Yoshimi | Border-Doodle | South Pasadena
- scottoffleashsocal
- May 31
- 8 min read
Updated: Jun 20
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
I have been working with Yoshimi, the Border Doodle, on building strong obedience and impulse control through extended down-stays and sit-stays. During our training sessions, I gradually increase the duration and distance while reinforcing calm, focused behavior. We are also practicing a basic "leash dropping" exercise, where dropping the leash serves as a cue for Yoshimi to remain in position until released. This helps strengthen reliability, self-control, and responsiveness, even when I am moving around or creating distractions. Consistent repetition of these exercises is helping Yoshimi develop the confidence and discipline needed for dependable everyday manners.
06/08/26
Today I worked Yoshimi around other dogs and trainers to continue building her confidence and comfort in social environments. Several trainers took time to greet her and even worked her in a heel position to help reduce her nervousness around unfamiliar people and create a more neutral association with new interactions. Throughout the session, Yoshimi remained thoughtful and responsive, showing an increased willingness to engage despite the added social pressure. She handled the exposure well and demonstrated positive progress toward becoming more relaxed and confident around people outside of her immediate circle. Overall, it was a successful training session that provided valuable experience and reinforced calm, neutral behavior in a controlled setting.
06/09/2026
Today I took Yoshimi on a long walk and tested some of her off leash capabilities with long downs and recalls from 30 feet away. She performed great and held a heel with zero corrections.
06/10/2026
Today I took Yoshimi, the Border Doodle, to the outdoor mall area for a focused obedience and distraction-proofing training session. We worked on extended dropped-leash downs in a busy environment, helping her develop patience, impulse control, and the ability to relax while activity continued around her. Yoshimi also practiced precise heeling through pedestrian traffic and maintained engagement despite numerous distractions. A major focus of the outing was off-leash recall work, including responding reliably around highly stimulating situations such as small children running and kicking balls nearby. Throughout the session, she demonstrated strong focus and responsiveness, reinforcing her understanding that attention to the handler takes priority over environmental distractions.
06/11/2026
Today Yoshimi and I worked on Food manners with both lying down and sitting before initiating a break command or she’s allowed to go up to the bowl and eat.
06/12/2026
I took Yoshimi, the Border Doodle, to a local park with heavy dog traffic to practice her "come to sit" command in a highly distracting environment. With so many interesting scents, dogs, and activities competing for her attention, it was a challenging training session that really tested her focus and impulse control. Despite the constant distractions pulling her nose and attention away from the task, Yoshimi persevered and continued working through each repetition. Her determination and willingness to stay engaged paid off, and she successfully completed the training exercise. I was proud of her ability to refocus when distracted and demonstrate the progress she has made in her obedience training.
06/13/2026
06/14/2026
Yoshimi the Border Doodle was learning the cue "under" with me using a chair. I sat in the chair and encouraged her to move underneath it, rewarding her each time she confidently walked under the seat and stood between the chair legs. At first, Yoshimi was a little unsure and tried going around the chair instead, but with a few treats and cheerful praise, she began to understand what "under" meant.
06/18/2026
Yoshimi went to the park and trained some off-leash around other dogs. However, she is having slight issues with pressure off leash and can tend to "bolt" and take a moment to recover and come back to a heel or sit. This is an issue I hope to have either resolved or addressed in the next few days if her off-leash training is to continue. However, when we came home we did some off leash in the front of the house creating several different places to be elongated "place" spots so the ideology of "place" is universal. Yoshimi did great on that.
06/17/2026
I took Yoshimi the Border Doodle to Home Depot to continue building her confidence and reliability in a highly distracting public environment. We focused on off-leash heeling and extended place command work while navigating busy aisles, shopping carts, loud equipment, and constant foot traffic. Yoshimi was challenged to maintain engagement and remain neutral to the sights, sounds, and smells around her while working without the security of a leash. Throughout the session, she demonstrated excellent impulse control, holding her place position for extended periods as customers passed nearby and then transitioning smoothly back into focused off-leash heel work. The goal was to reinforce that obedience remains consistent regardless of environmental distractions, and Yoshimi rose to the challenge, showing increased confidence, composure, and attentiveness throughout the outing.
06/18/2026
06/19/2026
Today I took Yoshimi the Border Doodle to Home Depot to proof her long down command in a highly distracting environment before taking her to a busy mall later this evening. The goal was to reinforce her ability to remain calm, neutral, and obedient despite the constant movement of people, shopping carts, loud noises, and changing surroundings. Yoshimi was asked to maintain extended downs while customers walked past, carts rattled nearby, and employees worked around us. She showed good understanding of the exercise and demonstrated increasing confidence by remaining settled and focused for longer periods. These sessions help prepare her for more challenging public outings by teaching her that relaxation and obedience are expected regardless of the environment.
06/19/2026
Today I took Yoshimi the Border Doodle to the mall to continue building her confidence and neutrality in a busy public environment. Rather than focusing heavily on obedience, the goal of this session was to allow her to decompress and learn that she could relax while off leash in various high-traffic locations. We spent time settling near storefronts, pedestrian walkways, and common gathering areas where people, strollers, shopping carts, and other distractions were constantly moving around us. Yoshimi was encouraged to observe her surroundings without pressure, rewarding calm behavior and allowing her to process the environment at her own pace. As the session progressed, she became noticeably more relaxed, choosing to settle quietly and remain engaged with me despite the steady flow of activity around her. These experiences continue to help build her confidence and teach her that busy public spaces are places where she can remain calm, composed, and comfortable.
06/20/2026
As Yoshimi the Border Doodle prepares to go home, we have been focusing on ensuring all of her foundational manners are reliable and consistent in everyday situations. Her training has included proper door manners, vehicle loading and unloading, crate manners, place command duration, loose leash and off-leash heeling, recalls, extended sits and downs, and maintaining calm behavior around distractions. Special emphasis has been placed on teaching Yoshimi to remain composed and responsive even when she is excited or curious, helping her make good decisions without constant guidance. She has shown excellent progress throughout her program and is developing into a well-mannered companion capable of carrying her training into the home, public spaces, and daily life with confidence.
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