Meet Wrigley, a two-year-old mixed breed pup from Marina Del Rey, California who is here with us for our Three Week Board and Train Program. This sweet and playful pup has some knowledge of commands as she had previously completed lessons with me in the past, but she is easily distracted and overwhelmed by her surroundings and has difficulty following through when asked to do something. Wrigley also struggles with anxiety and nervousness when in unfamiliar environments or situations, around new people, and around other dogs. While she is generally a friendly pup, she has been struggling with fear-based reactivity towards other dogs, causing her to flee and/or have defensive outbursts which can include barking, growling, and snapping. Over the next twenty-one days, we will be working to improve Wrigley's obedience, confidence, and manners, as well as improve her issues with reactivity to set her on the right track to becoming a well-behaved pup! Stay tuned for her transformation!
Pupdate 12/2/2024
Today Wrigley I spent the day bonding and getting reacquainted! After her pickup we spent some time at a park together, where we first gave her some time to refamiliarize with me since it's been some time since we last met. She was a bit unsure of me at first, but seemed to remember me and was able to warm back up to me fairly quickly. The park was pretty quiet overall, but still had a few distractions such as children playing, people walking, and other dogs visiting. Wrigley seemed much more interested in staring at distractions rather than paying attention to me, and overall seemed quite tense and on edge. We encountered some other dogs, which we mainly kept our distance from. While she didn't have any reactions towards them, she was definitely very aware of them and was always keeping tabs on any around us. She got spooked a few times as well, such as by loud noises, sudden movements around us, or an unexpected sensation such as the leash touching her on the back. She would respond by flinching, jumping in the air, and/or trying to run away from the stimuli. After we had some time to walk around together to assess her general behavior, I began testing her knowledge of basic commands to help me get an idea of her current abilities and what areas of her training may need some extra attention. Wrigley seemed to remember Sit and Down quite well, and was pretty consistent with performing them. She sometimes needed to be asked a few times if her attention was elsewhere, but once she realized she was being asked to she would usually follow through. She was a bit hesitant and underconfident about Place overall, but was able to climb on some low, easy to reach objects with a bit of encouragement to motivate her. She would sometimes Come when called with lots of encouragement and some guidance, though it often took several calls before she would follow through, and she would usually wander back off right after getting to me. She seemed to ignore the Heel command most of all, and was pretty insistent on pulling on the leash while walking together, especially when using a standard length leash. After we had a chance to get to know each other at the park, it was time to head home and get her settled in! Wrigley jumped into my car own her own once the trunk was open, and entered right into the kennel without issue, which was great to see! Whenever Wrigley is to travel with me in a car, she will be secured in a kennel to ensure her utmost safety. We will also be using a kennel while at home for sleep or if she is otherwise unsupervised. Once arriving home, we gave her some time to become familiar and comfortable with her surroundings as she did seem a bit unsure about the new environment at first. After she had a chance to sniff around and investigate everything, I encouraged her to settle down on a dog bed with her blanket and some of her toys, which she happily did. She was pretty excited about her food during mealtimes, and while she was a bit impatient for me to set the bowl down, she happily ate it all which is a good sign she is beginning to feel comfortable in my home. We later went on a walk around my neighborhood, where we will be spending time around daily during walks and potty breaks, so it's important for her to become familiar with this area too. Wrigley also met my personal pup, Percy the Mini Australian Shepherd, through a doggy gate once she was feeling relaxed and settled in at my home. She was initially hesitant to approach him, but eventually worked up the courage to get some sniffs in. She didn't bark or growl at him, but after that brief exchange she seemed to have no interest in him any more and was content to ignore him to focus on more interesting things like napping or playing with her toys. She seemed to understand that the gate being closed meant she could safely create distance from him so that she could relax without worry of having to interact with him. We don't expect Wrigley to love every dog she meets, so neutral behavior like this is something we love to see, and is a great start in her journey towards improving her associations about dogs. Overall Wrigley seems to be settling in nicely, and we are so excited to begin this training journey together!
Pupdate 12/3/2024
Wrigley and I spent our training sessions working around my neighborhood today, where we focused on reintroducing her to the e-collar and Come to Sit command in a quiet location. There were still some basic distractions such as a few other people, dogs, and squirrels, but the relatively calm environment helped to promote learning and focus. During one of our sessions, we also brought along Kobe the Goldendoodle puppy, who is also staying with us for a board and train program. Overall Wrigley seems quite neutral towards Kobe, and has been mostly unbothered by his puppy antics. Having him nearby while working was a good step towards encouraging her to be calm when in the presence of other dogs.
Wrigley has some experience with the e-collar from our time doing lessons together, but it's been a while since it was regularly used during training, so we spent some time reintroducing it to her. Pressure is a fundamental tool used in teaching basic obedience commands. The idea is that whenever pressure is applied, be it from a leash or e-collar, it is paired with a command. The pressure then remains present until Wrigley follows the pressure and performs the behavior or command being asked of her. The moment she follows through, the pressure immediately turns off and a reward is given. By pairing these two forms of pressure simultaneously, she will come to understand that each pressure has the same meaning. The goal is for this to allow the leash and e-collar to be used interchangeably, and eventually create the opportunity to begin training with the e-collar only, without the need for a leash! She seemed to catch back onto the e-collar pretty quickly, and was receptive to the communication it provides. Be sure to check out today's video for an in-depth e-collar tutorial!
Come to Sit is an important command to begin reintroducing early on in Wrigley's training journey, as having a solid recall is important for any pup's safety and obedience training, and will be especially crucial for her safety if she is to be allowed off-leash in the future. The goal for Come to Sit is for Wrigley to come when called, approach my right side, circle around my back, and finish with a Sit facing forward on the left side. She is asked to hold this Sit until released with "Break", or given a new command. This ensures she not only comes when called, but also that she remains stationary until told otherwise. The Come to Sit maneuver when completed in its entirety also sets her up to be in the perfect position to begin walking in a Heel. We practiced the Come to Sit command today by combining the verbal command "Come" with guidance from the leash and stimulation from the e-collar to grab her attention and guide her towards me. Once she came over to me, she was then guided around and to my left side where she was asked to perform a Sit. With each successful repetition, I made sure to give her lots of praise and rewards to build up a positive association with the command and the action of coming to me when called. She'll need some more work with this command before she is consistent with it, though overall she did a good job and seemed to recall the concept of the command!
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