Meet Belle!
She is a 4 month old golden retriever puppy from Aliso Viejo, California. Belle has joined OffLeash SoCal's Three-Week-Board-and-Train Puppy Program to learn general obedience, and work on typical puppy issues such as jumping up on counters, tables & people, potty-training, and home- manners. Belle has attended a few puppy-training sessions at a big-name pet store, and came to OLSC knowing "sit". She also received a bit of training for "leave it", however that does not stop her from grabbing everything she can on her walks.
Belle is a super-cute puppy who will learn a lot during her board & training program to help her grow into a wonderful family companion.
Stay-tuned for her 21-day-transformation!
Pupdate 12/18/2022
Belle was picked up at Valley View Park in Irvine today to join OLSC’s puppy board & train! We spent a bit of time in the park after her owner left to get an idea for what cues she already knows, and to get a baseline for where Belle’s training needs to start.
She is a curious puppy, and has her nose-to-the-ground often, always searching for something to pick up and chew.
On our way home from the park, Belle whined a little in her crate at the beginning of the drive, but settled down quickly. When we arrived to the house, Belle woofed down her lunch. She fussed a little after being put inside her kennel to let her meal digest, but again, settled down after a little while. When she awoke, Belle was introduced to the other dogs currently in my home. She is a confident puppy, and loved interacting with everyone. Her favorite game today was having Rascal & Hazel chase her around the yard.
Pup’s first day in the Board & Train program is spent adjusting to the new environment, and bonding with their trainers. I’m excited to start introducing her to some new cues in her training tomorrow!
Pupdate 12/19/2022
Today, Belle was introduced to leash-pressure and the prong collar. Belle learned that when she feels pressure on the leash/collar, she should move towards it in order to remove it. It took her a little bit of time to figure it out, but once she did, the “heel” behavior she was also introduced to began to come along well and quickly! “Heel” is where the pup should maintain pace and position with her ears in-line with, or slightly behind, my legs. “Heel” should be close to the handler, with a minimal gap between the pup and whoever is holding the leash. If Belle broke position, she would receive a small ‘leash-pop’ or pressure in the direction she needed to get to. As she maintains “heel”, I offered her the ‘marker-word’ of “yes!” (communicating the desired behavior was performed) and given praise and affection are continually offered to let her know she is correct.
We went to my local TeWinkle Park to practice “heel” and leash-pressure-response outside of the home and in a real-world environment. At the park, there were distractions of people, kids, dogs, squirrels, ducks, bicycles, and new smells.
Belle was introduced to “off”, as well. This cue is given to pups for distractions. This could be having their nose to the ground or picking up items (leash pressure upwards), or for distractions (leash pressure in the opposite direction of the distraction).
“Break!” cue is another one that Belle was familiarized with today. It is her ‘release-word’ to let her know that her training is paused, or the current behavior is complete, and she gets to have some free-time and/or affection.
“Break!” was introduced along with her “extended sit”, where the pup needs to hold their sit until cues that it is over. We do not use the cue ‘stay’, as it is implied that when we ask the dogs to “sit” or “down” they should remain in cue until otherwise directed. I would gradually increase the duration of her sit cue. If she broke her sit early, I would use leash-pressure to guide her back into the correct position, before cutting the time down and offering “break!”.
Belle is acclimating well to her temporary home. She is gobbling down all of her meals and probiotic, and seems very content. Everyone just cannot stop mentioning how cute she is!
Pupdate 12/20/2022
Today Belle and I went to Boysen Park in Anaheim to work on her obedience training. We practiced heel and extended sit around new distractions, mainly other dogs, strangers, and frolicking children.
Belle is able to hold her sit for longer periods of time, and is breaking her cue less when distracted. Her heel is also looking really nice considering how Belle was walking when I picked her up Sunday!
Belle was introduced to a new cue as well, “place”.
Place is where Belle is asked to jump onto an elevated object (cot, bench, chair, platform, etc) and hold her position until given “break!”. Today we did “extended sit & extended place”. Place gesture is an open palm facing up, guiding over the object. We started on a low platform, and gradually built up the confidence to get up onto higher objects.
Belle's bowel movements are becoming more regular, and I have been transitioning her back onto kibbles today.
Pupdate 12/21/2022
Today Belle and I worked on her training at home, practicing extended sit & place and heel. Belle was also introduced to the new training cue of “down”. “Down” can be a little tricky to teach initially, but can be done by using either a food-lure or leash-pressure to help guide the pup into the correct position. “Down” is complete when Belle’s elbows hit the floor, and that instant is marked with “yes!” followed by a reinforcement. “Down” is not Belle’s favorite cue, so we are slowly building up her duration, as well as correcting her walking/wiggling forward as she’s finishing the behavior. If she breaks her cue early, I will offer a verbal correction, “ah ah!! …down” paired with a visual cue. For Belle’s visual cue, I have been using my index and middle finger on my right hand to point as my arm arks downward.
I have been using her kibbles from her breakfast (half of it so there is something to mix the probiotic and pumpkin with— I will be adding pumpkin to her breakfast until the given amount is diminished), lunch, and dinner as an opportunity to work on training with food rewards. Since she came to me with an upset stomach, I’m easing her into novel food rewards such as treats. Her “movements” are looking better, and continue to improve.
Later in the day, Belle and I returned to the park to work on her training in a distracting, yet familiar environment. She was apprehensive about getting onto some new items for “place”, so we started low and gradually increased height and difficulty as she built up her confidence. Extended down is still a work in progress, but I was able to add some duration and distance during our session.
Pupdate 12/22/2022
Belle and I went to La Bonita Park in La Habra for our training today, and met up with other OLSC trainers and their dogs. We practiced all of her previous cues of extended sit, extended down, extended place, and heel. Belle is showing marked improvement in her obedience each and every day, and is really starting to get into the groove of it! Belle offers a very tight heel, is adding to duration of her extended positions, and gaining confidence.
Stop-to-sit was the new-due focus of today. This is where the pup should sit in the heel position (left side, in line with the handler's leg) when the handler comes to a stop. Belle still needs help via verbal/visual cue most of the time, however she has been very eager to earn coveted praise and affection.
She is very tired after our big day, and has been napping consistently. Her personality is beginning to show more, as she continues to acclimate and build comfort in her new surroundings.
Pupdate 12/23/2022
Belle and I worked on obedience cues in the home, and practiced them around two new boarding dogs that arrived today— a golden retriever and a Labrador retriever. She absolutely loves them, and they provided a great deal of distraction to help challenge her. Belle is a very confident and social puppy! She is the Belle of the Ball.
In the afternoon, we practiced “heel” to the local park and continued around the ponds, ducks, kids, and other distractions. She is doing well about not veering off course or losing her focus. We practiced “place” on more complex objects, such as irregular shaped rocks and tree stumps. It is important to get dogs familiar with a variety of different surfaces, and it is a great confidence-building exercise.
Belle is somewhat mischievous, and we have been working on curbing her ‘counter surfing’ and propensity to grab things in the yard (such as sticks & twigs) or in the home that she shouldn’t. If she does, I will give a sharp verbal cue (ah-ah! OFF!), to which Belle responds pretty abruptly. If the behavior continues, I will attach a leash to her collar so that I can use leash pressure to guide her away and ask her for an extended down.
Pupdate 12/24/2022
Belle has been working a lot on her training around the home. We have been focusing on obedience cues, as well as manners. She was a bit boisterous today. She was keen on grabbing objects in the yard, so I attached her to a leash to help aid in correcting her behavior. She romped around in the yard a lot with her friends between training, and definitely tired herself out.
Despite her lower energy later in the day, we were able to introduce the cue “come-to-sit”. This behavior has the dog recall to the handler, from any distance, loop around from the right-hand-side, to a sit position on the left-hand-side in the “heel” zone. Ideally, the dog will sit parallel with the handler, however pups seem to struggle with positioning in the beginning. Although this behavior can be taught using leash-pressure for guidance, Belle learned it more efficiently using a food-reward to lure her. This can be one of the harder behaviors to teach.
After teaching “come-to-sit”, Belle and I went to Petco to practice our training in a new environment— one with many distractions and enticing smells! Belle was a little slow to perform, partly due to her being tired, and partly from the distractions. She had difficulty maintaining her extended down, and couldn’t help but break her extended sit when people approached and talked to her. I utilized this opportunity to work on her “greeting manners” where the pup should remain in a sit or down position to accept affection politely.
I used some food rewards for the evening training session at Petco, although these will begin to phase out as her training progresses.
Pupdate 12/25/2022
Merry Christmas!
After playing with the boarding dogs and working on “food manners”— maintaining a sit or down while food is presented and on the ground until given “break!” release— Belle and Rascal accompanied me to my family’s house. Belle sat politely while we exchanged and opened presents, and practiced “home manners” in a new environment. She tried to get on the coffee table a couple of times, but was given leash pressure/verbal corrections.
Not picking up random objects such as twigs is a work in progress, and Belle received several corrections for that today.
My family took a stroll to a local park, and Belle got to practice her obedience cues.
Her potty training is coming along nicely, and she waited to be let outside to do her business while at my family's house. This early in her age & training, I have not been giving Belle much opportunity to go potty elsewhere besides the yard. Most of my free-time is spent out in the yard with the dogs, so it is very easy to catch her in the act of going where she should. When Belle completes her squats, she is marked with “yes!” and given praise and affection. When we are not in the yard or training in the home, Belle is usually put up in her kennel for a nap. I want to make sure she has a solid foundation for where it's appropriate to go, as well as have the physiological capacity to 'hold it'.
If she needs to use the bathroom while she is in the kennel, she will dig at a metal bowl to alert me.
It looks like Belle may have finally lost two of her front puppy-teeth, and although that may have been all she wanted for Christmas, Santa gifted her a cow ear to help with her teething.
Pupdate 12/26/2022
Belle and I went to El Camino Real Park in Orange today, and met up with fellow OLSC trainers and their dogs. I love these meetups, as it gives trainers the opportunity to troubleshoot and brainstorm any hiccups we might encounter with specific dogs & their training.
Belle doesn’t quite understand that she can use her back legs to get onto some objects for place, or for car manners (“load up”, where the dog should sit politely next to the vehicle until given a cue, then jump into the car & into the kennel). Belle has a tendency to just put her front feet on the object, and then look to me for assistance the rest of the way. We played ‘reverse limbo’ with a long-line tethered between a tree and BBQ grill. The line gradually increased in height, and this helped Belle realize she can jump over it, and get her back legs moving. We also used a dog-cot to help shorten the distance between the ground and the bench she was struggling with, and that helped her to build the confidence to leap up, instead of crawl. Work in building more confidence and coordination for challenging “places” will continue.
Belle was also introduced to wearing a long-line instead of a regular 4-6 ft leash. We had been practicing increasing distance for her extended sits/downs/places in the home, and the long-line allows Belle the opportunity to perform these tasks in public, while still being safely restrained and controllable. There are times when we are heeling that Belle needs leash-pressure corrections.
Belle worked hard today, and it was rather warm, so after our long training session and some playtime with her friends, Belle spent the remainder of the day napping contently.
Pupdate 12/27/2022
Belle and I went to Home Depot in Costa Mesa to work on her obedience training today! Now that she has become familiar to me and the cues, we are going to increase the distractions during her sessions so that Belle can be a well-rounded pup in a plethora of environments. Home Depot was very new to her, and she had trouble focusing and maintaining positions initially. She also wanted to check out all the neat stuff the store contained. When bringing a dog to a new surrounding, it is beneficial to let them have a bit of time to explore and adjust before diving into training.
Belle is a very confident puppy, and acclimated well to all the new stimuli— smells, sounds, people, carts, and strange objects. After her brief period of exploring, Belle performed her training well.
We focused on “heel” and not running up to people, and “place” on higher platforms. I utilized the lumber section to find platforms that gradually got taller, if Belle had trouble with the next height, we would go back to a lower height so she could be successful and not feel shut-down or frustrated at the challenges. We will definitely come back to work on heights more, as she is still not comfortable leaping up into my car, and hasn’t figured out how to use momentum to increase jumping capacity.
Pupdate 12/28/2022
Belle had a fun morning playing with friends before going on a walk around my neighborhood and local park to practice heel and obedience cues. Her focus is getting better on the long-line, however she does break position and veer farther off than desired from here and there. When she gets out of position, I will shorten the slack on the leash, so that she will feel leash pressure if she strays too far. Belle is sensitive to the prong collar, so a little pressure goes a long way when correcting behaviors and she responds quickly.
We also worked on some extracurricular training, desensitizing Belle to her paws, ears, and mouth being touched or palpated. This desensitization is critical in assuring that puppies are easy for vets to handle and examine. I have noticed that Belle can get a bit riled up when being held or when certain areas are touched— this leads to playbiting. This behavior was not as present when Belle first arrived, however as puppies age, they often become more rowdy and rambunctious. For this exercise, I would sit with Belle on the ground, situating her on her back between my legs. While in this position, I would massage her feet, look in her ears, look in her mouth, and offer belly-rubs simultaneously to encourage her to remain in this position. If Belle fussed, I would grab ahold of her front legs to prevent her from wiggling away. When Belle settled down, I would mark with a yes, and then cue her for a break.
Pupdate 12/29/2022
Belle and I went to Fashion Island in Newport Beach today for our training session. Now that Belle is familiar with her obedience cues, it is time to increase the levels of distraction present in order to solidify what she has learned. It was busy today, with many people, strollers, dogs & shopping bags.
Since this was Belle’s first time in this type of environment, much of our session was spent focusing on extended sit/down/place, so that she may take everything in and process all of the commotion. Belle has an amazing personality, and is a super confident puppy, so she took it all in stride.
We also practiced heel with distractions, and although she veered off course from time to time, she walked with me exceedingly well. We practiced place on various benches and walls, but Belle was still hesitant regarding the higher ones. We think it is just where she is developmentally, so although we will continue to ask her to challenge herself, we will not be adamant about getting onto very tall objects— at least for the time being.
Belle opted to pee while in an extended down— she didn’t break cue, which was impressive. There was very little to elude that she needed to ‘go potty’, aside from a brief hesitation to go into “down” from a “sit” at a distance. Physiologically, Belle still needs some time to mature, but we will continue working on potty training.
Everyone wanted to say ‘hello’ to Belle, and I would say about 1/3 of her training today was working on greeting manners— she met a ton of new friends! Initially, she would break her position to meet people, but as we practiced maintaining sit, she got better and better.
Overall, I am very proud of Belle’s work today!
Pupdate 12/30/2022
Belle and I returned to Fashion Island to work on her obedience around distractions, and increase her exposure to busy environments. Everyone wanted to pet her, of course, so she got a lot more practice with greeting manners. She has a tendency to break down position when receiving pets, but has done better about not breaking sit. She is doing well about not breaking her sit, even when other dogs come up to greet her.
Belle has become quite the cuddly girl, and loves curling up in my lap. Sometimes she gets too worked up and play-bites, but when this happens I offer her a verbal correction (ah! Ah!) and remove her from either my lap or the couch so that she understands that biting means no-more-cuddles.
Belle has a bit of an upset stomach today, which started later last night. Her stool is a bit soft, but she is otherwise her normal self. She has not had accidents in the kennel because of it. I will purchase some pumpkin tomorrow to help her bulk up her ‘business’.
If Belle is going to be loose in the house for extended periods, I will withhold water about 30 minutes prior so that she has the opportunity to empty her bladder beforehand, then take her out every ~30 minutes to see if she needs to “go potty”.
Pupdate 12/31/2022
Since it’s a rainy day, our in-home training was done inside. We worked on door manners (not bolting through an open door and waiting patiently on her ‘place’ until offered her release word ‘break’) and Belle also learned to “sit” from a “down” position. We used lunch to do “puppy push-ups” which is sit, down, sit, down, sit, down. We also worked on sit-from-down at a distance.
Belle and I returned to Petco in Costa Mesa for some obedience work. We tried “place” on new items, as well as a brief intro to extracurricular “under”, where Belle goes beneath something into a down. Although it was not very busy, Belle practiced her “greeting manners” with several new friends, and was also able to hold her cues around a barking dog (no surprise, since her in-home training typically has lots of distractions).
Belle’s belly is feeling better, and her poops were already looking better by this morning, but I gave her some pumpkin with her breakfast.
Pupdate 1/1/2023
HAPPY NEW YEAR 🎆
Despite the rain, folks around my neighborhood were setting off many loud fireworks after midnight last night. Belle seems pretty content with loud noises, and was very brave. In the morning, Belle practiced long-duration-downs placed on the bench while other dogs were playing. This was a huge distraction for her, so she broke cue several times. After some verbal corrections and guiding her back to her place, Belle improved on her training and held her position.
In the afternoon, my parents came by to have some black-eyed-pea soup, and Belle practiced her training while company was over.
Later in the day, we practiced food-manners, while providing the extra challenge of my asking Belle to perform obedience training, instead of just ‘breaking’ her to her bowl/food after successfully holding a position. I would put her food down, run through some commands, and then release (break!) her to her bowl to gobble down part of her meal… rinse, repeat. This was a great opportunity to practice “off!”, and Belle did very well despite the allure of a meal getting the best of her a couple times in the beginning. I failed to see that the other dog still had food in his bowl (metal) until I was filming her Pupdate and she keyed up on it, so Belle did extra well!
Belle’s #2’s looked normal today starting from her wake-up-business, but I offered her some pumpkin anyways.
I have increased the amount of time water is restricted to Belle before letting her free-range, then offer her a potty break every 20-30 mins while she is out-and-about. After about a hour or so (2-3 sessions), Belle is offered water during her final potty-break before being put in her kennel for a nap. So far this has been successful, and she has not had an accident in the past couple days. She will sometimes cue that she ‘needs to go’ by running to the door, but I need to be QUICK at this point, since she will not hold it for very long.
Two of Belle’s friends went home today, but this gave her the opportunity to bond with one of the boarding dogs she was a little intimidated by. The other dog is a large 8-month-old mastiff pup, who is extremely social and lives with a senior pug. She got carried away playing with the other dogs, and accidentally startled Belle by running into her. Once the other dogs left, the mastiff pup was very gentle with Belle, and the two of them learned that wrestling together is very fun.
Pupdate 1/2/2023
Belle & I took advantage of the nice weather during the late-morning & went to Armstrong’s Garden Center in Costa Mesa today! Belle was very inquisitive, but this was a good time to practice “off!”, as there are many common-home & garden- plants that dogs should not consume. It is important to remain vigilant of what your dog comes into contact with.
Belle did very well today, and performed “heel” throughout the aisles of plants, maintained correct greeting manners (with a few corrections), and even walked nicely beside me while I was moving around with a cart. Belle also worked on her extended sit while I pursued the aisles of winter vegetables.
Belle held her position well, was given verbal corrections a couple of times. Belle practiced “greeting manners” with several patrons of the garden store, and even brightened the day of the workers. Belle was even brave enough to jump onto the bottom of the cart on her own, and proceeded to perform a successful “load up” from the additional 7-8” the cart provided in relation to my trunk.
Pupdate 1/3/2023
Belle and I went to El Dorado Park in Long Beach for our training today. We met up with fellow OLSC trainers and their dogs, and worked on obedience cues. We like to use each other as distractions, while helping to troubleshoot any behaviors we are having difficulty with. Belle practiced all of her commands, including some of her extracurricular. Today our extracurricular was an introduction to ‘send away to place’, where the dog is summoned onto an elevated platform from a distance.
Although Belle did well in her training, she was having an “off” day, and was somewhat defiant. This may just be due to individual circumstance, or a product of Belle entering into her hormonal ‘teenage’ stage of life. Whatever the case, we worked through it, and Belle was able to accomplish her tasks. She is very responsive to verbal corrections, however if those do not work, I will provide a bit of leash pressure.
In addition to her training and send-away-to-place, Belle worked on a ‘place-challenge’, where she was encouraged to hop up and down a flight of bleachers. In the beginning, I reinforced Belle with treats. As her fine-coordination-skills are still lacking in development, the large gaps appeared pretty menacing to a novice. Belle loves treats, so it did not take long for her to conquer her insecurities and eagerly go up and down. This is an exercise in building her confidence and resolution.
Pupdate 1/4/2023
Belle and continued our work regarding home-manners while it was drizzling today. We focused on “door manners” with the front door. We practice door manners daily with coming out of her kennel, or in and out of the doors to the yard. However there is particular importance at the front door, or any threshold that leads out of a confined area. Belle had a couple mistakes, but I used both verbal correction and leash pressure to mark the behavior as undesirable. Belle struggled the most when I would leave her line-of-sight for extended periods, or if I can into, and then back out of, view.
Later in the day, Belle and I went to Petsmart in Costa Mesa. The consistently shoddy weather has put a damper on our options for outdoor areas with high-traffic & distractions. Belle & I continued work on general obedience, increasing durations of sit/down/place, as well as tightening up our heel. Belle heels very well, however she will venture a bit further than I’d like occasionally after the long-line is dropped and dragging for some time.
I heard Belle bark today for the first time— she was vocalizing quite a bit while playing with her mastiff pal, Doja.
Belle has been fussing a bit after being put in her kennel, and will create a ruckus. When she does this after initially being put up for a nap, I will attach her to a leash, take her out (with minimal interaction) and alot her 5 minutes for a potty break before being put back in her kennel—if she doesn’t go. If she does potty, she is reinforced and allowed some off-leash time before being put up again.
Pupdate 1/5/2023
Belle and I went to Home Depot for some out-of-home training. Belle is polishing up her obedience training in anticipation of going home Sunday!
We took advantage of the break in the rainy weather to pursue the garden center, as well as the main building. Belle got a little excited when people looked at her or talked to her, and she needed to be reminded that she was in a training position. Her come-to-sit is looking good, but there are times I will re-cue it if she sits too far back or off to the side. Belle’s heel is coming along nicely, although she will sometimes need a verbal cue to encourage heel, or an ‘off!’ when distracted.
Belle is holding her cues longer, but still has the occasional disruption— particularly when I leave her sight.
Belle is definitely gaining more personality, and has been much more independent and playful.
Pupdate 1/6/2023
Belle and I returned to Petsmart in Costa Mesa today for our obedience training with distractions. There were a bit more today, since the weather was not keeping people in their homes. Belle continued to polish up her cues, particularly working on extended behaviors, and placing on new objects to build her confidence and coordination.
Belle has been increasing her time in the home while “free-ranging”, and the method of limited water intake ~45-60 minutes prior to being loose has worked well. After initially being “free-range”, I will take Belle out to “go potty” on a slip-lead after about 10-15 minutes, to make sure the ‘tank is empty’. After that potty-break, I will continue to take her out every 20 minutes or so, repeating the aforementioned routine. Each time she goes potty, she is marked and rewarded. With accidents, there is not a lot that can be done beyond verbal correction (and only if caught-in-the-act), so I have been focusing on where Belle should go. Belle is great about signaling her ‘needs’ while kenneled (digging), and will whine if we are out in public if she needs to do #2. Belle still struggles with bladder control and continence, but is gradually getting better as she ages.
Pupdate 1/7/2023
Belle and & spent our last day polishing up all of her obedience cues! She has grown so much both in her training and physically— gaining 7 pounds since she has been with me!
We went to the Santa Monica Pier to shoot her ‘final video’ that displays all of the fundamentals of her three week board & train puppy program. It was very busy, but Belle performed fantastically! I am so proud of her, and her confidence in challenging environments.
Belle is so excited to be going back home, and I’m sure she has missed you terribly!
Belle got a bath later in the day, so she will be nice & fresh for cuddles upon reuniting with her family.
It has been an absolute pleasure working with such a sweet, special puppy!
Belle's Bonus Videos
Playtime & Manners
Belle made a ton of new friends during her three-week program! She was very playful and confident amongst the bohemouths! Great care was taken to ensure that interactions remained fun & positive and that Belle's sweet spirit remained wholesome.
"Manners" video included to help her owners know what they should look like :)
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