Meet Thor! He is a 1 year and 1 month old Labrador Retriever from Torrance, CA. Thor came back to us to complete his Two Week Board and Train Program. Since Thor has some training under his belt, he does understand his sit command. Although, when he is distracted it is hard for him to focus and he is unable to follow through. Thor still has a lot of puppy energy so he still pulls heavily on his leash. When he becomes excited he still likes to jump and bark. Over the next 14 days Thor will learn all his obedience commands off leash and we will provide him with healthy outlets to help that puppy energy!
Pupdate 10/16/2022
Once we got home Thor settled in and made himself at home. We gave him time to familiarize himself with his surroundings. He goes back and forth from barking and being quite in the crate. We kept it light today and took him for a few walks around the neighborhood. I did notice that Thor provides a great automatic sit when coming up to a curb!
Pupdate 10/17/2022
Please listen to Mike's audio on the video today for Thor!
Pupdate 10/18/2022
Today Thor took a trip to Lowes to work on his commands around new distractions. When practicing his place command, we noticed Thor can hop quite high! He hopped onto the different place spots with great ease. We did notice that Thor likes to verbally protest when he doesn’t want to do something. Thor definitely has an understanding of his commands but is likely used to choosing when he does/doesn’t want to listen. You want to be consistent with the task.
Pupdate 10/19/2022
Take some time to listen/watch the video for updates about Thor!
Pupdate 10/21/2022
Thor took a trip to Whittier Narrows to work around other trainers and their dogs. He had some moments here and there where he verbally protests. Once we pushed through that barrier he started to become more consistent with his commands! You want to be sure to complete a command with you having the upper hand. Meaning if you ask for Place and Thor only walks up to the object, keep asking for Place until he completes the command fully/correctly.
Pupdate 10/22/2022
Thor took a trip to the Santa Monica Pier today. Thor was swamped by all the activity going on around. We arrived early in the morning before the crowds really start to form. But there were still people distractions, birds, other dogs, the sound of the ocean and the vendors/performers. We had to be exceptionally consistent with instructing and guiding him as he continuously was on high alert. I believe him being somewhat overwhelmed was playing into the more frequent verbal protesting today.
Pupdate 10/22/2022
We took a trip to the Citadel Outlets today. Thor also got to work with another trainer. Thor was still very consumed by the people around with shopping bags. But he did better in a mildly distracting environment when being compared to yesterday. Thor does still has his moments of protest. Even though he was distracted by the patrons he did fairly well on holding his sit, down and place for an extended period of time.
In the video you’ll also see Thor hanging out with his playmates.
Pupdate 10/23/2022
Today Thor continued to work on come, sit, down, place, and heel- but with a guest handler.
Having no instructions, Henry was able to manage Thor on a walk around the neighborhood off leash. Both did well developing a working relationship that help breed success!
Pupdate 10/24/2022
We took a trip to a park in Anaheim to work on all of Thors commands around other trainers and their dogs. We worked off leash around the entire park. When first arriving, Thor was very pushy. I took a warmup lap near the car before going into the actual park. Taking the extra time to work Thor before getting to the destination will help teach him that being pushy will not get him what he wants. It also helps set that structure regardless of where you are going.
Pupdate 10/25/2022
Thor had an opportunity to work with a small female trainer. Having him work with different people helps with Thors transferability when coming back home. You can see Thor makes some mistakes here and there with his recall, heel, and getting up from his down. All these are examples of how he is pushing his boundaries, seeing what he can get away with. The trainer holds him accountable and has him repeat the command so it is done correctly.
Attached is a photo of the damage Thor can do when he is left away from a human. He was let out for a potty break with two other dogs he plays well with. They were out there for just a few minutes. As previously mentioned, Thor does not do well when away from humans. Even with other dogs to keep him company.
Pupdate 10/26/2022
Thor woke up the house this morning at 0230, displaying some late-night separation anxiety. One the day began; he played ball in the driveway this morning so Thor could have some exercise and engage with Ozzy and Oso. Thor wasn't an issue. I did have a 1300 call and had to vacate my office so I could hear/be heard.
I walked Thor to the UPS store by Stater Brothers to drop off a package. We have reconfigured the 1200 remote and collar to reflect similarities with Oso's collar. Placing the receiver on Thor's LEFT side I had amazing success both going and coming. Thor was 100% off leash and very easy to manage. He didn't rub his head on my knee repeatedly. He walked in a great position only needing to be reminded to Down while in the UPS store.
Thor has been at my feet since my return. I'm trying to mimic what life for him would be like at his house. This will go on through my dinner, but he will go into his crate for dinner.
I'm very optimistic that tomorrow at Fashion Island will be highly successful.
Pupdate 10/27/2022
Today Thor took a tip to Fashion Island to work on his obedience. Per usual, Thor arrives somewhere new excited, but this turns into pushiness. We always take a moment to work on the outskirts of our destination beforehand. This helps reduce the verbal protesting a bit. He did well with all the distractions and showed off how high he can place on new objects. We will be coming back tomorrow to put together a preview to his final video.
Pupdate 10/28/2022
In the video you’ll see Thor do a run through of some of his commands off leash at Fashion Island. Once Thor has his warmup he does relatively well. Although, if there is someone he knows in front of or behind him, he often tries to go to them. We always stay consistent with his task to help keep him focused and not pushing boundaries. Thor does his a point where he is done working. So he’ll often pretend he doesn’t know what we are asking of him. We always follow through with whatever we have asked of Thor.
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