Wolf | German Shepherd | Montebello, Ca | In Training
- J V
- Dec 15, 2024
- 11 min read
Updated: Dec 28, 2024
Meet Wolf! A 2-year-old German Shepherd from Montebello, CA, here for our famous 2-week board & train program! He has come to us with very minimal obedience and little to no impulse control. His parents are struggling with unwanted barking, lunging, pulling on leash, and jumping on strangers. He is a very smart, active, and excited boy, and he’s super eager to learn. Stay tuned for Wolf’s two-week transformation!
Pupdate 12/15/2024
Today, the drive home was better than ideal! Wolf was quiet for the entire 30-minute drive and was super polite when asked to unload from the car. He immediately made himself comfortable in my yard and showed no signs of stress. He’s a very friendly, “happy-go-lucky” dog. The introduction to my dog went super smoothly, too. They get along well, although Wolf can be a bit overbearing with boundaries during playtime. This is okay — he just needs to learn some manners, and he responds very well to corrections when he gets overly excited. We spent time working on a variety of training exercises, such as “Sit,” “Down,” and “Place.” We also introduced “extended sitting” in front of doorways and gates. He demonstrates a bit of training foundation with “Sit” and “Down” but still lacks impulse control. Overall, he’s highly intelligent and learns quickly! Crate training also went smoothly. As shown in the video, this was his first attempt, and he passed with flying colors — no whining in the crate! Stay tuned for Wolf’s upcoming pupdates!
Pupdate 12/16/2024
Today, Wolf and I met up at a park with some other trainers from the Off Leash SoCal team. Overall, I am pleased to report that Wolf is showing amazing progress with his training! In the video, we practiced “HEEL” with added distractions such as other dogs, people, and squirrels. We also worked on increasing the duration and distance for his “SIT,” “DOWN,” and “PLACE” commands. He is already showing that he can hold these commands for extended periods of time. Additionally, I introduced the “COME to SIT” command. We are still shaping this, but I feel really good about how quickly he can learn new tasks. I also handed Wolf off to my fellow trainer, Christian, to work on his obedience. We do this to help dogs understand that they need to work and behave for other people/handlers, which can also help increase their confidence when performing new tasks. This also demonstrates that daily training sessions— even just 15 minutes a day along with a walk—can help keep him active and mentally stimulated. Once we got home, he ended the afternoon with a long nap, as mental activities like these really help tire him out. Having Wolf in front of the trainers today gave everyone their first opportunity to meet him. The consensus is that Wolf could stand to lose a few pounds. Nobody wants Wolf to be carrying around extra weight as he gets older, which could potentially harm his hips, shoulders, and elbow joints. It is our recommendation that we start thinking about a new diet for Wolf. Wolf is demonstrating an amazing ability to learn quickly! I am very proud of him today. Stay tuned for Wolf’s upcoming Pupdates!
Pupdate 12/17/2024
Today, Wolf and I went on a big adventure. We started our day with a walk and practiced the “heel” command. He did well and is showing progress. Afterward, we took a trip to Bella Terra in Huntington Beach, where we focused on “heel,” extended “sits,” and “downs” with increased distractions such as people, shopping carts, ducks, and other dogs. We are still working on his impulse control, especially when dogs walk by. In the footage near the beginning, you can see he had the urge to lunge. I quickly corrected him with the leash and paired it with the e-collar “OFF” command, which he responded to very well. This command is helpful for various situations, such as jumping, lunging, sniffing, or trying to eat unwanted items. He learns quickly, and I was also able to introduce a little off-leash work using the leash-drag method at the store. I’m very happy with the progress we are making. Stay tuned for Wolf’s upcoming pupdates!
Pupdate 12/18/2024
Today, Wolf and I started the day with another morning walk, introducing more leash dragging to shape his off-leash walking. He is doing well, though he still needs more practice staying focused. Overall, I am pleased with his progress.
In the video, which is sped up a little, you can see his extended “Sit” on “Place” is coming along so well! He held that for about 1.5 minutes before I said “break,” and he came straight to me. This is a good sign. We also happened to run into an acquaintance of mine who had two rambunctious retrievers. Note in the video how my acquaintance is walking his dogs in the background. Wolf really wanted to run over and play, but I kept him focused on training, and he showed remarkable progress by staying attentive to me. Later, we had Wolf practice an extended “Down” around the retrievers, using the “Off” command when he felt the urge to break position. This needs improvement since these were brand-new dogs to him. However, he has shown wonderful progress with my own dog, not even needing the e-collar for the first “Off” command when he starts to get overbearing during interactions. I’m super proud of him and will continue practicing these exercises throughout the day. He is currently snoring in his crate.
I plan to start transferring these exercises to more densely crowded areas as soon as possible. Stay tuned for Wolf’s upcoming pupdates!
Pupdate 12/19/2024
Today, Wolf and I started our day with another morning walk, continuing to shape his off-leash “heel” command. He’s improved remarkably! In the video of our outing, we practiced “heel” with leash drag, extended “down,” extended “sit” on “place,” “greeting manners,” and “door manners”—all with increased distractions. Training in more public areas with larger groups of people and children running around helps boost his confidence. These environments challenge him to stay focused and reinforce his ability to remain calm and obedient. He’s capable of performing everything asked of him and is showing very impressive progress. I couldn’t ask for a better training day! We will be graduating into bigger crowds ASAP. Stay tuned for Wolf’s upcoming pup-dates.
Pupdate 12/20/2024
Today, Wolf and I started our day with a long morning walk/outing. I took him to a nearby field to practice recall at larger distances. He is doing wonderfully with coming when called and was able to recall from a large distance with just the e-collar. Some recalls were successful with verbal communication alone—“Wolf, come”—which I’m very pleased with. In the video (sped up a bit), we achieved a 2-minute extended “Down” for door manners. I was super happy as he did this successfully on the second try. My daughter, unaware of the training exercise, ran into the frame, even jumping with her little kid wiggles, and Wolf did not break position, which thrilled me. Afterward, I used “Heel” to walk him to the car off-leash and started the “Car Load Up” exercise. Wolf has been having trouble jumping into the car, so I set up the ramp for the first time. This proved successful for loading him up. I will continue encouraging him to jump in on his own and will monitor his progress. Tomorrow morning, we will head to the Huntington Beach Pier to proof his extended “Sit,” “Down,” “Place,” “Heel,” and “Come to Sit” in the presence of large crowds, bikes, dogs, and various distracting stimuli. Stay tuned for Wolf’s upcoming pupdates!
Pupdate 12/21/2024
Today, Wolf and I started the day with a very long walk. He is capable of walking almost entirely off-leash for the duration of the walk. In the video, you’ll also see that we took a trip down to the Huntington Beach Pier. At first, all the bikes, larger crowds, roller skaters, dogs, and birds seemed to excite him. However, by quickly incorporating everything he’s learned, I was able to get him focused on training. I’m so pleased to report that he is performing all obedience commands very well off-leash. While he’s still honing his focus at times, I’m confident he’ll show significant improvement throughout the remainder of the coming week. Wolf is an amazing dog—eager to please and excited to experience new things. We are still working on having him avoid using the ramp to get into the car. I suspect part of the challenge may be related to his weight. He’s able to jump onto and off objects at knee height, but my truck is lifted a bit higher than that. I’ll continue encouraging him to try, but for now, he’s using the ramp with ease and confidently jumping onto “place” for knee-high placement. Stay tuned for Wolf’s upcoming pupdates!
Pupdate 12/22/2024
Today, Wolf and I started the day with yet another long walk, and his progress “off-leash” continues to impress! We also worked on some obedience commands at my local park for a bit. For today’s video, I focused on food manners, and Wolf did an excellent job holding his extended “down”, even around one of his favorite treats—beef liver! To add some distraction, I walked away, moved closer, and shifted chairs around him. At the start, before introducing the food, you’ll notice he broke position once when I showed him the treat—he was very hungry! However, I simply reset him in position and continued the exercise. Wolf is right on track with his training, and his parents have an amazing dog in their hands. Stay tuned for more of Wolf’s pupdates!
Pupdate 12/23/2024
Today, Wolf and I started the day with—you guessed it—another walk, and I’d say he’s now 100% “off-leash” capable while continuing to improve daily. For today’s video, we took a trip to a very busy Target, where everyone was scrambling to finish their last-minute shopping. It was crowded, making it the perfect environment for training with distractions, and Wolf, to say the least, was incredible. We captured near-perfect heel work for the entirety of our shopping haul, and I can basically park him anywhere I choose using extended “sit” or “down” commands, allowing me to shop freely to my heart’s content. We also practiced greeting manners, and Wolf definitely attracts a lot of attention, impressing people left and right with his obedience. His parents have a bit of a superstar on our hands—stay tuned for Wolf’s upcoming Pupdates!
Pupdate 12/24/2024
Today, Wolf and I went on our usual morning walk and practiced obedience at the park. We also visited Home Depot for the first time to train in a new environment, and he did very well, maintaining obedience throughout. As I mentioned yesterday, I’m extremely pleased with how he behaves while shopping—it almost feels like there isn’t a 100-plus-pound dog with me, and I truly feel at ease. There were a few people with dogs who walked by while Wolf was in an extended “down,” and he remained calm the entire time. We also practiced “greeting manners,” and he successfully sat for 30 seconds, although the participants didn’t want to be filmed. It was still great practice, and I was very happy with his performance. I plan to take him to more crowded areas for training throughout the week—stay tuned for Wolf’s upcoming Pupdates!
Pupdate 12/25/2024
Happy Christmas! Today, Wolf and I went on our usual morning walk and decided to film some of our training at the park. After last night’s rain, the bench we typically use was a bit slippery, which made for great confidence-building practice! At first, Wolf felt a little unsure about jumping onto the slippery bench, but after one or two reps, he mastered it without any issues. We also practiced some off-leash recall, and although it’s not in the video, Wolf and I both slipped and fell while playing, getting super dirty in the process—it was hilarious, and he’s completely fine! We fell together and got up together… Later, we made a quick trip to 7-Eleven for Christmas dinner ingredients as it’s the only place open near by and Wolf came along completely off-leash. He did amazing in the small store, navigating tight spaces and aisles while holding commands like “Sit,” “Down,” “Place,” and maintaining his “Heel” throughout the walk. He’s such a good dog, and I’m so happy he’s here with my family for Christmas! I’m sure his parents are missing him, but I want to reassure them that he’s been having a blast every day. The added activity and training have helped him shed some pounds quickly—by reducing his food intake by 1 to 1 ½ cups daily and increasing his exercise. Once he reaches an ideal weight, he can likely return to 4 to 4 ½ cups per day as long as training and activity continue. Wolf isn’t always treat-motivated—unless it’s beef liver and still doesn’t always intise him—but he responds very well to praise, structure, and daily activity supported by the e-collar. For “place” commands, anything two feet or lower is no issue, but my truck, which is nearly three feet off the ground, still requires a ramp. As his weight decreases, his confidence is improving, and he’s even jumped up a few times on his own, though he’s still not completely comfortable. I believe he’ll get there with continued practice, and I’ll do my best to keep helping him before he goes home. Stay tuned for Wolf’s upcoming pupdates!
Pupdate 12/26/2024
Today, Wolf and I spent a lot of time together, starting with our usual morning walk and park routine, where we continued practicing jumping onto the bench. As I mentioned before, he’s able to jump onto a bench roughly 2 feet off the ground, and while we’ve been practicing this daily, I still sense some hesitance from him. I don’t think it’s that he can’t do it—I suspect it might be uncomfortable for him. In the video, you’ll see a perfect example—he’ll jump onto “place” on the Christmas bench at Bella Terra in Huntington Beach, with enough encouragement, but I’m starting to strongly feel his hips or hind legs might be bothering him. We also tried with my truck today, and his tail was fully tucked as he showed reluctance to jump, so we went back to using the ramp, let’s remember the truck is about 3 feet off the ground. Overall, I’m very pleased with his progress! We’re planning to spend lots of time at the beach tomorrow, where I’ll demonstrate a great exercise I found for him using the large ledges at the pier for jumping practice. The video also shows that his greeting manners are coming along nicely. Stay tuned for Wolf’s upcoming pupdates!
Pupdate 12/27/2024
Today, Wolf and I spent a lot of time working on off-leash obedience, starting with our usual morning walk and park routine. We then headed to the Huntington Beach Pier, where we practiced his extended “Sit,” “Down,” “Place,” and “Heel.” He is doing amazing—holding his commands for up to two minutes—and his heel is impeccable. Note in the video the added distractions, such as rowdy dogs in the background and bikes passing by, which he handled exceptionally well. This demonstrates his growing confidence and focus even in busy environments. I’m very proud of how far he’s come and how well he responds under pressure. Tomorrow, I’ll spend extra time reviewing similar exercises and covering everything before he goes home to ensure he’s fully prepared. I can’t wait for his family to see all the progress he’s made and how much he’s learned. Stay tuned for Wolf’s final Pupdate!
Pupdate 12/28/2024
Today, Wolf and I focused on proofing all off-leash obedience, starting bright and early with a potty break followed by an “Off Leash” walk and “Park” training session—our daily reps to build consistency before tackling real-world exercises. Think of these sessions as strength training for everyday tasks! We wrapped up the day with a big trip to Cerritos Mall, where Wolf practiced “Car Loading manners,” “Greeting manners,” and all his off-leash obedience skills. I can confidently say Wolf is ready to head home prepared for life’s toughest challenges. Be sure to check out the video, where you’ll notice how gracefully he handles distractions—even drawing attention from strangers who stopped to admire and film his impeccable behavior. As I’ve said before, Wolf’s parents truly have an all-star on their hands. He never fails to impress with his well-tempered introductions and advanced obedience. While it’s bittersweet to send him home, I couldn’t be prouder of this amazing pup. He’s worked so hard and absolutely deserves all the praise—what a good boy! Bye, buddy! – JV
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