Marley, a German Shepherd/Husky Mix from Santa Clarita, CA went through the Balanced Canine Training SoCal Board and Train Program. Marley was trained by Tanner Strong in Alhambra, CA.
Marley 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 Marley into a well-managed pup.
The dog trainers at Balanced Canine Training SoCal are here to help you and your dog be as amazing as our before and after videos! Contact us today 562-448-3774
Meet Marley! He's a three and a half year old German Shepherd/Husky/Lab Mix from Santa Clarita, California here for our Three-Week Board and Train Program. Marley is a very loving boy, however, he often takes his affection too far by nudging and jumping on people. He will sniff you and try to cuddle you whether you like it or not! He's a huge leash puller, so taking him on walks can be extremely difficult sometimes. Marley sometimes has a tendency to demand bark when he wants attention. He also needs a lot of work on his basic obedience skills. So, over the next twenty one days, we will work with Marley on his commands, teach him proper boundaries and manners in and out of the house, and show him how to be the best pup he can possibly be! Stay tuned for Marley's three week transformation!
Pupdate: 6/30/3024
After picking up Marley, we stopped by the park to play around a bit. He barked for a few seconds in the car, but quickly calmed down as we drove to the park. Once there, I asked him for a few basic commands to see what he'd be willing to offer me. He mostly got distracted by anyone walking by, but didn't mind me touching and petting him. While walking, he pulled a great deal toward anything that peaked his interest.
After a few minutes in the park, we headed home to get out of the heat. I let him sniff around my house to get comfortable, and he seems to be settling in well so far.
In addition to the above video, I am adding a tutorial video and picture of his E collar, to make the transition process easier once Marley goes home!
Pupdate: 7/1/2024
Marley and I went to Garfield Park today for his first full day of training! We mainly started working on his Heel command. For Heel, I want Marley to walk politely at my left side with his ears in line with my legs. He's starting to understand where I want him, even though he has a tough time maintaining the position. He tends to get distracted easily and wants to be ahead. He barked and lunged at one dog today, and has a tendency to try to veer off to mark tons of different plants. While no distractions are present, he's doing a great job with his heel so far!
Pupdate: 7/2/2024
Marley and I went to Whittier Narrows Park today for training! We continued working on his Heel, and added his Come To Sit command. For this, I want Marley 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 can be used any time we want Marley to come to us, whether he's playing, or simply laying down and relaxing. He's getting the hang of the motion, and doing a great job learning!
We were at the park with several other trainers and their dogs. He got a little distracted by a couple of them, but not overwhelmingly so. Great job!
Pupdate: 7/3/2024
Marley and I went to Almansor Park today, as well as working at home for the warm afternoon. We worked on heeling with another dog, as well as his other commands. Walking politely with another dog right next to us is a tough task, and Marley wanted to pay more attention to the puppy than me at first but after a few minutes he started to relax more and perform well. Once he got comfortable, however, Marley really wanted to be ahead of the other dog. To aid this, we stop, turn around, walk the other way when Marley starts pulling ahead. This way we aren't accidentally allowing him think he's doing a good job by staying ahead of us and pulling. Instead we're showing him it is better to pay attention to us and where we are.
Pupdate: 7/4/2024
Marley and I went to Home Depot today! It was a nice way to stay out of the heat. He did a great job all day. His biggest struggle was trying to sniff people as we walked by. When he does this, we use his Off command, click his E-collar, continue walking, and then remind him to heel if necessary. Applying these strategies as soon as he turned his head to sniff quickly reminded him what he needed to be focused on. He did a great job understanding the boundaries as soon as he was reminded, although I'd like to try to get him to the point where he doesn't need the reminder! The loud noises from the carts, forklifts and moving lumber got his attention plenty of times, but he seemed more curious than startled. I hope his response to fireworks tonight will be similar. He behaved well especially for his first time in the new environment, and we will likely go back as the store made for a great place to practice his commands away from the heat while still being exposed to plenty of distractions! Marley wishes you a happy fourth of July!
Pupdate: 7/5/2024
Marley and I went back to Home Depot! He did a really good job for most of the day! He's starting to need less and less time around any given distraction to be able to ignore it and perform his commands. I noticed much less sniffing of hands as we walked. We worked with his new friend right next to us, as well as by ourselves. I started trying to perform some of 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. I found myself picking up his leash frequently to help him complete most commands, which means he still needs more time before we start moving off leash. At home, he's doing very well with this, especially with his Place command his Come To Sit. He's still getting used to all the distractions in public spaces so we'll take our time out there.
Marley did a great job with the fireworks last night. I was a bit worried that Marley would be afraid of the noise, but he didn't seem to care at all!
Pupdate: 7/6/2024
Marley and I went to Almansor Park today for training! We continued trying to develope Marley's responses without a leash. He's still finding it quite difficult to follow through with his commands with the leash dragging when we're outside the home. In today's video, you can see the difference I'm talking about. We'll continue to get as much time away from home as possible, because his comfort level in public seems to be his biggest weakness so far. He's been a model canine at home, and I really want that to translate elsewhere. He's still heading in the right direction, he's just now getting to one of the more difficult parts of our program! Still doing a good job!
Pupdate: 7/7/2024
Marley and I went to Garfield Park today for training! There were plenty of distractions around including people on picnics and people walking their dogs. Marley behaved extremely well with the leash in hand. When dropping the leash, he would Heel with me politely for a solid distance, but had trouble holding his Sit position without me holding the leash. He did a much better job than yesterday, but he still has a long way to go! He enjoyed our time walking/playing with his puppy friend the most!
Pupdate: 7/8/2024
Marley and I went to Garfield Park today for training! He's slowly starting to respond to commands without the leash in hand. We also started working on a new command today! His Under command is great for giving Marley a place to be if you take him to a café or restaurant. He seems to really like this command, especially since it gives him some time to relax while we're practicing. He really didn't have any qualms about laying down under the bench in the above video.
Pupdate: 7/9/2024
Marley and I went to Santa Anita Mall today for training! It wasn't too crowded, but it was still nice to have him in this environment. He did well with his commands and manners, although I noticed he was a less comfortable here. That isn't surprising considering it is his first time, but I'm hoping he warms up to the mall settings. The inside sections of the mall were great to escape the heat, so we spent much of our time in there. I had his leash in my hand the whole time we were there, but he did a great job with that in mind. We'll be going to the park this evening when the temperature is a little lower to practice more.
Pupdate: 7/10/2024
Marley and I went to the park a few times throughout the day for his training! Today was definitely his best day so far. He was much more responsive and attentive all day, without much leash tension at all. We worked on all of his commands as well as an extension of his Place command we call Send Away To Place. This is a more advanced version of Place where I want Marley to take his position on the object when asked, from farther and farther away. He's starting to do a good job with this. I like this command because it allows you to send Marley to his bed or cot in the house without having to lead him up to it every time!
Pupdate: 7/11/2024
Marley and I went to Santa Monica Pier today for training!
He was on point for the first half of our time. He was responsive and attentive, which is what I ask of my pups. He had a hard time working through all the commands around the high level distractions. Yesterday, Marley was extremely attentive and responsive, which is what we're looking for. Today, he remained responsive, but not attentive. His stubbornness showed after the first hour of our time. When he exhibits this trait, we need to be fairly neutral, without rewarding him for his misbehavior. Marley had a lot of people wanting to approach him today (thanks in no small part to his puppy companion). He did a good job greeting these people with my help, but he still seems to think that he gets to do whatever he wants. While this confidence is admirable, we need to help him find the middle ground where he understands his boundary, but performs his commands with vigor.
Pupdate: 7/12/2024
Marley and I went back to Santa Monica today for training! It was slightly cooler today so we wanted to take advantage of the outside before it heats up again. Marley can always use more exposure to the outside world as well! He remains pretty calm and collected while we're out, but he always needs work on his commands in these environments. He did much better today than yesterday, and seemed to enjoy himself a little more. He was nice and tired after, so he took a long nap, and then we will head over to the park this evening for a little more work!
Pupdate: 7/13/2024
Marley and I went to Alhambra City Park today for training! He was allowed off leash for a few minutes at a time. He did fairly well off leash, although he had trouble with his Place command on a new object and needed a little help with that. He's still not quite as responsive while off leash as opposed to on leash, but he's progressing well!
He had a slightly more relaxing day today to have a break after some super busy days in Santa Monica. Even on easier days when we simply go to a park or somewhere else more relaxing, we still need to make sure we follow through with all his commands and make sure we continue to set boundaries and follow rules!
Pupdate: 7/14/2024
Marley and I went to Almansor Park today for training! He was allowed off leash for about half the time we were there. Marley performs best in relatively short bursts. For today, we worked on his off leash commands for about ten minutes at a time, then took a break for some rest and water, then another ten or so minutes of working. This seemed to be very effective for him. Each time we stop working and take a break, I want to make sure he ends on a high note, so that we can give him tons of praise right before our break. This keeps the training session as fun and positive as possible instead of making it into a chore that he doesn't want to do.
In the above video, you can see Marley practicing one of our more advanced commands called Come To Heel. For this command, I want Marley to come when called, but instead of sitting and stopping, we fall into the heel position and keep walking. This can be more useful while out at parks with Marley, as we don't have to stop for him each time we call him back to us. That being said, we always want to make sure we practice his Come To Sit as well, so that he knows he needs to stop for us if we aren't walking. To this end, you can see me throw in a Come To Sit every once in a while when practicing this new command. He did a really good job today.
Pupdate: 7/15/2024
Marley and I went to Garfield Park today for training! He was allowed off leash for about half the time, and we continued to work on his off leash commands in short bursts, allowing for plenty of relaxation time so that he didn't get too frustrated or tired at any one point in the day. His off leash Place command is still his weakest aspect, especially if he is asked to hop on a new object. After getting on any given bench once or twice, he will walk over and jump on without hesitation. This seems to be a confidence building point that we will continue to work on!
Pupdate: 7/16/2024
Marley and I went to Almansor Park this morning for training, and spent the rest of the day working on his indoor manners. For Marley's door manners, I want him to wait patiently when the door opens without trying to rush through before me. Ideally, the door opening should not be a huge event that gets Marley excited, leading to him trying to rush in or out. This goes for other thresholds such as gates and fences as well. An opening doesn't mean he's invited to go through it. Marley gets pretty excited to go outside sometimes, so this has been tough for him, but he's getting it! He doesn't necessarily need to be sitting right in front of the door, he could be laying down or sitting on his place cot across the room. We practice this each time we leave by having him sit and wait for at least a few seconds before letting Marley cross that boundary. You can even practice this same idea if there's a room you don't want Marley to go in. For example, my dog isn't allowed in the kitchen, so we keep that entrance sacred as well.
Pupdate: 7/17/2024
Marley and I went to Whittier Narrows Park today for training! We were around several trainers and their dogs, and Marley was allowed off leash for about half the time. He was curious about the new dogs that he hasn't met before, but he did a good job staying focused on me when asked. Some of the dogs were very playful and loud which made working around them a great exercise for Marley.
Once we got home, Marley took a nice nap and we'll be going back out this evening for a little more practice!
Pupdate: 7/18/2024
Marley and I went to Whittier Narrows Park today! In order to challenge him a little more, we worked on his Send Away To Place command with a fairly difficult place object. The big playground rock is much higher and larger than most objects he's used to hopping on, especially the place cot. Adding this extra difficulty is great for his confidence and ability to follow through when faced with a tough command. For example, when first asked to jump onto the rock, he ran up to it, but then turned around when he realized how high it was. When asked a second time, he jumped up. Then the next time, he did it without hesitation. This not only builds his proficiency with his commands, but also his trust in me. Pushing his training and helping him succeed with something tough, should help him move forward next time I ask him to do something difficult.
Another note is that halfway through the video, Marley moves forward without me when I ask for a Come To Sit. He does this because he is anticipating a Come To Heel instead. This is why it is important to continue working on both versions of the command so that Marley is prepared for either.
Pupdate: 7/19/2024
Marley and I went to Santa Anita Mall today for training! He was off leash for about half the time and he did an amazing job for the first half of the day. He performed each command off leash with zero issue all around the mall, indoor and outdoor. At around the halfway point, he started getting a little tired and cranky. It seems he will perform quite well in an environment like this for about half an hour before he starts to wear out. We took a break and after his break he was much better, but still slightly less responsive to his commands. He would still do all his basics with ease, it was the more advanced commands such as Under and Send Away To Place that were a little more difficult. Marley was around some other dogs today, including strangers' dogs who barked at us. Marley did the best job I've seen from him so far at ignoring these distractions. Overall a good day for Marley!
Pupdate: 7/20/2024
Marley and I went to Santa Anita Mall today for training! He continued to do an excellent job. The above video is about thirty minutes into our time there, so he's reaching the end of his gas tank, but he's still doing great. After this video, we took a nice break for Marley to recharge. Once again, he definitely needed plenty of break time in order to continue going strong for long lengths of time.
Marley will be going home tomorrow, and I'll miss him a lot! He's such a sweet dog and I've loved having him.
Comments