Yoshimi | Border-Doodle | South Pasadena
- scottoffleashsocal
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 9 hours ago
Welcome Yoshimi to the Offleash Socal family! Yoshimi is a one year old "border-doodle" from South Pasadena who is joining us for a 3 week "Old School" Board and Train. She has developed some unwanted attributes as it relates to her skittishness that is preventing her from warming up to people and from being off leash with her family. I have no doubt once we build up Yoshimi's confidence she will thrive in her new training and return home with the desired attributes her family requested.
05/31/2026
Today I took Yoshimi, the Border Doodle, to the park so I could evaluate her base level training and get a better understanding of her overall behavior in a public environment. We exposed her to different distractions, including people, children, dogs, and general park activity, while observing her engagement, leash manners, responsiveness, and impulse control. Yoshimi showed me where her current strengths are and also highlighted areas that will benefit from more structure and consistency moving forward. The outing gave me a solid starting point for building her training plan and understanding how she processes new environments.
05/31/2026
Yoshimi the Border-Doodle had a productive trip to the park where we focused on engagement, confidence building, and reinforcing known commands in a more distracting environment. Throughout the session, Yoshimi worked hard to stay connected with me while exploring new sights, sounds, and activity around the park. We practiced obedience skills they already knew, and Yoshimi showed a solid understanding of commands while gaining confidence working through mild distractions. As the session went on, they became more comfortable, more engaged, and showed great progress in both focus and overall confidence in the environment.
06/02/2026
I took Yoshimi the Border Doodle to the park to observe how she would react around other dogs, people, and trainers working with their dogs. The goal was to better understand her triggers, moments of anxiety, and overall comfort level in a stimulating environment. She initially appeared cautious and alert, carefully watching the activity around her, but she settled in remarkably well as the session progressed. Yoshimi warmed up quickly to several of the trainers, allowing them to approach and even handle her with ease, which was a huge positive sign. She showed curiosity instead of fear in many situations and demonstrated an encouraging ability to regulate herself despite the busy environment. Overall, it was a successful outing that provided valuable insight into her temperament and highlighted her growing confidence and social adaptability.
06/03/2026
I’ve been helping Yoshimi, the border doodle, work through anxiety and stress by focusing on confidence-building drills that encourage trust, courage, and problem-solving. One of the most effective activities has been practicing climbing and jumping onto elevated platforms, which helps dogs become more aware of their bodies and more confident in unfamiliar situations. By gradually introducing higher surfaces and rewarding calm, successful attempts, Yoshimi has been learning to face challenges with curiosity instead of fear. These exercises not only strengthen physical coordination, but also build mental resilience and create a stronger bond through positive encouragement and teamwork.
06/04/26
Today I worked with Yoshimi on building confidence when loading into the truck and entering the crate. The session focused on encouraging her to jump onto the truck bed and willingly enter the crate without hesitation or fear. Using patience, positive reinforcement, and gradual exposure, I helped her understand that both the truck and crate are safe and rewarding environments. Throughout the training, Yoshimi showed increasing confidence and willingness to perform the task, becoming more comfortable with each repetition. The goal was to create a positive association with loading and crating while developing her confidence and independence during the process.
06/05/2026
Today I introduced Yoshimi to the place cot and focused on building a positive association with the behavior. We worked on guiding her onto the cot, helping her become comfortable remaining there, and reinforcing a relaxed down position while on it. As her confidence grew, I began incorporating repetitions of leaving the cot and returning to it on cue, rewarding her for choosing the cot and settling calmly. By the end of the session, Yoshimi showed increased understanding of the exercise and was becoming more comfortable using the place cot as a designated spot to relax and remain engaged with her handler.
06/06/26
Yoshimi, the Border Doodle, worked on heeling with me while navigating a variety of environmental distractions designed to build her confidence in unfamiliar settings. During the session, we practiced around a large industrial fan and strategically placed weights that served as obstacles, encouraging her to remain engaged and focused despite the unusual sights and sounds. These challenges were intentionally incorporated to help address her nervous approach to new environments and teach her that unfamiliar objects are not something to fear. Through consistent guidance, positive reinforcement, and successful repetitions, Yoshimi became more comfortable working through her uncertainty, demonstrating improved focus, resilience, and confidence while maintaining her heel position around distractions.
06/07/2026
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