Meet Wrigley, a two-year-old mixed breed pup from Marina Del Rey, California who is here with us for our Three Week Board and Train Program. This sweet and playful pup has some knowledge of commands as she had previously completed lessons with me in the past, but she is easily distracted and overwhelmed by her surroundings and has difficulty following through when asked to do something. Wrigley also struggles with anxiety and nervousness when in unfamiliar environments or situations, around new people, and around other dogs. While she is generally a friendly pup, she has been struggling with fear-based reactivity towards other dogs, causing her to flee and/or have defensive outbursts which can include barking, growling, and snapping. Over the next twenty-one days, we will be working to improve Wrigley's obedience, confidence, and manners, as well as improve her issues with reactivity to set her on the right track to becoming a well-behaved pup! Stay tuned for her transformation!
Pupdate 12/2/2024
Today Wrigley I spent the day bonding and getting reacquainted! After her pickup we spent some time at a park together, where we first gave her some time to refamiliarize with me since it's been some time since we last met. She was a bit unsure of me at first, but seemed to remember me and was able to warm back up to me fairly quickly. The park was pretty quiet overall, but still had a few distractions such as children playing, people walking, and other dogs visiting. Wrigley seemed much more interested in staring at distractions rather than paying attention to me, and overall seemed quite tense and on edge. We encountered some other dogs, which we mainly kept our distance from. While she didn't have any reactions towards them, she was definitely very aware of them and was always keeping tabs on any around us. She got spooked a few times as well, such as by loud noises, sudden movements around us, or an unexpected sensation such as the leash touching her on the back. She would respond by flinching, jumping in the air, and/or trying to run away from the stimuli. After we had some time to walk around together to assess her general behavior, I began testing her knowledge of basic commands to help me get an idea of her current abilities and what areas of her training may need some extra attention. Wrigley seemed to remember Sit and Down quite well, and was pretty consistent with performing them. She sometimes needed to be asked a few times if her attention was elsewhere, but once she realized she was being asked to she would usually follow through. She was a bit hesitant and underconfident about Place overall, but was able to climb on some low, easy to reach objects with a bit of encouragement to motivate her. She would sometimes Come when called with lots of encouragement and some guidance, though it often took several calls before she would follow through, and she would usually wander back off right after getting to me. She seemed to ignore the Heel command most of all, and was pretty insistent on pulling on the leash while walking together, especially when using a standard length leash. After we had a chance to get to know each other at the park, it was time to head home and get her settled in! Wrigley jumped into my car own her own once the trunk was open, and entered right into the kennel without issue, which was great to see! Whenever Wrigley is to travel with me in a car, she will be secured in a kennel to ensure her utmost safety. We will also be using a kennel while at home for sleep or if she is otherwise unsupervised. Once arriving home, we gave her some time to become familiar and comfortable with her surroundings as she did seem a bit unsure about the new environment at first. After she had a chance to sniff around and investigate everything, I encouraged her to settle down on a dog bed with her blanket and some of her toys, which she happily did. She was pretty excited about her food during mealtimes, and while she was a bit impatient for me to set the bowl down, she happily ate it all which is a good sign she is beginning to feel comfortable in my home. We later went on a walk around my neighborhood, where we will be spending time around daily during walks and potty breaks, so it's important for her to become familiar with this area too. Wrigley also met my personal pup, Percy the Mini Australian Shepherd, through a doggy gate once she was feeling relaxed and settled in at my home. She was initially hesitant to approach him, but eventually worked up the courage to get some sniffs in. She didn't bark or growl at him, but after that brief exchange she seemed to have no interest in him any more and was content to ignore him to focus on more interesting things like napping or playing with her toys. She seemed to understand that the gate being closed meant she could safely create distance from him so that she could relax without worry of having to interact with him. We don't expect Wrigley to love every dog she meets, so neutral behavior like this is something we love to see, and is a great start in her journey towards improving her associations about dogs. Overall Wrigley seems to be settling in nicely, and we are so excited to begin this training journey together!
Pupdate 12/3/2024
Wrigley and I spent our training sessions working around my neighborhood today, where we focused on reintroducing her to the e-collar and Come to Sit command in a quiet location. There were still some basic distractions such as a few other people, dogs, and squirrels, but the relatively calm environment helped to promote learning and focus. During one of our sessions, we also brought along Kobe the Goldendoodle puppy, who is also staying with us for a board and train program. Overall Wrigley seems quite neutral towards Kobe, and has been mostly unbothered by his puppy antics. Having him nearby while working was a good step towards encouraging her to be calm when in the presence of other dogs.
Wrigley has some experience with the e-collar from our time doing lessons together, but it's been a while since it was regularly used during training, so we spent some time reintroducing it to her. Pressure is a fundamental tool used in teaching basic obedience commands. The idea is that whenever pressure is applied, be it from a leash or e-collar, it is paired with a command. The pressure then remains present until Wrigley follows the pressure and performs the behavior or command being asked of her. The moment she follows through, the pressure immediately turns off and a reward is given. By pairing these two forms of pressure simultaneously, she will come to understand that each pressure has the same meaning. The goal is for this to allow the leash and e-collar to be used interchangeably, and eventually create the opportunity to begin training with the e-collar only, without the need for a leash! She seemed to catch back onto the e-collar pretty quickly, and was receptive to the communication it provides. Be sure to check out today's video for an in-depth e-collar tutorial!
Come to Sit is an important command to begin reintroducing early on in Wrigley's training journey, as having a solid recall is important for any pup's safety and obedience training, and will be especially crucial for her safety if she is to be allowed off-leash in the future. The goal for Come to Sit is for Wrigley to come when called, approach my right side, circle around my back, and finish with a Sit facing forward on the left side. She is asked to hold this Sit until released with "Break", or given a new command. This ensures she not only comes when called, but also that she remains stationary until told otherwise. The Come to Sit maneuver when completed in its entirety also sets her up to be in the perfect position to begin walking in a Heel. We practiced the Come to Sit command today by combining the verbal command "Come" with guidance from the leash and stimulation from the e-collar to grab her attention and guide her towards me. Once she came over to me, she was then guided around and to my left side where she was asked to perform a Sit. With each successful repetition, I made sure to give her lots of praise and rewards to build up a positive association with the command and the action of coming to me when called. She'll need some more work with this command before she is consistent with it, though overall she did a good job and seemed to recall the concept of the command!
Pupdate 12/4/2024
Today Wrigley and I visited a park, where we trained around some common distractions such as people, other dogs, children playing, and small animals such as birds and squirrels. We continued working on her Come to Sit command, and introduced two new commands, Heel and Off.
Wrigley is often easily distracted, as she tends to focus on her surroundings even when asked to perform commands. Moments like this are a great opportunity to practice the Off command. The goal for the Off command is for Wrigley to stop whatever she is doing, and focus on her handler. This is a very versatile command, similar to "no" or "leave it", and can be used in various situations, such as to interrupt fixation on distractions, barking, jumping on people, eating or sniffing things she's not supposed to, or any other behaviors that are undesirable or inappropriate at that time. The verbal Off command when paired with leash pressure and the e-collar allows us to interrupt the behavior and help her to refocus so that she is in a better mindset to listen for upcoming instructions. Once the Off command is given, it's beneficial to immediately follow it with another command such as Sit, Come, Heel, etc. Once she stops whatever behavior she was doing, asking her to set her focus on a task will help keep her attention away from what initially distracted her or caused the undesirable behavior. Wrigley has shown good progress in remembering the Off command so far, and with each repetition, she seemed to be quicker to respond and refocus when prompted. However, more work will need to be done in various situations before she is fully reliable with the command, especially when she is feeling nervous about something.
The goal for the Heel command is for Wrigley to be able to follow directly alongside her handler on their left side at their heels, and maintain that position while walking unless released or given a new command. This precise positioning takes a lot of practice to master, but it will effectively eliminate pulling on the leash or veering off in different directions, and allow her handler to take the lead on walks instead of her trying to pull them around wherever she pleases. To reintroduce this command, I kept the leash short but loose, and ensured she stayed on my left side in roughly the Heel position as we walked. If she began to veer off, pull ahead, fall behind, or otherwise create tension on the leash, leash and e-collar pressure were applied, and the verbal command Heel was given until she returned to the desired position. During Heel, her sole focus should be following her handler's lead, and as such she needs to remain neutral to and ignore her environment, which means no sniffing, staring at distractions, or otherwise becoming distracted. When walking in the correct Heel position, the leash was loose, no pressure was applied, and lots of praise and rewards were given to create value in this position. As she gets better with this command, she will have an easier time staying in the Heel position without as much guidance needed, and will need to be given reminders less frequently. Overall she did a good job today and seemed to catch on pretty quickly, though more work will need to be done before she can Heel reliably, especially around distractions.
Pupdate 12/5/2024
Today Wrigley and I visited a park, where we met with some other OffLeash SoCal trainers and their pups! This provided a great opportunity to practice Wrigley's training within close proximity to other dogs and people. The park also had some other visitors, along with distractions such as birds, squirrels, bicycles, and grassy fields. During today's training, we focused on getting Wrigley more comfortable around dogs, as well as working on the Place command.
Wrigley was definitely nervous when we first arrived, and was quite jumpy and flighty whenever spooked or put in a situation she was unsure about. When we were walking over to the group, she had tried to break her Heel to turn and sprint in the other direction away from them once she realized we were heading over. We ended up giving her a few minutes to observe them at a comfortable distance away before attempting to approach again, which did seem to help as when we began moving towards them again she was able to do so without trying to run off. When first being near the other dogs, she appeared quite uncomfortable and was tense, stiff, and prone to flinching whenever a sudden movement or sound occurred, even something as simple as a dog wagging their tail near her. It took her some time, but she eventually seemed to settle down and understand that the other dogs were all focused on their own training and would not be interacting with her. This seemed to reassure her a bit, and she began displaying more loose, calm, and happy body language even when the other dogs were close to her, which was great to see!
We continued practicing Wrigley's commands while at the park, while putting an emphasis on her Place command. The goal for the Place command is for Wrigley to jump or climb onto a designated object, such as a bench, a bed, or another object with defined borders, and hold a stationary command while remaining on the Place object until released or given a new command. She has some experience with this command and has consistently been able to Place on familiar objects in a comfortable environment, such as a dog bed at home, however she tended to be underconfident about Place when working in public places with new objects. The park had a variety of objects to practice with, including benches, rocks, and playground structures. She needed some extra encouragement and occasional guidance to help her at times, though overall she did an excellent job and seemed to quickly become familiar with new objects, allowing her to Place with ease!
Pupdate 12/6/2024
Today Wrigley and I visited a Petco, where we practiced all of her commands around distractions. This was a great location to work on her training around common distractions such as people and other dogs, plus some more unique distractions such as shopping carts, small animals, toys, and treats.
Wrigley was definitely very anxious about this environment when we first arrived, and had a bit of a fit in the parking lot when we were about to enter the store. As we were walking up to the sliding glass doors, she froze and tried to turn around to bolt back to the car. When the leash prevented her from doing so, she flailed around a bit trying to get loose, though once the Off command was given she seemed to snap out of it and settle back down. We ended up needing to spend some time outside of the store letting her take in all the sights, sounds, and smells, before she seemed to get over her fear. Once we made it inside, she was pretty jumpy at first and was quite tense and on edge, though she did come out of her shell a lot the longer we spent here. We worked to encourage a positive association about visiting here by incorporating breaks where she could sniff, play, and enjoy some treats! By the time we were getting ready to leave, she was much more confident about the environment and was no longer behaving nervously.
During our training today, we also introduced a new advanced command that we will be incorporating into her program, Come to Heel! The goal for Come to Heel is for Wrigley to come when called, and fall into the Heel position as she begins walking alongside her handler. This is a variation of recall, though to differentiate it from Come to Sit, we use the verbal command "Heel" instead of the verbal cue "Come". This is a handy command, as it allows for Wrigley to be recalled and continue to stay in motion alongside her handler, instead of having to Sit once recalled. We introduced this by first starting Heel as usual with me standing directly next to her, then gradually asking her to Heel while I was standing further and further away. After just a bit of practice, she quickly picked up on the command and was able to consistently perform Come to Heel while I was at a distance of about six feet away!
Pupdate 12/7/2024
Today Wrigley and I visited an outdoor mall, where we practiced her commands around lots of distractions. The mall had crowds of holiday shoppers, some other dogs, food at nearby restaurants, and loud holiday music playing throughout the location.
Wrigley was as expected, quite nervous, especially so when we first arrived. She was very hesitant about entering the busy areas of the mall and tended to shy away from distractions by trying to stop and turn the other way when walking together. We spent some time warming up in an area that was as calm as possible, and gradually worked our way into busier sections to help ease her into being desensitized to the stimuli. This seemed to help a lot, and we were eventually able to train around the busiest areas of the mall without her panicking. She never seemed to fully relax, however she was able to stay focused enough on her training to be effective and consistent with following instructions.
Despite being a bit nervous overall, Wrigley ended up doing a great job with all of her learned commands thus far, including Heel, Come to Sit, Come to Heel, and her stationary commands of Sit, Down, and Place. We spent a bit of extra time focusing on her stationary commands as she sometimes will get antsy and try to stand up to break command before she is released, so we worked to improve her reliability with an implied stay. The concept of implied stay applies to all stationary commands, where if she is asked to perform one, she needs to remain in that position until released with "Break" or given a new command.
Pupdate 12/8/2024
Today Wrigley and I visited an indoor mall to practice her commands in a lively and bustling environment. The mall was packed with holiday shoppers, loud music, and a few other dogs out and about. It was a great opportunity for Wrigley to experience a high-energy atmosphere and work on her focus amidst these distractions.
Wrigley was quite anxious when we first arrived, and it took a little while for her to settle into the environment. At the start, she had a hard time focusing on her commands as her nerves made it difficult for her to concentrate. However, after some time and positive reinforcement, she began to realize that she was safe despite the noise and movement, which helped ease her anxiety and improve her focus.
As for her commands, Wrigley did surprisingly well overall, especially once her nervousness began to fade. Her Heel command was solid overall, though she did initially struggle with freezing or trying to bolt when something startled her. Over time, she became more comfortable and was able to walk at my side with fewer hesitations. Her Sit, Down, and Place commands took some work, but she eventually improved and was able to more confidently hold her positions and wait until released. Her Come to Sit and Come to Heel commands were impressive, remaining mostly unaffected by her nerves, and she consistently performed them well throughout the session. I’m proud of how far she came today, especially in managing her anxiety in such a busy setting!
Pupdate 12/9/2024
Today Wrigley and I visited a park, where we met up with some other OffLeash SoCal trainers and their pups. This was another great opportunity for Wrigley to practice his training within close proximity to people and other dogs in a controlled environment. The park had some other distractions as well, such as large grassy fields and squirrels.
Wrigley overall was a bit nervous about arriving at the park and being around all the distractions, though with time she understood that we were all there to focus on training, and became more focused on her work rather than our surroundings. She didn't have any negative reaction towards other dogs today, and once she realized they were mostly ignoring her, she was happy to do the same. She did well with her commands overall, and didn't experience any notable issues with them. She was able to follow through with instructions with good consistency, and seems to have a solid understanding of the expectations set for her when the commands are given.
We also had some great opportunities to practice Wrigley's Greeting Manners today, as we had the other trainers to help us practice this. The goal for Greeting Manners is for Wrigley to be able to meet or greet people calmly and politely, whether in public or at home. To help Wrigley learn the desired manners, we first have her perform and hold Sit or Down directly beside her handler, as this gives her a task to focus on and discourages her from breaking the position. If a new person wishes to greet Wrigley, it's important to inform them of her training and the expectations set for her, that way they can help reinforce the training appropriately. All praise, attention, and affection should be reserved strictly for when she is stationary, calm, and following instructions.
While Wrigley is a very sweet girl and loves people, she can be a bit unsure and nervous when first meeting someone new, so it's important to give her the time she needs to become familiar with them before they actively interact with her by reaching into her space or touching her. This can be done by having her nearby while talking to the person, as this gives her a chance to sniff them from a distance and understand that they are not a threat. When she is unsure of someone, she will often be quite fixated, hyper-aware of their movements, and seemingly ready to bolt at a moment's notice, which are signs that she is uncomfortable. We do not want Wrigley to feel like she has to flee or protect herself by escalating the situation beyond these subtle indicators, so it's important to always advocate for her when she needs it, so she understands that her handler will be the one to take any actions needed instead of her needing to. Once she was comfortable with someone wishing to greet her, she was very sweet and even though she was a bit excited sometimes, she understood to stay in her position beside me and not jump or behave impolitely.
Pupdate 12/10/2024
Today Wrigley and I visited a park, where we practiced her commands around distractions. The park had a decent amount of distractions around, including people, other dogs, children playing, ball games, and small animals like squirrels and birds.
Wrigley was a bit nervous when we first arrived, though the park was large and open enough to where we could easily create distance from the busier areas to give her the time she needed to adjust to the new environment before venturing into more distraction heavy areas. She seemed to adapt quickly, and before long she appeared more relaxed and even a bit playful! We took the chance to play some fetch, where she was attached to a long leash and she got to run around chasing a ball I threw for her. She wasn't always the best at bringing it back to me after she got it, but she seemed to thoroughly enjoy herself! It was great to see her feeling comfortable enough to let her guard down a bit and have some fun while in a public place, as until this point she generally only shows this side of her while in the comfort of home.
During the training session at the park, we focused on introducing Wrigley to a new advanced command, Under! The Under command is a variation of the Down command, where the goal is for Wrigley to crawl or lower herself underneath a suitable object, such as a bench, chair, or table, and perform and hold the Down position. To introduce this command, we used a hand signal and a bit of leash pressure to guide her under the object, pairing it with the "Under" verbal cue. Some treats were needed during the first few repetitions as she was quite hesitant and unsure at first, though the food helped motivate her to move towards my hand and under the object. Once she was under the object, she was then asked to perform Down, which she did well with. Once she began understanding the expectations for the command, she was much less hesitant about it and no longer needed treats to lure her.
Pupdate 12/11/2024
Today Wrigley and I visited a Home Depot, where we practiced her commands around distractions. The store had a variety of distractions present, including people, shopping carts, and loud noises from nearby machinery.
Wrigley was a bit overwhelmed when we first arrived, and needed some time to take in all the sights, sounds, and smells around the store. We found a quiet area away from the distraction-dense aisles, and warmed up her training there. We focused on having her perform all of her commands while moving around this area, and provided lots of positive reinforcement and encouraged every bit of calm, focused, and neutral behavior she offered. She was sometimes a bit unsure of the sounds coming from nearby aisles, though after being exposed to them for a while she had an easier time tuning them out and keeping her attention on training.
When working our way into the busier and noisier areas, Wrigley was a bit flighty and tended to fixate on her surroundings, though she was able to refocus when prompted. She didn't seem to mind the groups of people around the store, but big machinery like forklifts moving and beeping seemed to concern her, as well as noisy carts moving around. It took her some time, but she eventually seemed to understand that these distractions would not harm her, and she was able to observe them more calmly without as much tension. She never seemed to fully relax while training in these busy areas, though she still did a great job following her commands and staying attentive to instructions given to her.
Pupdate 12/12/2024
Today Wrigley and I visited a farmer's market, where we practiced her commands around distractions. This area was pretty busy, with plenty of people, other dogs, music, food, and other distractions around.
Despite the busy surroundings, Wrigley did a great job staying focused, on task, and relatively calm! Before walking around the busiest areas of the location, we first spent some time focusing on having her hold stationary commands nearby in a slightly quieter area to give her some time to observe her surroundings and become familiar with the distractions from a distance. This seemed to help a lot, and she ended up being quite neutral towards most distractions we encountered, and whenever she did become distracted she was quick to refocus when prompted. She wasn't a huge fan of the noisy speakers playing holiday music at one of the booths, though she didn't try to run from it or otherwise react in a dramatic manner while near it.
Today's focus was on practicing her commands with as little leash pressure as possible. In order for Wrigley to be reliable with her commands while off leash, she first needs to master her performance with them on leash without the leash needing to be used to guide or reinforce. This is done by focusing more on the verbal cues and hand signals for the commands, and using only the e-collar as reinforcement. By reserving the use of the leash only for when she truly needs it, we can wean her off the concept of always needing physical guidance for his commands, and instead teach her to problem solve and use her knowledge of commands to follow instructions given to her. She ended up doing a good job with this, and was able to perform her commands pretty consistently without any leash pressure, though some commands such as Heel and Come to Sit will still need some work.
Pupdate 12/13/2024
Today Wrigley and I visited an indoor mall, where we practiced each of her commands around distractions. The mall was pretty busy, and had lots of holiday shoppers, dogs, and other distractions such as food and music.
Wrigley did need some time to adjust to the busy environment as she was a bit overwhelmed by everything when we first arrived, but after spending some time sitting on a bench together and letting her take it all in, she seemed to relax a lot. When we began training and exploring around the mall, she was able to stay focused and did a great job with her commands! We continued focusing on having her perform commands with minimal to no leash pressure, and she did great with this! She very rarely needed any leash pressure to assist her with any commands. Heel was the only command the leash was used for, as sometimes she just needed a slight nudge to get her to tighten her positioning when she was distracted, however it was used very sparingly as she corrected herself without it majority of the time.
During our session, we also spent some time working on another one of her advanced commands, Send Away to Place. The Send Away to Place command is similar to the normal Place command, though the goal is to have Wrigley be able to independently walk over to an object and Place on it, while she and her handler are physically distanced from the desired object. Wrigley does tend to be a bit underconfident, especially when in busy places while out of the comforting presence of her handler, so this command is a bit tricky for her. She was able to be Sent to Place from a distance of about four feet while at the mall today, though if attempted from further she would tend to abandon the command to come back to me instead of following all the way through, so more practice will be needed! We have also been practicing a bit with this while in comfortable places such as at home and around my neighborhood, and she tends to be much more confident and reliable with following through from distances of five to seven feet, so she does seem to understand the concept!
Pupdate 12/14/2024
Today Wrigley and I visited a park, where we practiced all of her commands around distractions. The park had a variety of distractions present, including people, dogs, squirrels, and grassy fields.
Wrigley did a good job staying focused overall, and seemed to be a bit less nervous here compared to other public places we have visited recently. She still needed a bit of time to adjust, though she pretty quickly was able to familiarize herself with the location and the various surroundings. Overall she was quite neutral towards distractions, and she was quick to refocus whenever she did become distracted by a major distraction such as a dog barking or someone running past her.
We continued practicing all of Wrigley's commands with no leash pressure to continue preparing her for the transition to being off leash. She did a great job with all of her commands today, and we were successfully able to train with no leash pressure needed for any of her commands. We trained with a long leash today, which helped by providing her with greater amounts of physical freedom to make choices without interference from the leash. We were also able to get some practice in with the leash dragging when in appropriate areas of the park, which is a great way to simulate how Wrigley might behave while off leash, while still having it readily available should it be needed for any reason. She did well with this overall, though it took her some time to become comfortable with the leash dragging along the floor, as at first she was a bit spooked thinking something was following behind her.
Pupdate 12/15/2024
Wrigley and I visited a local park, where we practiced all of her commands around distractions. The park had distractions such as people, other dogs, and small animals. Some areas of the park were quieter with fewer distractions, and some areas were more dense with distractions such as the fields with dogs running around, or the playground with children playing.
As usual Wrigley was a bit unsure and on edge when we first arrived, though she pretty quickly settled down and was able to enjoy her time there. We first spent some time warming up her training in the quieter areas, and later ventured into the more distraction-heavy spots to continue proofing his obedience with more challenges.
Wrigley did well with all of her commands overall, and was able to consistently perform them correctly without the use of leash pressure! While training, we focused on improving her skills with Send Away to Place, as this is an area that could some improvement. We worked on gradually increasing the distance, as well as improving her confidence and independence, which are both key factors for her to succeed with this command. We started by working with a close distance of around a foot or two, making sure we practiced with an object she felt comfortable and familiar with. We then gradually began working our way further and further from the object, and continued giving her lots of praise to reassure her and encourage the good behavior. She naturally made some errors here and there, such as accidentally jumping over the object, or stopping halfway to come back to me, though by the end of the session, she got to the point where she was consistently able to be Sent to Place from a distance of around ten feet, even with distractions around!
Pupdate 12/16/2024
Today Wrigley and I visited a park, where we met up with some other off leash trainers and their pups, and continued working on each of her commands around distractions.
When we arrived we started out by practicing her commands on leash and getting her to a point where her initial nervousness was settled so that she could reliably focus on training. She quickly adapted to the environment and we were able to move on to leash dragging exercises, which she continued to do well with!
She overall did a great job with her commands, and didn't need any help from the leash to perform them. She also did well with staying relatively neutral towards distractions around us, including major ones such as when other dogs were close to her, making noises, or moving around quickly. She would sometimes be a bit focused on distractions, though she was easily able to refocus on me and her training when prompted.
Pupdate 12/17/2024
Today Wrigley and I visited an indoor mall, where we practiced all of her commands around lots of distractions. The mall was pretty busy, with many shoppers and dogs, as well as distractions such as food and music.
Wrigley needed some time to adjust to the new environment as usual, though she quickly seemed to adapt and begin settling down which allowed her to focus on commands and stay neutral to her surroundings.
She did very well with each of her commands overall, and we were able to practice with no leash pressure during our visit. She was able to follow through with each command without any guidance from the leash, so when away from heavy foot traffic areas we were able to continue working on her leash dragging skills as well! Wrigley did an especially good job with Under today, and calmly laid down beneath a chair while we visited a bustling restaurant patio together. Despite there being many people and other dogs walking past us, as well as tempting food on the table right above her, she understood to hold her position and not break it to investigate distractions or beg for food!
Pupdate 12/18/2024
Today Wrigley and I visited a shopping strip, where we practiced all of her commands around distractions. The location had a variety of distractions present, including groups of people, other dogs, food, and loud noises from the very busy street nearby. Overall Wrigley did a great job with her commands and was generally very neutral towards distractions around us. She was able to Heel very well past other dogs and people without breaking position, and was able to perform and hold her stationary commands of Sit, Down, Under, and Place for extended periods of time. She also did well with Send Away to Place, and seems to be gaining a lot of confidence with the command. Her Come to Sit and Come to Heel were solid as well, and she had no trouble recalling or entering the proper position upon getting to me.
While Wrigley was pretty neutral towards most distractions we encountered, she did occasionally get spooked by sudden loud noises or movements, such as a bus making a loud pressurized noise, a car honking, tires screeching, or automatic sliding doors on stores. When spooked, she would tend to run away a few feet due to a brief moment of panic. She seemed to quickly recover anytime this happened and almost instantly focus back on training, which was good to see. However, due to the unpredictable nature of the things that would suddenly scare her and her tendency to flee as a result, we opted to keep her on leash while training here to ensure her utmost safety. While she doesn't appear prone to fully running off when scared, even a brief flight response is not something to take chances with by leash dragging or off leash training while in risky environments such as locations with busy streets nearby. It's not to say she can never get to the point where she safely can do this in the future, though until she is no longer prone to a flight response, the safest option would be to reserve off leash activities for more suitable locations that are free of risks that could pose a danger to her should she become spooked.
Pupdate 12/19/2024
Today Wrigley and I worked in various areas around my neighborhood, where we continued practicing all of her commands around distractions. We focused on exposing and desensitizing her to stimuli that tend to make her anxious or nervous, to help reduce the likelihood of her reacting to them poorly when they occur unexpectedly in real life scenarios. Some such distractions included loud noises from areas along the busy main street, and others such as leaf blowers, lawn mowers, and construction noises in the residential areas. Overall she did well with this, and with plenty of positive reinforcement along the way, she seemed to be less and less concerned about these distractions and was less likely to be spooked by them.
While working along the busy street areas we opted to keep her on leash for her safety, though we continued practicing with no leash pressure to maintain consistency with her training. While in the residential areas away from the busy streets, we practiced with leash dragging which she did well with overall! There was no need to grab the leash while we were training as she was able to follow through with everything asked of her without any help from it.
Another topic to note is that Wrigley seems to be settling in more and more both in my home and in familiar outdoor areas of the neighborhood that we frequently visit, such as my front yard area. She seems to be feeling more at home and comfortable, and is showing sides of her that were hidden away during the first portion of her stay with me. She tends to be much more playful, less timid, and a lot more energetic which is so good to see! However with this newfound familiarity has also come some issues, as she has also begun behaving more territorial and protective over the space she perceives to be hers. For example, she has become prone to barking and growling at noises she hears outside the front door, such as if someone is walking past the driveway or dropping off a package. Having the e-collar on and ready has been an important key to discouraging this behavior so it does not become excessive, as the Off command is effective in stopping it only if this reinforcement is available. Wrigley also showed her first glimpse of dog reactivity today, which occurred while we were playing together in the grassy area of my front yard. Two dogs walked by with their owners, and Wrigley suddenly barked and tried to lunge after them as they walked along the sidewalk. This was unexpected, as until this point she has had zero issues with other dogs. It seemed to be exclusive to occurring on her "home turf", as we later encountered these same dogs while further away from home training elsewhere in the neighborhood, and Wrigley had no issue ignoring them and being her usual focused and neutral self. We ended up finishing the training today by spending more time in the front yard area, and encouraging her to remain calm and neutral towards any dogs that passed by. She did seem tempted to fixate on some of them when she first saw them and needed to be asked to redirect her attention away, though she didn't end up having any further reactive outbursts and was able to keep her cool with every dog that passed by.
Pupdate 12/20/2024
Today Wrigley and I visited a park, where we practiced all of her commands around distractions. The park was very busy, and had numerous distractions present, including children running around playing and kicking soccer balls, people riding bicycles, picnics with yummy food, and a large number of dogs.
We began the session on leash to give Wrigley some time to warm up to the environment and her obedience, though we were very quickly able to transition to leash dragging as she seemed to settle in easily. After a bit of training, it was clear Wrigley was ready to have the leash completely removed, so we proceeded with the rest of our visit here while off leash! She didn't seem to notice or mind the lack of the leash, and was able to perform all of her commands very well with no issues. Even with the complete physical freedom that comes with being off leash, Wrigley always made good decisions, listened attentively, and followed through with all instructions given. She actively chose to regularly engage with and pay attention to me on her own accord, and understood not to wander too far off, even while on breaks. She also very much enjoyed some games of fetch without the hassle of a leash, and had a blast running around and chasing toys that I threw for her. She always came right back, dropped the toy near me, and eagerly awaited the next throw!
Wrigley also did very well about handling all the dogs we encountered today, as some of them were off leash and curious about her. She didn't display any reactive behaviors towards any of them, though at the same time, she is not a very social pup and had zero interest in greeting or playing with any of them. Thankfully, she understood that if a dog was getting too close for her comfort, she simply needed to come towards me and I would advocate for her space. This was a very good sign to see, as it shows she trusts me as her handler to protect her and maintain her comfort, instead of her feeling the need to handle things on her own such as by barking or lunging in an attempt to get them to leave her alone. She often chose to come to me for this reassurance on her own accord, and was able to be recalled and asked to hold a stationary position, which allowed me to step forward and deal with any overly friendly or curious pups that tried to approach her while she remained calmly out of the way.
Pupdate 12/21/2024
Today Wrigley and I visited a park, where we practiced all of her commands around distractions while off leash. She did an excellent job, and of course had lots of fun playing fetch too! Wrigley is not only excelling with her skills and manners while out in public, but she has also made huge transformations in her behavior inside the home as well! House manners are something we have been working on little by little each day since day one. Even seemingly mundane day-to-day tasks can provide excellent opportunities for training! These manners include areas such as Food Manners and Door Manners.
The goal for Food Manners is for Wrigley to be able to hold a stationary command while her food is prepared and set in front of her. She is then asked to remain in that position until she is released before she can get up and eat her food. Wrigley tends to get excited about her food, and in the early stages of her training she was prone to jumping on me or the counters when anticipating food, and rushing to the food bowl the moment it was set down. As she progressed in her overall obedience, she quickly replaced her bad habits and learned to be polite and patient even when faced with very tempting distractions such as food directly in front of her! She now does very well with her Food Manners, and she is able to control her excitement and await the release command before digging in!
Another area of manners we have been working on is Wrigley's Door Manners. The goal of Door Manners is for Wrigley to hold a stationary position while near a door and remain there until released or given a new command, such as Come or Heel. She is asked to hold the position at the location asked of her, and not break the command even if the door is left open, if someone is knocking on it, or if people walk in or out of it. This practice teaches important boundaries and the importance of thresholds, and prevents impolite and possibly dangerous behaviors she once displayed, such as trying to escape through open doors, shoving through people's legs when walking through doors, or rushing over to jump on people who enter through the door. Wrigley has made a massive transformation with her manners related to doors, and understands to follow instructions no matter what distractions the door may present. After Wrigley has been asked for a stationary command, a door can be left wide open, and she understands to not get up or walk through the doorway unless given permission to, and when invited she can walk nicely through the doorway without shoving through or trying to rush out. I can even leave her sight completely and walk in and out without her feeling the need to get up and follow me, and she has also been doing great with holding her position calmly while people other than myself enter or exit through the door. She has also gotten much better about not barking excessively when she hears noises outside the door.
Pupdate 12/22/2024
Today was Wrigley's last full day with me, so we spent the day putting to use all of her learned skills to have a great last day together! We visited an outdoor mall to practice all of her commands around distractions while off leash, and she did an exceptional job! She seemed to enjoy her time here, which was so great to see! We later visited a park where we prioritized fun times and celebrating her off leash freedom! We wrapped up the day by enjoying a quiet evening in together where she got lots of cuddles and a few extra treats for being such a good pup!
We are so proud of Wrigley, and the amazing progress she has made during our time together! She came to us as an anxious pup who struggled to listen, focus, or perform commands in any reliable capacity. She has since learned so many new skills, commands, and behaviors, and has earned the freedom and fun that come with being off leash! She is now very well-behaved, focused, and neutral no matter where we go, and she thrives in environments that once were very scary to her! While Wrigley may seem like a whole new dog, she is still the same goofy, loving, and playful pup she always has been, and with her new obedience skills she is even more of a joy to be around and take with on all sorts of adventures! Wrigley has been such a pleasure to train and share my home with, and I am forever grateful to have had the opportunity to help this good girl become the best version of herself! With her intelligence and eagerness to learn, the sky is the limit for Wrigley, and I know she has a very bright future ahead in her continued training journey with her family! Happy Holidays from Wrigley, myself, and all of us here at OffLeash SoCal!
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