Meet Ziggy! Ziggy is a young Bernedoodle, about over a year and three months of age coming from Rancho Cucamonga who has come to our 3 week board & train program to work on conditioning his obedience commands he already knows, as well as leash pulling, nipping, jumping and controlling his random barking towards things he finds intimidating. These behaviors are easy to work with but hasn't had the right advice or help to fix his behaviors. Ziggy is genuinely sweet and comfortable with his owners but outside he can be uneasy and unsure of things he doesn't have confidence in. Over the next 3 week you're going to see a new and improved temperament in Ziggy's behavior. Check out his obedience training with me as his trainer!
Pupdate 1/14/2024
Today I met Ziggy and he wasn't the most confident when being approached. As I ignored him and wanted him to try and smell me he gave few attempts to be confident and even as he tried to smell me he would still growl or bark at me. Quickly after meeting Ziggy and his owner it was time to head back home. We made our way to a park near my house to try and spend some time together building our bond. When walking around he would run away thinking I wanted to play most of the time. I kept my distance and gave him time to let him be himself and smell around.
After some time of letting some energy out I started to ask for some of his obedience commands and all he would perform is his sit or down but break his positions immediately after being petted. We made our way to the dog park nearby and Ziggy started to bark seeing other dogs. With some leash pressure and performing his heel obedience command Ziggy started to seem unsure about what was going on and would follow through with his obedience trying to follow me. Ziggy went from barking at the dogs to then running away as we attempted heeling back and forth outside the dog park. We made some progress and made our way back home for Ziggy to rest.
Once we made our way home Ziggy met my personal dog through his crate and the interaction went calm and neutral between the both of them. Ziggy spent some time outside the crate getting used to his new environment and once my younger brother walked in he seems excited rather than intimated when seeing him. Ziggy went up to him and even started to lick him when being petted. Ziggy even settled himself into his crate without me asking and shortly fell asleep. He seems to be doing better as of now but we will have more to show as his boarding continues!
Pupdate 1/15/2024
Today I took Ziggy to a park in El Monte, CA to train around some of the other trainers and their dogs. When we first arrived Ziggy was very energetic and wanted to run around being in his new environment. As we walked towards the park I would practice heeling Ziggy along the way to adjust him back into his obedience. Once we made our way under a gazebo we practiced all of our obedience commands to see how Ziggy would perform. He did very well getting used to conditioning his obedience command and even performed his down for almost up to two minutes. Each time he saw the dogs around him if he was to overstimulate I would ask for his "off" obedience command and he was able to check up with me each time.
One part of the video above is when practicing his place on a table seating he started to find this an issue and took some time to get up. Once he was able to get his paws up once he realized getting up wasn't so hard but the seating for the table was very thin. With a few repetitions of this practice Ziggy was able to build some confidence and perform the task at a faster pace. As I point at the seat I say "place" with leash pressure and e-collar paired up. When Ziggy shows me more engagement with his eyes I start to perform various things as he placed. If he was to break his position simply putting him back on is gonna help in the long run. As Ziggy started to get tired and go into his down more often we finished up our visit and made our way back home.
Ziggy has shown me his confidence and performed very well for his first exposure with me outside and with the other trainers. He showed more of a willingness to learn and adjust today , even greeting a few of the other trainers!
Pupdate 1/16/2024
Today I took Ziggy on an early morning walk and he seemed to be doing ok heeling in the beginning once we left the house but he does intentionally try to pull towards grass to use the potty. When giving him the opportunity to go I ask for his potty word as a way to release him and also helps him acknowledge I will give him the ability to do so.
We did our obedience practice in the front of the house conditioning what we already have been working on. He does very well going into his downs but likes to randomly follow me at times when walking away from him. Each time he does this I continue to redirect him back into his down to help him overcome this issue he has.
In the video above is our door manners practice for today. I have been training Ziggy everyday inside the house and one of the items I use for dog training is a place pad or place cot. Ziggy is aware that once he's placed on a platform he has to wait until he hears his release word which is break. Once I place him and open the gate that leads out to the front he remains as he should and lets me complete the variations of distraction I need to complete to finish our practice. When I make my way back into the backyard and close the gate I say break after closing the gate entirely to praise Ziggy for keeping his obedience intact.
Pupdate 1/17/2024
Ziggy has been eating very slow each time his food is brought out. Ziggy will eat but will keep most of his meal inside the bowl and eat throughout the day at times if not during the night when sleeping so far.
Today I took Ziggy to Hillcrest park in downtown Fullerton to work on his training and to give him some exposure to a big park seeing how his behavior is. When we first arrived I gave him the opportunity to go potty before starting our training session. Our focus for today was learning recall, also known as come to sit. We practiced recall before having one of my close friends come meet us at the park to work around each other. As we practiced Ziggy seemed to pick up quickly on what I wanted but can shift his body at times when placing himself on my left hand side. Once my friend arrived at the park we had the dogs separate for a moment but both would bark at each other from a distance.
In the video above my friend has her dog Moose place himself on a place pad while I consistently pass by them with Ziggy. Ziggy seemed to be doing very well being at face value with Moose without help from the e-collar during this moment. Each time we passed by I would say "off" for Ziggy to hear this would help with his confidence. At one point I asked Ziggy for his sit obedience command and he held it while I tried to help instruct my friend with her dog. Once I'm done helping them I ask Ziggy to heel with me and pass them and he does with confidence. By the end Ziggy seemed interested and kept smelling towards Moose's direction indicating he had an interest.
Pupdate 1/18/2024
Today's focus was teaching Ziggy how to go under objects since he's a good size to fit into spaces incase of certain situations. To start off this practice I like to lure Ziggy under a table with a treat in my hand since he is food motivated. I keep practicing this until he's able to position himself without the assistance of me guiding him.
In the video above is our practice of the day. Ziggy can easily go under the table without an issue but asking for another obedience command after he likes to play around and become disobedient at times. You can see the moments where Ziggy decides to stop training but the higher I went going up settings on the remote he quickly follows through back into his obedience. I'm asking for his recall and after some moments of redirection he eventually was able to perform his recall with ease.
We practiced more of his conditioning of recall and house manners throughout the day trying to work on calming his demeanor inside the house since he can have random zoomies and runs around the house often so I try to calm him down by redirecting him into some obedience. I use a place pad to keep him stationed while I attempt to do things around the house. Ziggy will remain on a place pad as long as I need him to until I say break. This didn't take too long to teach and just the convenience of having a place pad around Ziggy has started to go onto it more often when he wants to relax. I've been able to roam as far as I want without Ziggy getting up.
Pupdate 1/19/2024
Today I took Ziggy to Citadel Outlets in Commerce, CA to work on his exposure and practicing his obedience in new environments. When we first arrived Ziggy was very excited to be here and wouldn't keep a pace with me. Redirecting him once just with the e-collar Ziggy was able to quickly figure out I was asking him to stay to my side and he followed through. We were able to make multiple laps around the outlet but what was noticeable about Ziggy was his interest in trying to smell people. He hasn't shown much of this behavior but it's more of a confident interest when looking at him when he wants to smell people as they pass by him. Each time he would do this I would always ask for his off obedience command and he would check up with me using his eyes. I would praise him for each moment that he did better.
Some of our completed tasks for today were recall, extended sit, and down while amongst everyone that was shopping. I was happy to know Ziggy was able to perform at a fast and confident pace today with the help of the e-collar. Ziggy held both durations of sit & down and at times even doing his recall right after.
Pupdate 1/20/2024
Today I took Ziggy to Brea Mall in Brea, CA to walk around in another busy environment. It is also raining so we wanted our training to remain indoors. When we first arrived we made our way inside and Ziggy kept his heel intact rather than trying to lead in front of me.
When asking Ziggy to perform his obedience commands in the mall we had to redirect him many times back into his down since it was the only obedience command he had issues with inside the mall. Ziggy didn't show much interest to anyone but if someone was to call to him and make baby noises he would take notice of that and try to act. Each time this was noticeable I would always ask for his off obedience command to get his attention back towards me.
In the video above is a moment I had Ziggy work with Sheena from offleash. It's visible to see when working with someone new Ziggy can trust them but has some uneasiness adjusting compared to training with me. Ideally dogs should always be able to work with anyone, even if it's just being asked the most basic commands. Ziggy did well performing for Sheena when asked for his obedience commands. The other part of the video is of me walking Ziggy with the leash dragging. I walk up to a table with my sibling and place Ziggy under the seat by saying under. He waits patiently until I release him with the word break. For the remainder of the visit we walked throughout the mall conditioning Ziggy to this type of setting.
Pupdate 1/21/2024
Today's practice was conditioning Ziggy on my parent's side of the house while performing tasks while he's asked to place. I started off with sending Ziggy to his place from a distance, also known as send away to place. As I have him place I always follow up with his down obedience command since he's very comfortable to go with it. I walk around the house being as loud as I can creating noises by opening cabinets, pulling chairs and other variations of distractions I can do to challenge Ziggy. Ziggy doesn't find this challenging and lets me do anything I want at the moment. Ziggy used to be very impulsive following me each time I would walk away but now with his confidence he's able to keep his composure inside the house giving him moments to just hang out. I will practice this more while my family is around so this can help when guests come over.
We followed up with the rest of the day with more obedience training with the help of my little brother today inside the house. Ziggy was listening to my brother very well even when needing to be redirected. He is able to follow him without a leash throughout the house when being asked to heel. When playing and messing around, Ziggy will sometimes be mouthy and place his teeth on my hand or fingers but is very gentle and can be redirected when saying off in those moments if it happens. He seems to have such a different personality already just being one week into his boarding. We will continue to train and improve on anything that comes up for the next two weeks!
Pupdate 1/22/2024
Today I went to Lowes in La Habra, CA to work on Ziggy's leash dragging to offleash obedience. Ziggy's heeling has been going very well, so it was time to start conditioning towards his offleash obedience. When we first arrived, we met up with our friend Sheena and her dog Samantha and Ziggy showed no intention to bark towards her. They have been around each other before so by now they are comfortable being around one another. We walked around the store and hearing random noises throughout Lowes, nothing seemed to bother Ziggy.
We stayed by the lumber section and worked on our obedience with the leash dragging for a short moment before taking it off and practicing fully offleash. Once I took the leash off Ziggy remained focused on me and was able to perform his obedience even if needing to be redirected. Ziggy took some time working with Sheena again but while working with her Ziggy seemed attached to me wanting to stay around me and not her. He was able to work with Sheena until I asked Ziggy to come back to me when asking for his recall. The last thing we tried working on was placing on the carts inside the store. Ziggy would place himself and I would push the cart while he remained on it. Each time he got up I would ask him to go back into his down until I would come to a complete stop. When finishing I would ask for his break making a moment like this memorable and fun.
Pupdate 1/23/2024
Today's focus was improving our door manners but this time with the front door. I have been conditioning Ziggy with our side gate everyday but today I wanted to show him a new challenge using a different door in the house. We used the front door taking some time letting me leave while Ziggy waits inside. Shortly after I started to walk at a normal pace while talking to my mom inside the house.
In the video above is 10 minutes into our training session with just the use of the e-collar and no leash. As I walk throughout the house Ziggy remains in his down obedience command whereas before if I would leave the room he would instinctively follow me. Sometimes when opening the front door I will walk inside the house still to show Ziggy when the door opens I wont always leave the house the moment he sees it open. As I walk throughout the house and leave the front door Ziggy lets me walk as far as I need to before walking back inside the house to release him. Once I finish I'll walk beside Ziggy and ask for his heel for us to start our walk.
Today Ziggy and Hunter got to play with each other. Ziggy seemed very nervous but Hunter showed him playful body language that eventually got Ziggy motivated enough to try and play with Hunter which worked.
Pupdate 1/24/2024
Today's video is a tutorial on putting on the leash with Ziggy. There are different reactions dogs display when having a leash put on them and Ziggy was always uneasy when having to place any type of collar on him. In the beginning of his board and train Ziggy would always turn over onto his back not giving me the ability to put his collar on him properly. As each day went on he would continue to roll over and make this difficult for me to get him ready in the morning. By his 4th day of boarding I would use the slip leash and treats for him to get used to this leash as I would lure it over his head the moment he would grab a treat from me. After some practice and many repetitions with the slip leash I started to put on all other collars I have at home for him to get used to. By the weekend he was manageable when putting his collars on so each moment that was successful could be followed up with praise. Using a slip leash can help in the long run for putting other collars on that are foreign to our puppies.
In the video above I go over putting a leash on Ziggy now since his behavior has changed. Using a place pad in the morning first thing can be another way to structure him as this can become a routine before getting his collars on.
Pupdate 1/25/2024
Today I took Ziggy to Anaheim pet & feed in Anaheim since it was raining and we wanted to stay indoors. When we first arrived I started off keeping him on a leash just to keep him engaged with me in case of running into other dogs in the store. We made our way around and Ziggy was in a consistent heel walking throughout the store. We practiced our obedience training with Ziggy being an overachiever today by randomly doing his commands or sometimes going back to a platform to place. I would redirect him for necessary moments only if he didn't do an obedience command that I'm specifically asking for. After some time I took his leash off and offleash walked him throughout the store and practiced extended sit and down.
Sometimes when moving around Ziggy he will get up to adjust himself to keep looking at me. If he keeps that up he can always end up breaking his positions so I will redirect him for things like this to make sure that if I walk around him in general he doesn't have to always get up.
Ziggy and Hunter have been bonding lately and play often now. Ziggy showed a lot of unaware play signs when greeting Hunter and was just trying to figure out what was ok to do. Hunter is very knowledgeable when meeting other dogs that come over and was able to take time with Ziggy getting to know him. Once Hunter rolled over for him they immediately started to play. I give them plenty of time to play early in the morning and at night before they go to sleep.
Pupdate 1/26/2024
Today I took Ziggy to the Hollywood walk of fame in Hollywood, CA for offleash obedience training. When we first arrived Ziggy kept a consistent heel throughout our visit and had a lot of confidence being here since it was packed with people. We walked throughout the walk of fame and Ziggy seemed more aware of staying close to me and didn't seem to be bothered being here today. He performed all of his commands without issues today even being around other dogs today from offleash. In the video above is part of our practice of today heeling and holding an extended sit.
Something noticeable today while training was Ziggy's attention towards the remote of the e-collar. He seems to anticipate his commands and performs while seeming timid. After some moments of trial and error, as long as the remote wasn't in his sight he was very confident about doing his commands. Testing this throughout the visit it was very noticeable so I had the remote covered or out of sight but still using it to work with Ziggy which made our day successful. I'm going to see how I can structure his anticipation associated with the remote since he's doing well with his training but seeing the remote makes him uneasy at times.
Pupdate 1/27/2024
Today's video is of Ziggy's day spending it with Hunter and how they play. When Ziggy first met Hunter it was through the crate and they both seemed neutral at that moment when Ziggy came over. As the days went on Ziggy was aware of Hunter's presence, even seeing us train at times. When I decided to let Ziggy meet Hunter it was after both had training so they were both tired the moment I released them from their crates. Ziggy seemed more unaware of what to do when greeting Hunter so he would test Hunter by trying different things to see if he would react but all Hunter wants to do is play. After some time of smelling each other Hunter eventually got on his back for Ziggy showing him he's submissive. Once Ziggy saw this he immediately wanted to play with Hunter.
In the video above is today's playtime throughout the day. They play as long as they have to and when asking Ziggy to stop playing he will follow up with his sit or down to give them time to relax before letting them play again. Ziggy spent most of the day training at home for his offleash obedience.
Pupdate 1/28/2024
Today I took Ziggy to Cerritos Mall to take my younger brother shopping and for Ziggy to have some exposure. When we first arrived Ziggy was performing his obedience well, even for entering a packed mall on a Sunday. We walked around through multiple crowds of people and as close as some people were to Ziggy, he didn't the amount of people around him at all. Throughout our visit today was the first day going out somewhere where I didn't have to use the remote at all! This is unique about Ziggy since he had a history of being timid of his environment. When walking into multiple stores Ziggy seemed confused about how to react but also showing short signs of smiling and happiness. We had multiple guests greet Ziggy today and he remained calm while being petted, however when they were done he was more excited to come back to me. Some commands we practiced today were extended sit, down and under. He did really well with everything besides some help with his under obedience command since he's getting it confused with his place obedience command. We will continue to improve on this helping his understanding of both commands to not confuse them.Â
Pupdate 1/29/2024
Today's video is our visit at La Mirada regional park in La Mirada, CA but with our friends from offleash. Ziggy did very well today with little use of the remote today when training. Ziggy had moments of excitement but being vocal and direct with him he will correct himself and make training easier. I walk as far as I need to when training Ziggy and he keeps his eyes on me without being distracted by his surroundings. I attempt to sprint around him and make exciting movements to instigate his impulses but he's remaining on the ground until I ask for another command. After I ask for his recall and he performs phenomenally. After the video ends we practiced send away to place and under before being a distraction for my coworkers and their pups.
Pupdate 1/30/2024
Todays video is our practice at home conditioning Ziggy's place command and under since he can sometimes get confused on what I'm asking him for these commands. He did ok practicing with separate tables yesterday at la Mirada but I had to figure out what's a more fun and creative way to teach Ziggy these commands without him getting confused on them.
I've noticed when asking for his commands with separate platforms Ziggy will keep a consistency on what he does while performing on or under the platform. I used my place pad and a table in my parents living room for our practice and Ziggy was doing better and not jumping on the table and always going under. Practicing at home today he seemed to be more aware but when I take him outside I'll continue to condition him in a way that doesn't confuse his obedience training.
Pupdate 1/31/2024
Today's adventure was a trip to a wilderness park in Downey. CA. When we first arrived Ziggy stayed in a consistent heel with few redirections from his e-collar. We passed by people and a few with their dogs on their walks and Ziggy didn't mind passing by as usual. We practiced all of our obedience commands and advanced which went well, even his under command he wasn't confused about it and performing place instead. I took the time to take him near the ducks and geese at this park and Ziggy seemed to overstimulate when seeing them but when asking him for his off obedience command he would shift his attention back towards me. Shortly after I practiced walking him on grass to see if he would act on impulse and start his zoomies to run around. He had a few moments where he started to try and lead but redirecting him and resetting our practice made it easier for the next practice followed up. Once we finished our visit we headed back home for play time with Hunter and more training throughout the day.
Pupdate 2/1/2024
Today was raining so most of our training today was at home. Ziggy had his play time with Hunter earlier in the morning before going outside quickly to potty. Since Ziggy has been doing well in his board and train I wanted to take the time to teach him something new and fun which would be his spin command. This is more of a trick but teaching Ziggy this and implementing it with his obedience just strengthens our relationship. When practicing offleash Ziggy would keep running around the room and make our training complicated so I took a step back by putting a leash on him to help with his positioning. When practicing with the leash it already helped prevent Ziggy from branching out too far away from me and keeping him close in front. I use treats for the first couple of attempts and try to wean off from them and lure Ziggy with my hand. Throughout our practice my dog Hunter is inside his crate while working one on one with Ziggy so he wont be a bother.
Pupdate 2/2/2024
Today's visit was to Home Depot for more obedience training. When we arrived I gave Ziggy the opportunity to go potty before entering inside. As we made our way inside I started off walking through the garden section. We practice walking around the flowers and plants and Ziggy would want to smell them but I would remind him not to by asking him for his obedience command. When walking through Home Depot I walked at a slower pace than normal seeing if Ziggy can keep a slow pace until I begin to pick up the pace. Ziggy did well and as we progressed through our visit we had many people amazed seeing Ziggy perform his obedience commands. Ziggy had two guests greet him which went well with no jumping. We continued our obedience training in small aisles and close to employees working on machinery to have loud noises near Ziggy. Overall visit went very well with Ziggy doing everything with few moments of redirection and followed up with the rest of the day with play time and conditioning his spin obedience command.
Pupdate 2/3/2024
Today's video is of today with Ziggy having his usual playtime with Hunter and a trip to a park in Cerritos, CA. Ziggy and Hunter have been together ever since they became friends and are always out in my room playing as well or will come to a point of being tired and both will take a break on the floor next to each other.
Later on I took Ziggy out to a park in Cerritos for his last day of training before going home so we walked around the park multiple times before picking out an area to start training. We focused on recall, send away to place and off when he would see ducks and geese at the park. I picked a platform and even as it was next to the river of water Ziggy didn't try to go near it and has his attention on me. I finished our last practice near a basketball court with Ziggy holding his down for a period of time. With all the people playing and bouncing basketballs he didn't mind and had his eyes on me throughout. Once I finished I break Ziggy for his praise as always and we stayed for a moment taking a break before going home.
Ziggy's experience here with me as his trainer has been fun and memorable for the past 3 weeks that have passed by. I was amazed to see how quick Ziggy picked everything up and was willing to try out his obedience once given the opportunity to train. Each day has been fun but challenging when the occurrence comes up to work with Ziggy, even if Ziggy was to fail his task he could easily figure it out within the next few minutes of consistent practice. Having him inside the house has been manageable even if he has his moments of zoomies he can quickly shut it off if needed. He has been an amazing dog to train and his company is always welcomed if needed. Ziggy is ready to go home back to his family!