Bear, a Australian Shepherd from Santa Monica, CA went through the Balanced Canine Training SoCal Board and Train dog training program . Bear was trained by Tanner Strong in Alhambra, CA.
Bear came to Balanced Canine Training SoCal with varying behavioral issues, including pulling on the leash, squirrel chasing, jumping up when greeting, counter surfing, generally not listening to commands, and barking at strangers. Balanced Canine Training SoCal was successful in transforming Bear into a well-managed pup.
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Pupdates:
Meet Bear! He's a two year old Australian Shepherd from Santa Monica, California here for our Three-Week Board and Train Program! Bear can be a sweet pup once you get to know him, but around strangers, he gets extremely nervous and reactive. He will bark at people he doesn't know, as well as other dogs when he's out walking. He also gets nervous in new places, and has a hard time socializing due to these issues. He loves to pull on his leash and has trouble following basic commands. Over the next twenty one days, we will work on building Bear's confidence to help his nerves, help reduce his reactivity, teach him manners in and out of the house, work on his basic obedience skills, and show him how to be the best pup he can possibly be! Stay tuned for Bear's three week transformation!
Pupdate: 8/18/2024
When first meeting Bear, he was quite reactive and barked at us through his fence. That being said, it only took a few minutes for Bear to sniff me and become friendly enough to pet! We then went over to Almansor Park to get to know each other better. He's definitely a leash puller, and had trouble following me around the park without trying to pull wherever he wanted. There were only a couple people around this section of the park, but Bear noticed them and locked on any time someone was anywhere close to us. He didn't bark at them, though. Bear would give me a Sit with a little help, but otherwise didn't want to listen. When he did sit for me, he was only willing to hold it for a few seconds at a time, which is something else we'll work on! I can tell he isn't super comfortable going to new places, and especially around new people, but considering that, he seems to be starting to like me and he's settling in well with me!
Pupdate: 8/19/2024
Bear and I went to Almansor Park today for training! We began working on his Heel and his Come To Sit commands. For Come To Sit, I want Bear to come to my right side, walk around my legs, and sit at my left side with his ears at my knee. This is our recall command, and I want Bear to respond to it whether he is playing, sniffing, or holding a different command. When performed correctly, this command can lead perfectly into our Heel. For Heel, I simply want Bear to walk politely at my left side with his ears at my knee without pulling forward, backward, or veering to the side. Bear is already getting the hang of each of these commands, and learning the motions well. His biggest hurdle is having his eyes glued to anybody he sees. After a little bit of work, he has started doing better with this, but there are still tons of times when he fixates on a person and will try to turn his whole body around in order to stare at them. He seems willing to learn and perform his commands, his biggest challenge will absolutely be the distraction we encounter. Great start today, though!
Pupdate: 8/20/2024
Bear and I went to the park in the morning, then again later in the evening in order to avoid being out during the hottest parts of the day. His Heel command has improved greatly, and it was rare for him to pull very much today. The times he did, it was because we were very close to distractions. He did a little better with the human distractions today, but there were tons of geese and ducks around the pond that I don't think Bear was expecting. He had the most trouble ignoring the geese today. When we went back later, he did a bit better and was able to hold his Sit long enough for me to take a picture of him near the birds, but not much longer than that.
We also started working on his Place command! For Place, I want Bear to hop onto a raised object, such as a bench, or the rock pictures above, and hold his position there until I either release him from command or ask her to perform a different command. Bear was very skeptical of this command, and it took a while for him to gain the confidence to hop up by himself. After some repetition, he started doing a great job with it! Working on this command is a great way to build confidence, which I believe Bear needs a lot of. The Place command is also very useful at home. I use it whenever I need to cook or clean and have my dog in a specific spot inside.
Pupdate: 8/21/2024
Bear and I continued working on his commands today, this time with a long leash! Today's goal was to have Bear performing his commands with as little leash pressure as possible, and also add distance to his Come To Sit command. It took a few repetitions for Bear to understand he needed to come when asked even if I was farther away from him, but he did well by the end. By eliminating leash tension when Bear made a mistake, we create a scenario where Bear must choose the correct path and destination with only my voice, the E collar as well as hand gestures and body movements. He can no longer rely on the leash as a guide to the correct position. Bear started by trying to go all over the place to try to get out of working, but with consistency, he quickly realized he still needed to follow through with the commands when asked. His precision with his placements is still not perfect, but he took a good step forward today! One of his bowel movements was loose today, so I added a spoonful of pumpkin to his dinner.
Pupdate: 8/22/2024
Bear and I went to Santa Monica Promenade today for training! We met with his brother Cooper, and worked on their commands together. Bear was quite nervous in this new environment, but he was excited to see his brother. While walking around the promenade, there were a few times Bear wanted to break his heel to get closer to Cooper, but he quickly realized he needed to stay in the correct position with me. At the very beginning of the above video, we walked right by a little white dog who was barking and pulling towards the boys. Bear certainly noticed, but didn't bark back, and did a fairly good job continuing to walk without reacting. After a bit more walking, we found a nice shady spot to keep cool and practice extending the duration of their sit. Bear broke his sit about halfway through, but otherwise did a good job holding it! As people walked close to us, Bear would often start staring, but responded well to his Off command when he fixated too much.
Later, another dog barked at us, but this time it was more of a surprise than the small white dog. Bear didn't bark or lunge, but he did jump a little because he was startled. It seemed to me that right when he got startled, he looked to me, Cooper and Jose, realized none of us were paying attention to the other dog, and continued walking normally.
Bear had diarrhea today, and will be getting rice, yogurt and pumpkin, instead of his normal food. I believe his stomach issues are stemming from his nerves in these new areas, as when we got home he gets happy and more playful with me.
Pupdate: 8/23/2024
Bear and I went to Santa Anita Mall today for training! We went when there weren't too many crowds around, but he was still much more anxious than yesterday. Cooper wasn't there today, and I believe Cooper gave him a lot of comfort yesterday. When we first arrived at the park, he was scanning the area constantly. I'm not sure if he was expecting to see his brother, or was just uncomfortable in the new area, but either way he was visibly nervous. As far as his commands, he did a really good job. At the beginning, when he was most nervous, it sometimes took a couple of attempts for him to fully follow through, but he always ended on a high note.
His stool was slightly more solid than yesterday, so his tummy is heading in the right direction I think. I did, however, have trouble getting him to eat his food. He barely touched it this morning, and was very slow to eat at dinner. I'm glad he ate what he did, but I'm really hoping he gets a little more excited for food by tomorrow.
Pupdate: 8/24/2024
Bear and I went to Garfield Park today for training! Today was all about confidence building for Bear. We spent most of our time practicing his Place command on new and challenging objects. Using this command as well as tons of praise and affection allowed Bear to have some fun while getting him comfortable and working on his confidence. After we spent some time doing this, the difference in his demeanor was visible. When we first started, he couldn't sit still and was turning all over the place to see where any little noise came from. By the end of the day he was not only able to enjoy himself and have some fun, but was also much more reliable with his commands.
Bear's stool is still not completely solid, but a little better than yesterday. He ate very well this morning, but was still slow to eat his dinner. I think he's still heading in the right direction though.
Pupdate: 8/25/2024
Bear and I went to Almansor Park today for training! He had a bit of a rough start to the morning, waking up at around four to ask to be let out to potty, which he did. His stomach continues to get a little better each day, but still not normal. I am also starting to think that he really doesn't like car rides. Before we left today, Bear was doing great! He was happy and playful. When we went for the very short car ride to the park, however, I noticed the change in his demeanor and his visible nervousness. After getting to the park, he settled down after we sat in the shade for several minutes. He might be seeing the car ride negatively because he doesn't know where we're going, or he thinks we'll be going somewhere he doesn't like. Once we got to the park, and he relaxed for a while, he started doing really well with his commands and his behavior. The toughest part for him was working around all the birds, and even then, he did a pretty good job of ignoring them and focusing on me. After we were done at the park, we had the same experience going home. I believe the car rides give him anxiety, but I'm not one hundred percent sure yet. He definitely seemed to be happy and relieved when we arrived back home! Tomorrow I am going to try walking Bear to the park instead of driving to see if he still shows nervous signs if we take the car ride out of the equation.
Pupdate: 8/26/2024
Bear and I walked to the park today instead of driving. This definitely made a difference. He still was a little on edge when we got to the park, but not nearly as much as when we drive somewhere. I will take this into account, unfortunately I will need to drive him around a lot in order to train in various locations. Typically if a dog doesn't like the car rides, they get used to them quickly simply due to the fact we drive to almost every training location. I will continue to give Bear several minutes of relaxation time before and after the car rides to hopefully show him that the car isn't so bad.
At the park, Bear did a great job today! I began dropping the leash during some of our training sessions to practice his commands with the leash dragging. Allowing the leash to drag gives me some idea of how he might perform off leash while still having access to the leash should I need it. While there were only a few other people around today to serve as distractions, he did really well with the motions and positions of his basic commands.
I'm still struggling to get Bear to eat properly. He's eating enough for me to not be too worried, but not quite enough for me to be happy. I'm trying different combinations of the rice and other ingredients as well as adding water to see if any particular ratio perks his interest, but he seems to only eat when he's ready, and not a moment before.
Pupdate: 8/27/2024
Bear and I went to La Bonita Park today for training! Much to Bear's chagrin, we drove there. He vomited a small amount on the drive, further reinforcing my thoughts that car rides are an issue for him. It may be the case that Bear gets car sick while driving, exacerbating his nerves when we go somewhere. If this is the case, he might need medication for it, and it won't be something he simply gets over by being exposed to the car rides.
When we began our workouts at the park, several other dogs and trainers were there, including a big one who barked at Bear. Bear didn't seem too offended by this, but that could be because he was still getting over the car ride. Bear did, however struggle with his commands much more than yesterday. This could be because of the extra distractions, the car ride, or most likely both. His Heel command was very good, and most of the time his Come To Sit command was good. Several times, he wanted to get out of working by trying to move beside someone other than me. From his point of view, the other trainers there aren't asking him to work on his commands, so he thinks this will get him out of having to follow through.
We introduced Bear to a new command today as well! The Under command. Under is most useful if you want to take Bear to an outdoor café or dog friendly restaurant, and have him lay down under the table or your chair! Bear took some time to get used to the idea of crawling under the objects, after all, I've mostly been asking him to hop on objects up to this point. Once he understood what I was asking, he did really well. By the time we were done with this exercise he seemed perfectly comfortable under the table.
Bear had a completely normal, solid stool last night, and another mostly solid one today! The one from last night could indicate that the car rides play a massive role in his bowel integrity, but either way, his stomach seems to be doing better.
Pupdate: 8/28/2024
Bear and I went to Garfield Park today for training! He spat up a little during the drive. We took a long time sitting and relaxing in the shade to help get him ready to work. Once we started, he did a good job with his commands. Yesterday he tried several times to go to someone else to get out of performing his commands, but today we worked around a few different strangers and he did not do this. I think it is partially because these strangers weren't paying any attention to him, but also we switched strangers several times today rather than working around one group for most of the day. I'll continue to explore his thought process as we keep working in different locations.
We started trying to expand his Place command into the more advanced version, Send Away To Place! For this, I still want Bear to hop onto the object, however, I want him to be able to go to the object without me having to walk all the way up to it every time. This extension makes the command much more useful, especially inside the house. Ideally, I'd like Bear to be able to go straight to his cot when asked from all the way across my living room, or at least from ten-twenty feet when out in public. When practicing this, we can either send him to the object directly from the Heel position, or stand halfway between Bear and the object and ask him to move from his position to the object. Bear was much better with the latter option. He likes me quite a bit now, and he had trouble understanding that I wanted him to leave my side to go the object. This is fair, because so far I have asked him to stick close to my side most of the time, and changing that up today was a bit challenging. After some repetition he started getting the hang of this command, although, we introduced it in a section of the park with very few distractions, and the furthest he was able to perform it was about six feet, so we will need to put in a lot more work for him to become proficient with it!
Pupdate: 8/29/2024
Bear and I went to Home Depot today for training! We sat on the grass in front of the store for a few minutes before entering. Once Bear was a little more relaxed, we got to work! He did a fine job around the people, but the other noises around the store spooked him. The loud forklifts were particularly distracting. Bear seemed the most concerned when the noise came from an aisle over and he couldn't see the source. Most of the time, walking right next to people and carts didn't bother him at all, but something noisy from farther away would have Bear turning around to try to see the distraction. When we first got to the store, the place was bustling with customers trying to get their morning supplies. After a while, people started leaving and we could practice in larger areas without getting in the way. Even then, Bear wanted to turn to face any noise he heard, but was a little less nervous about it. Another issue he had today was feeling uncomfortable with me walking away from him. This has been tough for him the whole time he's been here, but today this was particularly difficult. Nearly every time I asked him to sit then stepped away, he reached a paw out to try to follow me. This means we need a lot more practice holding his positions with various noises around us. The good news is, any time he broke a command or position, his first instinct was to go directly to me, which is certainly preferable to trying to walk the other direction like he has on other days.
Bear's stool has been pretty solid, although his issues with the car persist. He didn't spit up on the drive today, but he was still visibly uncomfortable when we reached our destination.
We will go to the park this evening so that Bear can have some more practice in an area he likes a little more. Because he had a pretty strong aversion to the noise in Home Depot, we will likely go back again to get more practice there!
Pupdate: 8/30/2024
Bear and I went back to Home Depot today for training! It wasn't nearly as crowded as it was yesterday morning, and Bear did better from the start. It still wasn't the easiest spot for him, but there were fewer loud noises and crowds for us to get in the way of. This allowed us to focus more on tightening up his commands, which he still needs plenty of work on! He had more success with his Send Away To Place command, which is definitely the toughest one for him. There were still lots of things that made Bear nervous, though. Notably, the Halloween decorations are going up and one of them is a giant zombie wolf that Bear did not like at all. After walking around it a few times, he started to understand it wasn't alive, but he still couldn't stop looking at it any chance he got.
Bear's stomach seems to be much better, so for his dinner I added just a bit of his kibble back in. I'm not going to add his canned food quite yet, as I think that fast of a transition back will upset his tummy again.
Back at home, Bear is doing great with his manners. One of the things I like to do is make sure Bear can hold his Place position on a place cot while I'm cooking dinner, without him trying to come over sniff. He usually holds it for a while then eventually comes over to say hi to me, but this evening he was able to hold his position the whole time I cooked and ate!
Pupdate: 8/31/2024
Bear and I went to Almansor Park today for training! We worked with a small leash dragging in order to further replicate the sensation of being off leash. He was pretty good with his commands, however his focus was almost always elsewhere, even though he was pretty on point with his commands. He was constantly looking at the other activities around the park, usually only looking at me when I walked away from him. Most of his commands are solid at this point, but for him to go off leash safely, I'd like to try to work more on his engagement.
We worked on his Come To Heel command as well today! This slightly more advanced recall command asks Bear to come to me, then immediately fall into heel position without stopping. This version of the command can be useful walking throughout a park, or anywhere else, without needing to stop! It's important to still practice his Come To Sit command so that he knows not to preemptively start walking before you!
Pupdate: 9/1/2024
Bear and I went to Santa Anita Mall today for training! It was incredibly busy. We've been here before, but not when it was this crowded. Bear had a hard time calming down, and he was pretty on edge the whole time. A lot of our time was spent sitting to the side showing Bear everything wasn't as scary as it seemed. Even through the tough times, Bear actually did really well with his commands. I believe he wasn't interested in exploring or sniffing anything due to the immense crowds, which allowed him to simply perform each command when asked, without really having to think about it. The most he calmed down was when I sat next to him and scratched his chin, which he loves, but after I stopped he went right back into his nervous mode. A friendly stranger approached us wanting to pet Bear, and he did a great job of sitting through it and allowing her to pet his chest and chin without dodging away or breaking his command.
After the mall, we went home so Bear could take a well earned nap. I wasn't sure if the difficult area we were in today would affect his appetite or his stomach again. I was pleased to see him eat all of his dinner and pass solid stool this evening!
Pupdate: 9/2/2024
Bear and I went to Whittier Narrows Park today for training! We met with some other trainers and their dogs, including Bear's brother! Bear was pretty excited to see Cooper, but behaved himself well after some warm up commands. We took some time to work with both of the boys together, and it went fairly smoothly! Bear is definitely a follower of Cooper, so it's important to make sure Bear is responding to his commands from us, rather than just following Cooper. Bear also seemed more affectionate, wanting to lick Cooper's face while we walked. It's nice that he loves his brother, but he needs to know there is a time and place for that affection, and it isn't when we're working on commands! Performing their commands at the same time can be tough for the handler, and it's important to stay vigilant with each dog. They did pretty well Heeling together, and even with their Come To Sit command at the same time, but it did require our constant attention to keep their focus.
Pupdate: 9/3/2024
Bear and I went to Santa Anita Mall today for training! Bear did a much better job here this time for a few different reasons. It wasn't as busy as on Sunday, so we weren't having to move through shoulder to shoulder crowds to find spots to practice. We also went with another dog I've been working with. This other dog is much more confident in areas like this, so I was hoping Bear would feed off of his energy, and help show him that places like this don't have to be scary. I think it worked, as it seemed Bear was much faster to get comfortable today. Working with both dogs at the same time was a great exercise for Bear, as he likes the other dog, but not as much as Cooper, so we can help show him how he should properly walk with another dog without him being too distracted. Getting better with this will then make it a bit smoother when we meet back with Cooper for more training with him!
Pupdate: 9/4/2024
Bear went back to Santa Anita Mall today for training! It was a little busier than yesterday, so he got some more practice around people. He needed much less time to warm up today, and we went right inside. His basic commands were all very good today. The most noticeable difference was how much he looked to me throughout our training workouts. Usually, he looks all over the place at any little distraction that comes our way, but today he did much better at staying more focused on me. The exceptions being things more out of the ordinary, like a crying child running by us. Even with those he did a good job looking for a second, then bringing his attention back to me. This is a good sign that his confidence is still growing!
Back at home, we worked on his commands a little throughout the evening, but he was mostly allowed to relax on a cot and get comfortable! We'll be going to the park once the temperature drops this evening.
Pupdate: 9/5/2024
Bear and I went to Santa Anita Mall today for training! It was back to being a little crowded, and Bear didn't have his new friend there with him. This made it a little tougher for him at first, but he ended up doing well enough for us to take off his leash and practice his commands!
Today, Bear struggled the most with his Down command and his Under command. He actually did well with his Send Away To Place, which has previously been his most difficult obstacle. For his Down command, it took several repetitions for Bear to get comfortable enough to lay down when asked and hold it. He has done a great Down in the exact spot we were using today, so I believe his increased difficulty came from the higher number of people, as well as not having another dog next to him to comfort him. As you can see in the above video, however, he eventually got comfortable enough to not only perform his Down, but hold it for a full two minutes. His difficulty with this command wasn't too surprising, because I suspected he was having an easier time with the other dog there with us!
What was more surprising to me was his difficulty with his Under command. He usually loves the Under command, as it gives him a sense of security. Today, however, it took several minutes to get him comfortable going underneath some chairs. We hadn't practiced Under with these particular chairs before, so I believe he was just thrown off by the strange new objects. After some repetition, and showing Bear that the chairs aren't scary, he started going under fairly easily.
Bear's Send Away To Place command is usually the toughest for him. Today, we practiced Place on a bench a few times and he then had very little difficulty trotting over to the object and hopping on when asked. This was a pleasant surprise today.
Pupdate: 9/6/2024
Bear and I went to the park this morning to continue his work. He was off leash again for about half of the morning. He was more comfortable here which was great for his commands, however he was more easily distracted by squirrels. His Heel was slightly out of place at certain times because of this, but he did well fixing his mistake when asked.
We spent the rest of the day inside as it became extremely hot. We spent some time practicing his commands inside, which he had no difficulty with. To try to get him more exercise while remaining inside, we spent most of our time working on his Send Away To Place command from various points around the house. Despite the heat, he enjoyed our activities today, after several days of going to the mall!
Pupdate: 9/7/2024
Bear and I went to the park early this morning to try to avoid the heat. There were barely any people today, but that worked for us, since he had more difficulty with the critters. There were plenty of geese, ducks, squirrels and pigeons out. He came close to trying to chase one of the birds. Even though he made this mistake, he only made it about three feet in front of me before returning when called. Mistakes are going to happen, and it is nice to know that Bear is willing to correct a mistake quickly when needed. That being said, I will still get him out around those creatures more to practice!
For his video today, I wanted to show one of the manners we've been working on. For his food refusal and food manners, I want to be able to set food in front of him, without him trying to gobble it up. With his normal food, he is a pretty slow eater, so he didn't have much trouble in that aspect. With more interesting human food, I often see him watch me eat and lick his lips with his ears perked up, as if I will give him my dinner if he acts cute enough. For starters, I usually have him place on a cot while I eat. If he tries to approach me and beg, send him back to his cot. Furthermore, I want him to have the impulse control not to eat something he wants, even if it is right in front of him. This was much tougher for him, but he's doing well with it. This can be a safety measure to prevent him from eating something dropped accidentally that could be harmful. For today's practice, I placed a few egg rolls and a peanut butter sandwich in front of him. Even though he definitely wanted the food, he did a good job refusing it and even walking by it when I release him from command!
Pupdate: 9/8/2024
Bear and I went to the park this morning, but only stayed for a little while before escaping the heat. He likes this park a lot now and he's able to be off leash here for most of the time! For the middle of the day and afternoon, we stayed indoors. We continued working on his manners, which he's still doing well with. For Door manners, I want to be able to open the door without having Bear try to rush out. The door being open shouldn't be an invitation for him to leave. We practice this by having Bear Sit, Down or Place while I open and close the door, and walk in and out. Bear is only allowed to leave when I invite him. Basically, the door opening should be a nonevent for Bear. We practice this with random intervals every time we go out. He will still perk his ears up at the door, but he's doing well holding his positions. We can use this same exercise with any thresholds. Doors, gates, fences, and even something as simple as the line between the living room and kitchen should be respected by Bear. He's doing well with this, but I still want to get a little bit more practice with it, so that he barely notices the door opening.
Pupdate: 9/9/2024
Bear and I went to the park early this morning for some more practice! He's still doing well with his commands, and slowly getting better at ignoring the squirrels. For his video today, I'm showing his car manners and his greeting manners. For his car manners, I want Bear to sit politely while I open the car, then have him hop up and walk directly into the crate when asked. I also want him to remain in the crate, even if the door is open, without trying to just hop back out. When I call him to come out, I want him to come directly to my side. Bear struggled with his car manners towards the beginning of our training. He lacked the confidence to jump all the way up into the car by himself. Once we started really practicing his Place command, he started getting the hang of it!
For his greeting manners, I want Bear to stay seated when someone pets him. I don't want him to get up, jump, beg for attention, and certainly not bark. Bear could be a little timid when meeting someone new, for example he barked at me a lot when we first met. Now he's had tons of positive interactions with people, and he's learning that it can be nice to meet new friends!
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