Nia, a Husky from Pico Rivera, CA went through the Balanced Canine Training SoCal Board and Train Program. Nia was trained by Jose Ayala in Compton, CA.
Pupdates
Meet Nia! She is a three year old Siberian Husky who has joined us for our One Week Board and Train Program. Nia is here for basic obedience, jumping to greet, and leash pulling. She is easily distracted by other dogs, and always pulls towards them when wanting to interact. Nia does not know her own strength and can easily knock someone over while on walks. Over the next seven days, Nia will be working on her behavior and be given the structure needed, to help her become the best pup that she can be. Check in to see her progress!
Nia and I spent the afternoon getting to know each other. We went for a walk around the park to establish a bond. Throughout our walk, Nia was pulling heavily on her leash. She became very distracted by the grass smells and wanted to walk ahead of me, so I introduced her to heel. Heel consists of having Nia walk next to me on my left side. Anytime she would pull ahead of me, I made a turn, walked in the opposite direction, and guided her towards me with leash tension. We also worked on her recall which is known as come to sit. This consists of having Nia come towards my right, go around behind me, and sit on my left. To teach her, I used leash tension to get her to come towards me, guided her by taking a step forward to have her go behind me, and asked her to sit when she came to my left. She still needs more practice, but she is understanding the concept and following through.
Nia and I worked on place today. Place consists of having your dog getting onto a designated object and remaining there in a sit or a down. It can be very useful when guests are over, and it can also build confidence in a dog. To teach place, I introduced Nia to the object I wanted her to place on, and used leash tension to assist her into getting on. She was a little hesitant initially, so I took my time with Nia and worked at her pace. I used slight leash pressure to help her move forward, and any slight forward movement that she made, was rewarded with praise. Once she placed her front paws onto the object, I released her with a “break,” and rewarded her for working through it. To assist her in placing her back legs onto the object, I lured her with a treat, which worked really well in having her follow through. When working on new commands, remember to remain patient, take your time, and find what motivates your pup for great results. Nia is doing well, and was able to sleep through the night in her kennel.
Nia and I have been working on her heel by applying it on our morning and evening walks. During our morning walks, she has tried to pull ahead a few times, but by applying stim with the e-collar, Nia responds well and gets back on track. Her come to sit needed a little reconditioning today, as she was being a little stubborn, and was also distracted by the grass smells. There will be instances in which Nia will challenge you the way she challenged me today, but it is up to us as owners to remain patient and work our pups through it. She has been doing really well with her place, and I am now working on having her hold it by gradually increasing distance. She still comes out of it at times, but by stepping in towards her and asking her to sit, I am able to reset her and help her follow through.
Nia and I met with other trainers and their pups who assisted us by serving as a distraction. We worked on socialization with other dogs by going on a pack walk and she did really well. Throughout our walk, Nia was able to maintain her heel, and did not try to pull or make an approach towards the other pups. By reminding her to heel and by praising her verbally, she was able to remain at my side. We also worked on her distance and duration sit, and as you can see in the clip, Nia was able to remain in position, and did not try any interaction with the pups around her. She is a fast learner, and is making good progress as we move along in her training program.
Nia and I have been working on down. Down can be the most difficult to teach considering it being a submissive position to a dog, which can make them feel vulnerable considering them being down on all fours. To teach Nia, I used treats as a lure, as well as leash tension to assist her into going down. I began by asking her to sit, then placing a treat in front of her, and have her follow it towards the ground. Once her nose was close to the ground, I then proceeded to move the treat forward, and rewarded her as soon as she went into the down position. I repeated the exercise a few more times, and began to reward her every other rep to fade out the treats. Once I saw consistency, I then used nothing but leash tension and a hand signal pointing towards the ground. While applying leash tension, Nia did stiffen up her front paws. This part of the session was difficult as she was having trouble following through, and would sit up occasionally. I took my time with Nia, and rewarded her with praise with any slight intent that she made into going down. We took a few breaks in between to avoid frustration, and after a few more sessions, I was able to work Nia through it and help her accomplish her Down.
Nia and I worked on her final and she did very well piecing everything that she has learned together. It took her some time to adjust to her surroundings, so we walked a few laps around the pier so that she may get acclimated. Nia put on a good performance and received many compliments on her good behavior. She had no trouble with the different distractions all around her, and I am proud of her results. Nia is a very intelligent girl, and is capable of learning so much more. Remember to always remain consistent with her training, to keep achieving great results for your pup.
Nia has completed her One Week Board and Train Program and is ready to come home. Thank you for giving me the opportunity in being her trainer, and for trusting me with Nia while she was under my care. We became great friends and I am going to miss having her around the house. I am looking forward to working with you and Nia to show you what she has learned in just a short amount of time. Thank you Nia!
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