Meet Wesley! He is a two year old Corgi who has joined us for our Two Week Board and Train Program. He is here for basic obedience, leash pulling, and running up to people and other dogs. He is food motivated and one of the goals is to have him listen to commands without food present. Wesley also barks when there is a knock on the door, or if there are people walking down the hall. Over the next fourteen days, Wesley will work on his obedience and be setup for success, with the hopes of becoming a well behaved pup. Check in to see his progress!
Wesley and I spent the afternoon together establishing a bond by going for a walk at a local Home Depot. He was pulling on his leash as we made our way inside from the parking lot. To correct his behavior, anytime Wesley would pull away, I would turn, walk in the opposite direction, and have Wesley catch up to me as I guide him with leash tension. He is catching on very well and is beginning to understand the concept. We will continue to practice by going on morning and evening walks, as it will now be implied on every walk we go on.
Wesley and I drove out to a local park and met with other trainers and their dogs. During our walk, there were a few instances in which Wesley tried to make an approach to a few people walking their dogs. Now that he is understanding leash pressure, I corrected Wesley with leash pressure and by telling him “Off,” which is the word that we use when he is doing a behavior he is not supposed to. Wesley is making progress, and he is showing that he can be around other dogs and people in a calm relaxed state.
Wesley was introduced to Place which consists of having him getting onto an elevated object and remaining there in a Sit or a Down. It can also be of great use whenever guests are over or if there is a knock on your door. Wesley does very well hopping onto objects and has a lot of confidence. Once he is introduced to it, he has no problem following through when I ask him to “Place.” Throughout his training, I will continue to build his confidence more by introducing him to different textures and different surfaces.
Wesley and I have been working on his Come to Sit. Come to Sit is the recall command which consists of having Wesley come towards me on my right side, go around behind me, and Sit on my left side. The first few reps, Wesley would stop behind me and not fully go towards my left. To assist him in not doing so, I used a little leash tension to get him moving fully around me and having him Sit on my left side. We have been working on it consistently, and Wesley is improving with more guidance and repetition.
Wesley and I began working on his Down. Down can be a difficult technique to teach considering it being a submissive position to a dog. To teach Wesley, I asked him to Sit, and then used leash tension and some treats to lure him towards the ground. He sat up during our first attempts so I placed my hand over his back and kept him from getting up by applying slight pressure whenever he made an intent. He was being a little stubborn and was not following through, but with time, patience, and breaks in between, Wesley was able to accomplish his Down.
Wesley and I drove out to a local park and worked on Place and Down. He does well with little to no distraction, but today we practiced next to a dog park with dog distractions. Wesley became very distracted by the dogs and did come out of his Down a few times. To work him through it, we began working at a distance from the dogs, and kept getting closer whenever he followed through. He did really well and we were able to work on some park tables right next to the dogs. He showed no signs of reactivity and did really great at ignoring the dogs inside the park.
Wesley and I are working on his Extended Sit and he has a little trouble maintaining it as he tends to go into a Down whenever I start to increase distance. To help him with that, I moved back one foot at a time with five second increments. One foot back is five seconds, two feet back is ten seconds, three feet back is fifteen and so on. Wesley is still working on it and he is making progress by not going into a Down after correcting his behavior. He is almost up to one minute, and we will continue to practice to have Wesley reach his goal.
Wesley and I went out for a walk around my neighborhood and began working on Heel with his leash dragging. We had a few warm up sessions in my backyard and they went very well. Once we went outside, we practiced a little more, and Wesley would stop in the middle of his Heel and not want to do it anymore. We reset a few times and Wesley began to follow through. He also did come out of his Down, but I reset with him and worked him through it. Wesley and I will continue with his leash dragging around more distractions in public areas as he prepares for his off leash experience.
Wesley and I continued to work on some leash dragging exercises today. His Heel is doing much better and he is not stopping like before. Although he does fall a little behind at times, with some verbal encouragement, Wesley catches up to me. His Sit is also showing improvement as he is no longer going into a Down like he used to. He is doing great with Down and I can increase my distance as far as eight to ten feet without Wesley coming out of it.
Wesley and I have been working on Door Manners since the day I brought him home. Anytime I opened a door, Wesley would wait a little bit, but would then get up and want to be the first one to go through. To help him into not doing so, I would ask him to Down when we approached a door. Once in a Down position, I proceeded to open the door, and made sure Wesley remained in his position. When I opened the door, every time he sat up meant the door would close, and the process would repeat itself. Once Wesley understood what I was asking, I began to increase time and distance to keep him in a Down longer, which led to Wesley achieving his two minute goal.
Wesley and I have been working on his Greeting Manners in which he has shown a big improvement in. He has learned that he is to remain in a Sit whenever he is approached by someone that wants to say hello. It was difficult for him to do so in the beginning of his training, since he would come out of his Sit whenever I stepped away, and would occasionally run towards people and make his own approach. With repetition and consistency, Wesley has managed to successfully be greeted without coming out of his Sit.
Wesley and I have been doing a few off leash exercises in my backyard and he does pretty good with what he knows. Today we practiced his commands at a local park with low distractions to see how well he does in a public setting. He still needs a little cleaning up with Heel, but overall he is doing pretty good. Wesley will continue working off leash for the remainder of his Program as he prepares to begin filming his Final.
Wesley and I worked on his Final today and put on a very good performance. Everything he has learned was put together and came out very nicely. He did very well with the distractions around him, and received many compliments on his good behavior. Wesley is a very confident pup that has great potential, and with practice and consistency, he can be capable of so much more. He has come a long way, and it is great to see the progress he has made.
Wesley has completed his Two Week Board and Train Program and is ready to come home. I want to thank you for trusting me with Wesley while he was under my care, and for giving me the opportunity to be his trainer. He was a pleasure to work with and he will be missed. His Final video will be up soon, but here is a sneak peek of Wesley working on Food Manners. Thank you Wesley!
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