Meet Teddy! He's a five year old Doberman Pinscher from Burbank, California here for our Two-Week Board and Train Program! He is extremely gentle and sweet, but needs a lot of work on his obedience skills! He's not a fan of walking on the leash, and often wants to sit down and not walk forward with his human. He tends to be nervous around certain noises and distractions, but has been getting better recently! He also needs some potty training! Over the next fourteen days, we'll work on building his confidence as much as possible, work on his basic obedience commands, help with his manners in and out of the house, get him comfortable pottying outside, and show him how to be the best pup he can possibly be! Stay tuned for Teddy's two week transformation!
Pupdate: 12/29/2024
Today, I picked up Teddy and had the chance to get to know him a bit. He’s an incredibly gentle and loving dog who seemed to warm up to me right away. Although he doesn’t know many commands yet and pulled on the leash a little, he was very willing to come along and followed my lead without much hesitation.
When we got home, Teddy settled in quickly. I let him sniff around to get familiar with the new environment, and he seemed to really like it here. He’s already making himself at home, and I’m excited to start working with him to help him learn and grow. He’s such a sweet dog, and I can’t wait to see how he progresses!
Pupdate: 12/30/2024
Teddy had a productive training session at Almansor Park today! While he’s settling in nicely, I noticed a bit more of his leash resistance during our walk, especially when we got close to the geese and turtles by the pond. His curiosity definitely got the better of him at times, but overall, he worked hard and showed improvement.
We focused on his Heel command today, aiming for him to walk politely at my left side with his ears in line with my knee. It’s a new concept for Teddy, but he made great progress as the session went on. With patience and consistency, I’m confident he’ll master this command and become more relaxed on walks. It’s always rewarding to see these small steps add up!
As far as his pottying, Teddy so far has been great about peeing as soon as we get outside to my favorite patch of grass. It's still taking some time for him to poop. My goal is to make these moments as positive as possible, make sure he knows he's doing a great job when he goes potty immediately, and soon have him associate this with an actual "go potty" command!
Pupdate: 12/31/2024
Teddy had a productive day of training as we worked on refining his Heel command and introducing the more complex Come To Sit command. He's making noticeable strides with Heel—his walking is getting much smoother, and he's beginning to stay more focused on me. Occasionally, he'll get distracted by another dog, wanting to stop and watch, but these moments are happening less often as he builds confidence and understanding of the task. It's exciting to see him learning to stay in rhythm with me.
We also introduced Teddy to the Come To Sit command today, which is a challenging but rewarding skill to teach. The goal is for Teddy to come when called, move around my legs, and sit on my left side with his ears aligned with my knee. He's picking up the concept quickly for such a tough command, but there are still some moments where he stops short or circles all the way around to face me instead. These little missteps are normal for a dog learning a new routine, and I can see he's trying hard to get it right.
It’s impressive how well Teddy is adjusting to new commands in such a short amount of time. His willingness to work and engage makes training a joy, and I’m looking forward to continuing to help him sharpen his skills in the days ahead.
Pupdate: 1/1/2025
Teddy and I took another trip to Almansor Park today for some training. This time, I decided to challenge him by working closer to some of the park’s busier areas, like the basketball courts and volleyball games. The movement and noise naturally caught his attention at first, but after some warm-up exercises to get him focused, Teddy started to do really well.
One of the main commands we worked on was Place. Place teaches a dog to go to a designated object—like a mat, bench, or cot—and stay there until released. It’s a powerful command for building a dog’s focus, confidence, and impulse control, especially in environments full of distractions.
We’ve practiced Place at home, where it’s easier for Teddy to succeed, but today was all about taking it to the next level. Practicing this command in a public setting like the park is important because it helps Teddy learn to stay calm and focused even when there’s a lot going on around him.
Despite the new challenges, Teddy rose to the occasion. He showed he’s starting to understand the command and was able to hold his position for longer durations, even with distractions nearby. I’m proud of how quickly he’s catching on and building his confidence in new situations. With more practice, I know Teddy will continue to improve and impress!
Pupdate: 1/2/2025
Today, Teddy and I worked on putting together his Heel, Place, and Come To Sit commands. He’s doing a fantastic job with each of them, and combining them into sequences is really boosting his confidence! While he had a bit more trouble staying on the place cot today than yesterday, we’ll keep practicing and building his consistency. At home, though, he absolutely loves the Place command and his place cot—it’s quickly become his favorite spot to relax and nap.
On the potty front, Teddy is doing great with his peeing, and he’s gaining confidence with pooping right away on our outings. He’s even starting to show some excitement after he poops, which is such a wonderful sign that he knows he’s doing the right thing! Overall, Teddy is making excellent progress, and I’m so proud of him.
Pupdate: 1/3/2025
Today, I took Teddy to Garfield Park for a training session, and he did an excellent job! We worked on his commands on leash, and he performed so well that I decided to let the leash drag to test his responsiveness without direct leash input.
Teddy excelled with his Come To Sit and Place commands, consistently responding without any need for leash guidance. However, he struggled a bit with his Heel command, occasionally veering off. When that happened, I simply picked up the leash to guide him back to the correct position.
Despite the challenge with Heel, Teddy made great progress and showed significant focus, especially with Come To Sit, even when there were distractions around. He confidently came to me and found the correct position each time, which is a big win for his training.
Teddy is progressing well, but he’ll need a bit more practice before being fully off-leash ready. Overall, I’m very proud of how far he’s come in such a short time!
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