Meet Troubadour! He is a two year old Labrador Retriever who has joined Off Leash Socal for our Two Week Board and Train Program! Troubadour is here for basic obedience, jumping to greet, and leash pulling. He comes to us knowing a few commands but does not listen when distracted. Over the next fourteen days, this friendly and loving pup will be set up for success, with hopes of becoming a well mannered dog!
Troubadour and I spent the day getting to know each other by going for a walk around my neighborhood. He began pulling on his leash so I introduced him to Heel. Heel is having Troubadour walk next to me on my left side. Every time he pulled away from me, I turned around and walked in the opposite direction. Troubadour was able to catch on very quick and it will now be implied on every walk we go on. He has settled in well at my home, and I am looking forward to making progress with him these next two weeks!
Troubadour was introduced to Place today. It consists of having Troubadour getting onto an elevated object and remaining there in a Sit or a Down. Place also helps build confidence in a dog and can be of great use when guests are over. At a local park, I lead Troubadour to a picnic table to begin practicing. Initially, Troubadour would only place his front legs onto the table bench, but he was able to fully get on with a little leash tension, and giving his back legs a boost. It took a few attempts, but with patience and repetition, Troubadour is now beginning to Place on his own!
Troubadour was introduced to his recall today which is known as Come to Sit. This technique consists of having Troubadour coming towards my right side, going around behind me, and ending with a Sit on my left side. I worked on it by using leash tension as guidance to help him understand the concept. Troubadour would come towards my right, but he would Sit behind me, and not go around me. To work him through that, I would take a step forward and use his food to lure him and have him Sit on my left. Troubadour is following through and getting better with every session we work on!
Troubadour and I drove out to Pan Pacific Park in Los Angeles today. Troubadour already knows Down but was having trouble maintaining it whenever I would start increasing distance. To help him with that, I moved back one foot at a time with five second increments. One foot back is five seconds, two feet back is ten, three feet back is fifteen and so on. Troubadour is doing well as he is almost up to one minute. With more practice, he will be able to reach his two minute goal!
Troubadour worked on his Extended Sit today. I used the same approach as his Extended Down and he was able to catch on very fast. Since he enjoys playing with a soccer ball that we use in the backyard, I utilized it as a distraction to work on both Sit and Place. Troubadour was great at following through and our session concluded with some playtime in my front yard!
Troubadour began his off leash training today. We drove out to the Santa Monica Pier to have him work in a more public area, where I mainly focused on his Place and his Come to Sit. Troubadour was great working around dog distractions, loud noises such as carnival rides, and seagulls in the area along with pigeons. He continues to thrive in his training and receives so many compliments on his good behavior everywhere we go!
Troubadour and I worked on some more off leash conditioning today and worked on his Heel a little more. He tends to veer off to the left a little as we are walking, so I am working with Troubadour to have that cleaned up. He also did really well with his Extended Place and his Extended Down. Moving forward, we are going to start piecing everything he has learned together in preparation for Troubadour’s Final! He is very bright and I am looking forward to continue making great progress with Troubadour!
Troubadour has been practicing Food Manners ever since I picked him up. He would walk straight towards the bowl as soon as I placed it down. To stop Troubadour from doing so, I picked the bowl up and asked him to Sit. Once in a Sit, I placed the bowl down again, waited a few seconds, and then released Troubadour with a “Break.” Every meal consisted of the same approach with the only difference being the time increase Troubadour would have holding his Sit. He has made great improvement and can now wait for his food patiently for two minutes!
Troubadour and I drove out to a local park to work on his recall from his Place position. On his first attempt, Troubadour came towards me and sat in front of me. I took a step back, asked him to Come, and reset by asking him to Place again. He was able to do it the second time, and we continued working on a few more reps which he did really well with. We took a walk throughout the park and ended with some lunch and playtime!
Troubadour and I met with other trainers today and worked around dog distractions. I walked with Troubadour around the dogs and he was able to follow through and not interact with any of them. I then proceeded to have Troubadour in a Down and asked the trainers to walk around him with their dogs. Troubadour successfully completed his session by remaining in a Down until I asked him to Break!
Troubadour and I have been working on his Door Manners. As soon as I would open any door, Troubadour would want to be the first one to go through. To condition him into not doing so, I ask Troubadour to Sit before I open the door. If he gets up, I close the door and try again. Every day that Troubadour has been practicing, I increase his time to have him Sit longer. He has reached his two minute goal and has the potential to increase it with more practice and consistency!
Troubadour has shown outstanding progress around people, other dogs, and other distractions all around. With that being said, Troubadour and I were able to piece everything together and he is ready to begin filming his Final! Troubadour is very bright and continues to thrive. We had great sessions today and I am sure he will put on a great performance!
Troubadour and I worked on his Final today in which he did an outstanding job! Everything he has learned was put together and it was great seeing him put on a successful performance! I am very proud of the outcome and his ability to show what he is capable of! Troubadour has transformed into a well behaved dog and has come a long way throughout the time he has been in training with me!
Troubadour has completed his Two Week Board and Train Program and is ready to go home! He has learned so much and I am looking forward to showing you what he can do! I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to work with Troubadour and for trusting me with him. He was a great co-pilot and I am going to miss his companionship!
