Lucky, a German Shepherd from San Pedro, CA went through the Balanced Canine Training SoCal Board and Train Program. Lucky was trained by Pam Wong in Costa Mesa, CA.
Lucky 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 Lucky 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
Lucky, a gorgeous 5-month-old female German Shepherd has begun on an exciting journey with OffLeash SoCal's Two-Week Board and Train Program. Lucky is a shy little girl who doesn't trust the environment around her so much. But once she started to get familiar with us, she became more relaxed, friendly and started to lick my face.
She has a loud bark and seems like there is no way to stop her. I guess it came from her fear of separation from her pack for the first time. She doesn't know how to walk correctly and knows a bit of Sit command. She doesn't know other commands like Come, Place, Heel and Down yet.
During our program, we'll focus on enhancing Lucky's obedience and helping her stay calm, focused and to be confident. Despite her challenges, Lucky is warm, fun and great with people and other dogs.
We're excited to witness Lucky's progress and transformation over the next two weeks!
Pupdate: 6/2/2024
Today was Lucky's first day. I got a chance to observe the behaviors that I learned at the pick up meeting. Lucky was pulling the leash very hard in all random directions. I took her to Bomo Park and practiced with a long leash and also introduced her to the E-collar. I can see that she already knew the basic command of Sit and I introduced her the Break and Heel commands (walk properly on the left side). She responded pretty well with E-Collar for the first time and understood to follow the come command without any problems. My goal is going to help her to gain more confidence, and try to reduce her unnecessary barks and fear.
Tomorrow we will work on all commands as a touch base. So far Lucky is sweet when she's getting used to us and seems to be a super smart girl.
I believe Lucky's journey will run smoothly and become an obedient puppy in 2 weeks.
One note about Lucky that I saw her scratching her neck quite often today. I'll keep an eye closely on this
Pupdate: 6/3/2024
Lucky was full of excitement last night and couldn't settle down to sleep until 2AM. Unfortunately, the new environment led to a couple of accidents in the bathroom and living room.
This morning, she woke up at 7AM. I've observed that Lucky doesn't engage in play as much as other puppies. She tends to be very calm and often sits next to my chair while I'm working.
Her neck itch is still on-going but we haven't found any signs of fleas.
We went to the Whittier Narrows Park again where I picked her up. Unlike yesterday, she didn't cry or bark during the drive. Once there, we practiced and introduced her to all commands.
The "Place" command went well, although she occasionally broke position. Nonetheless, her independent climb onto the park bench without assistance is a positive sign. This will boost Lucky's confidence, and we'll continue to work on this command extensively.
For the "Sit" command, she's showing progress by sitting without needing me to guide her down, and her response time is quicker after I give the command.
As for the "Break" command, we're still in the process of training. Given Lucky's calm and relaxed personality, it might take a bit of time. However, it's important to note that this command serves as a way to reward her when she performs tasks correctly. It allows her to have some freedom within boundaries and encourages good behavior.
As for the "Heel" command, there's been improvement as Lucky is walking better and pulling less. However, more practice is needed.
She's mastered the "Down" command, and we'll continue to practice it daily.
In regards to the "Come" command, Lucky showed improvement compared to yesterday, but consistent practice is still necessary, as with the other commands.
We're excited and looking forward to another productive training session bright and early tomorrow morning!
Pupdate: 6/4/2024
Lucky's third day with us went smoothly. We started our day at 7AM, had breakfast, and headed to our usual spot at Pond Park Avenue of the Arts for training.
It took Lucky nearly 40 minutes of sniffing around before she started to do her business outside. However, she still had one accident when we returned home. Considering her progress, I see this as a positive step forward. With time, she'll adjust more, and accidents should become less frequent.
We began working on the "Heel" command, and she showed significant improvement compared to the first day. She's starting to understand how the e-collar works to communicate commands from me to her. Occasionally, she veered off track to the left, but a gentle tap of the stimulation button brought her back on track. I was particularly proud when she glanced at my feet and slowed down her pace to match mine.
While her "Sit" command is still a work in progress, she's beginning to respond promptly after I use the stimulation button alongside the command. We'll continue practicing indoors to repeat this important command.
Lucky's "Break" command is not as energetic or playful as one might expect from a puppy her age. Her calm and relaxed personality means she doesn't engage much with toys at home, preferring to relax on the floor or bed.
On a positive note, her execution of the "Place" command and Extended Sit was excellent today. I plan to introduce more distractions in tomorrow's session.
We also worked on "Come to Sit," which is a bit advanced for her, but she performed nicely. Going forward, we'll repeat all these commands daily.
Lucky is undeniably adorable and brings a calming presence to our home. We feel blessed to have her with us, even if only for a temporary period.
Pupdate: 6/5/2024
Today we focused on going over all commands, along with Car Manners and Food Manners at our place.
For Car Manners, we used the Sit and Place commands, which Lucky already knows well, so we didn't need to repeat much there.
Regarding Food Manners, Lucky made a good start. Although she broke her positions quite often initially, after several repetitions, she started to grasp that she needed to wait until the release word, "Break," before approaching her food. We'll be revisiting this command again later this week.
We took a break at Bomo Park, where she was enjoying the green grass. We also practiced Place commands on the playground's objects to further boost her confidence.
Unfortunately, Lucky had three accidents in the living room today, indicating that we still need to work on that area.
Tomorrow, we plan to venture outdoors to practice in more distracting environments since we didn't get to do that today.
Pupdate: 6/6/2024
We headed to Fashion Island early in the morning, and Lucky was thrilled and in high spirits. During our session, we covered all commands, including Greeting Manners. She mastered Sit and Come to Sit now. She also understands the release word "Break," which means she's free to do as she pleases (except bad manners).
While practicing the Place command, she showed some reluctance to sit on certain objects that she didn't like. However, mostly she was willing to jump onto anything else I ask her to. Although she still occasionally breaks position, her ability to hold it has improved somewhat today, and further work is needed.
Her Down command has also shown improvement; she willingly did the "Down" today without me having to apply leash pressure on her. Greeting Manners went well, although very important that she needs to learn not to jump on people when they greet her.
The duration for Sit improved notably today, and in a couple more days, we should see her holding the position without breaking for at least two minutes!
Tomorrow, I'll be absent and Lucky will be with Amanda for a day, and will return to me on Saturday. Amanda is a great trainer and I'm confident that Lucky will learn a lot while I'm away.
We're committed to helping Lucky become the best version of herself within the next week!
Pupdate: 6/7/2024
Today Lucky spent the day with Amanda. Lucky got to socialize and play with many new friends. She was nervous when meeting the pack, nipping at the dogs if they came too close into her space. It only took her 10 minutes to break out of her shell and start playing with all her new friends. Lucky practiced all her commands and worked on her duration. Amanda used the pack as a distraction and let the other dogs play around them while they trained. Lucky was a bit distracted by the dogs at first, but as they continued to train Lucky was able to ignore the other dogs and focus on her commands.
Pupdates 6/8/2024
Today I went to the Block of Orange to pick up Lucky from Amanda, so I used the opportunity to practice all her commands there.
Lucky's progress was really evident today. She could sit or lie down and maintain her position (Extended Sit & Extended Down) until I gave her the Break command. For the Come to Sit command, she now started to respond promptly without needing much leash guidance, coming straight to me, circling behind me, and sitting neatly in the Heel position.
Her heel work has improved significantly, and she's almost ready for the next step of off-leash training. Lucky also responds well to the Break command by quickly moving out of her position.
Today, Lucky seemed more focused on me and our work compared to last week.
Lucky is definitely a quick learner, and I'm looking forward to seeing her progress off-leash in the upcoming week!
Pupdates 6/9/2024
Today, we were back at our Avenue of the Art Park, focusing on using a looser leash and incorporating more E-collar training.
During heel work, Lucky walked beautifully by my side, maintaining close proximity to my feet almost throughout.
For commands Place, Extended Sit, and Extended Down, Lucky hardly broke her position despite being outdoors. It seems like we're ready to introduce more distractions tomorrow.
While working on the Come to Sit command today, I still relied on leash pressure a bit, but we'll aim to try it off-leash from now on.
Tomorrow's plan includes testing Lucky off-leash at the same location, followed by transitioning to a busier area with increased distractions.
Pupdates 6/10/2024
Today, we visited the Jeffrey Open Space Trail in Irvine. It was a beautiful day, and Lucky had a blast running and rolling around on the grass.
During our training session, we focused on Heel with a dropped leash, Place, Extended Sit, Extended Down, Break, and other commands, which Lucky performed quite well.
Although there were a couple of instances where Lucky broke her position and took off. To keep things safe and smooth, I kept a 15 ft long leash dragging on the ground instead of risking practicing Off-leash commands like planned.
Nevertheless, Lucky's performance on the Come to Sit command was particularly impressive today, as we had discussed focusing on it yesterday. We made significant progress in this area.
After our time at the Jeffrey Trail and some napping time, we returned to the Avenue of the Art Park to continue our training. I made efforts to allow Lucky off-leash as much as possible.
Stay tuned for more off-leash videos of Lucky that will be posted by tomorrow.
Pupdates 6/11/2024
We trained at the Avenue of the Arts and for the first time, practiced with Lucky completely off-leash. She performed nicely in all commands: Heel, Come to Sit, Down, Place, Extended Down, and Extended Sit.
It's evident that Lucky has matured into a calmer and more focused dog in just one week!
Today, at Whittier Narrow Park, Lucky impressed again, handling added distractions such as people and other dogs with ease. Commands: Come to Sit with a dragging leash, Down, and Extended Down showed significant progress. Whenever given the Break command, Lucky would happily bound over to me, tail wagging. She's such a joyful, happy girl to work with!
This Thursday, we'll be filming her Final with all commands off-leash, but before that, we'll be putting in more practice to ensure she nails it. Stay tuned for updates!
Pupdates 6/12/2024
At Whittier Narrow Park, our training sessions with Lucky and Dragging Leash are ongoing. We're focusing on Sit, Place, Extended Down, and Extended Sit, gradually increasing distance and duration. Lucky's progress has been notable, also with the Heel and Break commands.
Lucky's Come to Sit command, initially started with help of some treats, has now become second nature to her. She instinctively walks to me, circles around my back, and settles into a left-side sit position without the need for treats.
Tomorrow, we'll tackle Door Manner training, and we'll continue working with Dragging & Off Leash exercises across all commands to ensure Lucky's continual learning. Our goal is for Lucky to leave this Sunday equipped with these newfound skills.
Lucky has been enjoying daily playtime and socialization with my other Huskies. We'll undoubtedly miss her when the time comes for her departure.
Pupdates 6/13/2024
We headed to the OCMA (Orange County Museum of Art) area to work on Lucky's obedience commands with distractions.
Lucky showed impressive progress, especially with her "Come to Sit," "Heel," and "Extended Down" commands even with distractions like other dogs passing by and our drone camera which flew by very close to her.
Over the last few days, as we introduced Lucky to the drone, its loud noise and close orbiting made her nervous and too distracted to respond to commands. However, more recently, she's begun to stay calm and confident despite the drone's presence.
We enjoyed our time at OCMA, capturing beautiful footage of Lucky.
After returning home, she took a long nap. We went to bed early to prepare for the next day's shoot for her final video just to ensure she's ready to perform at her best.
Pupdates 6/14/2024
We visited Santa Monica Pier and worked on commands like Come to Sit, Place, Extended Down, and Extended Sit, focusing on distance and duration.
Although Lucky performed reasonably well with all commands, the new environment and the busty atmosphere of the popular location proved challenging. She struggled to maintain focus with the distractions, so we viewed today as another practice session rather than a final one.
After a good rest today, we plan to continue practicing in other busy locations like Fashion Island and Irvine Spectrum tomorrow. Hopefully, Lucky will handle well with the distractions and get the best of her performance tomorrow.
Pupdates 6/15/2024
Today at Irvine Spectrum, we practiced Off Leash for all commands: Come to Sit, Heel, Place, Extended Down, Extended Sit and Break with varying distances and durations.
Lucky showed her best performance today. She was demonstrating her intelligence by mastering these commands in just 14 days. Despite numerous distractions, she managed nicely, and quickly corrected herself whenever she momentarily lost focus.
Following this at home, we worked on door manners, teaching her to maintain position at all doors and not just rush outside without permission from us.
Lucky has learned a great deal over the past two weeks. As she returns home and reunites with her siblings, her learning journey will continue. I'll miss her company and wish her the brightest future ahead.
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