street nearby also provided a constant flow of car traffic, which created a lot of noise and movement nearby that also added to the overall distraction level.
We had visited this area earlier in his program, and it was a very challenging environment for him. However this time around, the difference in his overall behavior was vastly different and much improved! He seemed to somewhat remember the location, and warmed up to it more quickly due to this. He still wasn't a fan of the noisy street, so from time to time a loud or sudden noise would spook him a bit, though he recovered from these moments quickly. During our last visit, he had several major reactions towards people we walked near, though today we're happy to share that he had no such reactions! He did a good job not reacting to the other distractions we encountered as well, including dogs, bicycles, and more. He also didn't display any major redirection behaviors towards me or his leash, which was also great to see! Still, keeping a close eye on his body language was key to his success today, and always taking into consideration his threshold and capacity for stress as not to push him over the edge. We needed to take many breaks during our time here, to give him time to decompress and unwind a bit, as training in this environment was a lot for Tony to handle. Thankfully, there were some areas of this location that were quieter overall, such as small parking lots and side streets, where we were able to step away from the bulk of the distractions and relax for a while before venturing back to the main strip. If we trained and spent time in high distraction areas for more than around ten minutes at a time, he became noticeably more irritable, tense, and uncomfortable, causing his reliability with commands to be affected. Past a certain point, he would become more prone to milder forms of reactive behaviors such as fixation and slight overreactions to the leash and e-collar. He would also tend to shut down and refuse to perform even basic commands he knows well when he was simply feeling too overworked, so these were all indicators that a break was needed. After these short breaks, he would seem refreshed and settle back into a more neutral, focused mindset! Today's video recording was about eight minutes long, and we had begun the video shortly after a break was taken. Some of the signs are subtle and didn't show up well on video, but his overall tension levels rising become more noticeable the longer the video goes on. By the end, he begins to visibly struggle with his commands, such as not being able to perform Sit on command, so we opted to take another break after the video concluded.
Pupdate 3/13/2025
Today Tony and I took a trip over to an outdoor mall, where we practiced all of his commands around distractions. The mall wasn't overly busy, but did have a good amount of people visiting, as well as the occasional dog. The mall also had various other distractions, including food, music, and noises from the nearby street. This was another rather challenging environment for Tony, so similar to yesterday we made sure to take lots of breaks whenever he needed them, and remained mindful of his limits. He managed to get through our visit here without any major reactivity episodes, though was still prone to the occasional tense moments and fixations that needed to be interrupted.
Overall, he did well with his commands despite this not exactly being his favorite environment to spend time in. He was able to maintain a decent level of focus, and even with distractions around us he understood to check in and engage with me frequently. He was able to Heel quite well, and oftentimes with minimal physical guidance needed to help him maintain his position as we walked. He generally seems to prefer to stick close to me anyways, which does help! Tony fully understands that pulling is not going to get him what he wants, and as such this behavior has been greatly reduced during our time together so far. He would occasionally create some minor tension on the leash if he was starting to get overwhelmed and wanted to exit the mall area to take a break, though with a reminder of Heel to slow his pace and follow my lead, he was able to do so. He was able to perform Come to Sit reliably, and almost always came directly to me whenever he was called, even with distractions around us. He was able to place on any object he was asked to, and generally seemed to prefer holding his stationary positions on raised objects as opposed to on the floor. This may be due to the object providing a perceived sense of separation and safety away from distractions by helping him feel less exposed to his surroundings. He was able to perform Down pretty well overall, though he often struggled to remain in the position for longer than a few seconds unless he was positioned on a place object such as a bench or low wall.
Pupdate 3/14/2025
Today Tony and I visited another shopping strip, where we practiced all of his commands around distractions. This location had a good amount of people, dogs, bicycles, smells of food from nearby restaurants, and noises from the nearby street.
Tony seemed to warm up to this environment fairly quickly, and seemed to have more capacity to spend time in the environment compared to previous days in similar environments, which is a great sign of progress! He still needed breaks somewhat regularly, though his ability to stay calm and focused extended for around thirty minutes at a time, which was great to see! He didn't have any major reactions today, though as always, proper precautions were taken to set him up for success. He had a few moments where he would tense up a bit, though he seemed to snap out of it easily enough and settle back down before it progressed to anything more.
The narrow sidewalks of this area often put us in close proximity to distractions such as groups of people walking along. Tony did a good job staying neutral to the presence of one or two people walking past in close proximity, though if the group was larger he would tend to feel a bit wary about walking past them. He also tended to tense up a bit if the person or people moving past us were behaving in a strange manner, such as swinging their arms, jumping, or moving faster than a normal walking pace. Our route took us past a bar where some silly adults were mingling in and out of, as well as an ice cream shop that had a lot of excited children present around, so situations like this were not too uncommon to encounter. Whenever we were able to create distance between us and potentially triggering situations, generally around three to four feet, then we opted to Heel past them, all the while keeping a close eye on Tony's body language for any signs of escalating tension that might need to be interrupted. If creating this space to walk by was not possible in a given situation, stepping off to the side, either against a building or by the street edge, and having Tony hold a Sit beside me was the better option rather than trying to squeeze by and potentially push Tony past his threshold.
Pupdate 3/15/2025
Today Tony and I visited a park, where we practiced all of his commands around distractions. This park was very busy today, and had lots of people and other dogs, along with other types of distractions including bicycles, scooters, strollers, ball games, kites, food, and even some music!
Tony did seem a bit overwhelmed here, especially when we first arrived, and it took him some time to adjust to the new and busy environment. He seemed unsure of what to think about all the hustle and bustle in the busy areas of the park, so we warmed up his training in a quieter section with less foot traffic and distractions present. We also returned to less populated areas of the park on a regular basis throughout our visit to allow for breaks when needed. During our breaks, he enjoyed sniffing around in the grass, relaxing in the shade, and even had some playful moments where he enjoyed running around and playing a friendly game of chase with me! Once he felt ready, we made our way to the busier areas, such as along the main pathways throughout the park, and began practicing his commands in closer proximity to distractions such as groups of people and other dogs.
While he didn't have any major reactions towards anything today, he did display some occasional moderately reactive behavior, such as whining, fixation, and low intensity lunging. He mainly only whined when seeing other dogs, though he was able to stop this behavior and have his attention be easily redirected away from just about every dog we encountered. Similar to the rules when encountering people, Tony is allowed to observe other dogs and acknowledge their presence, however intense staring, whining, or other forms of fixation are not tolerated and thus interrupted whenever they occur, as this deescalates the situation so it does not progress into more serious reactivity behaviors such as lunging, barking, or attempts to bite. He did have a moderate reaction towards one dog today however- in this situation he was successfully ignoring it up until it growled at him in passing, which prompted Tony to take a step toward it and return the growl. Though this lasted only a brief moment, and he immediately stopped and returned to Heel when prompted. The only other notable reactivity incident was towards a bicycle that got a bit too close for his comfort while we were walking. He did well with every other bicycle we encountered, even ones that got within a similar distance to us, though in this case Tony seemed to have been caught off guard by it and made a small lunge for it as it passed by. This lunge however was noticeably less powerful or meaningful, compared to how he used to react in the recent past when in similar situations. Instead of any full blown lunging where he is fully intent on using his power and weight to throw himself at and make contact with the trigger, the cases observed today were more of a sudden step towards the trigger, which was quickly followed by the realization of his mistake and return to the command being asked of him. Overall, with the amount of potentially triggering distractions and situations we worked around today, the few small reactive behaviors he displayed were vastly outnumbered by the times he managed to stay neutral, calm, and focused!
Pupdate 3/16/2025
Today’s training session with Tony took us to another outdoor mall, where we worked around a large number of distractions like crowds of people, other dogs, food, and music. The bustling environment provided the perfect challenge for Tony, as we worked to continue improving his ability to stay calm and focused in real-world situations and desensitize him to common distractions found in busy places like this.
When we first arrived at the mall, Tony was a bit overwhelmed, which was to be expected. The crowded area, noise level, and unfamiliar sights seemed to be a lot for him, so he needed some time to settle in and adjust. We opted to find a quieter, less crowded area of the mall to begin the session today, as this gave him a chance to warm up to training and observe distractions from a more comfortable distance. With time, he had begun to feel more comfortable, showing more curiosity rather than anxiety about the environment. This allowed us to gradually make our way into the more busy sections of the mall, and continue the training in increasingly more distraction-heavy spots. Doing this at a pace he was comfortable with was a key part in his success, as trying to rush into it would cause unnecessary stress, less productive training results, and result in potentially reactive behaviors. As usual, we made sure to take breaks regularly throughout our visit, returning to quiet areas as needed to give him time to decompress, explore, and relax.
Despite the large amount of potential triggers for Tony that were almost constantly around us today, he successfully made it through our entire visit here without any major reactive behaviors! He did still seem a bit skeptical, tense, or wary at times, though he seemed to be reassured that nothing bad was going to happen to him, and I noticed him checking in with me frequently. He actually tended to Off on his own accord whenever he saw something that he didn't like, as he would often look at a trigger, then immediately shift his attention away and look to me, as if I had just used the Off command. He definitely feeds off his handler's emotions, so when he checks in with me and sees that I am calm, confident, and collected, he can more easily follow this example. This is a behavior we have been conditioning throughout his stay with me, so whenever he showed this great behavior, I made sure to encourage it by rewarding him handsomely!
As for his overall command performance, Tony showed excellent progress! He ended up getting lots of compliments from passerbys while we were visiting, and at one point he ended up with a small crowd cheering him on while we trained! He did particularly well with Heel, maintaining a steady pace beside me without much issue. Even when we first arrived and he was feeling nervous, he opted to stick close to me and follow my lead as we walked around. Heel is a great command to use in situations like this, as it helps take some stress off his mind regarding decisions about where to go, how fast to go there, what to avoid, etc. Instead of having to think about all of this when he is already feeling stressed, he can channel his focus into following his handler's lead, who he can trust to be a confident leader and make the right decisions in any given moment! His Come to Sit command was also reliable and consistent overall. He was able to Sit, Place, and Down wherever asked of him, though his duration for these commands was on the lower end when we first arrived, as he would tend to get anxious and want to stand up to pace around or look at things around us. As he began to adjust to the environment however, this improved greatly! By the end of the session, Tony was successfully and consistently holding positions for nearly two minutes at a time, even with distractions moving around us within close proximity.
Pupdate 3/17/2025
Today was Tony's last full day with me, so we visited an outdoor mall and put his skills to the test in the highly distracting environment! He ended up doing a great job overall, and it's clear to see just how far he has come during our short time together! Tony's behavior while out in public has improved drastically, and his behavior at home has also seen great improvement! House manners are something we have been working on little by little each day since day one. Even seemingly mundane day-to-day tasks can provide excellent opportunities for training. These manners include areas such as Food Manners, Door Manners, and Car Manners.
The goal for Food Manners is for Tony to be able to hold a stationary command while his food is prepared and set in front of him. He is then asked to remain in that position until he is released before he can get up and eat his food. Tony tends to get very excited about his food, and in the early stages of his training, he was prone to jumping on me or counters when anticipating food, and rushing to the food bowl the moment it was set down, even if it meant knocking me out of the way to get to it. As he progressed in his overall obedience and impulse control, he quickly replaced his bad habits. Even though he quite literally drools with anticipation, he has learned to be polite and patient even when faced with the very tempting distraction of food directly in front of him!
Another area of manners we have been working on is Tony's Door Manners. The goal of Door Manners is for Tony to hold a stationary position while near a door and remain there until released or given a new command, such as Come or Heel. He is asked to hold the position at the location asked of him, and not break the command even if the door is left open, if someone is knocking on it, or if people walk in or out of it. This practice teaches important boundaries, and prevents impolite and possibly dangerous behaviors such as trying to escape through open doors, shoving past people when walking through doors, or rushing over to jump on people who enter through the door. With daily practice, Tony has made great progress with his manners related to doors, and understands to follow instructions no matter what distractions the door may create.
Having good Car manners makes transporting Tony easy, safe, and as hassle-free as possible. The goal for Car Manners is for Tony to be confident and able to jump into the car when prompted, and willingly enter a kennel when asked, without needing to be physically guided or lured inside. While Tony was not initially kennel trained when he first came to us, he quickly learned to see it as a nice, relaxing space for him to spend time in. He now loves the kennel, and enters it very enthusiastically, both in the car or at home. Kennel training is something I suggest continues for Tony in the future, as it provides him with an area he can go to feel secure and safe, and has been an important aspect in providing him the space he needs to decompress and enjoy his alone time when he needs it.
Tony has made such an amazing transformation in these past two weeks, and the differences in him are truly night and day! Before the program, he had a tendency to immediately become overwhelmed, frustrated, and overstimulated by everything around him, causing him to struggle to follow commands or behave in a reasonable manner. His reactivity and redirection issues made handling him challenging and even potentially dangerous for both his handler and anyone around him. He still has a bit of a journey ahead of him before he is completely free of these issues, though just in our short time together, he has already learned the skills needed to keep him on the road to success. While he may seem like a whole new dog, he is still the same silly, loving, and playful pup he always has been, and with his new skills, he is even more of a joy to be around and take with on all sorts of adventures! He could certainly be a handful at times, though overall he was a pleasure to work with and I am forever grateful to have had the opportunity to help set this good boy on the path to success. I know he has a very bright future ahead in his continued training journey with his family!
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