Ziggy | Pitsky | Harbor City, CA | In Training
- Tanner Strong
- Aug 3
- 6 min read
Updated: Aug 16
Meet Ziggy! He's a six month old Pitsky from Harbor City, California here for our One-Week Board and Train Program! He is very friendly and sweet, but often likes to pull on his leash to go say hi, then loves jumping all over everyone! He is easily distracted by all sorts of things, and has trouble being confident around too much activity. He is familiar with some commands, but often will only follow through if you have a treat for him! He also enjoys chewing on socks, shoes, and really anything he can find to munch on! Over the next seven days, we will work on his obedience skills, his impulse control, his confidence levels around distractions, and show him how to be the best pup he can possibly be! Stay tuned for Ziggy's one week transformation!
Pupdate: 8/3/2025
After picking up Ziggy, we spent a little time at the park to get to know each other. He’s a very friendly guy and warmed up to me quickly, which made for a nice start. Ziggy definitely has some enthusiasm on the leash—he’s a big puller and always wants to be on the move!
When I asked for some basic commands, he was able to give me a Sit about half the time with a little guidance. I can tell he’s willing, just still figuring out what’s expected of him. Once we got home, he took his time sniffing around and getting comfortable in the new space. He’s already getting along with my dog, and so far he seems to be settling in well. I think Ziggy is going to enjoy his time here!
Pupdate: 8/4/2025
Today Ziggy worked on his Come To Sit command, and he’s picking it up quickly! This command teaches him to come directly to me and sit at my left side when called—an important part of building reliable recall and focus.
Even with other dogs around providing some tempting distractions, Ziggy stayed engaged and did a great job responding to the command. He’s still ironing out the details, but he’s making solid progress and showing that he can focus even when there’s activity nearby.
Great work today, Ziggy!
Pupdate: 8/5/2025
Ziggy had a productive day today with morning and evening park sessions to help him stay focused and cool—but I’m showing a clip from yesterday, when we started working on his Place command!
Place is a great tool for building confidence, especially when using raised or unfamiliar objects. It also teaches Ziggy how to settle and stay put even when exciting things are happening around him. This will be super helpful at home during daily routines, like when I’m cooking, cleaning, or doing something that doesn’t involve him.
He’s just starting to get the hang of it, and I’m really happy with how willing he is to try. With practice, he’ll be holding his position like a pro in no time!
Pupdate: 8/6/2025
Ziggy and I spent some time out at the park today working through each of his commands, with an extra focus on his Heel. His recall is coming along nicely—he was able to return to me reliably, even with other dogs nearby and geese milling around as distractions. It’s great to see that consistency starting to build!
Heel proved a bit more challenging today, especially near the birds. Ziggy had some moments where his curiosity got the better of him and he drifted ahead, but after plenty of practice around the geese, he settled into the rhythm and made noticeable improvement. For Heel, I’m asking him to walk politely at my left side, with his ears aligned with my leg—and he’s learning exactly what that looks like. All in all, a productive day with solid progress!
Pupdate: 8/7/2025
We’ve been putting in a lot of work on Ziggy’s Heel command lately, and he’s making solid progress! He’s learning to stay right at my left side and match my pace, even when there are things around that might tempt him to wander. Check out the video above to see him in action!
Pupdate: 8/8/2025
We went to Garfield Park today, and when we arrived there were large groups of dogs running around and playing. I wasn’t sure how Ziggy would handle so much activity, but he impressed me. He definitely noticed the dogs and was curious about what they were doing, but he stayed more composed and didn’t get overly excited or try to join in. Instead, he stayed mostly engaged with me and focused on our work. Really good effort from Ziggy today, and I’m happy with how well he handled a busier environment!
Pupdate: 8/9/2025
It was a fairly busy morning at the park today, with baseball practice in one area and soccer games in another. Despite all the activity, Ziggy did a good job! A couple of highlights from today’s video are his Heel and Off commands. He walked politely past the baseball practice and right up to the soccer games without issue—excellent work on his part.
At about the one-minute mark, we got within just a few feet of a squirrel at the base of a tree. Ziggy was definitely interested, but he did an excellent job recovering. I simply gave the Off command and kept walking, and he made the great choice to leave the squirrel and keep pace with me. Off is our “do not do” command, and we use it for all sorts of things—distractions, jumping, or leaving something he’s not supposed to pick up. Ziggy is doing very well with it.
Another thing worth pointing out is his behavior when he potties on the grass. This is a surprisingly practical use of his Sit command—being able to sit politely without pulling me around makes cleanup much easier! While I would have preferred if he waited until his break, he still made the good decision to go only on the grass and then wait politely for me to finish so we could keep walking.
I’m noticing more and more of these small but important polite choices from Ziggy as we spend more time together. Good job, Ziggy!
Pupdate: 8/10/2025
Today we spent more time at the park working around some tough distractions, with the basketball players taking center stage. I’d say the courts were actually a bit more challenging than yesterday’s distractions, thanks to the constant loud bouncing and quick movements. Ziggy handled it well! After a short warm-up from a comfortable distance, we were able to walk much closer to the games without too much trouble. Great work from Ziggy on staying focused in such a noisy environment!
Pupdate: 8/11/2025
We headed to the park today and met up with some other trainers and their dogs. Ziggy had a great time taking in the sights, sounds, and new faces, and he did pretty well with all the activity going on around him. He handled himself nicely while still enjoying the outing, and I really enjoyed spending the time with him. Always a pleasure to hang out and work with Ziggy!
Pupdate: 8/12/2025
Ziggy had a great time at the park today! We focused on balancing his playtime with practicing calm, controlled behavior. The main goal was to let him get excited, have fun, and then be able to settle down quickly when asked. He’s picking up on this skill nicely and showing good progress. His Off command in particular is coming along well—he’s learning that when I give the cue, it’s time to stop what he’s doing and check in with me. This kind of self-control will be really helpful for him in all sorts of situations, and it was great to see him doing so well with it today!
Pupdate: 8/13/2025
We had another fun and productive day! Ziggy got the chance to work with a new trainer, and he did a pretty good job responding to their commands. We also spent more time practicing polite play—this means I release him, initiate play, and keep it going until he puts his paws or mouth on me. At that point, we pause, have him sit until he’s relatively calm again, and then pick the game back up. He’s really starting to understand that keeping things polite means the fun can continue!
Pupdate: 8/14/2025
We spent our time at the park today, but I also wanted to give a look at how Ziggy is doing with his Door Manners. For this, my goal is to be able to open the door and walk through without Ziggy trying to rush ahead. He should wait patiently until I invite him in or out, no matter how tempting it might be to move first.
In the video, you’ll see him sitting right near the door for practice. While that’s great for training, I ultimately want him to hold the same calm, patient behavior whether he’s sitting right at the threshold or all the way across the room. The idea is for the door opening to become a total nonevent for Ziggy—something he can watch happen without getting overexcited or breaking position.
This is one of those skills that not only helps with good manners but also keeps him safe, and I’m happy with the progress he’s making!
Pupdate: 8/15/2025
Ziggy had a busy and productive day! This morning, we headed to the park where the basketball courts were in full swing and flocks of geese were hanging out nearby. Both proved to be great distractions for our training, and Ziggy did a nice job staying focused as we worked around them. After such an active and engaging session, he enjoyed a well-earned nap back home on his Place cot. In the afternoon, we kept the momentum going with short intervals of practicing his home manners, and Ziggy handled those just as well. A solid day of work and relaxation for this guy!
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