Arfur and Morgana - Dog Training in Portland, OR | Leader of the Pack

Dog Training in Portland, OR | Leader of the Pack

Arfur and Morgana - Training Photos, Videos and Updates

Pawsitive Notes - Tracking Arfur and Morgana's Milestones

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1/20 - Arfur has adjusted very well to the new environment. He hasn't skipped any meals and did not have an issue using the run for his restroom needs. He has barked a few times at other dogs in the office over the weekend, but is warming up to their presence. He got out on the leash with Rodeo and Drogo over the weekend as well and did well with them, though he was nervous.
1/21 - Arfur had a good walk today. He did extremely well with his heel. He was a little nervous walking with traffic at first, but adjusted quickly. He was definitely worked up passing some barking dogs at a fence line, but did fairly well listening to "Leave-It". It still needs work, but he got better throughout the walk with the command. He didn't show aggression towards the barking dogs, but he was overly interested and wanted to pull over to them.
1/24 - Arfur has gotten very comfortable with trainers getting him in and out of his crate without being nervous. We are still working some resource guarding issues, but he is showing improvement. He is still a bit reticent around Rodeo and Drogo, but much less reactive than initially.
1/28 - Arfur had a fairly decent walk today. He has a very nice heel, but still needs some work with "Leave-It" and "Let's Go". We came across a Golden Retriever on the sidewalk today. Arfur was overly interested but doing well, until the other dog started barking, lunging and growling at him. Arfur returned the interaction in kind and received a correction for not listening to "Leave-It." He quickly disengaged and continued on his walk after receiving his correction. He also received a correction for not disengaging from smells with "Let's Go" and was quick to comply after that. Super smart boy! He was happy to be back in the run after a bit of a wet walk and started running back and forth with joy, stopping every time he passed to receive from affection from the trainer. So cute!
1/31 - Arfur finally started playing with Drogo yesterday! He is still nervous and needs to build confidence in these situations, but as he continues to do well playing with Drogo and building confidence, he'll be able to move into situations with other dogs to keep building upon this HUGE first step! We always say around here that our goal in socialization cases is to see play. Once we hit that point, we can start building with more and more successful experiences and positive reinforcement. A new dog ran up to Arfur's crate and they went nose to nose. Arfur was a little unsure/tense, but gave no negative reactions and received tons of praise for being a good, gentle boy. He's such a wonderful dog! He rocked his walk today as well, very obedient and eager to please!
2/3 - A great walk today! Arfur was very interested in other dogs today in all the right ways. In the park, he saw a Doodle coming half a block away and lied down, of his own accord, to calmly watch the other dog pass by, receiving tons of praise in the process. He's been very receptive to commands and is increasingly eager to please.
2/4 - Some new challenges today and Arfur did really well! We passed some folks with kids and a stroller in tow. At first Arfur froze and didn't want to pass, but it turned out to be in reaction to a loud vehicle coming down the street. After a second he snapped out of it, realized he was safe and everything under control and confidently walked past the family, receiving lots of praise and pets afterward. In the park, we came across another dog and Arfur calmly stood there as the folks asked us about the dog park. When we left, a small child was coming down the sidewalk on a bicycle. Arfur seemed a little unsure, so we challenged him with the new situation and confidently led him past the bicycle. He rocked it and he knew it! He checked in for praise and was well met with it! His confidence in new situations grows daily!
2/5 - Fantastic walk again today! We had a guy and dog on a skateboard pass us today and another guy jogging with his dog and both times, Arfur showed interest in what was happening, but listened very well to "Leave-It" and watched without any issue. Such a good boy! He's been doing incredibly well playing with Drogo and is no longer having moments of snappiness.
2/7 - Arfur had a stellar walk today. He was incredibly attentive and responsive to all commands, such as "Leave-It" and "Let's Go." He even went up to a perfect stranger and calmly sniffed her hand to say hello. Excellent work!!!
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1/26/22 - Arfur is settling in to the new surroundings, and is already warming up to us! He is a bit nervous around the other dogs, but we are giving him lots of reassurance in the form of cuddles and pets. He is having a great time exploring the training area and playing ball with us, and we are working on building his confidence through these exercises.
2/2/22 - Arfur is doing a great job on his training walks, managing distractions and responding to instruction and correction. He is really starting to open up and show us his personality through play, and we using this to work on refining some of his obedience skills and continue to build his confidence. He is still showing quite a bit of reactivity to the other dogs, as well as some resource guarding behaviors. He lunged and growled at another dog who approached his crate while he was eating, and then redirected at Mark when he corrected the behavior. We are continuing to work with him on these reactions.
2/8/22 - Arfur crossed a major milestone this week, expanding his social skills by not only interacting with Drogo, but working his way up to being out with the Pack! He initially showed some reactivity, but we were able to correct that, and he was able to explore getting to know the other dogs. He even engages them in play! He is still a bit unsure, and often retreats for reassurance from the trainers, but is gaining confidence. His resource guarding is also showing some improvement, and we are not seeing any more escalated behaviors around food. Way to go, Arfur!
2/13/22 - Arfur is getting even more comfortable in the Pack, and building on his socialization skills. He enjoys playing with the other dogs, but still shows some reticence and insecurity at times. At these times, he displays avoidant behavior (looking away, hiding behind the trainers), and in these moments it is important to advocate for him by not letting other dogs try to override his cues. He did have a couple of aggressive response moments recently, when the other dogs were a bit too pushy for his liking, but he was quick to respond to verbal correction. Excellent work, Arfur!