Wicket | Aussie Doodle | Riverside, CA | In-Training
- McKenna Caskey
- Mar 19, 2023
- 17 min read
Updated: Mar 4, 2024
Meet Wicket! This sweet & silly 8 month old Aussie Doodle from Riverside, CA just joined OffLeash SoCal's Two-Week Board-&-Train program. Wicket needs work on his obedience & cue-consistency (especially around distractions), socialization with other dogs (he is excitable, reactive, and can be dominant towards the other dog in the home), manners inside the house, and typical puppy issues such as play-biting, jumping, barking, and chewing things he shouldn't. He came to training knowing sit, however he doesn't perform other things well, particularly walking on a leash. Over the next 14-days, Wicket will work to become a well-behaved pup, both inside the home and out in public, who can follow his obedience training both on and offleash. Stay tuned for his two week transformation!
Pupdate 3/19/2022
Wicket and I spent some time at George Washington Park where he was dropped off so I could get a baseline for where he is with his training and what needs to be improved on. Wicket would sit and come some of the time, however he was not reliable, particularly when there were dogs, children, and adults around. He would bark and pull towards these distractions, and overall did not heel well— zig-zagging, pulling, and constantly sniffing the ground. He was overstimulated in the new environment, and had a hard time focusing.
After seeing what Wicket knew, I switched him over to a slip-lead to work on heeling. The slip-lead is a great way to introduce leash-pressure and the concept of keeping pace & position next to his handler. We teach the dogs to walk on our left side, with their head next to the handler's leg. I would hold the leash so there was enough slack for it to be loose in the 'sweet spot', however if Wicket veered out of position, the slip-lead would gently tighten offering a natural correction. I would pair the leash-pressure with the verbal cue 'heel' and either stop or change direction. Indoing so, Wicket will build the foundation that leash pressure means to pay attention to me, which will set groundwork for ecollar stimulation when offleash.
Wicket was also attached to a longline (15ft leash) for training today. The longline is a pivotal tool in transitioning from leash-pressure to ecollar stimulation, and I wanted Wicket to get accustomed to longline-dragging. The noise, sensation, and the longline getting caught on objects is something I'd like him to get used to. The longline also provided me the opportunity to work on a bit of distance/duration cues for sit (where Wicket holds the position until being instructed otherwise or offered "break!", his release word).
Wicket was reluctant about getting in the transport-kennel for the ride home, but overall accepting of it. About halfway through, he made a fuss. Upon arriving home, Wicket was given a potty break in the front yard before being put up in the home-kennel to decompress. Wicket made a fuss again, however I ignored the behavior as to not reinforce crying and barking. After letting the other dogs out for their potty break, Wicket was quiet and settled so I let him out to go potty and meet my personal dog, Krüger. Wicket was confident, but fairly contained considering his reaction to other dogs while on leash at the park. He piddled a little bit from excitement/submissiveness, but was overall not fearful. Krüger prefers to take his time sussing out new dogs, but stays positive-neutral in interactions.
Wicket got put up for a nap while I ran errands, and then met the other boarding dogs I have at my home currently— a 9 month cane corso pup and an elderly pug. He did well and was confident with the large dogs, but he did get a little overwhelmed at times since the cane corso is a very exuberant player.
Wicket continues to bark & whine when put in the kennel, but will settle down after some time.
Pupdate 3/20/2023
Wicket is settling into his temporary home more, and has been fussing a little less in the kennel. We have been working on “door manners” and “crate manners” where he is not allowed to bolt through thresholds and must wait to be given the release word “okay” or “break!”. I prefer to use “okay” for thresholds and when heeling, as “break” tends to mean the pup can do whatever they want after it is given— okay is a calmer release word that means Wicket can move out of a sit or down, but that I still want him to stay with me and not run amuck.
In addition to working on heel, Wicket and I have been integrating “extended sit” to his repertoire. At OLSC, we do not use ‘stay’, as the dogs remaining in a desired cue until being given another cue or a release word is implied. I would gradually increase the amount of time Wicket was asked to sit before marking with “yes” and giving him his release word, followed by some form of reinforcement (affection, praise, treats, food). If Wicket broke his cue early, I would use the corrective phrase “ah-ah!” and provide a visual/verbal re-cue for sit or leash-pressure upwards (when leash pressure is directed up, the bottom goes down). When learning, it is important to set Wicket up for success, so the subsequent extended sits would be a shorter duration than the time he broke cue early.
Later in the day, Wicket and I walked to TeWinkle Park in Costa Mesa to practice heel, extended sit, and exposure around distractions. There were geese, ducks, squirrels, dogs, people, bikes and various other stimuli to challenge Wicket. In areas where there wasn’t goose-poop on the walkway, I would let Wicket drag the longline so he could get more familiar with the sensation. I also fitted him with his ecollar for our outing so he could acclimate to it, as well. He is heeling better than yesterday, however he is still quite reactive and excitable around distractions. With some time, Wicket grew accustomed to their presence, and began realized he cannot go to wherever he wanted whenever he wanted. Dogs remain as Wicket’s biggest distraction however, and he will need more exposure and conditioning around them.
Pupdate 3/21/2023
Wicket has been practicing being polite in the home. I have been letting him have more range around the house with a longline, so he is easy to monitor and I can reinforce/discourage behaviors as needed. If I’m stationary or preoccupied, I will hold onto the end of the longline or tether it where I can keep track of Wicket. This prevents him from going to other areas and getting into mischief.
Today we introduced down, as well as increasing duration and distance for sit while doing home-training. Down/extended down is achieved when Wicket’s elbows hit the ground from a sitting position, and he maintains it. Initially, I would only require him to briefly touch elbows to the ground before offering “yes!” and positive reinforcement. I wanted Wicket to understand the behavior I’d like to see more of. Once he got the hang of performing the behavior, I started to add a cue (‘down’ and a visual cue shaped from a lure).
I have begun implementing “food manners” with Wicket’s meals, where he is asked to maintain a sit position and wait patiently until I offer him his release word (break!) to begin eating. He is improving on door manners, but sometimes needs to be reminded to maintain sit. Before I release him to pass through the threshold, I wait for Wicket to maintain eye contact and focus.
Later in the day, Wicket and I went to Petco in Costa Mesa to practice obedience and build exposure around distractions. He was very excited in the beginning, and had a hard time focusing. After allowing him 10 minutes to take in the new surroundings, we began practicing our obedience, starting with heel so he could get into the groove of focusing on me. Due to the rainy day, it was not very busy inside the store— however this early in his training, less distractions will help aid in mastering cues. Wicket seemed a bit nervous and overstimulated in the store. His extended-distance cues were not as sharp, and he preferred to try to get close to me.
Pupdate 3/22/2023
Wicket was introduced to ecollar stimulation while working on cues in-home today. I am pairing low-level stimulation with sit and extended sit, as he knows these cues well enough to build an association between the two. I will tap the ‘black S’ button as I give the verbal and/or visual cue. The idea is that Wicket will associate the tingling sensation of the ecollar with performing a task.
Wicket was also introduced to the new cue “place”. Place is where Wicket is instructed to go to a definable object and remain there. Place can be performed in a stand, sit, or down. A definable object is anything that is easily distinguishable by Wicket— this could be a dog bed, an elevated cot, or even a post-it note on the ground. For the sake of training today, Wicket was taught using the elevated cot in my livingroom. I will use this cot in the future when practicing front-door-manners. I used food-lures/rewards and leash pressure to guide Wicket onto the cot, then I would mark with ‘yes’ and reinforce the correct behavior. I would gradually increase the amount of distance & duration required for Wicket to remain in-cue before offering his release word and granting reinforcement. At times, I would also reinforce for Wicket remaining in-cue by approaching him and rewarding, particularly for lengthier behaviors. I do not want Wicket to associate always breaking before being rewarded, and that the behavior that precedes the rewards is remaining in place.
Learning place was also a great opportunity to practice down & extended down. Initially, I prefer this position for place, as it is more stationary and takes more effort for Wicket to get out of.
We continued work on crate, door, food, & home manners throughout the day. Wicket has been whining less in the crate, and waits until I give him the cue before exiting it.
Pupdate 3/23/2023
Today Wicket and I worked on “car manners”. This behavior requires Wicket to wait patiently in a sit position until cues “load up” or “place” and gesturing to the car/kennel prior to jumping up & in. Wicket needs to build more confidence leaping up into my tailgate, however he has been making solid efforts. Each time he makes an attempt, especially if he doesn’t quite make it, I will give lots of praise and affection as I help him up the rest of the way. I want Wicket to continue engagement and trying. Since he is part Aussie and part poodle, I am sure it will only be a matter of time before he is clearing the tailgate on his own.
I took Wicket on a ‘pack walk’ with Krüger and Kona. Wicket was excitable coming out of the travel kennel while I had Kona, and needed a couple corrections to maintain a sit and not go towards her. However, Wicket was very good about maintaining heel during the 1.5 mile walk.
Later in the day, Wicket and I went to Home Depot in Costa Mesa to work on obedience around new distractions and stimuli. As with any new environment, I allowed Wicket some time to sniff around and adjust to it prior to expecting follow through with training. If Wicket gets overwhelmed, it is beneficial to take time for him to decompress. We walked around the store for a bit before beginning ‘heel’ and continuing to acclimate him to the new sights, sounds, & smells. We practiced extended sit, extended down, extended place, & heel.
Wicket was also introduced to “greeting manners” when people asked to pet him. During greeting manners, Wicket is conditioned to maintain a sit or a down while patiently & politely accepting affection from another person. Greeting manners can be tough for friendly & excitable dogs, so it is helpful to coach the people on how to approach and perform petting. I will instruct them to approach calmly and without hesitation (lingering their hand in front of Wicket will cause him to get up to approach it) and to pet him on the head/chest/back. The humans are also instructed that petting Wicket is like the game ‘red-light, green-light’ where if Wicket maintains position he continues to receive affection, however if he breaks position they must stop petting him immediately until he resumes the desired position. Wicket learns that maintaining cues get good things, whereas breaking cues does not.
Pupdate 3/24/2023
Wicket met two more boarding-dogs today, a 7 year old German shepherd and a 5 year old cocker spaniel. He was a bit pushy with trying to get the cocker spaniel to play, as she can be a bit nervous, so Wicket was given ecollar corrections paired with the verbal cue “off!” Wicket is told “off” for distractions, when he is fixating, or when he needs to leave something alone (such as bothering dogs, eating sticks or chewing on something he shouldn’t). Wicket was able to calmly respect the other dogs’ space in a short time.
Wicket was introduced to the cue “come-to-sit”, where he must recall to me, loop around my right side, and sit on my left side in a heel position. Wicket caught onto this cue incredibly fast, despite its complexity.
During his training session today, Wicket would get some of his obedience commands confused. Since we had been spending so much time learning down and extended down, Wicket would offer down when asked for extended sit. We are working on weaning off leash-pressure for guidance during some behaviors, however if he doesn’t respond to the re-cue of sit, I will help him out but applying light leash pressure upwards. Wicket still has a bit of a habit of trying to follow me when I add distance to extended cues.
Pupdate 3/25/2023
Wicket and I worked on his obedience cues in the home. We focused on cue differentiation, particularly sit-from-down and how to self-correct when re-cued after mistakenly going into a down when asked for an extended sit. We began “puppy-push-ups” which is repeatedly asking for sit then down then sit then down.
Later in the day, Wicket and I went to Chaparral Park in Turtle Rock, Irvine to practice his obedience in the real-world. Wicket heeled very well, however he was provided the “heel” cue with a low-level ecollar stimulation when he got out of position (usually falling behind slightly). He walked passed other dogs well, however he broke cue when a large dog literally pulled his owner over to us. We also worked on increasing duration and distance of extended cues.
Wicket is sensitive to ecollar stimulation. This is pretty typical during the first few days of introduction to it, however his sensitivity-level has persisted. Wicket will be fitted with different contact points which help diffuse the stimulation. The ecollar is not meant to be solely a corrective tool, so much as a communication tool. The new contact points should allow for a wider range of tolerable levels, which will help aid in mastery of the device. Humans typically don’t feel ecollar stimulation until about level 15, however Wicket has been exhibiting discomfort at very low levels (even as low as level 3-5). Although it may seem beneficial that he is so sensitive, this reaction doesn’t grant the handler much wiggle-room for varying distractions and intensities.
Pupdate 3/26/2023
Wicket and I went to Armstrongs Garden in Costa Mesa to practice his obedience cues and greeting manners in a new environment. He had a harder time not approaching people today, especially during the start of our session. He was able to maintain a sit while being pet, and was a sweet boy.
He has been better about not going into a down during extended-sits, however he did need some corrections. We also focused on come-to-sit positioning, as he has a tendency to sit slightly behind me instead of next to me. When this happens, I will take a step away and re-cue the command. Wicket is getting better about problem-solving ecollar stimulation.
Wicket has been super good about his kennel training and potty training. He will only whine in the mornings when I am getting the other dogs situated and/or he needs to potty (which is awesome). He has not had any accidents in the home, although he sometimes exhibits excitable/submissive urination (which is uncontrollable).
He attempted to steal a bit of raw food that my dog was chewing on, and he got barked at. Since he is a food-thief, we also worked on leaving other food items alone and correcting “counter surfing” behaviors.
Pupdate 3/27/2023
Wicket and I went to Pioneer Park in Anaheim to practice his obedience training. For today’s session, Wicket had the long-line dragging the majority of the time. Allowing the longline to drag helps us figure out where Wicket is in his ‘offleash’ capability, while still providing the security of being able to get ahold of him quickly. For the most part, Wicket was good about maintaining heel and performing his cues, however when other dogs got close to him, he would attempt to walk up to them. This behavior is corrected, as he should not be allowed to leave me or his work to go up to strange dogs. I would give the verbal correction “ah-ah!” paired with ecollar stimulation whenever he strayed.
Wicket “placed” on many new objects, including real & fake rocks, benches, picnic-table-seats, and playground equipment. He was a little hesitant to jump onto the higher objects, however with a little encouragement he was successful and gained confidence in doing so. We continued work on extended sit & down, as well as come-to-sit. Wicket still has a bit of an issue remaining in position (sit or down), however he is breaking the extended cues less.
If Wicket feels anxious or insecure, he will sometimes run up to a nearby person for comfort, which is something we will try to correct in the upcoming week. Part of the behavior may be linked to his ecollar-stimulation-sensitivity. Although Wicket has been responding much better to the new/different contact points, it is still somewhat difficult to raise the intensity of the device without him getting worked up. Typically, we start the dogs at low levels, then with each repeated/incomplete cue, the intensity is increased ~2 levels on re-cues, until the pups are focused and follow-through with the behavior. The new contact points offer a greater range of intensity level, however it is still a relatively small window.
Pupdate 3/28/2023
Wicket and I returned to Pioneer Park in Anaheim to meet up with other OLSC trainers and their dogs for added distraction while working on his obedience. Wicket was not very good at his impulse control, and even ran up to a malinois that was barking and lunging at the leash towards him— these behaviors were swiftly corrected, since running up to the wrong dog could be disastrous.
We continued work on extended duration & distance with sit, down and place. We worked today’s session with longline-dragging. Wicket got caught up a bit with either dogs stepping on the line, or it getting caught on something. When this would happen, verbal praise and encouragement was offered, since Wicket had no control over it. Once he was freed, he was cued to heel again.
Wicket continued practice in home for his breakfast and dinner, as meals are a fantastic way to work on obedience while offering “treat” rewards. I encourage this type of session to be practiced at home, particularly when Wicket first arrives back to his family. Shifting relationships may cause a gap between his training and his owners, so positive reinforcement is the best way for everyone to get on the same page and have Wicket follow-through when responding to ‘new’ handlers.
Pupdate 3/29/2023
I have been giving Wicket his breakfast as training rewards while working on his obedience. He has been doing much better completing the correct cues, and seems to understand the verbals and visuals. He is doing sit-from-down more quickly and consistently, however he gets “place” and “come to sit” confused from time to time (both involve an open-handed visual cue). If Wicket performs an incorrect behavior, I will give the corrective cue “ah-ah” to let him know that it’s not quite correct and recue for the desired behavior. Letting Wicket know something isn’t up-to-par is just as informative and helpful to him as letting him know when he does something correct, and helps him realize what he shouldn’t do in order to get a reinforcement faster.
Wicket and I went to Petsmart in Costa Mesa today today to work on all of his obedience cues in a new location. As per usual, I let him sniff around and absorb the new surroundings before expecting him to focus well. This curbs his curiosity and sets him up better for success when we begin training cues. I was hoping to run into more dogs at Petsmart to work on his impulse control and desensitization, however there were only a few we came across during the session. He tried to run up to the first dog we saw that was standing in line by the door, but ignored the other two (for the most part). He met a few people and practiced greeting manners. Wicket has been holding his extended cues with increased distance and duration more consistently, and has been going into a down when asked for sit less frequently during the longer durations. We practiced placing on new objects and worked on heel throughout the store.
Even with the new contact points, Wicket still shows a very limited range in ecollar stimulation levels.
Pupdate 3/30/2023
Wicket and I went to Del Amo Fashion Center in Torrence to practice obedience around many distractions, and in an incredibly new environment. Wicket was kept on a longline during the first half of our training session, allowing him some time to get comfortable in his surroundings— he was very nervous in the beginning, and was a bit overwhelmed throughout our time there. We practiced heel and extended cues, and I would sit with him from time-to-time as he took his surroundings in.
I decided to try a new approach with Wicket. Typically, level 3-7 is an average baseline stimulation (without distractions) that trainers use when cuing dogs for behaviors. Since humans do not even feel ecollar stimulation until levels 10-15, a 3-7 stimulation is usually a working number that dogs happily associate with completing a task. Since Wicket is so sensitive, I refrained from pairing stimulation with training cues to see how Wicket did with only verbal and visual cues. I would ‘lock’ the ecollar remote at level 1-2 in case he needed a gentle reminder or correction. If Wicket completely left me to go towards a distraction (dogs or humans), I would hit the red ‘S-button’ which bumps the level up by +5 (giving a correction stimulation at level 6-7, which is within the average dog’s normal working-range). Since Wicket is so sensitive to anything above a level 3-4, I will be sure to show his owners how to ‘lock’ the level so they don’t accidentally turn the dial to an intolerable level. With me, if Wicket receives a stimulation above level 10-15, he will run towards the closest person for comfort. For this reason, it is important to make sure it stays low.
Wicket was taken off of the longline to work on obedience completely offleash…
Wicket did fantastic, and I was very proud of his performance. He broke cue a few times (either going to a down while asked for extended sit, or going up to say ‘hello’ to people that got too close to us in the beginning of the session). In the end, Wicket was able to perform a whole 7.5 minutes running through all of his obedience cues, and performed a lengthy extended-down in the middle of the food court while the trainers casually talked— he held his cue and responded to other cues despite other dogs and people passing by.
Wicket’s training is coming along well, and his main areas of focus for the remainder of his program will be waiting before “car manners”, remaining neutral towards humans/dogs in close proximity, and maintaining extended sit (and not going into a down). We will be focusing on positive/negative verbal cues (positive being ‘yes, good boy’ or ‘yes, good *insert cue* and negative being ‘ah-ah!’).
Wicket is not the “typical dog” and his ecollar training must be altered to accommodate his uniqueness. At the end of the day, a well-mannered and obedient dog is our ultimate goal, and Wicket’s path is just a little different.
Pupdate 3/31/2023
Wicket practiced obedience training at home, focusing on verbal cues, extended durations, and home manners. Wicket is doing well, however he tends to break door manners early when other dogs go in or out before him. He also has a tendency to want to jump up into the car before being told “load up”, so these will be things to polish up during the last portion of his training.
Later in the day, Wicket and I did an offleash walk to TeWinkle Park. He maintained heel and his extended cues very well, even when squirrels, ducks, other dogs, and people were in very close proximity. If Wicket would focus on something too much, or fixate, I would tell him “off!” and remind him of the cue he was in. If he broke cue or started to leave me, I would provide a lvl 2 ecollar stimulation, however this was only needed a few times throughout the session. Wicket was well-behaved when someone with a chihuahua walked up to us to say hello, and Wicket remained in a seated position at my side until cued for “break!”
It is important to remember that “break” doesn’t always mean that the pup will come to us, as it is meant to be a cue that they have completed training and can do what they want (within reason). When offered “break” for his extended distance/duration cues, Wicket would occasionally take the opportunity to run towards a nearby dog, however it was easy for me to recall him back before getting too far. This is an expected and normal response for “break”, as he is still interested in seeing other doggies.
Using the ecollar stimulation very sparingly and at consistently low levels is helping Wicket enjoy the both his training and the extra freedom it brings.
Pupdate 4/1/2023
Wicket spent today fine-tuning his obedience and manners. First we worked inside the home, working on mastering cue differentiation and understanding of verbal commands. Later in the day we went for an offleash walk around the neighborhood to practice everyday challenges that may be present when his family is walking him, such as other dogs, cats, critters, & bikes. Wicket did fantastic, but still pays attention to other dogs— to which he was given the “off” cue. He did not run up to them, but lost focus on heel and got slightly out of position. I love how engaged Wicket is with me when we are working.
Wicket will get a bath in the evening so he is nice and clean for reunion cuddles tomorrow. He is so excited to show his family all of the awesome work he has accomplished over the last two weeks!
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