Meet Hermione, a 7-month-old Australian Shepherd from Lancaster, CA, who has joined our famous 2-Week Board and Train Program. Hermione is a very sweet girl and loves to explore new things. Although she is here to address some unwanted behaviors, such as barking, lunging, pulling on the leash, play biting, and not coming when called. Hermione is a smart girl and she will periodically test the boundaries to see what she can get away with. We of course will be focusing on all these issues during her two-week board and train. Her family will also be welcoming a new tiny human in just a few weeks! We will implement our training methods to cover her basic obedience, show her and her parents how to manage her impulses, and prepare her to welcome the tiny human. Stay tuned for Hermione’s two-week transformation!
Pupdate 10/20/2024
Today, the ride home went super smoothly; she was quiet the whole time. I didn’t notice much anxiety at all, and instead, there was a whole lot of curiosity about her new environment. The introduction between her and my dog went well, too. Up above notice that I’ve included your new e collars model and serial numbers along with another trainers e collar tutorial video. She definitely has a lot of energy. I took her on a walk to get to know the neighborhood a bit, and when we got back, I practiced some “sits,” “downs,” and “place” commands with her, as shown in the video above. I can already tell she has a solid foundation and is going to be a natural with her obedience work. Her eagerness to learn makes training sessions enjoyable and productive. She’s super smart, and I can tell she’s going to do great! Stay tuned for her coming Pupdates.
Pupdate 10/21/2024
Today, Hermione and I took a trip to a park and met up with several of our other trainers from Off Leash K9. She did very well, and we started focusing on “heel,” “place,” “sit,” and “down.” In the video above, you’ll notice us practicing “heel” by walking at a set distance and practicing left and right-hand turns. The goal is for her to respond to my movements and stay engaged with me rather than getting distracted by her surroundings. You’ll also notice Sheena in the background. We didn’t get a chance for a photo or video, but please note that Hermione was very receptive and curious about Sheena’s baby boy, licking his feet and displaying positive body language. We were very happy with the results.
I also wanted to mention that yesterday evening, I brought my dog Roxy and Hermione into my yard to help them get more accustomed to each other. At one point during this introduction, Hermione displayed some dominant behavior and tried to mount Roxy. Roxy corrected Hermione to let her know not to do that, but Hermione did not respect Roxy’s boundaries and redirected onto her. This led to a brief altercation, but there were no injuries, and I was able to de-escalate the situation quickly. Just to clarify, this does not mean she is aggressive; it simply means she needs to learn how to interact properly with other dogs and respond to their social cues. We will work on this, and along with the rest of my team, we will expose her to more dogs. Stay tuned for her upcoming updates!
Pupdate 10/22/2024
Today, Hermione and I spent a lot of time together. We started out in the morning with a short walk for potty and “heel” practice. I focused on “heel” and “break” for her potty and sniff breaks in order to shape the behavior further. Once we got back, she ate and had an hour break from training. After that, we took a trip to Bella Terra, where we practiced the “sit,” “down,” “place,” “come,” and “break” commands. She also greeted strangers impeccably.
She seems to have a natural ability to hold stays for long durations, so I decided to utilize that talent, as captured in the video above. She was able to stay for 2 1/2 minutes in the video and for 1 minute durations at Barnes & Noble, REI, and the park. Overall, the entire Bella Terra session lasted almost 2 hours, and I am super proud of her.
Afterward, we met up with my wife and children, along with their friends and other parents. We practiced “heel,” “sit,” “place,” and greeting manners. In the video, you can see me taking time to explain to the kids to be slow, not to crowd her, and to be as gentle as possible. Hermione did wonderfully and seems to love the attention. Stay tuned for her upcoming pupdates!
Pupdate 10/23/2024
Today, Hermione and I went on an awesome adventure! We had a little trouble with loading the car over the past few days, but if you note in the video above, we nailed it! Mastering car load-up is crucial for ensuring safe and smooth travels. We also practiced all the commands at Lowe’s and Target, as well as greeting manners. Hermione is a natural and a super fast learner. I am amazed by her intelligence and foresee her training becoming incredible.
Please note that we are still working on her holding a sit for greeting manners. Holding her sit longer is important for maintaining focus and calmness during interactions, and this skill will help her feel more confident in various social situations. You’ll see in the video that I asked for a sit, and she had some trouble holding it during the greeting. Not to worry; we will get it perfect very soon. Stay tuned for her upcoming pupdates!
Pupdate 10/24/2024
Today, Hermione and I took a trip to the Santa Monica Pier to meet up with some other trainers from OffLeash K9. In the video, you’ll notice that we worked her around other dogs to help with the social aspect of her development. I also practiced obedience commands: “sit,” “down,” “place,” and “come to sit,” focusing on increasing the duration of these commands as well. She is a superstar and deserves a lot of praise for her amazing efforts today!
In terms of duration, she can hold a “down stay” for about 2 minutes and longer if we push it. The “sit stay” is a work in progress, but it shows a lot of promise. I find that she likes to default to “down,” as it’s probably a bit more comfortable for her. However, I am teaching her to sit and stay seated until asked for further direction.
This behavior is especially evident when greeting others; she’s asked to sit, but I believe the cute puppy in her defaults to laying down for pets and affection. It’s quite endearing! Nevertheless, I’m confident we will master this by the end of her stay with me. Hermione shows impeccable promise in her obedience; she is exceptionally smart, and I love training with her! Stay tuned for her upcoming updates!
Pupdate 10/25/2024
Today, Hermione and I took a nice walk in the morning to start our day with some heel and door manners. Later, we took a trip to the block of orange and focused on “sit stay” some more. I’m happy to report that she nailed it! I was able to get her to hold a “sit stay” on “place” for 2 minutes, and I was very pleased with this. You’ll note this in the video above. Furthermore, we worked on all obedience during the trip and managed to get her to hold some “down stays” around other dogs as well. She seems to be doing well with her social skills, doesn’t seem to mind the other dogs’ company, and is improving in her desensitization to public places. I’m very proud of her; she did wonderfully!
The “sit” and “stay” commands are crucial for establishing control and safety, allowing dogs to pause and assess their surroundings. These commands also enhance focus, promoting better communication between the dog and handler, which is essential for successful training. Stay tuned for her coming Pupdates!
Pupdate 10/26/2024
Today, Hermione and I took a long walk and met up with a new friend for coffee. I also practiced some training at a nearby park and started to integrate some off-leash work with a leash drag. You’ll notice in the video that we had some other dogs playing in the background, and I was amazed by Hermione’s ability to stay focused on me. She did wonderfully with that distraction, demonstrating her capacity for intense focus. She performed everything I asked, including “heel,” “sit,” and “down,” while holding her commands. I was especially pleased with her “come” to “sit”! She’s a rockstar!
Afterward, we met up with our new friend for coffee, and Hermione did well greeting him. She also demonstrated her ability to relax and hold a down for the hour we spent there, with brief breaks to adjust her position. She drank water and found some rest time between walks. She’s a great dog! There’s no doubt there’s nothing she can’t do. Stay tuned for her upcoming pupdates!
Pupdate 10/27/2024
Today, Hermione and I went on a huge adventure! We started the day with a nice morning walk and practiced “heel” with the leash drag. I’m pleased to report that she is doing amazing with my dog Roxy and others as well, showing remarkable improvement in her socialization. She and Roxy are getting along, and we all went out on an adventure with my new friend, who has a well-mannered Corgi.
Now, it wasn’t all fun and games. We worked on her obedience plenty, with playtime included, and I incorporated far recall. I’m happy to report that she comes when called from farther distances every time. She’s so smart and loves to learn; she picks everything up quickly.
Afterward, we took a trip to Home Depot and worked on some more obedience with leash drag. Note in the video that she’s performing her obedience very well even while being distracted and slightly nervous of a big floor cleaner and cart being pushed close to her. She was able to redirect her attention when I gave the “heel” command. I have a strong feeling she’ll be completely off-leash by the end of her stay with me. I’m so pleased with her eagerness to learn. Her parents have a very good dog on their hands. Stay tuned for her upcoming pupdates!
Pupdate 10/28/2024
Today, Hermione and I started today with our normal morning walk and worked on “heel”. Afterwards we took a trip to Whittier Park to meet up with other trainers from OffLeashK9. We practiced all obedience commands, using other dogs, squirrels, and joggers as distractions. In the video, you’ll see Hermione practicing the extended “down” position next to other dogs. You may notice she breaks position a few times, and I’m glad I captured this process. When she does break position, I simply bring her back to position and ask for the command again, which in this case is “down.”
In the second portion of the video, you’ll see me asking Hermione to heel while we walk by other dogs. At times, I need to get her attention when she starts to fixate on something. I quickly redirect her by asking for “heel.” The first request is a freebie, and if that doesn’t work, I pair “heel” with her e-collar, which quickly gets her focus back on me. Hermione usually responds well to this on the first try, often between levels 2 and 9.
I’m very pleased with the training today it was a good day!
Stay tuned for Hermione’s coming pupdates!
Pupdate 10/29/2024
Today, Hermione and I started our day with our usual walk. We went off-leash for most of the time and were very pleased with the results. Afterwards, we took a trip to the Citadel Mall and met up with some other trainers from our OffLeashK9 team and their dogs to increase distractions. The mall had a lot of foot traffic today, and I was pleased with Hermione’s performance despite all the distractions.
In the video, we worked on off-leash obedience, and at one point, Hermione goes into the planter instead of the bench. She got distracted by the fun smells on the way up. I wasn’t able to capture it, but when this happens, I simply tell her “off” and lead her back to the bench to ask for a sit. For the remainder of the video, she did well, and moving forward, we will focus on extended “sit” and “down”, as she is still perfecting these commands off-leash.
I am confident she’s going to nail everything off-leash. She is showing tremendous progress, and I’m super pleased with this experience.
Stay tuned for Hermione’s coming pupdates!
Pupdate 10/30/2024
Today, Hermione and I started our normal morning walk and practiced some off-leash “heel.” Afterwards, we took another trip to the Citadel Mall, where we met up with some other trainers from our OffLeashK9 team and their dogs. I focused on increasing the duration of her “sit,” “down,” and “place” around as many distractions as possible, all off-leash. She did very well! I noted that in the video towards the end, she defaults to a down position; she was feeling a little tired and seems to want to default to down when that happens. When this occurs, I will break her and take a breather. She does have the ability to hold her sits, and I will do my best to capture this tomorrow. On another note, she’s doing fantastic with all her off-leash obedience and is responding well to all commands. She truly has been a joy to work with. Stay tuned for Hermione’s upcoming pupdates!
Pupdate 10/31/2024
Today, Hermione and I took a nice walk through Bella Terra in Huntington Beach and met with another trainer from our team at OffLeashK9. Afterwards, we visited the Huntington Beach Pier to work on OffLeash obedience. In the video, you can see that Hermione is getting more accustomed to heavy distractions; she held her “sit,” “place,” and “down” commands for two minutes each. I’m very proud of her hard work today.
We also focused on food manners, and she performed well, managing to let the food rest above her for over a minute, even while hungry. I haven’t emphasized this much yet, but food manners are a significant boost for impulse control. Stay tuned for Hermione’s upcoming updates!
Pupdate 11/01/2024
Today, Hermione and I took a nice morning walk through the neighborhood after visiting Bella Terra in HB. Afterwards, we returned to the Huntington Beach Pier to work on OffLeash obedience. In the video, you can see that at the pier, Hermione held her “sit,” “place,” and “down” commands for two minutes each, focusing on maintaining her attention while holding those commands. She did very well today.
We also worked on door, car, and food manners to ensure we’re keeping up in all areas of training. I’m happy to report that she waits at the door and gate until told to “break” or “heel”. She patiently “sits” to load up in the car and also practiced food manners with donuts today. I’m pleased to say she left those alone as well. She’s a well-rounded pup, and it’s been such a pleasure training her. Stay tuned for her upcoming updates.
Pupdate 11/02/2024
Today is Hermione’s last day with me, and I just wanted to say she was a doll! I made sure to make today eventful for us. We started with our usual morning walk, all off-leash. We took a break at home for a bit, allowing her to have lots of playtime with me and my dog, Roxy. I’m happy to share that they get along just fine now and haven’t had any issues since the last hiccup during their initial introduction.
Afterward, we took another nice long walk and strolled to Bella Terra in HB one last time, finishing with a walk to Target. We practiced all obedience off-leash, and I’m happy to report that Hermione has the ability to do everything asked of her off-leash, even with distractions present.
I made sure to feed her a little extra tonight, as she’s earned it. I’m super excited to show Hermione’s parents everything she’s learned. Hermione has displayed an incredible transformation during her two-week stay with me and has demonstrated a remarkable talent for learning new things quickly. Thank you for tuning in, and have a wonderful day!
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