Winston | Golden Retriever | Los Angeles, CA

Meet Winston! He is a 1 year old golden retriever from Los Angeles, CA. Winston has joined OffLeash SoCal's Two-Week Board & Train program to work on his obedience, as well as some things his owners are struggling with in the home. He is strong for a 70lb dog, and has learned to throw his weight around with his family in order to get what he wants. This includes pulling very excessively on the leash, laying down on walks to insist he greet people/animals. He has issues with playbiting and jumping, and doesn't have a solid recall. He came to OLSC knowing sit and sometimes down, but isn't very reliable in distracting environments.

Winston is a sweet dog, but can be quite a handful. Our mission is to help Winston be the best dog he can be for his family and community. Stay tuned for his 14-day transformation!

Pupdate 6/11/2023

Winston was picked up from his grandparents’ at Los Cerritos Park. After they left, we spent some time there getting to know each other, which allowed me the opportunity to get a baseline for where he is currently in terms of obedience and temperament.

Winston was not happy about going into the transport kennel. At one point, he snapped at me and left a decent puncture on my palm. Getting into a car/crate with a stranger can be a little stressful, and no grudges were held. This area needs significant work though, as it may (in-part) correlate to issues he’s been having in the home when his owner tries to get him off the bed/furniture.

Afterwards, we practiced entering and exiting the kennel. After a few repetitions, I had Winston settle down so he could decompress.

Once Winston had a bit of time to adjust, he was taken to the yard to meet the other dogs. He definitely loves their company and my adult dog, Krüger, enjoys playing with him. They are very sweet together, yet boisterous at the same time— a fantastic match in energy and play-style.

Overall, Winston seems content in his new surroundings, although the first couple days in-program might leave him a bit uneasy.

6/12/2023

Winston cried off and on in the kennel throughout the night, and it’s still not his favorite place to be, but he had finished the rest of his dinner by the time he got out this morning. He romped around the yard with his friends, and was offered a bit of breakfast before leaving for training. OLSC’s Dog Training Manager met with me at my home to help me load Winston into the car. We didn’t want a repeat of yesterday, and it was still a huge struggle to get Winston into the car/transport-kennel—even with the two of us. We eventually got him set up for the drive.

We headed to Wilderness Park in Downey to meet up with fellow OLSC trainers and their dogs to work on Winston’s obedience training. We started off with heel, using leash-pressure & prong collar initially. When first learning, appropriate response to leash-pressure can take some time, as it goes against a dog’s natural ‘opposition reflex’ where they feel the need to pull away from tension. This is how pulling on a leash can snowball if leash pressure isn’t taught. I would apply an even pressure on the leash, and then mark with ‘yes’ and provide praise and affection as soon as Winston took a step in the direction of the pressure. Once he became familiar with the process, we began to walk more naturally. If Winston would pull ahead or to the side, in a sense leave me, I would abruptly turn the opposite direction while giving the verbal cue ‘heel’. If Winston did not focus back on me and catch up, he would self-correct upon getting to the end of the slack in the leash.

After a bit of time, Winston was introduced to the ecollar. I would pair leash-pressure with a tap on the ecollar to build an association between the two. Winston was not thrilled that his usual tricks of pulling or laying down in defiance weren’t working, and elected a new behavior of jumping & climbing-the-leash to protest not getting his way. When he would do this, I would respond by applying leash-pressure upwards to utilize opposition-reflex to aid in getting him to stop jumping. Winston is accustomed to using his weight & strength to get his way, and some dogs challenge the change in power and dynamics. This resistance can be correlated to intact & young adults, particularly males.

Winston also worked on sit/extended sit. We first practiced short durations so Winston could be successful before adding greater lengths of time. If Winston broke cue early, I would mark the behavior with a correction “ah-ah!” and guide him back into cue. If Winston did not respond to visual/verbal cues, I would apply an even amount of leash-pressure upwards. As the head goes up, the butt goes down, and I would mark the behavior with ‘yes’ and provide praise and reinforcement (treats, verbal praise, affection). I would shorten the amount of duration for the following cue before providing Winston the release work “break!” to let him know he did a good job! Sit/extended sit was also implemented during stops while heeling.

Winston was also introduced to down/extended down. He knows the cue, but is far from reliant, particularly around distractions. Down sometimes isn’t a cue dogs feel comfortable doing in unfamiliar places or stimuli, as it is a more vulnerable position. To help Winston follow-through, I would apply gentle leash pressure downwards until Winston fulfilled the cue. I would mark with ‘yes’ as soon as his elbows touched the ground.

At times, Winston would go into a ‘down’ when asked for ‘sit’. Our goal is to teach dogs that they should remain in a given cue until instructed otherwise. This is applied to sit/down/place/heel. Due to this expectation, we do not teach a ‘stay’ cue. I would apply leash-pressure upwards when Winston would ‘down’ on a ‘sit’. Leash-pressure upwards will be a conditioned stimuli for ‘sit’ while he is still learning. If Winston responded to the leash-pressure by hunkering down, I would simply walk in towards him and displace him just enough for him to pop up into a sit. This technique is referred to as body-blocking. Depending on the situation (if the dog is tired/hot/needs a break), I will cue them to down after correcting the position. It is important that Winston learns that things are done on the handler’s terms, while still being fair.

Winston was easier to get into the car for the drive home, but still required a bit of help from Manager Sheena. We will continue to work on crate/car training and manners, however we will most likely limit our training to the local park until I can manage getting Winston ‘loaded up’ on my own, as it isn’t feasible for Sheena to make the long drive to help out every time I need it.

6/13/2023

Winston is doing better about staying quiet in the kennel. Earlier in the day we worked on entering and exiting it in the hopes it will translate over to the car and transport kennel.

Later in the day we walked to TeWinkle Park, practicing heel along the way. Winston is exponentially better than yesterday, and only climbed the leash twice. He is breaking position much less frequently, and checking in more often with increased engagement. Winston earned a lot of verbal praise as he stayed next to my left knee in heel. Every time Winston looks at me while walking, I mark with ‘yes!’ & tell him “good heel”, “good boy” or simply “good!” Doing so helps increase Winston’s enthusiasm and focus and reinforces the behavior. If Winston broke position I would give the corrective cue “ah-ah!” followed by leash pressure paired with a low level ecollar stimulation.

We will eventually rely only on ecollar stimulation, so it’s important to continue bridging the two. I will also tap the ecollar at a low-level stim when asking for any other cue. This signals to him that in order to remove the ecollar pressure (just like with leash pressure) he must follow through with the command. The level should be low enough for Winston to feel the sensation, but not be thrown off by it.

At the park we practiced building on extended sit and extended down. Winston wasn’t super great at these cues, but we are making baby-steps. Winston would keep going into a down when asked for sit, and each time was corrected the same as yesterday with leash pressure or a body block. Sometimes Winston would challenge getting back into the correct position very adamantly, to which I would respond by using leash-pressure towards me so he would take a step forward. Once standing, I would cue for sit.

Winston was introduced to “place”. This cue is where we instruct the dog to go to a definable object (elevated surface, dog-bed, carpet square, even something like a post-it note) and remain there until given his release word (break) or another cue. For the sake of training, elevated platforms are easy to distinguish from the rest of the environment, and a great choice when learning the cue. Winston wasn’t good about the leash-pressure used to guide him onto the objects, and would throw tantrums. He would put his front feet onto the surface, but it was a struggle to get fully get him up. Eventually with patience and persistence, we were successful. I would only ask Winston to stay there for short periods before providing his release word.

Each subsequent place object was a little easier than the former, and we were able to add short duration to the cue. Learning “place” will help with car manners and getting him comfortable with, what is currently a huge ordeal, being able to “load up” and be transported to different areas for training.

6/14/2023

Winston & I worked on crate training some more earlier today, and he is showing significant improvement. He will go into the kennel on his own for meals and rest without making a fuss!

Later in the day, after a good play session with my boys, Winston and I walked to TeWinkle Park again to practice his obedience training. He heeled very well, and maintained a loose leash the majority of the time. A couple mistakes were sprinkled in, such as making inside-turns towards him, showing casual interest in passing dogs, and the occasions where his nose would get the better of him. He did fantastic with squirrels, ducks, e-bikes, scooters, and other distractions coming into close proximity of him.

Winston still needs some leash-pressure to direct him through those inside turns, but for the most part he does well working off verbal cues and ecollar communication. We will begin working on a longline tomorrow!

Longline training will also help expand on Winston’s extended cues with increasing distance. He did well when working with them today, and was less inclined to go into a down when in a “sit” cue. He would break cue every now and then, but always to approach me vs. a distraction. Our relationship is coming along nicely, and he’s been very enthusiastic about praise & affection from me. Sometimes this overrules his desire to maintain cue. When this happens, I will correct and get him back into the appropriate position— only giving him reinforcement when he receives marker word ‘yes!’ or release word ‘break!’

Winston was much better about ‘place’ cue today, and required very little leash pressure (if any) to get up onto objects he had been so challenging with yesterday. I was very impressed, and made sure to lavish Winston with praise and affection. On narrower platforms he did struggle a little to get on fully and was more inclined to want to jump down early before being released, but we practiced extending duration. We will try loading up in the car tomorrow with the hopes that his additional confidence with ‘place’ and the kennel will allow us to travel together!

Winston was introduced to come-to-sit today, and he’s been a superstar. This is a very complex command that not only requires the dog to ‘recall’, but they must also loop around the handler’s back from the right side, and end up in a sit at heel position on their left. I used leash pressure to guide Winston through the motions, and he caught on quickly. I made such a big deal about him doing well for this cue, and he realized that very quickly.

Winston was a very difficult dog during the first few days of training, but I am so happy and proud of the progress he has made so far.

6/15/2023

Winston and I worked on crate training at the home. Since he was good about going into the XL-home-kennel, I brought in the intermediate-travel-kennel so we could practice with the smaller space. Winston was not happy about confronting his “arch nemesis”, however with a little bit of leash pressure, he was able to be guided into the kennel. I made a huge celebration about it, immediately ‘broke’ Winston out, and then ushered him back in for another celebration. We repeated this process 15-20 times, and each subsequent entrance was easier and easier. After about 8 repetitions, Winston no longer needed leash pressure and with all the celebrating he was very happy going in and out.

We made our way out to the car, and sure enough, the practice with ‘place’ increased Winston’s comfort jumping into the car. He had a few failed attempts where he would only put his front feet up, but we would reset and try starting from a further distance so he could get some momentum. He was able to leap up into my tailgate, and was fairly easy to coax into the kennel.

We made a short drive to Petco in Costa Mesa, where we practiced his obedience on a slip-lead (instead of a prong collar) and ecollar. Since this was our first opportunity to go somewhere with more distractions, I elected to save longline training for tomorrow, pending his reaction to all the new stimuli.

Winston did very good staying with me in the store, although he did start to wander a little when he caught the smell of something enticing. We worked on heel, extended positions, and come to sit.

Winston did well, however we shortened the duration of extended cues to compensate for all of the distractions. Winston also got to practice greeting manners, where he sits politely while people pet him. He is such a loving dog, that this cue needs some attention… since Winston LOVES saying ‘hello’ and gets a bit too excited. He did well about not jumping up, though.

Winston was good about getting back into the car for the ride home, and spent the rest of the evening playing with his friends and practicing home manners.

6/16/2023

Winston and I went to Home Depot to work on his obedience using the ecollar & a longline. Although this environment is very distracting— new sights, smell, sounds— they are typically less interesting to a dog compared to a pet store. Winston seems confident with new surroundings and stimuli, but was a little apprehensive towards loud noises (machines, carts, forklifts).

We practiced our obedience in the Garden Center and started with heel so he had the opportunity to acclimate to the new environment. We also practiced extended sit/down to build his focus on me. We found a nice area that was relatively quiet and practiced place. We worked with short duration and distance initially and slowly built up. Winston still seems a bit slow about getting into the “down” position in new places, however he performs this well at home. This may, again, play into the vulnerability of the position.

We are working on Winston problem-solving regarding ecollar stimulation, vs focusing on cues provided via leash-pressure. This phase can be a bit tricky for the dogs, but is an important phase in the process. Winston did well, and the next time we visit we will go into the main part of the store. I wanted to set Winston up for success, and sometimes that means working in one area at a time.

6/17/2023

Winston is a bit under the weather today with some tummy trouble (diarrhea) so we focused on obedience training in the home and manners. I wanted to offer a low-distraction-environment for him while we worked on problem-solving ecollar stimulation, as well as work on extended cue duration. Winston still has a tendency to break due early, and minimal distractions in a familiar environment helped him be more successful. We worked on door manners at the front door, where Winston is asked to place on the cot and hold an extended down while I move in and out of the house. This requires impulse control and the ability to apply both duration and distance to cues.

We also took the opportunity to work on car manners and Winston’s ability to quickly leap up and into the crate without leash pressure.

We worked on additional cues in the backyard on a longline to further his understanding of different cues and ecollar stimulation. We would start with a low-level stimulation and add 2-3 levels each time Winston didn’t follow through with a behavior. He fell back into some of his same habits, and elected to jump on me instead of doing what was asked of him. This is usually to protest and push back against someone telling a dog what to do.

6/18/2023

Winston and I returned to Home Depot in Costa Mesa for his training today. One possible reason for his upset tummy might be due to all the new places he’s going, which can be a little overwhelming in the beginning, however we took a “day off” yesterday and worked from home, and it is important to get Winston back into the ring. Exposure is the only way to get Winston confident with things in the long-term, and is pivotal to his training.

Winston was on a longline from the moment we left the car, and had varying lengths of slack throughout our session. We started off in the familiar Garden Center to get Winston warmed up and in the right mindset. We worked on heel and extended cues, with some come-to-sit mixed in. Winston broke cue a couple times to greet people that showed him attention (many were impressed by his good behavior and sweet nature), but for the most part, he did very well. We took these opportunities to practice greeting manners after I reset Winston back into the correct behavior.

After giving Winston some time to adjust, we moved into the indoor part of the store. Buildings yield different types of distractions due to environment. Winston practiced getting onto multiple ‘places’. Some of these he was less enthusiastic about (the stairs), however he was easily cajoled with verbal encouragement and slight leash-pressure.

Winston has a tendency to try and move with me when prompted for an extended sit/down. To counter this, I would repeat the cue I want him to stay in before I’d move away from him.

Winston was able to work with the longline dragging towards the latter part of our session. This is a big step in his offleash training. Winston is beginning to grasp the concept of the ecollar, and is able to apply it towards his obedience.

Winston is feeling a bit better today, and is happy, active, & playful. He had to go out a few times during bedtime, but he has been using the ‘bathroom’ less frequently, and his stool is more of a half-melted-ice-cream consistency vs. liquid. 1 tbsp of pumpkin purée has been added to his meals to help his bowels ‘bulk up’ in addition to his usual medallion-topper. Through the bout of tummy trouble, Winston benefitted from the additional 1/2 cup of food to help with lost nutrients. His weight is being monitored and he has plenty of access to fresh water.

6/19/2023

Winston and I went on a 1.5 mile walk around my neighborhood to practice heel with longline dragging. I wanted to test his ability to stay with me using minimal leash-pressure, but still have the safety net of being able to step on and grab the leash if needed. Winston did well maintaining position and pace, but needed ecollar stimulation to remind him from time to time. He did well walking past dogs, people, bikes, and strollers. Winston did get a bit carried away by some scents on the walk.

We took opportunities to practice extended sit/down, although there were not many objects to place on. Winston is still sloppy going into down, however once he is there he does a good job at maintaining position in lower distraction environments. He was struggling a little yesterday at some points, so we took a step back to practice in more familiar environments. We will implement the work tomorrow in a high-distraction-environment.

We also worked on car manners. Winston has gotten into the habit of trying to jump into the car as soon as possible, sometimes not even waiting for me to open the kennel. We spent a good amount of time working on this today, as sitting or laying down patiently until cued is the goal for this behavior. If Winston tried to jump onto the tailgate too soon, I would use my body to block him, reset him into a sit, and then cue for “load up” (same visual cue as place). I would cue Winston to come, and repeat the process. I made sure to sprinkle in positive reinforcement when Winston did behaviors well.

6/20/2023

Winston and I went to Huntington Beach Pier & Boardwalk to work on his obedience in a high-distraction environment while on the longline. Due to the bustle, I did not have it dragging as it could be a tripping hazard. However, I only held onto the end of the 15ft leash, and Winston was worked using ecollar stim. The handful of times leash-pressure was needed was typically for ‘place’ on new platforms during the beginning of our session.

Winston did well with the bicycles, skateboards, music, children, other dogs and the rest of the distractions that are unique to this location. Winston did break his extended place & down when an unruly dog’s owner allowed it to jump up towards Winston.

Winston might have felt a little uneasy towards the start of our session, as he would break his extended behaviors to walk towards me as I increased distance. Winston was also confusing regular hand motions for his ‘break’ visual cue. Due to this, emphasis was given to working extended cues today. He has been a bit quicker about popping into down, and his come-to-sit positioning is improving.

Winston veered off course a little bit during heel, but responded well to ecollar communication.

6/21/2023

Winston and I went for an offleash walk around my neighborhood to see how he did with only the ecollar. He did well for the most part, however he needed to have stimulation provided to him to help keep him on track. He showed slightly more than a casual interest towards the dogs we saw.

Later in the day, we returned to Huntington Beach Pier & Boardwalk to continue practicing obedience around distractions. Again, Winston wasn’t completely neutral when we passed some dogs, particularly while they were running with their owners. When Winston would stare at a dog for too long (fixating) I would give the verbal cue “off” paired with a mild ecollar stim.

Winston also had a bit of an issue with people stopping, staring at, and talking to him. When this happened, more often than not, Winston would break his extended cue to go say hello. “Off!” was repeated with a mild ecollar stim in order to reset him back into the appropriate position. After correcting the behavior, Winston was able to practice greeting manners. He maintains a sit, however he is still quite wiggly around people giving him attention/affection.

Although I held onto the longline during the majority of our session at the pier, there were only a few occasions where I needed to use leash-pressure.

6/22/2023

Winston’s car manners are coming along nicely! He has been better about maintaining a sit while I open the tailgate and the kennel, although I will prompt him occasionally as soon as I see him begin to break cue (he will usually twitch). I wait for him to make eye contact with me after I’ve stepped back before providing the verbal cue “load up” or “ok”. Winston has been displaying a small amount of hesitation, which means he is learning and trying to do the correct thing. Once assured he is correct, he leaps up onto the tailgate and into the transport kennel without any issue!

Winston and I went to Santa Monica Pier to meet up with fellow OLSC trainers & their dogs.

While waiting at the crosswalk from the parking garage to the pier, and Winston was prompted for an extended sit. Winston had other ideas, and wanted to say ‘hello’ to a little girl and a man (3 times). I would give the corrective cue “off” paired with a mild ecollar stimulation. Each subsequent time Winston left his cue, I would increase the stimulation on the ecollar by 3-5 levels. At this point, Winston is familiar with the ecollar tool and expectations have already been taught to him. With a strong-willed dog who has a history of challenging boundaries, it is important to insist on follow-through.

I gave Winston the opportunity to use the bathroom before we trekked down the walk to the pier. Upon arriving, we met up with the other trainers and their dogs in a cool, shady spot. We enjoy using this location to put our dogs’ obedience to the test in a very high-distraction environment. It can be a lot for them to ‘take-in’, so providing them a comfortable spot off to the side and practicing extended sit/down is a great way to help them acclimate before diving in. While adjusting, we took the opportunity to utilize the help of the other trainers to work on ‘greeting manners’ and desensitization to help Winston not be so ‘spazzy’ when people say hello.

Winston was initially on a longline, which was held to maintain slack or partially-dragging. With the unfamiliar environment and so much going on, I wanted to ensure Winston was listening and in the correct mindset. We walked down the back-area of the pier where there are far fewer distractions, and worked in a quiet alcove practicing all of his obedience. Once Winston seemed neutral to the environment and was engaging with me consistently, we walked through the bustling crowd & back to the shady area at the base of the pier. On warm, sunny days we provide the pups with plenty of breaks to cool off and drink some water.

Winston maintained a very long extended down, and had shown me he was ready to be OffLeash! He maintained heel beautifully and maintained fantastic positioning, even as we weaved around people. Winston was reliable in his come-to-sit, and only had a handful of occasions where the positioning was askew. While practicing extended cues, people would approach Winston to pet him, and he was better about his manners and maintained a calm demeanor (even when being hugged). Greeting manners will be a focus for the remainder of Winston’s program to maximize consistency in the behavior.

Winston hit threshold within about 1-1.5 after arriving. With the time spent acclimating him to the environment, we were able to work about 15-20 minutes offleash. I knew Winston had had enough for the day when he began to break cues consistently. At this point, I would guide him back to the expected location/position, and break shortly after. We made our way back to the shady area at the base of the pier for shade and water, and Winston fell asleep while the other trainers and I were talking.

It was a big day for Winston, and he did WONDERFULLY!

6/23/2023

Winston and I met up with a couple other OLSC trainers & their dogs at HB Pier & Boardwalk to work on obedience around distractions. There was an Art Fair, and it was a particularly crowded day. Since Winston is familiar with this location, we started our training with a 4ft leash left dragging on the ground. Winston quickly graduated to being fully offleash as we walked back and forth along the boardwalk,

through the Art Fair, and on small parts of the pier.

Winston did well with the distractions, and was particularly more neutral towards other dogs we passed by. He was also much better about breaking cue to greet people, and maintained a patient sit when they stopped to pet him. He was much better about maintaining extended positions, as well as getting onto objects without any leash pressure.

Winston was pretty tired by the time we began filming (about 1.5-2 hours after our arrival) and began to exhibit the same behaviors as yesterday of consistently breaking cues early once he became tired and hit “the wall”. It is important to differentiate a tired dog and a stubborn dog. Due to it being later into the session and after he had been doing so well for so long, it’s safe to say that Winston simply had enough of being out and in the bustle.

Many people commented on how well Winston behaved, that he was a good boy, and how handsome he is!

I noticed that Winston has a small rash near/on his genitals with red bumps/flakey skin.

6/24/2023

Winston and I met with a fellow OLSC trainer and her dog at Los Cerritos Shopping Center to work on obedience around distractions, and in a new environment. Although we have been to Petco and Home Depot, an indoor mall is very different and offered a multitude more distractions and stimuli— especially on a Saturday afternoon!

Winston practiced extended sit & door manners while I loaded the transport kennel into the car and opened the doors to let it cool off. Winston was asked to come, and did well in recalling straight for me and finishing in a nice position at my heel. We did an offleash heel down the street and back while the car cooled down further. Winston then went through the motions of a very polite ‘car manners’, he waited patiently at the tailgate until instructed to “ok! load up!” and he was spot-on.

We worked for a short while in the parking lot upon arrival, and worked on extended cues and come to sit. Winston was offered a potty break before heading into the mall.

Winston did very well, and maintained heel on a completely slack leash, despite all the new smells, new sounds, people, and sometimes dogs, all around him. We practiced extended cues while on a regular 6ft leash, focusing more on duration and distractions vs. distance in this scenario. Winston needed a couple corrections for breaking extended sit into a down and vice versa, but he was easy to guide back into position.

Winston was taken offleash after we acclimated to the surroundings, and we went through all of his obedience cues. Winston placed on an object he had never been on before with ease, maintained position as groups of people walked by and talked to him, and recalled to my heel without getting distracted. Winston maintained exquisite heel-positioning as we strolled through the crowds, and was put into an extended sit center-corridor.

Winston was approached by a random toddler, he wagged his tail, but stayed focused on me. As a small gathering formed in awe of Winston’s capabilities, a group of women even began whistling at him. I saw Winston was very interested, but he focused back up when reminded he was in a “no, sit”.

Winston was very proud of himself at the end of his sequence, and being very proud of him as well, I shared in a moment of “spazziness” when he received his ‘break!’

Winston is so excited to see his family tomorrow and show him all of the wonderful things he has accomplished during his program!

Winston | Golden Retriever | Los Angeles, CA | In-Training

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