Zoe| Pitbull mix| Los Angeles, CA| In-Training
Updated: Aug 20
Meet Zoe a 5-year-old Pit Bull mix from Los Angeles, CA, and she has joined Offleash SoCal for our 3-Week Reactive Program!
Zoe is an incredibly sweet girl who loves people and enjoys getting out to explore on walks. However, her excitement often turns into pulling on the leash, making walks difficult and less enjoyable for her owners. While she's very friendly with people, Zoe struggles around larger dogs and has developed a habit of reacting and lunging aggressively when she sees them.
Over the next three weeks, we'll be focusing on improving her leash manners, teaching reliable basic obedience, building calm and positive exposure around other dogs, and reinforcing good house manners. We're excited to help Zoe become a more confident, well-mannered companion and can't wait to share her progress. Stay tuned for her transformation!
Pupdate 8/2/26
Since today was Zoe's first day with me, I decided to keep things simple and take a walk around the neighborhood to give her plenty of time to acclimate to her new surroundings and get comfortable with me as her trainer. She definitely started our walk with lots of heavy pulling, but I wasn't too worried, knowing she would quickly begin to understand that pulling wasn't the way to get where she wanted to go.
After about 15–20 minutes of walking, we headed back home for our first short training session. Since Zoe is currently healing from a hot spot, I wanted to avoid overdoing it and instead focus on her biggest challenge—her leash pulling. With a properly fitted prong collar, I taught Zoe that pulling wasn't the right choice. Rather than correcting her myself, anytime she decided to pull, I simply pivoted and changed directions. If she chose to continue walking straight, she would end up correcting herself. It was really rewarding to see how quickly she caught on and began paying attention to me instead of trying to decide where we were going.
To keep the session fun and engaging, we also introduced the beginning stages of Extended Sit and Come to Sit. Zoe is a very smart girl and picked up on what I was asking surprisingly quickly. Overall, it was a fantastic first day, and I'm excited to continue building her confidence and watching her grow over the next three weeks. Great job today, Zoe!
Pupdate 8/3/26
Today was only Zoe’s second day with me, so I decided to keep things short and sweet with a training session around the neighborhood. We focused primarily on building her Heel and continuing to strengthen her Extended Sit. Zoe is settling in wonderfully and is already showing that she really wants to learn and do the right thing!
We started with Heel, and I was very impressed with her progress. She only needed a few minor corrections to remind her where I wanted her to be. Every now and then she would get a little excited and try to move ahead, but a gentle correction was all she needed to guide her back into position. She responds very well and doesn’t argue or fight the guidance, which is fantastic. She’s beginning to understand that there’s an “invisible bubble” beside me where she’s expected to stay during our walks, and she’s becoming much more respectful of that space. Anytime she stayed in position on her own without needing any reminders, I made sure to give her lots of verbal praise so she understands that she’s making the right choice. As her confidence and understanding continue to grow, she’ll need those reminders less and less.
After our walk, we spent some time working on her Extended Sit. We practiced having Zoe sit whenever we stopped and teaching her that just because I move around her doesn’t mean she should get up. Unless she’s given another command, such as Heel, her job is to remain where she was asked to sit. Zoe honestly surprised me with how well she did! She only broke the command once, and when that happened, a little leash pressure and a simple reset were all she needed. She quickly realized what was expected of her and happily returned to position. Zoe is a very smart girl who truly wants to succeed, so every improvement—no matter how small—is rewarded with praise, affection, or pets. Helping her understand that making good choices leads to positive rewards is an important part of building her confidence and enthusiasm for training.
I’m also very proud of how well Zoe is adjusting to life here. She has shown no signs of reacting to the other dogs coming in and out of their crates or barking around the house. Instead, she’s remaining calm and learning that another dog’s behavior doesn’t mean she has to respond. That’s a wonderful sign and shows she’s already beginning to develop the calm mindset we’re looking for.
Overall, Zoe had another fantastic day, and I couldn’t be happier with how she’s settling in. She is making great progress already, and I’m excited to continue building on this strong foundation. Great job today, Zoe!
Pupdate 7/4/26
Today Zoe and I met up with another trainer at Home Depot to continue building on the commands she has been learning! Home Depot is a fantastic place for training because it exposes dogs to all kinds of real-world distractions, from loud carts and trolleys to power tools, busy shoppers, and the constant noise of the hardware department. Since this is only Zoe’s third day with me, I wanted to set her up for success, so we kept our session primarily in the quieter garden section where she could build confidence without becoming overwhelmed.
We started with our structured heel, and I am so happy with how nicely she is progressing! Zoe has been making the choice to stay by my side instead of pulling, even though she is more than strong enough to do so if she wanted. Every now and then something would catch her attention or startle her just enough that she’d move a little ahead, but a very light leash correction and clear communication were all she needed to understand she had made a small mistake. She was always quick to return right back into position, which shows she is eager to do the right thing.
After spending some time walking, we moved into her extended sit. Zoe did a fantastic job remaining in her command while the world continued moving around her. She only got up once, and with a little guidance she happily returned to her sit and stayed there until I released her. Moments like that are a great reminder that learning isn’t about being perfect—it’s about understanding and making better choices each time.
We also continued introducing her Come to Sit. Since it’s only day three, I’m not expecting perfection, and that’s completely okay! She was a little unsure of exactly where she needed to finish, but she made a genuine effort to work through it. Anytime she gave me a solid attempt and made the right choice, I made sure to reward her with lots of verbal praise so she continues building confidence and understanding.
To finish our session, we worked on something new. Since another trainer was there with their dog, I used the opportunity to begin introducing Zoe to calmly working around other dogs. Knowing she can be a little uncomfortable around larger dogs, we kept plenty of distance and focused entirely on her job. I placed Zoe into a down while the other trainer and dog calmly walked back and forth in the distance. The goal wasn’t interaction—it was teaching Zoe that another dog being nearby isn’t a big deal and that her focus should stay on the task I gave her. I couldn’t have been happier with how she handled it! She wasn’t overly concerned or fixated on the other dog and showed some really encouraging signs of understanding what was being asked of her.
Overall, today was a huge success. Zoe continues to make steady progress every single day, and it’s been so rewarding watching her confidence grow. I am incredibly proud of the effort she put in today, and I’m excited to continue building on this strong foundation. Great job today, Zoe!
Pupdate 8/5/26
Today’s training session took us to Lowe’s, where we continued exposing Zoe to a slightly more distracting environment while building on the commands she has been learning. Since it was extremely hot outside and she is still early in her training, I decided to keep things manageable by working in the shaded garden section rather than bringing her straight into the busy main store. This gave her the opportunity to experience new sights, sounds, and smells without becoming overwhelmed.
We started with our structured heel, and overall Zoe did a great job. At one point she spotted a squirrel running along the wooden planks above one of the aisles and became pretty fixated on it. I gave her a few light leash corrections to help redirect her attention back to me, and it didn’t take long for her to realize that reacting to the squirrel wasn’t what I was asking of her. Once she settled, she fell right back into a beautiful heel and stayed right by my side for the remainder of the exercise.
Next, we introduced the Place command using one of the garden trolleys. I chose the trolley because it moves slightly, making it a great confidence-building exercise while teaching her to trust both me and the command. Zoe impressed me by hopping right up and handling the unstable surface much better than I expected. We practiced extended sit while on the trolley, and she remained calm and committed to the command. We also introduced an extended down on the trolley, and again she stayed relaxed and held her position nicely.
We finished our session with some Come to Sit practice. She is still learning to come around behind me and finish in the correct position, but that is completely normal at this stage. Rather than expecting perfection, I want to focus on helping her understand the concept and build confidence with each repetition. I’m already seeing improvement, and I have no doubt she’ll continue putting the pieces together over the next few days.
Overall, Zoe had a fantastic training session today! She handled new distractions, showed great confidence while learning a brand-new command, and continued making steady progress with everything we’ve been working on. I couldn’t be happier with her effort today—great job, Zoe!
Pupdate 8/6/26
Zoe and I met up with another trainer at Lake Balboa for a different kind of training session! Rather than putting her straight into a structured heel, I wanted to observe her natural reactions to a new environment. My main goal was to see how she would respond to the large lake, the ducks, birds, and even the squirrels without immediately asking for a formal working position. I let her lead the way as we walked toward the water while I closely watched her body language, movement, and overall demeanor to better understand what she was communicating.
I was so happy with what I saw! Zoe was definitely curious and got a little excited when she noticed the ducks, but she never showed any signs of reactivity. If she started pulling a little too enthusiastically, I simply stopped moving and gave her a light leash correction to remind her that pulling isn’t acceptable, even when something exciting is nearby. She responded beautifully each time and quickly settled back into a calm walk. Throughout the outing, her demeanor remained relaxed and curious. She was interested in the water and wildlife but never became fixated or overstimulated.
Since she was handling everything so well, I decided it was the perfect opportunity to practice an extended down right near the water and the ducks. The goal was to reinforce that even in an exciting environment, she still needs to respect the command she’s been given. Zoe absolutely nailed it! She remained calmly in her down without breaking position, simply taking in the environment while staying focused on her task. Moments like these are a huge confidence boost and show just how much progress she’s making with her impulse control.
Overall, today was a fantastic day, and I’m incredibly proud of Zoe. She continues to impress me with how respectful she has been around other dogs and new distractions. I am also continuing to closely monitor the skin irritation from her prong collar. I remove it as soon as we’re finished training to give her skin plenty of time to breathe and heal, and I’ll continue keeping a close eye on it. Aside from that, she’s doing wonderfully, and I’m excited to keep building on all of the great progress she’s making. Great job today, Zoe!
Pupdate 8/7/26
Due to the 101-degree heat today, we took things easy and stayed close to home with a short neighborhood walk, focusing primarily on Heel, Extended Down, and Come to Sit. I’ve decided to step away from using the smaller prong collar for now while Zoe continues healing from her pre-existing hot spot and instead focus on teaching her to respond to the E-collar.
Zoe did really well during her Heel work and stayed respectfully by my side, even when she spotted a squirrel climbing up a nearby tree! We found a nice shady spot to practice her Extended Down, and I was very proud of her for holding her command and not letting the little critters above us break her focus.
Over the weekend, we’ll begin building Zoe’s confidence with jumping onto benches and tables to introduce her Place command, while continuing to strengthen her extended commands. So far, she’s doing really well and has also shown no reactivity around the house or while resting in her crate, even when other dogs walk by or come over to sniff. Great work today, Zoe!
Pupdate 8/8/26
Today we took Zoe to the mall for her first outing in a higher-distraction environment! With plenty of people, noises, kids playing, and lots going on around her, this was a great opportunity to start building her confidence and focus—and she did really well!
We started with our structured Heel to get her into a working mindset. Zoe stayed nicely by my side as we passed groups of people and wasn’t overly curious about what was happening around her. Instead, she remained focused on the task at hand and did a great job tuning out the distractions!
Once she was calm and focused, we found a bench to practice Place. The surface was pretty slippery, which made Zoe a little nervous at first. Rather than letting her jump off, I gave her some extra support and reassurance so she could realize she was safe. Once she became comfortable, she settled into a Down, and we practiced her Extended Down while on Place. She did amazing staying calm and holding her command!
We also worked on Come to Sit. Zoe is still learning how to properly come around and line herself up on the correct side, but she is definitely starting to put the pieces together. During Heel, she occasionally gets confused and switches sides if she falls behind, so I simply use a little leash pressure to guide her back into the correct position. Once she’s there, she does a great job maintaining it!
We finished with some Extended Sit work, and overall I’m super proud of her. Zoe is such a smart girl who genuinely wants to learn and make the right choices. For her first mall outing, she handled everything incredibly well! Great job today, Zoe!
Pupdate 8/9/26
Today we headed back to the mall to continue exposing Zoe to higher-distraction environments while working on her commands. With how hot it was outside, I think she was pretty happy to spend her training session in the air conditioning! 😄
We started with a structured Heel, and Zoe has definitely gotten better about remaining by my side. She does still have moments where she falls back into her old habit of zigzagging behind me and trying to switch sides. Whenever this happens, I use some leash pressure to guide her back into the correct position and remind her that she can’t pick and choose which side she wants to walk on. Once she realized that switching sides wasn’t an option, she relaxed and did a much better job staying consistently by my side.
We then found a bench and worked on her Place command. Zoe did really well! She remained in her command without needing much guidance or any reminders and was very respectful about staying put while things were happening around her.
Next, we practiced Come to Sit, which is still a work in progress. Zoe naturally wants to come straight in front of me and sit, which may be what she was previously taught. We’re now teaching her to come around and finish properly at my side instead. We’ll spend some extra time working on this over the weekend and into next week. I’m not too worried—Zoe is a very smart girl and has shown that she is more than willing to learn new things!
We finished with some Extended Down work as people walked by. Her duration work has gotten really nice, and she’s becoming much more reliable about remaining in her command without needing reminders.
Overall, Zoe had a really good training day! We’re making great progress and will continue putting some extra focus into the areas that still need a little more work. Good job today, Zoe!
Pupdate 8/10/26
Today, Zoe and I headed to Home Depot to continue exposing her to a busier environment with plenty of loud noises, people walking around, and carts and trolleys moving throughout the store! For today’s session, I wanted to primarily focus on her Come to Sit, along with some Place and Extended Down work.
Zoe has been doing really well with her Extended Sit and Down, so I wanted to dedicate more of our time today to really helping her understand exactly how I want her Come to Sit to be executed. She did really well and is slowly starting to put all the pieces together! There are still moments where she gets a little confused and tries to figure out exactly where she needs to position herself, but that’s completely okay. Even when she gives me about 75% of what I’m looking for, I still make sure to praise her so she knows she’s heading in the right direction. As she continues practicing and starts giving me those 90–100% repetitions more consistently, the command will become much clearer and more natural for her.
Giving Zoe a session where we could really focus on one specific command gave her the opportunity to slow down, think through what I was asking, and build a better understanding without trying to juggle too many things at once. Overall, she had a really good day and continues to make great progress! Good job today, Zoe!
Pupdate 8/11/26
Today, Zoe and I went to Westfield Mall to continue exposing her to the hustle and bustle of a busy environment while working on her commands! She did really well overall and continues to show great progress.
We started with her structured Heel, and she has gotten much more consistent about staying by my side and keeping up with my pace. Occasionally, she’ll fall a little behind, but after a small reminder, she’s becoming much more willing to correct her positioning on her own. Anytime she fixes herself without needing additional guidance, I make sure to give her plenty of praise! I want her to understand where she belongs and learn to make those adjustments herself rather than always relying on me to remind her.
We also spent some time working on her Extended Down, which has become a very comfortable command for her. She does a great job settling into her down and remaining there until she is released. I haven’t noticed too many moments where she tries to break the command, which is great progress!
Afterwards, we focused quite a bit on her Come to Sit. I did use her prong collar today to give her clearer, lighter feedback while we worked through the positioning. Because Zoe is such a strong girl, a flat collar doesn’t always provide enough communication without requiring more physical pressure than I would like to use. My goal is always to use the least amount of pressure necessary to help her understand what I’m asking. I know she is capable of doing it, and she is definitely smart enough to figure it out! She put in a lot of effort today, and I’m confident that with a few more days of practice, we’ll continue seeing this command come together.
Her Place command is also looking much more confident! She’s becoming increasingly comfortable jumping onto different surfaces and has even gotten more confident jumping into the car. It’s been really nice seeing that confidence grow!
I’m extremely proud of how far Zoe has come during her first week. She’s a smart girl who genuinely puts effort into figuring out what is being asked of her, and that’s been great to see. Tomorrow, we’ll most likely head to Lake Balboa to continue working around water and dogs while focusing on her neutrality and reactivity. Stay tuned! 🐶💕
Pupdate 8/12/26
Today, Zoe and I went to Lake Balboa to continue exposing her to squirrels, other dogs, people, and the water while working on her commands. Overall, she did really well!
We started with our structured heel, which has definitely continued to improve. At the beginning of our walk, there were a few moments where Zoe noticed squirrels along the path and started showing signs of reactivity by getting overly excited and fixated. Whenever this happened, I gave her corrections to help teach her that squirrels, birds, water, and other exciting distractions are things she needs to remain calm around rather than react to. Each time I saw her make the effort to refocus and choose the right behavior, I made sure to give her plenty of praise. I want her to learn that remaining calm and focused is not only what I’m asking of her, but also the better choice.
After about 5–10 minutes of working through those initial moments, Zoe started to relax and make better decisions on her own. She became much calmer around the distractions and was able to continue walking nicely by my side.
We then worked on her Place command using a bench, and she did amazing! She remained on the bench without trying to get up and was very comfortable holding the command. We also spent some time practicing Come to Sit. She is slowly starting to understand exactly what I’m asking of her. There are still moments where she gets a little confused, but when that happens, I guide her into the correct position and praise her once she gets there. As we continue practicing, those moments of needing guidance should become less and less frequent.
We finished up with more heel work before finding a shady spot to practice her Extended Down while people walked by. Zoe did really well remaining calm and holding her command despite everything happening around her.
I’m very proud of the progress she’s making! We’ll continue working toward a more consistent Come to Sit while also giving her plenty of exposure to squirrels, water, and larger dogs so she can keep learning how to remain calm and neutral around them. Great work today, Zoe! Stay tuned! 🐾
Pupdate 8/13/26
Today, Zoe and I headed to the park to work on some of her commands! We started with a structured Heel, and she did really well. Her Heel has come such a long way, and she did a great job remaining by my side and respecting what was being asked of her.
We then worked on her Extended Sit, which she handled really well before moving on to Come to Sit. She is definitely starting to get the hang of it! She still had a few moments where she got a little confused, but with a couple of reminders and some guidance, she was able to figure it out and execute the command nicely.
We finished up with her Extended Down, which Zoe is basically a pro at now! She remained calm, focused, and held her command beautifully. I’m really happy with the progress she continues to make!
Pupdate 8/14/26
Today, Zoe went to Lowe’s to meet up with another trainer and continue solidifying all of the commands she has learned! We also took this opportunity to focus on her exposure around bigger dogs and better understand what may trigger her reactivity. Since Zoe hasn’t really shown much reactivity toward other dogs while working with me, I had another trainer handle her while a third trainer worked their own larger dog nearby.
Our goal was to show Zoe that walking and working around another dog doesn’t have to be a big deal—it can simply be another normal part of her day. As you can see, she did amazing! She walked calmly right alongside the other dog, performed her commands when asked, and stayed focused on her handler. I’m extremely proud of her for choosing calm behavior and maintaining a working mindset instead of becoming overly excited or frustrated by the other dog. Great job, Zoe!
Pupdate 8/15/26
Today we met up with another trainer at Lake Balboa to continue working on all of Zoe’s commands! We started with Heel, which has come along very nicely. She’s much more consistent with understanding where she’s supposed to be instead of zigzagging or switching sides.
We also worked on Place and Extended Sit. Zoe did really well! She had a brief moment where a German Shepherd caught her attention, but it seemed to be more curiosity and distraction rather than reactivity. After a few seconds, she redirected back to me, hopped onto Place, and held her Sit nicely.
Her Come to Sit has also improved drastically! She’s having fewer moments where she stops behind me or tries to come through the middle of my legs, and I’m very proud of the progress she’s making.
We finished up with an Extended Down near the water and ducks. She initially tried to army crawl a little closer, so I gave her a reminder that Down means staying exactly where she was asked. Once she settled, she did great and remained calm around all the distractions without any reactivity.
Overall, today was a really productive session, and I’m very proud of Zoe and how far she has come! Great job, Zoe! 🐶💗
Pupdate 8/16/26
Zoe had an amazing training session at the mall today! 🐾 We focused on strengthening all of the commands she has learned so far. Her Heel has come along very nicely, and she had no issues staying right by my side as we walked throughout the mall!
We also worked on Place, where Zoe did an awesome job getting up onto a sitting area and calmly holding her command despite everything going on around her. We finished up with Come to Sit, which has gotten so much better and is becoming much more consistent!
Overall, Zoe did an amazing job today, and I’m extremely proud of the progress she continues to make! Great job, Zoe! 🐶❤️
Pupdate 8/17/26
Today, Zoe and I went to Lowe’s and decided to switch things up a little! We worked on building her confidence while practicing her extended sit on a moving Place object. I had Zoe hop onto one of the large carts used for moving lumber, and once she was settled into her sit, we started moving around the store!
She did really well! There were a few moments where she tried to stand up, especially while turning corners or when she seemed unsure about the movement underneath her. Whenever that happened, I simply stopped the cart, reset her into her command, and continued once she was comfortable. I made sure to give her lots of praise whenever she remained calm and held her sit because this was something completely new for her.
Exercises like this are great for showing Zoe that even when something feels unfamiliar or a little strange, she can trust me, remain confident, and follow through with what’s being asked of her. Every new experience is another thing she can check off her list and realize, “I’ve done this before, and everything was okay!” She handled today’s challenge extremely well and trusted me throughout the entire process. Good job, Zoe! 🐾
Pupdate 8/18/26
Today, we decided to take things a little easier with Zoe! We’ve been pushing her pretty hard lately with learning new commands, building confidence, and strengthening everything she’s learned, so I thought it was important to give her a day to just be a dog. We never want training to take away her personality or make her feel like she constantly has to be in work mode!
We headed to the park, where I put Zoe on a long line and gave her some freedom to explore, sniff around, and watch the world around her without controlling every little thing she did. She did really well and naturally stayed relatively close even with the extra freedom. Whenever I did ask her to come back, lay down, or follow through with a command, she listened beautifully!
Today was all about giving her brain a little break, letting her relax, and reminding her that training can have balance too. She definitely earned an easy day. Good job, Zoe! 🐾
Pupdate 8/19/26
Today Zoe went to Lowe’s to continue building her reliability around distractions and loud noises while also strengthening her confidence around other dogs! I had another trainer work with her while walking alongside another dog, which she did really well with. Keeping Zoe moving gives her something productive to focus on—her Heel—rather than sitting stationary and allowing tension or emotions to build around another dog. This helps show her that she can calmly coexist and work around other dogs without needing to react. She stayed focused, followed through with what was asked, and handled the environment beautifully. I’m really proud of the progress Zoe continues to make and how much her confidence has grown over these past couple of weeks. Great job, Zoe! 🐾
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