Vlad | French Bulldog | View Park, Ca | In Training
- Tanner Strong
- May 3
- 5 min read
Updated: May 9
Meet Vlad, a fun-loving two-year-old French Bulldog all the way from View Park, California! Vlad is as friendly as they come and absolutely lives for chasing balls! If there’s one in sight, you can bet it has his full attention. Whether it’s a casual game of fetch or a full-on soccer match nearby, those bouncing distractions are just a little too exciting for him to ignore.
Vlad already has a foundation of obedience skills, but like many young pups, he sometimes struggles to follow through, especially when excitement takes over. He also has a habit of jumping up to greet people, which we’ll be working on improving. Over the course of this week, our focus will be on sharpening his obedience, building stronger impulse control, and reinforcing good manners both inside and outside the home.
With consistency, structure, and plenty of guidance, Vlad is on the path to becoming the best version of himself. Stay tuned to follow along on Vlad’s one-week transformation!
5/3/2026
Vlad had quite the exciting first day! After picking him up, we headed over to the park where there was a lot going on—especially some soccer games—which definitely caught his attention. Vlad absolutely loves chasing balls, and that was very clear today! With so much activity around, he found it pretty challenging to stay focused and was often tempted to pull toward the action to join in on the fun.
When we created some distance from the excitement, Vlad was able to settle a bit more and showed that he can Sit fairly well, which is a great starting point. He is still pulling quite a bit on the leash, but that’s something we’ll continue working on as he gets more comfortable and learns what’s expected of him.
After we got home, Vlad did a nice job settling in and seemed to relax pretty quickly. He’s already showing signs that he’s warming up and getting used to his new environment, which is great to see. I’m looking forward to helping him build better focus and leash manners as we continue working together!
5/4/2026
Vlad had a really impressive day today! From the start, he showed me a lot of what he’s capable of. While he was a little unsure about my usual Sit and Heel commands at first, he still made a great effort to work through it and stay engaged with me.
One of the biggest highlights was how well he did around other dogs. Just as described, Vlad had little to no issues in that department—he stayed calm, composed, and respectful, which made working in those environments smooth and enjoyable.
Now, the real challenge showed itself when the tennis balls came out. The moment someone threw one, Vlad was locked in and very eager to chase it! That excitement is something we’ll be focusing on, using those moments to build his impulse control and reinforce his obedience even when his favorite distraction is in play.
Overall, Vlad is off to a great start. He’s showing solid potential, and with more time spent working around those high-energy park distractions, especially sports and balls, he’s only going to keep improving!
5/5/2026
Vlad and I made our way over to Albion Riverside Park today! While there weren’t any soccer games going on (his favorite kind of distraction), Vlad still gave me a little bit of pushback during our session.
Overall, he behaved well, but during some work on his Come To Sit and Heel commands, there were a few moments where he tried to jump up and nip at my hand—almost like he was telling me he was done working. While it’s a bit of attitude, it’s also a good opportunity to reinforce expectations. It’s important that we follow through in those moments so he understands that the commands still apply, even when he’d rather be finished.
Once we worked through that, Vlad settled back in and did a nice job for the remainder of our time out. He especially did well once we got home, showing that he’s capable of making good choices when he’s in the right mindset.
Overall, a solid day with Vlad, with a few learning moments that will help us continue building his consistency and manners!
5/6/2026
Vlad had a much better day today! It seems like yesterday may have just been a bit of an off day for him, as the nipping behavior didn’t show up and he was much more polite and responsive overall.
We were able to find some great distractions to train around, including a few tennis matches, some people playing basketball, and even a couple groups playing hacky sack. Each of these definitely caught Vlad’s attention at first—he was curious and a bit distracted—but the lower level of activity gave us the perfect opportunity to work through it. With some guidance, he was able to settle in fairly quickly and make much better choices.
Once he worked past that initial excitement, Vlad did a great job staying focused and behaving well around all the activity. It was a solid step forward for him, and a great example of how he’s learning to manage his impulses and stay engaged even when there are fun distractions nearby!
5/7/2026
Vlad and I went to the park this morning to continue working around distractions and practicing his obedience in public! For his video today, I wanted to show off a couple of the manners we’ve been working on at home as well.
Unlike his sister Layla, Vlad’s biggest challenge with door manners has been wanting to rush out the door! He would often get overly excited, pull ahead of me, and try to burst through as soon as the door opened. We’ve been working on having him wait patiently at the doorway, stay calm while the door opens, and then walk through politely with me instead of dragging me outside. We practice this a little bit each day, and Vlad has already made some really nice improvements with his patience and self-control.
We’ve also been focusing on his car manners. The goal is for Vlad to calmly and politely walk into his crate when I open the car door for him, rather than rushing around excitedly. He’s starting to understand the routine much better and has been much more polite and cooperative about loading into the car. Vlad is making good progress overall, and it’s been great seeing his manners continue to improve each day!
5/8/2026
Vlad and I went to the mall today! There were a few events and activities going on around us, so we had plenty of opportunities to work through distractions in different areas. Vlad did a really nice job staying calm and composed no matter what we encountered. He responded well to his commands and showed good focus throughout our outing, even with all the excitement around him. I’m very proud of the work Vlad put in today and happy with the progress he continues to make!
5/9/2026
Vlad and I went back to the park this weekend to revisit the soccer games and see how much progress he has made since last week. I’m very proud to say that Vlad behaved extremely well! Last weekend, the soccer games were a huge distraction for him, and he really wanted to pull toward the action and chase after the balls. This time around, Vlad showed a big improvement in his focus and self-control.
Even with all the activity, noise, and excitement around us, Vlad was much more attentive and responsive to me. He was able to stay calmer, follow through with his commands, and resist the urge to rush toward the games. It’s impressive to see how much progress he has made in less than a week, especially considering how exciting soccer is for him!
Vlad is proving to be a very smart dog who is learning quickly, and today was a great example of that. We still have more work to do, but his improvement already has me very excited for what’s ahead. Great job today, Vlad!
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