Zero | Golden Doodle | Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. | In Training.

Meet Zero! 🐾

Say hello to Zero, an 8-month-old Goldendoodle from Rancho Palos Verdes, California, who has just joined us for our Three-Week Old School Board & Train Program!

Like many young doodles, Zero is full of energy, enthusiasm, and a healthy dose of mischief. His family describes him as an excitable pup who loves jumping on people, chewing on anything he can get his paws on, and tuning out commands whenever something more interesting catches his attention. After all, who has time to listen when there’s so much fun to be had?

While Zero certainly keeps life entertaining, it’s safe to say this goofy boy is ready for some guidance. Over the next three weeks, we’ll be working closely with him on basic obedience, impulse control, and house manners to help him develop better decision-making skills and become a more attentive companion.

We can’t wait to watch Zero grow and learn throughout his training journey. Be sure to follow along and stay tuned for his transformation!

---

6/6/2026

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BihaWszMhgI

Today was Zero’s first day with me, and to kick things off we headed over to Averill Park for a nice walk together. Not only are these first walks a great way for a dog and trainer to get better acquainted, but they also give me an opportunity to assess what a dog may already know before we begin formal training.

After walking for a bit, we found a quiet spot in the park where we could begin introducing some foundational commands: heel, sit on command, and come to sit.

The heel command simply teaches Zero to walk politely at his handler’s side with no pulling required. This was a bit challenging for him at first because he was incredibly curious about everything happening around us. He would have much rather taken me for a walk than the other way around and quickly grew tired of my corrections. However, after putting up a valiant effort to convince me otherwise, he eventually decided that maybe walking nicely wasn’t such a bad idea after all!

Once we established some understanding of heel, we moved on to sit. I know Zero already knows how to sit—the challenge is deciding whether or not he feels like doing it. Whenever I asked for a sit, I applied steady upward pressure on his collar toward the back of his ears until he complied. The moment he sat, the pressure was released and replaced with praise to reward his good decision. There were also moments where I had to pull his attention back to me with a snap or a gentle tap on his rear end to remind him that something was being asked of him.

From there we introduced come to sit, which consists of Zero moving around my right side, coming into position on my left, and sitting neatly beside me. While he doesn’t quite understand the purpose of this exercise yet, he handled the leash guidance surprisingly well, which is very promising. With repetition and practice, I’m confident he’ll begin to understand the motion and perform it more independently.

By the end of our park visit, Zero’s leash manners had already improved quite a bit, although he wasn’t entirely convinced about me or the boundaries I was putting into place. That’s okay—relationships take time, and I have no doubt he’ll come around.

After wrapping up our training session, we headed back to the car and made our way to my house so Zero could check out his home away from home for the next few weeks. He handled the car ride beautifully, which was lovely to see.

Once we arrived, I gave him some time to explore his new surroundings. So far, he doesn’t seem to have too many complaints—other than the crate, of course. At first, he attempted to negotiate the terms of our agreement, but once he realized I wasn’t interested in bargaining, he marched right inside. He voiced his opinions for a little while, but when he noticed his complaints weren’t getting him anywhere, he chose to settle down and relax. Good boy!

Once he had remained quiet for a bit, I let him out and rewarded that calm behavior with praise. All in all, for his first day with me, Zero is already learning a lot. He has a fun personality, plenty of enthusiasm, and a lot of potential. I’m excited to watch his progress over the next few weeks and see just how much this young pup can accomplish!

---