Ivy | English Bulldog/Frenchie Mix | Culver City, CA | In - Training
- cristianoffleash
- Aug 25, 2024
- 19 min read
Updated: Aug 28, 2024
Meet Ivy! Ivy is a 4 month old Frenchie/Pitbull Mix coming from Culver City, California who has joined us for our 2Week Board & Train Program. Ivy will be working towards on improving behaviors such as jumping on people and furniture, gorge eating, not being able to do obedience commands, and not wanting to walk at times. Ivy is sweet and can have normal moments like any other dog but she's young still so I want to help improve with all the moments that she fails in for moments of success. Over the next two week I'm going to challenge Ivy and performs objectives and tasks for her to understand things better while socializing. Stay updated on her daily progress with me as her trainer!
Pupdate 8/25/2024
Today I met Ivy and it has been fun getting to know her and trying to practice obedience with her. She shows no knowledge for most of the obedience commands I asked her but engaging with her while running or jogging was enough to keep her attention on me. Once we took some time getting used to each other we headed home for her to meet my family and her new surroundings.
Once we headed home, I introduced Ivy to my family who she was excited to see but I kept her distant to prevent her ability to jump on them. We headed to the backyard to let her roam around and investigate on her own behalf. I introduced her to a place pad and took some time teaching her the basics of place and sit. She seemed to enjoy herself the longer time went on and started to act on her zoomies. After I walked her inside to my side of the house to met my personal dog Hunter. Hunter is a 5 year old Dutch Shepherd who loves small dogs and most dogs under his age. Once Ivy saw Hunter they both remained silent but Ivy walked up to his crate with full confidence and they smelled each other. Each time they took moments to smell each other I would pet Ivy to make these moments memorable for her, acknowledging what she did was a good thing. I gave Hunter time to met her face to face and they got along very well with Ivy showing no fear towards him. As she started to get tired I noticed this is when she needs to go potty, even though she can hold it in for most of the day. Once Ivy is done playing and seems tired she will automatically go after a few seconds of smelling the floor from inside. If this is her pattern to go potty I will take her out for a walk to see if she will go after playing/training.
Overall experience has been going well and has even fallen asleep in her crate in the middle of the day with little barking which stopped. We will continue our training at new locations and train around other offleash trainers as the days go on. I'm happy to see what will unfold the next two weeks as we focus on our obedience training! Her e-collar provided has a picture of the serial number and video going over the proper functions of how the e-collar and remote works. Watch the video to see how to be prepared on its functions/settings before working with your pup!
Pupdate 8/26/2024
This morning, we started our day with a walk around the neighborhood with Hunter. Before leaving the property, Ivy automatically went potty on the side of the house as soon as we stepped outside. While walking, Ivy did well staying between Hunter and me, though she occasionally tried to take the lead. During those moments, I gently guided her back into position with the leash.
When we returned home, I did some training with Hunter around Ivy. She wasn’t distracted by him, as they’re familiar with each other now. After their training and playtime, I fed Ivy using a slow feeder bowl to curb her habit of eating too quickly. The slow feeder makes her take her time with her kibble, helping to prevent her from gulping down her food.
After Ivy woke up from her nap, we headed to the living room to practice some obedience commands, focusing on improving her engagement with me. We started with the "sit" and "place" commands, but Ivy sometimes resisted listening. Since this was her first real attempt at understanding these commands, I took my time, gently guiding her onto the place pad without applying too much pressure.
In the first video, you can see Ivy trying to leave the place pad multiple times, but I remained persistent in teaching her to sit and wait, even if only for ten seconds. We practiced for as long as needed, taking a short five-minute break before resuming. In the second video clip, Ivy is better at holding her position but still occasionally wants to break it. I used the remote to encourage her to follow through with her obedience with less reliance on the leash. Whenever she applied herself using the e-collar, I immediately rewarded her with praise, making these moments memorable. We continued training later in the day, reinforcing her "place" and "sit" commands while using the remote and e-collar. She showed progress, but still needed some assistance with the leash and collar.
A few notes to keep Ivy busy throughout the day: playing with another friend works well with Hunter. Ivy has been biting at my hands, which I suspect is due to teething, so I’ve made sure to have some toys around for her to chew on. Unlike most dogs who might get bored with toys, Ivy stays focused and often just lies down with her toy.
Ivy slept well in her crate, not crying at all during the night, even when she woke up. She typically needs to potty first thing in the morning after getting out of her crate, after naps, and after exercise. She’s been peeing constantly when she roams around the backyard, though pooping has been hit or miss, as she tends to squat immediately when the urge hits. During training, Ivy seems more impulsive than distracted, which affects her ability to focus. However, I’m confident we’ll make progress as the days go on.
Pupdate 8/27/2024
Today, we headed over to La Habra, CA to meet up with some friends from Offleash and practice obedience around one another. When we first arrived, we managed to get into the park, but as soon as we settled in, Ivy became increasingly distracted by her surroundings, making communication nearly impossible every time I gave a command. I started by using her leash to warm her up to the obedience commands before conditioning her with the e-collar.
In the video above, Amanda and I are working with our dogs, focusing on managing their impulses around each other. Initially, Ivy was eager to approach Levi, the Great Pyrenees, as soon as she saw him. I worked on her "off" command, also known as "leave it," to keep her attention on me rather than on him. After being redirected a few times from trying to get off the place pad, Ivy did well. Once she was able to wait, we switched objectives, and I walked around Amanda and her dog to keep Ivy engaged with me. Ivy was still distracted every time she glanced at Levi due to her puppy temperament, which makes it challenging for young dogs to focus. While her "place" command went well, she continued to be distracted during the simple walking exercise.
Amanda and I briefly switched dogs, and while Ivy did well walking with Amanda, asking her to sit and hold the position was challenging, as Ivy was reluctant to follow through. Amanda observed that Ivy was less responsive than most young pups, so I plan to try more motivating techniques, such as using treats or toys, to catch Ivy's attention and contribute to her improvement.
We spent the remainder of the day focusing more on house training, particularly door and food manners. Ivy also spent some time playing with Hunter, even taking toys out of his mouth during their playtime!
Pupdate 8/28/2024
Today Ivy and I had our usual routine with going for a walk with Hunter early in the morning. We practiced our sit and down obedience command in front of the house with Hunter as a distraction. Ivy kept trying to keep her attention on him but we worked through this for better engagement.
Later in the day we focused on our door manners since Ivy likes to bolt out of every door we pass through. In the video above we took some time warming up getting Ivy used to repetition of getting on the place pad and holding her sit or down obedience command when asked. When practicing her sit on the place pad she does fairly well holding it but when we practice her down she has been able to be persistent about not listening but we've been able to work through this threshold and she goes into position easier. At one point Ivy doesn't want to go into her down, as usual but I have to be consistent with her redirection for her to fully understand what the obedience command down is. There are moments I come from behind her which makes her get up into a sit and for these reasons as well I redirect her back into a down. As the days go on I will continue to practice more of this with and without the place mat.
Later on we focused on more of her conditioning while my parents were home as distractions to keep her engaged with me and nearby when socializing. We had many moments of Ivy trying to walk up to my parents breaking obedience consistently but we worked through this as the moment went on. Ivy did get over seeing them walk around at one point but needs to be tethered/leashed while inside socializing.
Pupdate 8/29/2024
Today, we went to Citadel Outlets for more obedience training. Since Ivy can get tired quickly, I kept most of our sessions short with frequent breaks to avoid overworking her. When we first arrived, she was distracted by the new environment and wanted to explore everything she saw as we walked around. I used her remote to redirect her each time she tried to create space, keeping her close to me. We looked for a platform high enough for Ivy to jump onto, but we struggled to find suitable spots because she is so small and can barely jump up. Walking around and asking Ivy to heel was manageable, but asking for a sit or down required assistance each time. We had a few easier moments where she would sit, but whenever someone passed by or there was a noise, Ivy would get up. We practiced as much as we could until Ivy became tired and couldn’t keep up the pace, so I had to carry her back to the car. One detail worth mentioning is that Ivy managed to complete a full lap around the shopping center without getting tired, but she tends to tire out quickly once we start training.
Later in the day, I started playing with toys around Ivy, and that’s when all her energy came out. With a tug-of-war toy, she showed she could keep her energy up and maintain a strong grip without letting go of the toy. This was a good opportunity to teach her how to drop it and allow us to retrieve the toy from her.
Pupdate 8/30/2024
Today, we followed our usual routine with an early morning walk with Hunter. Ivy's crate training is going fairly well, though there are random moments when she complains if she loses sight of me. Her barking isn't hysterical or consistent; it seems more like she just doesn't want to be in the crate at that moment. She does better when she can see Hunter outside his crate or when I take him out for a potty walk and return—during those times, I don't hear her barking. Playing with a toy has been a great way to burn off some of her energy and keep her motivated. Potty training has also been going well; Ivy has been consistent about peeing outside on the pavement or grass, though there are occasional accidents with pooping inside the house.
In the video above, we did some training after Ivy woke up from her morning nap. We started by walking around, pairing the word "heel" with her e-collar if she couldn't keep pace with me. She sometimes stops, so when this happens, I use the remote on low-level stimulations to encourage her to keep moving when I ask for "heel." I kept turning left to stay in her sight and close the distance, which helped her maintain a more consistent pace. Occasionally, she tries to go into a down position when I ask for a sit, so I redirect her to prevent this. In the second video clip, we focused on door manners again, and today Ivy did better at holding her position. While training, we had some guests watching from a distance, but Ivy kept her attention on me. I'm able to release her outside while I'm in front or close the door behind us when entering.
Later in the day, my younger brother took some time to train Ivy so she could become familiar with obeying another person. She listens to him well but tends to break her position when asked to go into a down or when I start to walk around her. She wants to follow me, but we're working on this together so she can develop a better understanding.
Pupdate 8/31/2024
Today we headed over to Anaheim Pet & Feed which is a pet friendly store to do more of our obedience training. When walking inside the store Ivy got excited seeing the sliding doors open which motivated her to run in. I redirected her to start back outside and walk in together which she did the second time. When passing many products in the aisles Ivy wanted to smell and investigate what distracted her nose. I used the e-collar to redirect her in these moments paired up with the word off, also known as leave it. This made it easier for Ivy to walk through aisles and not being as distracted if something caught her attention with her nose. We focused on all of our obedience commands and Ivy did well with no distractions but when people kept passing by us this is where Ivy would continue to break her obedience. Eventually she came to a point of being able to contribute to her obedience but tires out quickly.
Later on we mainly focus on our recall which is come to sit. When asking Ivy to come back to me the goal is to guide her around my body and end up back on my left hand side in a sit. Both my brother and I practiced this obedience command with her for her to have an understanding of what's being asked since it's the same command. She did well being lured by the leash but wouldn't contribute when working on the e-collar so for the remaining time we worked with her with the use of food for motivation which helped.
Pupdate 9/1/2024
Today we had our usual routine of a walk early in the morning. Our potty training has been going well with Ivy willingly going outside on the side of the house when opening the door for her.
We started our first training session with door manners, greeting manners, and food manners. In the video above we are working with the side gate that leads out to the front. Ivy would stay behind the gate but each time I left her sight she would get up and look for me from afar. She has many moments being redirected but manageable to get her back into position from afar when it comes to door manners. Only when I come back into the backyard I will break Ivy from her obedience to get praised from me.
Our second practice is greeting manners with my brother who Ivy continues to jump on. I give her the opportunity to walk up to him as always and Nick verbalizes speaking with a soft voice as he praises her. This is typically the behavior to get her to jump so I redirect her by saying off if she happens to jump on him. She has been doing better and can easily be redirected for this if she makes the mistake to do so. When asking her for her break she stays with Nick so I grab her leash for the assistance of getting her back.
Our last practice is food manners which has been Ivy's biggest challenge at home. She used to rush to her food and be face first so I switched to a slow feeder bowl which takes her about ten to fifteen minutes to finish her meals. I started off giving her small amounts of food in her bowl after waiting just a few seconds. If she was able to wait for fifteen seconds or more I would continue to fill her bowl again and practice all over. Now I'm able to have her place herself on a mat and wait while I start to use everything in the room as a distraction. Using everything in the room hasn't been a challenge we've practiced yet so to keep Ivy motivated, if she's able to be confident when distracting her I give her a treat immediately and fast so she doesn't pick herself up. When breaking Ivy for her food, if I leave her sight for just a moment she will try to follow me so I guide her back to her food to let her enjoy her meal.
Pupdate 9/2/2024
Today we headed over to Whittier Narrows Park to work on our obedience around the Offleash team. When we first got there Ivy didn't seem bothered at seeing the other dogs each time I would ask for her off, also known as leave it. We took the beginning of our visit to just sit down and relax to let Ivy desensitize herself to everyone arriving.
In the video above we are focusing on Ivy's impulse control and she did very well letting nothing become an issue while everyone worked around each other. She showed much confidence each time she was asked to place herself on the mat, acknowledging her objective while outside. I took much of our time giving her breaks and only training her when she had the energy to do so. I practiced her extended sit & down while creating much distance from her which she was able to do with being redirected with the e-collar from afar. We had two offleash associates practice greeting manners with Ivy and she did well only needing to be redirected once with Megan, seen in the last video clip above. By this point of our visit Ivy was able to maintain herself on a place pad for a long duration of time letting people pass by on bikes, scooters, and anyone jogging. If someone passed by with a dog I would say off the same moment her eyes make contact with them and she would bring her eyes back towards me.
Later in the day we practiced more e-collar conditioning at home. I walked Ivy around the house with no leash attached and if she was to become distracted I would use the remote to get her attention back on me. She maintains the same pace outside when walking but seems to notice all stimulations coming from the e-collar when being used. With Ivy being so young still working towards offleash obedience is still a challenge but we will continue to work as this next week goes on!
Pupdate 9/3/2024
Today we had our usual routine of going for a walk with Hunter early in the morning, followed up by going potty and play time with Hunter once we returned home. After the dogs started to settle and rest we headed back inside so I can train Ivy on her food manners again.
In the video above Ivy shows more patience being able to hold her down until I break her to eat her food. I walk all around the house and open the doors as a distraction to break Ivy's obedience but she's able to hold her down even if some of the noises bother her at times.
Second video clip we are playing with a toy and Ivy shows a lot of drive when it comes to her toys compared to anything else. We have been working everyday on her dropping it when asked and its been a challenge since she was persistent about not letting go. When asking Ivy to drop it I stop moving entirely and become stiff since the toy in motion is more motivating to see and feel when Ivy interacts with it. We spent the remainder of the day focusing on all obedience commands which has been going well but Ivy can fall into a down when holding her sit but if she's placed on a place mat she holds it without submitting into a down. Her down obedience command she easily goes into most of the time. Her recall has been taking time to perfect offleash since Ivy gets distracted as she makes her way back to me at time but I'm going to continue to figure out what can motivate her to be able to do a full recall without leash assistance. Practicing with her leash its very possible but we need to work more of her ability to do this offleash.
So far her obedience is going very well with Ivy show much progression this week but when walking around, even outside she has a slow pace. As she gets older and bigger she should be able to last longer when performing and doing much exercise with her obedience since she tires out fast still as a young pup.
Pupdate 9/4/2024
Today we headed over to Home Depot in Anaheim, CA to practice more obedience training in a new environment to see her reaction and behaviors with a setting like Home Depot. When we first arrived Ivy hesitated on coming inside but one use of the e-collar redirected her to follow through, passing the garden section entrance. Once we made our way inside Ivy had her normal pace but wasn't as distracted when seeing or smelling things. We made our way passing multiple people but when it came to people with dolly's. Hearing the metal noise from the dolly's would cause Ivy to startle herself and each time this happened I would have to redirect her to come back to me or go into a down.
We spent plenty of time here working on each obedience command which was going well. There were small platforms Ivy could place herself on so when asking for her place and sit she was able to do it and hold it for duration. She did this on multiple platforms throughout the store, also holding each place for the duration of the 1st or 2nd try. By our 2nd lap around the store Ivy started to get tired so instead of asking for sit I would ask for a down which she would easily slide in. When working with her offleash she would maintain a pace but when random noises would happen throughout the store she would stop in a position where the e-collar couldn't be beneficial in the moment. When reattaching the leash and being near people making noise she seemed to settle and have confidence again during the moment. After having a break and some water, our last practice we focused on recall in between some fridges and washing machines which she could only perform a few times before settling into a down. Ivy was very tired at this point so when walking out of the store she was extremely slow so I picked her up to walk back to the car.
Pupdate 9/5/2024
Ivy has been working on her recall daily and has progressed to where I can ask for her offleash but at home. She seems to full understand the concept of her recall and even placing herself on my left hand side without assistance. When asking Ivy to come from a distance she walks to my right hand side, walking around me ending up back on my left so I can break her to continue to educate her. The second video clip we focused on door manners again which Ivy has been able to do with ease. I'm able to ask for obedience just once and Ivy applies herself until I finish my practice walking in and out of the house.
Later in the day when walking Ivy offleash around the neighborhood she still has moments letting her environment distract her. When trying to redirect her back to me she find moments to ignore the e-collar and walk in the complete opposite direction. When getting her back on track she remains at a slow pace which makes our walks a little longer than usual when by ourselves. I'll continue to work with her with her e-collar but I don't think Ivy will benefit offleash in a busy environment just yet. We will head out to an indoor setting tomorrow to test her offleash obedience but if she can't be consistent she will remain on leash working with her e-collar.
Pupdate 9/6/2024
Today we headed over to Cerritos Mall in Cerritos, CA to avoid the heat and stay indoors to do some offleash obedience. When we first arrived I parked very close to our entrance to minimize the walk for Ivy. Once we were inside we walked around shortly before meeting up with a friend of ours. We took some time practicing a few commands before recording to show our offleash progress.
In the video above Ivy is able to perform her recall, heel for an extended amount of time, and extended down. When asking Ivy to perform all of these obedience commands she did this in her first attempt considering her age. When people passed by Ivy there were many people calling to her making baby noises which can provoke her to get up and break obedience. As long as I communicated to her saying the word "off" to disengage her, she could maintain her down and bring her attention back to me. When walking around before leaving we had one guest come up to Ivy and greet her. Ivy was in a down got up once for me to redirect her back into her down so she could get petted. Immediately after another female wanted to say hi which Ivy was able to hold her sit for this time.
Ivy did well overall but tires out quick as usual and once this happens she is far behind me so this is when I reattach her leash on her for the assistance of keeping a pace. She seemed confident seeing people in this environment and didn't get distracted when seeing other dogs pass by us when directing her with her off obedience command upon seeing a dog. Keeping a collapsible bowl and water is ideal when talking Ivy out and frequent breaks just to relax her paws after walking.
Pupdate 9/7/2024
Early in the morning I took Ivy out to a park near my house to walk around offleash and to get some exercise. Ivy seems very aware to stay close by me and take her time investigating the area rather than intentionally trying to run away from me. When asking Ivy to heel back to me she would follow through. With her down obedience command she kept trying to get up but I kept redirecting her as usual for better conditioning of the command on grass. Once I finish practicing obedience with Ivy I ask for her break and she comes directly to me for her praise. When returning home we followed up on door manners and food manners which went well.
We headed back to Cerritos to do more training at the mall since it's Ivy's last day so I wanted to give her one last visit somewhere. I brought Ivy to an open area to where there were some ladies advertising some product off screen that I'm talking to in the video. At the same time a security guard sees me at a distance with Ivy so I grab her leash to respect the rules of the mall. Throughout the second video clip Ivy is able to remain in her down as people pass by her as she's placed on her mat.
Our last video clip we are playing together showing Ivy's ability to drop her toy when I ask for it. She has been able to identify if I grab the remote before asking she knows to drop it faster making our play time more natural and fun to enjoy with less use of the e-collar. Practicing this once a day helps with Ivy's ability to do this consistently, even with other objects. Ivy spent the remainder of the day playing with Hunter and enjoying her freedom to roam around the house offleash. We continued to work on her obedience until she goes home tomorrow!
Ivy's two weeks are already up and I'm going to miss taking the time to train her since she was able to progress daily. She is fairly young but has been able to achieve all the goals throughout her board and train with patience and training on a regular schedule. She has been a joy around my family, guests, and strangers who were amazed to see her out in public. Ivy has done an amazing job the last few days showing her true capability with obedience training and is ready to go home to her owner!
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