Meet Truff! He's a ten month old Golden Retriever from Los Angeles, California here for our One-Week Board and Train Program. He is incredibly sweet, but he loves pulling on his leash and jumping on people. He often wants to decide for himself if he listens to commands or not, and has a knack for chewing furniture and other objects in the house. Over the next seven days, we will work on Truff's obedience skills, help with his impulse control, work on his manners in and out of the house, and show him how to be the best pup he can possibly be. Stay tuned for Truff's one week transformation!
Pupdate: 2/23/2025
After picking up Truff, we headed home to help him get settled into his new environment. Just like his brother, who I worked with a few years ago, he is incredibly sweet and has been adjusting well so far!
In the evening, we took a trip to the park, where Truff made it very clear just how much he loves to pull on the leash. When working on his basic commands, he was able to Sit for me at times, but he didn’t want to hold it for more than a few seconds—something we’ll be focusing on alongside his other training.
So far, I’ve really enjoyed having Truff, and I’m looking forward to working with him this week!
Pupdate: 2/24/2025
Truff went to Whittier Narrows Park today, where we met with some other trainers and their dogs—everyone was jealous of how handsome he is!
He showed a lot of interest in the other dogs, but instead of pulling toward them, he mostly fixated on them, which is already an improvement from yesterday. Aside from that, he remained well-mannered, maintaining a fairly calm and confident demeanor. When practicing his greeting manners, he sat politely for petting on the very first try, which is outstanding!
We worked on his Heel and Come To Sit commands. For Come To Sit, I want him to come when called, walk around my legs, and sit at my left side with his ears at my knee. This smoothly transitions into Heel, where I want him to walk politely at my left side, keeping his ears aligned with my knee. He’s getting the motions down well! His biggest challenge today was wanting to stop and lay down instead of continuing forward, but he’s learning to go with my movement more consistently.
Great progress from Truff today!
Pupdate: 2/25/2025
Truff has been getting comfortable in my home, which is great—but it also meant he was extra excited to start the day! Before heading out, we worked on calmly approaching the door multiple times until he was able to leave politely. This helps him understand that the fun parts of the day only happen when he’s calm and under control.
At Almansor Park, we focused on Truff’s Place command, which involves getting onto a raised object and staying there until released or given another command. He’s starting to get the hang of it! This skill came in handy almost immediately—back home, I asked him to stay on a cot while I cooked dinner. He needed a few reminders but eventually settled in and even curled up for a nap.
This command will be super useful in everyday life, whether I’m cleaning, cooking, or having guests over. Truff is making great progress, and I’m excited to keep building on it!
Pupdate: 2/26/2025
Truff's Heel has been improving, and he's much less likely to pull now! Today, we added an extra challenge by having both dogs I'm currently working with maintain a polite Heel together. Truff has been growing fond of Benny, and the two of them constantly try to engage each other in play. Asking Truff to stay focused and composed while walking so close to his new friend was quite the challenge—but he did well!
At first, Truff wanted to pull ahead, almost as if he felt the need to lead our little pack. With enough repetition and guidance, he started walking more politely and resisting the urge to take the lead. Teaching him that he doesn’t always need to be ahead will be a valuable lesson, especially if you'd like to walk him alongside his brother once he goes home!
We continued this lesson at home in the evening by having both Truff and Benny stay on separate place cots while I cleaned and prepped dinner. They’re great playmates, but reinforcing calm behavior even when they’re excited will help Truff develop better self-control. He made great progress today!
Pupdate: 2/27/2025
Today, Truff took a big step in his training with his first trip to Santa Anita Mall! Since it wasn’t very crowded, it was the perfect chance to introduce him to a new environment while reinforcing his commands. He remained fairly calm throughout the visit, which was great to see.
As we walked around, Truff did a much better job of maintaining the Heel position. He still had moments where he wanted to walk ahead, but he’s learned a lot, so a simple reminder was enough to get him back in position. His responsiveness is improving, and it’s clear he’s starting to understand that staying by my side is the expectation.
His biggest challenge today came when I Placed him on a bench by a fountain with turtles in it. Truff loves water, and the longing look he gave the fountain made it clear that, given the chance, he wouldn’t have minded taking a little swim! It took some extra effort to get him to ignore the water and the turtles, but with patience and consistency, he eventually started focusing on me instead. Moments like these are great learning experiences, helping him practice impulse control in the face of big temptations.
Overall, Truff did a great job for his first mall outing! Even though today’s crowd was light, this was a valuable experience in preparing him for busier environments. We’ll continue working on refining his commands, and I’m excited to see how he progresses as we introduce more distractions in future sessions!
Pupdate: 2/28/2025
Today we started advancing Truff towards being off leash safely! To work on this, I started dropping his leash while practicing his commands. Letting the leash drag helps me see how he might perform off-leash while still giving me access to it if needed.
He had a blast, but it took a long warm-up before he was ready to focus. Without the leash in my hand, he was much more tempted to jump on me or veer off to the side while Heeling. However, once he realized that the expectations remain the same whether the leash is in my hand or on the ground, he started following commands much more reliably.
One thing that stood out was his reaction to the Down command. If I walked behind him, he would stand up and turn to face me, showing some discomfort with me being out of view. We spent extra time working on this to help build his confidence so he can hold his Down position even when I’m not directly in front of him. Excited to keep building on this progress!
Pupdate: 3/1/2025
This morning, Truff and I focused on improving his door manners, as shown in his video above. Mornings tend to be when he’s most excited, but he’s been making great progress in settling down quickly so we can start the day with a calm, structured routine. My goal is to be able to open the door—even step outside—without Truff leaving before being invited. In this video, he’s practicing in a Sit directly in front of the door, but ultimately, he should remain calm no matter where he is in the house when the door opens. I usually have him stay on his Place cot, and he’s been doing a great job holding his position while I answer the door.
Afterward, we headed to the park for more training. We continued working with the leash dragging, and Truff showed improvement from yesterday, needing a shorter warm-up before settling in. This is a great sign of his progress, and I’m excited to keep building on it!
3/2/2025
With rain in the forecast, Truff and I spent most of the day at Home Depot for some indoor training and exposure work. We arrived early in the morning when the store was fairly busy, but Truff settled in quickly and did a great job staying focused as we walked through the aisles. He kept a steady pace and handled the activity around him well.
As the crowd thinned, the store brought out forklifts and mopping machines—noisy and moving objects that could be a bit intimidating. While Truff noticed them, he wasn’t particularly bothered. What caught his attention more was Benny, the other dog with us, who was a little more uncertain about the machines. Truff kept glancing over at him, almost as if he was trying to reassure Benny that there was nothing to worry about. While it was sweet to see, it did cause Truff to fall out of position in his Heel a few times as he checked in on his friend.
Despite that, Truff was well-behaved the entire time, and it was great to see him so confident in the environment. By the afternoon, it had only slightly sprinkled, so we headed to the park, where Truff got to unwind and have a bit more fun. It was a great balance of structure and play, and overall, he had a really solid day!
Pupdate: 3/3/2025
Truff had a great training session at Whittier Narrows Park today, where we met up with other trainers and their dogs. He was a little playful at first but settled down quickly once we started walking.
One of our main focuses today was having different trainers handle him to ensure he responds well to commands from people besides me. He did a good job with this, showing that he understands his commands regardless of who is giving them. However, when he saw me interacting with a new dog, he got jealous and barked at me.
To work on this, we practiced having someone else hold him while I walked away repeatedly. He stopped barking, but stayed very focused on me as I left, showing just how attached he is. We’ll continue working on building his independence this week so he can remain calm and confident even when I’m not right by his side. Overall, it was a productive session, and Truff handled the challenges well!
Pupdate: 3/4/2025
Truff has been doing great, so today we introduced some off-leash work! At first, he was very excited and wanted to play, so we eased into it by taking his leash off for just a few seconds at a time. If he got too excited, we’d put it back on and reset. Once he showed he could stay calm when the leash came off, we moved on to practicing his commands off-leash.
His biggest challenge was maintaining a Heel—he clearly wanted to play instead! So, we took it slow, reinforcing focus and engagement. His other commands weren’t much of an issue, and once he proved he could stay responsive and composed, he earned some well-deserved playtime. Truff worked hard today and is making great progress!
Pupdate: 3/5/2025
Truff had a productive day working on his off-leash commands! Overall, he performed well, staying focused and responsive. One area we specifically worked on was his distance Down. He has a habit of creeping closer before laying down when given the command, so we spent time reinforcing that he needs to drop into position exactly where he is. With repetition and clear guidance, he started improving and showed good progress by the end of the session.
Unfortunately, the rain cut our outdoor training short, but we didn’t let that slow us down. We transitioned indoors and continued working on his obedience, refining his commands in a home environment. In addition to reinforcing what we practiced earlier, we also focused on his indoor manners, making sure he remained calm and polite in the house. Truff adapted well to the change and stayed engaged throughout, showing his willingness to learn no matter the setting.
Great job today, Truff! He’s making steady progress, and we’ll keep building on these skills in the coming days.
Pupdate: 3/6/2025
Truff had an exciting adventure at Santa Monica Pier today, and he seemed to love every moment of it! From the ocean breeze to the lively crowds, he took everything in with curiosity and confidence. With so many people around, he got plenty of attention—tons of people wanted to pet him, and he handled every greeting with excellent manners. He stayed calm, polite, and friendly, which made him a big hit with everyone who stopped to say hello.
Despite all the activity, Truff did a great job following his commands. He stayed focused and responsive, even with the many distractions around him. The toughest challenge of the day ended up being the pigeons! Since he doesn’t usually encounter them in his regular training spots, they were new and very interesting to him. He was definitely intrigued but did his best to stay on task.
He was allowed off leash for a few minutes, and he continued to do well, so we'll have him off leash for longer durations tomorrow when we go back!
Pupdate: 3/7/2025
Truff had another training session at the pier today! He got even more off-leash time than before, while still expecting him to respect boundaries and remain polite. He handled the environment well, showing great progress in his ability to stay focused despite all the distractions around him.
In the video above, you can see us moving through crowds while he maintains a nice Heel position. Even with all the people walking by, Truff stayed engaged and stuck by my side. When asked to hold a Sit, he did well, though he couldn’t help but glance around a few times—there was a lot going on! Still, he held his position and showed good impulse control, which was great to see.
Much like before, the pigeons especially seemed to catch his attention, and I had to use his Off command multiple times to keep him from getting too fixated on them. He responded well each time, though, and we were able to continue our session without any issues.
Other than that, he did really well today!
Pupdate: 3/8/2025
Truff had a fantastic training session at the park today! With multiple baseball and softball games going on, this turned out to be the most highly distracting environment we've worked in so far. The park was packed with large crowds, absurdly loud music blasting from speakers, dogs running around, and the tempting aroma of food in the air.
Despite all the chaos, Truff handled everything impressively well. He stayed calm and focused, showing little concern for the people, dogs, or food smells around him. The only time I made an adjustment was when we got closer to the loudspeakers. The music was blasting across the entire park, and Truff got a little excited as we approached, so I put his leash back on to make sure he stayed safe. He wasn’t overwhelmed, just a little more energetic than usual, so we took our time moving past that area.
Once again, Truff had several admirers who wanted to pet him, and he handled those interactions beautifully. He stayed composed and polite, reinforcing the progress we’ve made with his greeting manners.
This was an outstanding training opportunity, and I’m really pleased with how Truff handled himself today. He’s showing great progress in high-distraction environments.
Comments