Meet Birdie, a 7-month-old Goldendoodle from Playa Vista, CA, who is joining us for a 2-week Board and Train program! Birdie is a sweet, energetic pup who is still learning the ropes of good behavior. She’s currently working on some common challenges, including leash walking, jumping up when greeting people, sniffing at the ground, and excessive barking. While Birdie is playful and full of energy, she has a solid grasp of the "sit" command and responds well to treat motivation. Over the next two weeks, I’ll be helping Birdie refine her obedience skills and become a well-mannered companion for her family. Stay tuned for daily updates on her progress as I guide her transformation!
Pupdate 12/29/2024
Today, I had the pleasure of meeting Birdie. It took her some time to adjust to me, so I decided to start building a bond with her at a small playground. There, I engaged in training to assess how she would respond to me. I worked on getting her to step onto a simple step pad leading into the jungle gym. For this basic movement, I rewarded her with praise, which encouraged her to make eye contact with me. As we continued, Birdie began to respond more attentively when I asked her to do something.
Afterward, we headed back home. Once we were settled in, I introduced her to my room, where my personal dog, Hunter, was resting in his crate. The dogs approached each other calmly and began to sniff one another, while Hunter remained composed and still in his crate to allow Birdie to feel comfortable. I had Birdie repeat this process a few times, and as they did, they began to show signs of wanting to play. I let Hunter out of his crate, and they circled each other, sniffing and gradually engaging in playful gestures. This allowed Birdie to relax and start being herself. Soon, they were playing together as if they had known each other for a while. I gave them 45 minutes to interact, and everything went smoothly with no issues.
Next, I focused on training Birdie. I took her to the front of my house and introduced her to the "place" obedience command. I use platforms or dog mats during practice to help her stay structured and in position when asked to place. We worked on this for about 20 minutes before heading back inside to give Birdie some rest. She walked into her crate on her own and settled down for a nap. Overall, her first day went very well, and I’m excited to see how the next few days unfold during her board and train program. Stay tuned for updates on Birdie’s progress and how I help her grow and learn.
Pupdate 12/30/2024
Today, we visited Whittier Narrows Park in El Monte, CA, to work with the Offleash Team and focus on improving Birdie's obedience. Upon arrival, we were greeted by our friend Megan and her dog, Cooper, who is Birdie’s sibling. We made our way to a park canopy where we could settle in, store our belongings, and prepare to explore the park while practicing obedience exercises.
In the video above, we made our way back to Megan and worked on training our dogs together. The main focus was improving their impulse control through exercises like heeling, sitting, and being released on the command "break." The "break" command allows the dogs to finish their training session, but they are first encouraged to return to me for praise, which reinforces their training. We practiced walking the dogs around each other while one stayed in place, and this went well. However, Birdie was occasionally distracted by Cooper and would focus her attention on him. In these moments, I would call her name or use Cooper’s leash to gently redirect her attention back to me so I could reward her for good behavior. Once our training session ended, we released both dogs with the "break" command, and they came to us individually for praise and rewards. Afterward, we allowed the dogs to take a break and rest with our Offleash friends. During this break, Birdie tried to eat random leaves from the ground, so I used the "off" command to disengage her from picking up things from the floor.
For our final practice, we placed Birdie on a mat while other dogs, trained by different handlers, walked around us. This went smoothly, and Birdie remained calm, cool, and collected throughout the session. However, she was still somewhat distracted by objects on the ground, which we will continue to work on in future sessions.
Overall, Birdie’s temperament was steady today, but we’ll keep focusing on reducing distractions and improving her obedience in the coming practices.
Pupdate 12/31/2024
Today, we visited Citadel Outlets in Commerce, CA, to continue working on Birdie’s obedience training. Upon arrival, Birdie seemed excited by the bustling atmosphere, often trying to drift toward people she could smell. I used these moments to redirect her with the e-collar, helping her remain calm as we passed through busy crowds. I focused on improving her impulse control, especially when she tried to follow me after being asked to "place," "sit," or "down." I worked in small increments, gradually increasing the duration of each position to 20–30 seconds before releasing her. As we progressed, I was able to create more distance between us, even taking pictures while she maintained her positions.
We had a positive interaction with a family of four who passed by and greeted Birdie. She remained calm and did not jump on them. Additionally, several FedEx drivers and store employees passed by pushing dollies, but Birdie was unfazed by them each time. Towards the end of our visit, we moved to the center of the outlet and allowed Birdie to watch people go by, helping her desensitize to the busy environment.
Before leaving, we took a photo near the Christmas tree and then headed home.
Back at home, we continued training, focusing on door manners with the front door and side gate to reinforce Birdie's conditioning. Birdie also had the chance to interact with some family members who visited today, including two young children, ages 6 and 4. She greeted them calmly and remained composed throughout the interactions.
Pupdate 1/1/2025
Happy New Year! We kicked off the month with an early morning walk with Hunter. Our walk lasted about 45 minutes before we returned home to let the dogs enjoy some playtime. Once we were back, Hunter and Birdie had their usual playtime before breakfast.
After Birdie’s first morning nap, it was time for some home training, which I recorded. In the video above, we focused on door manners while some family members were packing and having breakfast. This created a significant distraction for Birdie, so I initially wanted to see how patient she could be in the living room. She did well, though she took her time to sit. I was able to heel her outside twice and praise her before taking her to the backyard, where we used the side gate for a different training objective.
In our second session, we worked with the side gate, but Birdie’s goal here was not to pass through it at all. This training is designed to teach Birdie that whenever she’s in the backyard and the side gate is open, she’s not allowed to go through it unless given permission—similar to the practice with the front door. During this session, Birdie became distracted by the presence of some of my siblings, who were also in the backyard. It seemed like she either wanted to join them or was overstimulated, causing her to get up from her place mat. I had to redirect her back onto the mat and ensure she ignored the distractions. Though it took some time for her to adjust, we were able to work through her threshold of distractions.
Later, we focused on improving Birdie's engagement with her e-collar to help condition her for leash dragging, which will eventually lead to off-leash walking. I’ve also been working on desensitizing Birdie to stop her from jumping on my bed, as she has an instinctive tendency to do this randomly.
Pupdate 1/2/2025
Today, we followed our usual routine with an early walk with Hunter, which lasted about 45 minutes. After returning home, the dogs had some playtime while I cleaned my room and took care of other tasks.
The video above shows today’s training session, where we focused on loose-leash walking and recall in front of my house. I practiced walking back and forth as usual, ensuring that the leash remained loose. If Birdie became distracted while turning, I used her e-collar to redirect her attention back to me. During the recall exercises, Birdie became distracted by some neighbors outside, whose dogs were barking loudly and obsessively. Although I attempted to redirect her, she occasionally fixated on the noise, so I improvised by adjusting my movements to maintain her focus. What worked best was using treat luring, which is shown in the last clip. By using treats to guide Birdie around me, I was able to maneuver her back into the heel position without needing to hold the leash. I repeated this until Birdie appeared tired and was ready for her first nap of the day.
The rest of the day was spent refining Birdie’s recall, loose-leash walking, and "down" commands. Treats continued to be effective, making recall easier to practice in the front yard. Additionally, I had my younger brother work with Birdie on obedience training, allowing her to become more accustomed to responding to commands from a teenager.
Pupdate 1/3/2025
Today, we visited Anaheim Pet & Feed Co. for some in-store training to work on Birdie's obedience skills. When we first arrived, Birdie was excited to be in a new place, and as we entered the store, she tried to pull ahead, eager to explore. I had to focus on guiding her inside and maintaining control. Once we were in, I kept a slow pace, frequently reinforcing her "heel" command to keep her walking calmly by my side.
After a few minutes, Birdie adjusted, and I began to ask her to "sit" or "down" at random intervals as we moved through the store. This approach allowed me to simulate a shopping experience while keeping Birdie focused on me. It also served as a test in case anyone passed by, helping to reinforce her obedience amidst distractions. As Birdie became more engaged with me, the training was progressing well. However, around 12:30 PM, the store started to get busier, and the noise level increased. I noticed that when someone moved to a nearby aisle or when there was any sudden noise, Birdie became uneasy and would start to break her focus.
I took my time to work through these distractions, gradually helping Birdie remain calm despite the growing chaos around us. Eventually, she was able to maintain her focus, and we were able to resume our training without further issues. As the session went on, Birdie began to show signs of fatigue, becoming more distracted by her surroundings. At these moments, I kept her engaged by calling her name and rewarding her with praise each time she made eye contact with me.
During our session, an employee approached us and greeted Birdie excitedly, but Birdie remained unfazed by the attention, which was a great sign of her growing focus and composure. When we finished our visit, we calmly walked back to the car and headed home. Later in the day, I continued with Birdie's obedience training at home, practicing in the front yard with my younger brother. This session was designed to further reinforce Birdie's obedience, helping her adjust to working with different family members.
Pupdate 1/4/2025
Today, we visited Home Depot in Anaheim, CA, to continue Birdie's training in a more stimulating, busy environment. Upon arrival, Birdie appeared calm and wasn’t overly excited. As we entered the garden section, just before passing the entrance, she attempted to pull ahead. To address this, we walked back to the front and re-entered with more focus and obedience. Once inside the store, Birdie stayed close by my side and maintained a consistent heel. I practiced off-leash walking by dropping the leash in empty aisles to help condition her. Birdie did well with this exercise, so we continued to practice various commands such as recall, sit, and down throughout the store. During down practice, we encountered a few moments where redirection was necessary, but Birdie remained consistent and responsive, allowing me the opportunity to shop and gather items from the shelves. At one point, a floor scrubber machine was being used down one of the main aisles, which startled Birdie and caused her to run ahead of me. Thankfully, I had the leash in hand, preventing her from going too far. I took the time to guide her around the floor scrubber to desensitize her to the noise. While she seemed okay with it at times, there were moments when she appeared to want to flee. I’ll continue to monitor her responses to different noises to identify any thresholds that may trigger anxiety.
The video above shows our second practice session, this time with my younger brother, to assess Birdie’s behavior when working with someone else. While Birdie generally does well, there are moments when she tries to approach me without reason, which causes her to break obedience when working with Nick. I had Nick practice all the same obedience commands but focused particularly on walking together in a heel. Birdie sometimes tries to break focus, sniff the ground, or act impulsively, likely because she knows Nick is holding the leash. However, as they continue practicing the same commands, Birdie will start to give Nick the same respect she shows me, especially as they spend more time together. I also guide Nick when Birdie attempts to lead during their walks. Nick is familiar with the training process, having helped me train for several years. By the end of their session, Nick finishes with the command “break” and praises Birdie for her work.
After training, Birdie spent the rest of the day lounging on my side of the house. She roamed around, played with Hunter, or chewed on a toy while I worked on tasks around the house.
Pupdate 1/5/2025
This morning, we followed our usual routine with a 45-minute walk around the neighborhood with Hunter. After returning home, they enjoyed some playtime in the backyard before taking a well-deserved break to rest.
In the video above, you can see Birdie’s progress with her door manners, which she successfully performed on the first try today, without any redirection. She held her position behind the side door as I stepped away from her twice. Throughout this, Birdie remained calm, confident, and focused. Once I returned, I called her to heel and guided her toward the front of the house. Once we reached the front, I took the opportunity to praise her for the excellent behavior she demonstrated during our door manners session.
In the second clip, we worked on food manners inside the living room while my mother and aunt were talking in the kitchen, making noise. My brother came out to help supervise Birdie in case she broke her focus. Birdie performed well until my brother and I began to engage in a playful high-five, which excited her. After redirecting her, we walked around the house again to continue our training. I eventually allowed Birdie to approach her food, which she hesitated to do at first. Once she went towards the food, I praised her and we took a break from training.
Later in the day, Birdie had a session with my younger brother to practice obedience with a teenager. Today, she seemed more comfortable working with him, maintaining a consistent heel without being overly impulsive and trying to come toward me. After he completed the practice session, my brother rewarded her with praise and affection.
In the final video clip, I let the leash drag and focused on conditioning Birdie towards off-leash obedience. As we worked on heeling, Birdie was very focused on staying by my side and was determined to remain obedient without trying to sprint away. She did become distracted by some neighbors outside their house, but using the e-collar, I was able to quickly regain her attention and guide her back to me. I finished the session here and let Birdie enjoy the rest of her day, relaxing with Hunter and occasionally napping on a dog bed next to my computer.
Pupdate 1/6/2025
Today, we visited Whittier Narrows Park in El Monte, CA, to meet up with our friends from Offleash and continue Birdie's obedience training. We arrived early and were the first ones there, so we took the opportunity to practice some obedience drills before the others arrived. As people started to show up, we worked on loose leash walking. When Megan arrived with Birdie’s sibling, we allowed them to briefly greet each other before continuing our training with both dogs nearby.
Birdie performed most of her obedience commands with ease today, though she was occasionally distracted by smells on the ground. Each time this happened, I used her e-collar to redirect her attention, which helped her refocus. Despite this, she still found moments to test the limits of her training. This distraction was the only aspect I needed to monitor closely. Aside from that, Birdie did very well overall—she walked with a loose leash, held positions for up to two minutes, and remained calm and focused even when other dogs were training, running, or acting impulsively in front of her.
Later in the day, we had another training session with my brother to continue her progress with a teenager. Birdie was more obedient with him today, and we focused on leash training while also emphasizing impulse control for both Birdie and my brother, Nick.
Pupdate 1/7/2025
This morning, we followed our usual routine with a 45-minute walk around the neighborhood with Hunter. After returning home, they enjoyed some playtime in the backyard before settling down for a well-deserved rest.
Around noon, Birdie and I headed to Hillcrest Park in Downtown Fullerton for some outdoor exposure, exercise, and to work on our training. Upon arrival, we took one lap around the park before taking a break to hydrate. We then made our way to the fountain near the main street, where I placed Birdie on a platform next to it so she could rest. Despite the water’s splashing and noise, Birdie remained calm and confident, allowing us to continue with our training.
In the video above, we focused on the “down” command, as Birdie tends to break her position when asked to lie down. This is one of the few areas where she displays impulsive behavior; with most other commands, she responds confidently and with awareness. Our goal was to walk around her while maintaining the down position, despite the distractions of traffic noise from the nearby street. As we practiced, Birdie grew more successful at holding the down position for longer periods. In the final video clip, we incorporated a platform into the training, using nearby benches to help condition Birdie to correctly place herself and stay down on command. Once I created enough distance, I released Birdie and praised her for her obedience.
We ended the session with another lap around the park, but Birdie was clearly tired, walking more slowly. So, I decided to cut our walk short and take her home for some rest.
Later, Birdie and Hunter enjoyed more playtime and relaxation for the rest of the afternoon. When my brother came home from school, I waited for him to finish his homework before continuing Birdie’s obedience training with him.
Pupdate 1/8/2025
Today, we visited Cerritos Mall in Cerritos, CA, to continue Birdie's public training and assess her obedience in a busy environment. I was pleasantly surprised by how well she managed to stay focused and calm despite the mall's many distractions, including things on the ground.
When we first entered, Birdie was able to walk consistently alongside me, stopping occasionally when I needed to let someone pass. We walked through the entire mall and entered a few stores, pretending to shop as part of her conditioning. As we passed by other dogs, Birdie remained unfazed. While she showed some curiosity, she stayed focused and maintained her obedience. In the video above, we focused on her extended down command, this time in the middle of a busy open area in the mall. Birdie performed excellently, following the command on the first try without being impulsive. I moved back and forth to keep her attention on me, allowing her brief moments to look around before returning her focus. She stayed in the down position for about two minutes before I gave her a break and praised her.
Our final objective was to have Birdie practice her down command while on a platform, as seen in the last photo. We stayed there for about 10–15 minutes, repeating the same commands to help her become more relaxed and confident with this exercise.
Today’s visit felt different from previous ones—Birdie remained calm and confident throughout, from arrival to departure. Later, Birdie continued her routine with playtime alongside Hunter and more obedience training with my younger brother after he returned from school.
Pupdate 1/9/2025
Today, we went to Citadel Outlets in Commerce to continue working on Birdie's obedience training in a public setting. Birdie was very focused and determined to perform each command correctly on the first try, without needing any corrections. We met up with a friend from Offleash, and together we worked with our dogs throughout the Outlet. We practiced various obedience commands in different areas where training was possible, making use of benches or platforms whenever available.
Although Birdie’s leash wasn’t completely removed, I allowed it to drag, ensuring she stayed close to me and remained engaged as we entered different parts of the shopping center. We even went into a few stores. At Tilly’s, Birdie was greeted by a guest without jumping, which was a great success.
We also did a full run-through of all her commands, with Birdie holding each position for two minutes before being asked to perform another command or take a break. By the end of our visit, Birdie appeared confident and very aware of how to behave while socializing in public spaces.
Later, after my brother came home from school, we continued with more obedience training. Once they finished, I focused on reinforcing Birdie's house manners, this time allowing her to practice off-leash throughout the house.
Pupdate 1/10/2025
Today, we followed our usual morning routine, starting with a 30-minute walk before heading home. After the walk, the dogs had some playtime, and then we picked up a pup I'm watching for the day. When we returned home, Birdie and Hunter got to meet another dog I’m looking after for a family affected by the LA fires.
In the video above, the dogs continue their usual play, initially ignoring Winnie as she seemed unsure of what to do. Birdie and Hunter were their typical selves, occasionally sniffing Winnie, and eventually, all the dogs became comfortable with one another and started playing. About halfway through the video, we worked on off-leash obedience inside the house, focusing on door manners and food manners.
During the food manners exercise, Birdie did well waiting for her food while I walked in and out of the house. When I released her, Birdie hesitated to eat immediately, so I waited patiently and continued praising her until she started eating. In the final part of the video, we practiced door manners again, and Birdie waited calmly without any need for her e-collar. I walked in and out of the house for a minute, then asked Birdie to heel with me outside. We spent the rest of the morning reinforcing all our off-leash obedience commands.
When my brother returned home from school, he worked with Birdie on her obedience training for about 20 minutes before moving to the backyard to practice off-leash commands in a secured area. There were a few moments where Birdie chose not to listen to Nick, so we attached a leash, and he worked with her on leash until she was able to calmly drag it. Eventually, she followed Nick’s cues and walked off-leash in the backyard, focusing on obedience commands.
Pupdate 1/11/2025
Today marks Birdie's final day of training, and we began our morning with a walk alongside Hunter. After the walk, we transitioned into playtime, followed by breakfast. I dedicated additional time to reinforcing Birdie's obedience commands, ensuring that she fully understood them before allowing her to rest and recover.
In the video above, we are at a park near my house, and you can hear me communicating with Birdie through a microphone as she is off-leash. I purposely avoid overcompensating with excessive verbal cues, as this can be counterproductive for most dogs. Over-talking can sometimes lead to unnecessary excitement, which doesn't help establish a calm, obedient response. Instead, I aim for clarity with just a couple of well-chosen words, which is all that is needed once training has been consistent. As you can see in the video, Birdie remains confident and well-mannered off-leash. She stays close to my side, follows her commands, and is responsive to redirection when necessary, smoothly returning to obedience.
As Birdie's training journey comes to an end, I can’t help but reflect on how much fun it's been watching her grow and develop into the intelligent, capable dog she is today. Each day, she has demonstrated her remarkable ability to learn and perform any task presented to her. Birdie has also been a joy to have around my family, and my brother, who spent a great deal of time working with her, has formed a strong bond with her. We'll all miss her infectious personality and the laughter she brought into our home. Hunter will miss her as well, as the two of them instantly became playmates the moment they met. Although we are sad to see her go, Birdie is ready to return home and reunite with her family, where she belongs.
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