Meet Wooli! He is a two year old Labradoodle who has joined us for three days of Boarding and our Two Week Board and Train Program! Wooli is here for basic obedience, leash pulling, digging, potty training, and jumping to greet. Wooli does not know his own strength and likes to jump on kids and adults which can sometimes knock them over. He is a digger and also likes to chew on items he can get to. Over the next fourteen days, Wooli will work on his behavior and be set up for success, with the hopes of becoming a well behaved pup! Check in to see his progress!
Wooli and I spent some time getting to know each other with a little playtime in my front yard. He is still getting acclimated to his new surroundings, but he had fun while I threw a ball around.
Wooli is beginning to get comfortable around the house. He enjoys lounging in the hallway but spends most of his time hanging out in my son’s room with me. He likes to keep us company and we are enjoying his companionship.
Wooli and I spent time at home lounging in my living room. We watched a little television and had some playtime to continue building our bond. He took a nice nap and we are now preparing to begin his training.
Wooli and I went for a walk around the neighborhood today. Initially, he would pull away and walk ahead of me a lot. To correct his behavior I introduced Wooli to Heel. Heel is a technique that consists of having him walk next to me on my left side. Anytime he pulled away from me, I turned around and walked in the opposite direction. Once I started seeing consistency in his walking we continued to move further along. He still needs practice, but is making progress. Heel will now be implied on every walk we go on from here on out.
Wooli and I drove out to a local shopping center today and worked on his Heel a little more as we took a walk throughout the mall. I also introduced him to Place which is a technique that consists of having Wooli getting onto an elevated object and remaining there in a Sit or a Down. It serves a great purpose whenever guests are over and it can also build confidence in a dog. Wooli was very nervous and had little to no confidence while working on it. He would only place his front paws on the object, and I would then have to guide him with leash tension, or assist him by picking up his back legs to have him fully on the object. He still needs practice, and is still a little nervous, but Wooli was able to follow through.
Wooli and I worked on his Place a little more today. He was still having trouble getting onto the object, but with leash tension and myself going over the object as well, Wooli follows through. He did very well and placed with less leash tension as our session went on. He was also introduced to Come to Sit today which is Wooli’s recall. It consists of having him come towards my right side, going around behind me, and sitting on my left. To teach Wooli, I used leash tension to have him come towards me and to go around behind me. He was having some trouble going around behind me during our first few sessions, but with consistency and patience, I was able to work Wooli through it.
Wooli and I have been working on his Down. Down can be a difficult technique to teach considering it being a submissive position to a dog. To teach Wooli, I asked him to Sit, and then used leash tension to lure him towards the ground. He sat up during our first attempts so I placed my hand over his back and kept him from getting up by applying slight pressure whenever he made an intent. It took time and patience, with breaks in between to avoid frustration, but Wooli was able to accomplish his Down.
Wooli and I are beginning to work on loose leash walking. He has been making great progress and pulls less and less throughout our morning and evening walks. We drove out to a shopping mall and walked him around people distractions and he adjusted very well to his surroundings. He is also building more confidence and is beginning to Place on objects of different textures and surfaces. His Come to Sit is looking better the more we work on it, and he did very well practicing his Down in a more public setting.
Wooli and I drove out to a local park to practice on more loose leash walking and also working on having him Place on objects with little to no leash tension. Once introduced to an object the first time, Wooli begins to do it on his own. He is making very good progress and he is just about ready to begin working with his leash dragging. During our walk, Wooli was distracted by a few small dogs barking in the area, but by reminding him to Heel and telling him “Off,” he followed through and we continued to our walk throughout the park.
Wooli and I took a walk around the neighborhood today and he began working with his leash dragging. We worked on a few practice sessions in my backyard and he did really well. It was a low distracting environment so in the coming days I will expose him to more distractions. With week one coming to a close, Wooli has learned all of his commands. For the remainder of his Program, he will continue with his leash dragging and will also work on his distance and duration.
Wooli and I are practicing his Extended Down and he has a little trouble maintaining it whenever I would start increasing distance. Wooli would almost immediately come out of it as soon as I stepped away. 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 seconds, three feet back is fifteen and so on. Wooli is still working on it and is showing progress the more we practice. He is almost up to one minute, and we will continue to stay consistent in order to have Wooli reach his goal.
Wooli and I drove out to a local park today and worked his commands around other dog distractions with his leash dragging. He continues to thrive in building his confidence, and I am proud of the progress he has been making. He was having trouble going into a Down so I worked a few reps with him until he was able to follow through on a consistent basis. There was an instance in which a dog made an approach, came too close, which led to Wooli coming out of his Down. He did not react to the dog and I was able to reset him, put him back in his position, and work him through it.
Wooli and I worked on some off leash exercises today in a public setting. He did have a little trouble maintaining his Sit while working on Place by coming out of it a few times during our session. But by resetting and reminding him to Sit, Wooli was able to follow through. His recall also needed a little cleaning up due to Wooli being excited which made him Sit more in front of me and off to the side rather than next to me. We worked on it by taking a longer walk in order to have him in a more calm-relaxed state. I also used ninety degree angle barriers such as walls to correct his behavior. He did much better after walking some of the energy off, and even though there is still a little work to be done, Wooli is coming close to begin working fully off leash.
Wooli and I have been working on Door Manners since the day I brought him home. Anytime I opened a door, Wooli would always want to be the first one to go through. To help him into not doing so, I would ask him to Down when we approached a door. Once in a Down position, I proceeded to open the door, and made sure Wooli remained in his position. When I opened the door, every time he sat up meant the door would close, and the process would repeat itself. It took Wooli and I quite a few reps to begin getting it right. There was a lot of door opening and door closing, but once he understood what I was asking, I began to increase time and distance to keep him in a Down longer. As long as we dog owners stay patient and consistent with the training, the work that we put in, will give us the results we need.
Wooli and I have been working on his Greeting Manners. He has learned that he is to remain in a Sit whenever he is approached by someone that wants to say hello. It was difficult for him to do so in the beginning of his training, especially around kids, since he would come out of his Sit whenever I stepped away and would want to approach and jump on people on his own. Throughout his Program, Wooli has been approached by many people and has been complimented on his good behavior. This led to making better progress and he has now managed to successfully be greeted without coming out of his Sit.
Wooli and I worked on his Final today and he did very well. Everything that he has learned was put together and I am proud of the outcome. In the short amount of time he has been in training, he has learned so much and can continue to prosper as long as the consistency and repetitiveness continues at home. He has built his confidence more, does great around distractions around him, and he adjusts well to his surroundings. Enjoy the following clip of Wooli working all of his commands off leash.
Wooli has completed his Two Week Board and Train Program and is ready to come home. I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity in being Wooli’s trainer, and for also trusting me with him while he was under my care. We became very good friends and it was a pleasure having him in my home. He was a great companion and he will be missed. Thank you Wooli!
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