Dog Training with Sue Ellen

Being his super cute tail wagging self in the process, 11 week old Bernie the west highland terrier is learning food bowl manners and practicing obedience commands during his puppy board and train. This little guy was literally too cool for school and was a blast tp work with! I hear he still captures the heart of everyone that meets him!

Bauer the 10 month old goldendoodle did not come when called and not coming was the best game ever in his book.  Although he'd been taught commands, he had selective hearing and only listened when it suited him. His owner wanted to do off-leash activities with him but needed a reliable recall first .  After just 4 days of his board and train, check out his recall loving self!! 

This board and train / boarding crew is practicing their down-stays with my squeaky toy fetching maniac dog Dodger who was happy to provide some serious distraction. The boarders who previously went through my program help the board and trainees get it right and get to hone their skills in the process! 

Smidge, my chihuahua at just 11 weeks old is rocking her mini agility course and loving every minute of it! In the first 16 to 20 weeks of a puppy's life its crucial to expose them to as many diverse yet ejoyable experiences as possible.  Doing this teaches them to think and helps create an adult dog who is happy and confident in the world!

Yep, you guessed it... 8 month old James the goldendoodle was a food grabbing counter surfer. In his mind, no food was off limits... Until the chicken challenge... and his food stealing self rose to the occasion! This was one of the many new skills he mastered in his 3 week custom tailored board and train program. 

Check out chihuahua Smidge at 7 months kicking butt and taking names in her first ever swim lesson. Learning where the pool steps are is first on the agenda so she can always find her way out! She'a a natural little swimmer! Next we're going surfing,  or... maybe not...

11 month old Bootsie the 9 lb. mini labradoodle spent a bit too much time at the breeders who didn't properly socialize her which resulted in her being quirky nervous girl who couldn't focus and was scared of everything but other dogs. This is a clip of my assistant Serina putting her through her obedience commands after a 3 week remote collar board and train program specifically designed to address her needs. She responded so well to the remote collar that she is working here without it!

  Check out 11 week old Lulu-Pi the mini dachshund in her first ever training session! Lulu's people have had many dachshunds but Lulu kept them on their toes!  She is one high drive super smart wiener dog who required way more structure and training (including potty training) than any of their other dogs.

After a 3 week board and train program and some follow up board and training when they traveled, Lulu is much easier to live with and keeps us all laughing on a daily basis!  

  8 month old Elvis the tibetanpoo had developed some food and human resource guarding issues that began to escalate.  He had issues about letting anyone take food away from him, so we implemented a remote collar board and train program specifically designed to get him back on the track. This clip is of him rocking the out command we taught him so he and quickly backs off from or drops objects when asked. 

  When I met I year old poodle Mochi he was super reactive on leash around other dogs and not very social in an off leash setting either.  His owner wanted to do agility with him but he couldn't be trusted off leash around other dogs. He completed a 3 week board and train program addressing teaching commands and massive socialization and then followed up with my socialization groups to keep up the progress. this is a clip of him at my socialization group flirting with his new girlfriend Ruby! Aren't they an adorable couple?

Proofing dogs around many different distractions is a big part of board and training .  The easy part of training is teaching the commands... the difficult part is to get them to do them reliably everywhere around everything.  So we raised the bar for Bauer the goldendoodle and took on some new distractions at the barn. Although he'd  never seen a horse before and he was with a person he's never met before, he listened and held his sit-stay like a champion! Who's a good boy!

 Before Lacey the labradoodle did her remote collar board and train program, she literally bounced off walls indoors, and bounced off other dogs when off leash outdoors. She also didn't come back when she was called which caused the owners stress. This clip is of Lacey and her awesome owner showcasing their off leash skills at the Pacific Palisades beach they frequent. The long line is for safety since the skills are new. She now listens outdoors and settles indoors too! 

James the doodle had a bad habit of over greeting guests at the door which consisted of excessive barking, whining and jumping.  We taught him a new habit of going to "place" when guests came over. When he was calm for a while, he was then released to visit with them.  This clip is of his family having some fun role playing at our appointment to practice his new skills.  They were so much fun and James was a rockstar!

Lily the havapoo and her family were so awesome in this video from her go home session! Lily used to chase, bite and jump on the kids when they were playing. She pulled on the leash, used the house as her bathroom, and had no rules, no obedience training, and pretty much ruled the roost! During her board and train we crate and potty trained her as well as taught her obedience commands. I think there's a new sheriff in town and everyone including Lily seems happy about it!

Jasper the terrier mix had some pretty annoying leash aggression issues. He also  got extremely agitated when anything that moved fast when by but he went especially bonkers for bikes.  His owner loved to walk with him but the walks were always a struggle. His board and train program was tailored to address those specific issue as well as teaching all general obedience behaviors. Check his calm self out now! He and his owner are strutting down the Santa Monica bike path with ease!

Taking these two monster doodles on a walk was no fun at all. There was lots of barking and pulling and tangled leashes involved not to mention the stopping to   pee on everything everywhere! The family hired a dog walker because the hated walking them so much!

After a few private lessons and some changes in walking tools, even the kids can walk the dogs and now the whole family enjoys their walks. My apology to the dog walker who probably lost their gig... 

In my book, reliably coming when called is one of the most important things you can teach your dog.  In this clip 11 week old Brady the mutipoo and his family are playing some food reward games with him to build a positive association with the come command. The earlier you build this happy association with training the better!  "if you build it, they will come!

 Cutie petutie Mischief the morkie had some leash walking issues. No matter how hard her family tried to get her to walk on leash with them, all 5 pounds of Mischief dug her heels in and refused to walk.  Now check her out walking with the family like it's no big thing! Way to go girl!

 Biggie the mini dachshund is literally out to lunch while he's out to lunch!  Place command is portable. When you reliably teach a dog to relax on a mat and stay there, it becomes your own personal containment system that can easily be utilized anywhere!