Xavier | Terrier Mix | Inglewood, CA. | In Training

Meet Xavier! 🐾

Xavier is a handsome five-year-old terrier mix from Inglewood, California, and he has officially joined us for our three-week board and train program. This curious little guy is full of enthusiasm and always on the lookout for his next adventure—especially when he’s on leash. Walks currently mean pulling in every direction as Xavier follows his nose, foraging for any snack or scent he can find along the way. When it comes to listening, Xavier prefers to do things on his own terms, responding when it suits him rather than when he’s asked.

In addition to his leash manners, Xavier has also been known to be quite the vocal pup around strangers, both inside and outside the home. His barking can make greetings stressful and has made it difficult for him to comfortably meet new people and build positive social interactions. While his intentions aren’t bad, he definitely needs help learning calmer, more appropriate ways to communicate and feel confident in new situations.

Over the next 21 days, we’ll be working closely with Xavier on his basic obedience, leash skills, and overall house manners. Our goals are to help him become a more reliable listener, a calmer and more enjoyable walking companion, and a more polite, confident pup when greeting strangers. We’re so excited to begin this journey with Xavier and can’t wait to share his progress and transformation as he works toward becoming the well-mannered gentleman we know he can be! 🐶✨

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12/21/2025

Today Xavier and I headed to the park for a nice stroll to get better acquainted and to introduce our first new command—heel. This outing also gave me the opportunity to assess what Xavier already knows and where we’ll be starting his training journey.

As expected, at the beginning of our walk Xavier was much more interested in checking out all the exciting sights and smells than paying attention to me—and that was totally okay! While he explored, I used light leash corrections to guide him into walking politely at my side. At first, Xavier wasn’t too sure about this new expectation, but before he knew it, he was walking nicely right where he should be. Anytime he tried to pull away for a tempting sniff, we simply repeated the same gentle corrections, and he caught on quickly.

By the end of our walk, Xavier seemed much more comfortable with me and with the introduction of his new command. He was more relaxed, engaged, and ready for the next adventure—hopping eagerly into the car to head to his home-away-from-home for the next few weeks!

Once we arrived, Xavier wasted no time sniffing around and checking everything out. Being in a new environment has him feeling a little nervous, which is completely normal, but I have no doubt that in a day or two he’ll be settling right in.

All in all, today was a great day full of introductions. Xavier has already shown a willingness to learn, and I’m so excited to get started on his obedience journey with this sweet boy!