Wrigley | Mini-Bernedoodle | Costa Mesa | In-Training
- cristianoffleash
- Nov 10, 2024
- 18 min read
Updated: Nov 23, 2024
Meet Wrigley! Wrigley is a 5 month old Mini Bernedoodle from Costa Mesa, CA who has joined our 2 Week Board Program. Wrigley comes to our program to work on typical puppy behaviors that Wrigley has been displaying such as, nipping, jumping, and lack of engagement when asked for obedience. Wrigley is easily overstimulated when seeing other dogs, and often reacts with outbursts of trying to pull or lunge towards them while friendly. Wrigley is sweet and can socialize but has the wrong idea at times on what to do during the moment which leads into the behaviors he is displaying. Over the next two weeks I'm going to task Wrigley with tasks and objectives to help educate him on becoming more obedient and aware of boundaries when engaging with other humans or dogs. Check out his progress with me as his personal dog trainer! Stay tuned for his transformation!
Pupdate 11/10/2024
Today was my first day meeting Wrigley and he has been behaving very well so far upon meeting him. I brought him out to Cerritos Mall momentarily to do some shopping with my brother before heading home. While at the mall I had a long leash to give Wrigley the ability to walk around and desensitize himself. I would only have to pull back on his leash if he would walk towards strangers as if he wanted to say hi. Once we made it inside PacSun Wrigley slowly started to settle and walked slower to keep up to my pace. I would praise him for letting people shop around us and not pulling. Once we were done we headed home to settle ourselves.
Once we were home Wrigley met Hunter while Hunter was inside his crate. They smelled each other which went well. After spending some time inside the living room it was time to put Wrigley inside his crate and this is where he started to bark and yelp for attention. From my experience, Wrigley's barks were for attention and within the first ten minutes of ignoring his barking he stopped and eventually fell asleep in the crate. Once Wrigley woke up we went for our walk around the neighborhood to go potty and build our bond together. I let Hunter out at one point of the day to introduce him to Wrigley and it went well with both dogs just smelling each other or Wrigley being excited and following him around. Continue to stay informed on Wrigley's progress as each day goes by working on his obedience working towards off leash obedience standards.
Pupdate 11/11/2024
Today we headed over to La Bonita Park in La Habra to work around our friends from Offleash. When arriving I gave Wrigley the opportunity to roam around and potty before
heading over to the area where we practice. In the beginning of our visit we focused on keeping Wrigley's attention on me rather than the dogs or team from Offleash he was seeing. Any time I would call to Wrigley he wouldn't bat an eye to me so this is where we started small stimulations from his e-collar to get his attention which was working. I would pair up his leash pressure and e-collar at the same time to wean him away from the leash pressure. After some time of training he started to pick up his obedience with less impulses that he would act on.
Throughout our visit everything was fine until his e-collar battery died so we went back to normal leash pressure conditioning for the moment. In the video above we are focusing on our impulse control around the dogs again working on our extended sit and off obedience commands. I also lure the leash on the floor making it seem fun to create a distraction which causes Wrigley to get up but redirecting him is making it easier for him to slowly understand he doesn't have to be impulsive. Wrigley was being really good about holding his sit but had these random moments to just get up from his puppy behavior. When he's looking at the other dogs it is out of curiosity but keeping him engaged with me helps him understand that I'm asking him and once I give him his "break" he can be rewarded by me with praise and affection. Another tip that helps with this training is walking around back and forth, which is seen in the video above. This is to show Wrigley variations of things that can happen when asked for his obedience and even if he messes up, simply redirecting him back into his previous obedience command helps educate Wrigley.
Pupdate 11/12/2024
This morning I had Wrigley go on a walk with Hunter as well which went really good with Wrigley not being overly excited when walking together. Wrigley would try to travel to my right side even though we have been learning how to walk together on our left so maybe there was some confusion seeing Hunter as well but we were able to fix this and have a pace together a pack. Once we returned home I gave them time to hang out in the backyard but Wrigley seemed to be interested in following Hunter and nothing more at the moment. We focused on some door manners today teaching Wrigley there's no need to follow me out the front door. I had to redirect him many times to help him understand if he was to follow me I would place him back on his place pad. Once we got to a point of consistency it made our training manageable.
In the video above we are working on our door manners which is going well besides Wrigley getting up once to come to me before I close the door as I walk back inside the house. Assisting his sit command was needed for the moment since he isn't conditioned properly with his e-collar yet but once this redirection happens I can continue our practice. Once I'm able to give Wrigley his release command, also known as "break" he can be rewarded. I walk around the kitchen to approach the place pad again to recreate the scenario. Around the 2:15 mark Wrigley see's my hallway door open and stays put to attempt to head over there but I use his e-collar at low level stimulations to get him to come towards me which he does. At this point he lets me go back outside for an exceptional amount of time and I end our practice to not overwhelm him and let him have a break being a puppy again socializing with Hunter.
Some minor details to add into his training so far is his potty training has been consistent outside. I have a side area where he has figured out to go potty as well and this area is closed off but connected to my area of the house where both dogs get to freely roam around. Wrigley has been very lazy and sleepy after each training session always taking naps on the floor or next to Hunter.
Pupdate 11/13/2024
Today we headed over to Anaheim Pet & Feed Co to train inside since it's a pet friendly store. When entering inside it was clear Wrigley wanted to lead and investigate the store. I had to micro manage Wrigley throughout the store since he was constantly going towards different directions or keeping his nose on the floor or towards products on the shelves. We were stopped by a shopper who saw Wrigley performing his training and we had a small conversation with Wrigley keeping his sit without breaking position. We continue to train throughout the store working on our heel, sit, place, and off obedience commands. Any time we saw a dog Wrigley would want to go up to them but I would have to redirect him using his off obedience command to keep his engagement with me and not the distractions in the store. After we began our place conditioning, having Wrigley place himself in the shelves between food or on the middle part of the cart seen in the pictures above. This came to ease with Wrigley and was the only fun obedience command he seemed to get motivated with the more we practiced. Our last practice inside the store we focused on his impulse control when asking him to sit and creating distance from Wrigley. I redirected him for each time he did this and we eventually were able to go longer durations of time when asking for sit and creating the distance we needed to achieve today.
Later on we focused on more door manners and other proper house manners for Wrigley to work on. I had him run towards my brother and we have been preventing him from jumping on us which came with ease. One of the last things we practiced for the day was our down and recall which we will continue on tomorrow!
Pupdate 11/14/2024
Today we had our walk in the morning with Hunter which went well with Wrigley not being so impulsive to lead this morning. Once we headed home I gave the dogs time to play in the backyard which seems to slowly get better but they haven't extended the amount of time they play together.
In the video above we focused more at home today and continued to condition all of Wrigley's obedience commands making sure he is aware of what is being asked. We started off working on our heels, walking around the driveway only taking left turns to condition Wrigley to stay close by me and shorten the distance when heeling together. As I make a turn I say heel and this is where Wrigley has to figure out to make space once I make my initial turn.
When working inside the house we took our place pad to the living room and focused on his impulses when moving around the house. When opening the other doors in the house Wrigley thinks he can act on his own accord but redirecting is essential to making our practices better. As I start to move around the house this is where Wrigley will get confused about why I move in or out of the house but as long as he asks to go back into his obedience that he breaks, we can continue to train. My last distraction I implement is throwing pillows around and the same thing happens where Wrigley gets up so the same process of redirection is applied. Once I can complete this once I give Wrigley a break and we finish with our last practice.
The last video clip is our improved door manners with Wrigley completing this practice in his first try today. I walk in and out of the house with ease since we have been practicing with this door since the beginning of his training and now we have results with this part of the house.
Pupdate 11/15/2024
This morning we had our usual routine of a walk with some play time in the backyard for both of the dogs. They played at some moments but most of the time Wrigley would either follow Hunter or lay down on the ground.
We headed over to Home Depot to work on our obedience conditioning in busy areas. When we first arrived Wrigley stayed to my side all the way into the garden section and we did some minimal training here before heading inside. Once we headed in this is where Wrigley's attention started to go everywhere. It was clear Wrigley wanted to travel away from me and investigate the store but redirecting each impulse to move away from me started to make our walk inside the store easier. Our main goal in Home Depot was properly conditioning our heel, being able to place on platforms throughout the store, and creating distance when asked to sit or down. To my surprise Wrigley was performing with ease letting shoppers pass by us. There was one moment someone dropped something loud which spooked Wrigley but came to his senses seconds later.
Around 30 minutes into the visit while practicing it was obvious to see Wrigley was getting tired so I gave him some water and we made our way out of the store.
Before picking up my brother from school, Wrigley and I worked inside the house again but only on our down obedience command. Since Wrigley has been able to go into his down with ease today I wanted to condition it to be proper without any leash assistance. When working in the living room I walked outside of the house again but this time I closed the door to see if this confuses Wrigley to get up. He lets me come back inside but gets up so I redirect him back into his down and walk outside again. I make my way back inside and make one lap around the living room as a last variation of distraction before breaking him. I praise Wrigley for performing well as always and we continued the day focusing on training throughout the day.
Pupdate 11/16/2024
This morning we headed over to Hillcrest Park in Downtown Fullerton for some exercise and to perform our obedience commands with Hunter. I usually would take a morning like this to spend one on one with Wrigley but his temperament and obedience with Hunter has been good so bringing them both out seemed to keep Wrigley confident seeing his friend with him. While being at the park Wrigley kept his pace with us and was able to perform his commands with ease in low distraction areas of the park. There were some squirrels passing by us at times which got Wrigley excited so I would redirect him with his "off" obedience command, also known as leave it. Using this word when seeing other animals that can instigate Wrigley to excite has always helped when people, dogs, or anything random passes by Wrigley.
When finishing our visit we headed to the big staircase to practice our extended down as people passed by us to go up the stairs. During a moment like this since there's more distractions Wrigley got up a few times but easily redirected when asked. We were able to hold our down obedience command for about four minutes before being given a break.
We headed back to Cerritos Mall to do more training since Wrigley seems to have been knowledgeable about all the commands I've been teaching him so time to take it outside in a public setting. I had my brother first walk Wrigley in to see if there would be a change in temperament when walking with someone else but Wrigley surprised me and stayed as consistent as he could with Nick. They pass many crowds with Wrigley keeping himself engaged and not invested with the crowds passing by him.
After some time passed by as we shopped and walked around I took Wrigley to an open area to practice his extended down. In the video above I ask Wrigley to go down and he does it first try without acting on impulse to get up as he watches everyone around him pass by. I had him hold it for about two minutes before being given his break so he can be praised and rewarded for being a good boy. We ended our visit and headed home to give Wrigley time to rest and continue his training at home.
Pupdate 11/17/2024
This morning we had our usual routine of a walk with Hunter in the morning with their playtime followed up once we got home. We did minimal training working towards offleash training now, figuring out which method will be best to keep Wrigley next me to me with consistent engagement. Later on we went over our house obedience again going over door manners, loose leash dragging, and some training with my younger brother so Wrigley can be educated by someone who is younger than I am.
In the video above we worked on our door manners with Wrigley going into his sit as I opened the door. I walk into the kitchen first, then headed to the front of the house and lastly back inside to heel Wrigley out. Once I set myself up next to him I tap my left side leg and ask for his heel as I walk out and Wrigley follows through with a pace. Our second video clip I focus on his loose leash dragging in which I focus only on the remote to get his attention if he tries to wander off. Wrigley does well but he finds his moments to see if he can act on his own when being interested in something, which is why he stops or goes into a different direction. Also if his eyes aren't on me then in general he's not paying attention to me. There's one moment Wrigley tries to go onto his place pad when I'm not asking for obedience. To most this seems like overachieving which I would agree with but Wrigley is young and needs to perform at the same time I ask for his obedience so he doesn't develop a habit or doing things when not asked. I ask him to heel after as if nothing happened and continue to train as we just were. As I keep walking around the driveway one thing to point out is I'm only going to the left and not the right to close distance with Wrigley to create the idea of staying next to me. By the end of our video he was already tired at this point of the day so when asking for his break he wouldn't but his release command is something he doesn't need redirection and can be waited for with patience.
My brother took some time today to train at Wrigley focusing on heel, place, and off. When working with my brother he did well besides wanting to come to me for attention but I ignored Wrigley, even avoiding eye contact with him so Nick could focus on his training with him which seemed to work at the moment. We will continue to improve on Wrigley's ability to perform offleash now since he shows much potential.
Pupdate 11/18/2024
This morning, we changed up our routine by going for a walk without Hunter, allowing Wrigley to focus on his leash dragging throughout the neighborhood. He did fairly well but was distracted by grass and random plants along the way. Whenever this happened, I used his e-collar to redirect him and break his focus on whatever caught his attention.
The video above shows our first practice of the day, continuing work on leash dragging to maintain consistency in Wrigley’s training. We walked in front of the house, taking different directions with ease, and Wrigley did well without bumping into me or pulling ahead. When he stopped, I used the remote to prompt him, and his responses have improved—he’s less cautious and follows through promptly when the e-collar is applied. Afterward, we worked on the down command, with me leaving Wrigley in front of the house while I moved around. When I returned, I asked for his break, and he followed through, earning praise. In the last clip, we worked on conditioning Wrigley to load himself into the car. Since he’s small, I used a place pad as a step to help him jump in more easily.
Later, we visited Anaheim Pet & Feed Co. to continue reinforcing Wrigley’s obedience after his morning nap. It was a successful trip, with Wrigley staying close to me while his leash dragged. He responded consistently when asked to stop at various points in the store. An employee greeted him without him jumping, and Wrigley observed several dogs without reacting impulsively. We also tried something new—having Wrigley place only his front paws on a step pad in the store. I took my time ensuring he was comfortable staying on the pad without getting up immediately. He managed to stay for a few seconds and eventually waited long enough for me to take a picture. We kept practicing this as part of his obedience training.
Wrigley has been doing exceptionally well overall. His potty training has been consistent—he now signals when he wants to go outside by staring at the side door. He’s also been improving with desensitization to biting things from the ground, although he still occasionally tries to put things in his mouth. I’ve been proactive in addressing this habit and keep his e-collar on while he’s roaming, which helps prevent these behaviors from a distance.
Pupdate 11/19/2024
Today, we went to Cerritos Mall to meet up with our friend Amanda and her dogs for some quality time together and focused training. Our main goals for the day were to practice loose leash walking, the "down" command, and recall, all while navigating the mall environment.
Before Amanda arrived, Wrigley and I spent some time walking around the mall, incorporating obedience commands as we went. When Amanda and her dogs showed up, Wrigley was initially interested in greeting her dog, but we kept them separated because her dog was a bit anxious. Wrigley, however, seemed relatively calm and not overly excited by the presence of another dog.
As we continued our training, we worked around Athos, Amanda's Dachshund, and Wrigley did well, staying focused. While we were training, a few mall guests came over to greet Wrigley, and he remained unbothered by the attention, which was a great sign of his calm demeanor.
Our final task was to practice off-leash obedience, so we dropped Wrigley's leash and allowed him to walk freely. He did really well, walking all the way back to the car without any issues. For safety, I reattached his leash before we left the area.
Overall, Wrigley performed excellently at the mall today and seemed to have no issues with the busy environment or the presence of other dogs and people.
Later in the day, we focused on refining his obedience skills, and Nick spent additional time working with Wrigley on conditioning him around teenagers.
Pupdate 11/20/2024
Today, we followed our usual routine, starting with a one-hour walk, which was followed by playtime once we returned home. Hunter and Wrigley have their moments of playing together, but since Wrigley is still very young, he can sometimes become overly excited and obsessive during play. For instance, when Wrigley wants more attention from Hunter, he has a tendency to mount him on the face. To prevent this, I use his e-collar to redirect his behavior. After playtime, it was time for breakfast!
In the video above, I’m wearing a microphone, and I walk through each of Wrigley’s commands and how to ask for them. The purpose of this video is to provide viewers with a better understanding of how to communicate with a dog once they've become familiar with their obedience training, as well as how to maintain consistency in their training. A key point to remember when using the remote is that commands are paired with the e-collar to help redirect Wrigley if he doesn’t respond right away. Each command is given only once, and once Wrigley follows through, I can either give him another command or release him for a break. This keeps the training process fun and rewarding for all our pets.
The rest of the day was spent reinforcing house manners training, such as food manners, door manners, and car manners, all while working off-leash.
Pupdate 11/21/2024
Today, we visited Brea Mall in Brea, CA, to continue working on Wrigley's off-leash training and assess his progress after all the time we've spent training him. Upon arrival, we met up with our friend Amanda, who had her dog with her. Wrigley showed some interest in her dog but was also mindful of maintaining the proper space when I gave the "off" command, which was a good sign of his training.
We spent time walking around the mall, exposing both dogs to various distractions like noise, crowds, and movement. The goal was to desensitize them to these stimuli. In the video above, you can see Wrigley responding to off-leash commands such as recall, heel, and place, with an extended "down" position followed by the release word, "break." Throughout our walk, Wrigley stayed consistently by my side, moving with confidence and without hesitation. He didn’t show any signs of confusion; rather, he was eager and happy to perform his commands. When I asked him to "place," I also followed up with a "down" command and patiently waited for about two minutes before releasing him with the word "break."
We had one store employee approach us to say hello to Wrigley. He behaved perfectly, staying calm without moving or attempting to jump on her, which was great to see. Afterward, we spent the rest of the day reinforcing his off-leash obedience at home, making sure all his commands were properly conditioned. We also took the opportunity to explore some new fun commands for him to learn, as he’s progressing so well in his training with just a few days left to go.
Pupdate 11/22/2024
This morning, we hit Pacific Drive Park for some off-leash fun and exploration with Wrigley. Initially, he wasn't quite as amped as usual for park time, but a little playful running from me got his tail wagging, though those irresistible grass scents were definitely a distraction! We spent some quality time practicing commands before unleashing him for some happy romps.
Next, we moved to the dog park, but instead of jumping in, we used the opportunity for some serious obedience work. Focusing on recall, with the added excitement of other pups playing nearby, Wrigley showed off his amazing focus and obedience. The second video clip showcases his rock-solid stay even as I increased the distance – pure paw-some concentration! He only broke his stay when given the release command.
Back home, we continued the training journey, reinforcing his "off" command and his patience around tempting treasures on the ground. We even worked on greeting manners, practicing calm waits at the door. Even my attempts at irresistible baby talk couldn't break his calm demeanor! He aced the "no jumping" test with flying colors.
Wrigley's confidence is truly shining through – he's a changed pup since starting his Offleash SoCal journey! We've got one more training day to go, and we're excited to fine-tune his already impressive skills.
Pupdate 11/23/2024
This morning, we started our day a bit earlier than usual! At 5:30 AM, we took a walk around the neighborhood with Hunter and Wrigley, both off-leash. Wrigley did great, staying close to my left side with Hunter. After returning home, I gave the dogs some playtime in the backyard before revisiting off-leash training with Wrigley.
Later, we worked on impulse control by placing food on the floor inside the house. I intentionally set food out to encourage Wrigley to go for it, creating a situation where he might be tempted to grab the food. I scattered pieces around the floor, and at first, Wrigley tried to take the food. I used the e-collar to redirect him and gave him the "off" command. To reinforce this, I walked in circles around the food, or moved between the pieces of kibble, helping Wrigley understand he could move through the space without trying to grab the food. Toward the end of the session, my father and his friend passed by, which caught Wrigley’s attention. He wandered toward my room for no apparent reason, so I called him back to the living room using the e-collar. After finishing the session, I gave Wrigley a break so we could continue practicing throughout the day. My brother then took over the training, and Wrigley responded well, following all commands.
Today marks Wrigley’s last day of training, and I must say it has been a pleasure working with him. From the moment he arrived, he settled in with a curious yet calm demeanor. At times, he was hesitant to try new things, but as we continued to work towards the goals I set for him, he started to make connections and show improvement. Given that Wrigley is only 5 months old, multiple training sessions throughout the day were ideal, and consistent training will benefit him in the long run.
As we visited different places, Wrigley already showed confidence, but reinforcing his obedience during these outings helped him understand that he doesn’t need to worry. It also reassured him that we, as his handlers, can manage any situation, whether it's socializing or playing. Wrigley has been such a fun companion for my family, especially with Hunter, showing humility and a sweet nature. He will definitely be missed around here, but he is ready to return to his family!
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