Bambi is a 6-month old Goldendoodle from Napa, CA who attended our 3-Week Off-Leash Training.

Bambi’s owner’s were seasoned dog owner’s and also had other small dogs in the home. She had a tendency to be a little rambunctious with them and since they were smaller than her it was causing problems within the home. Bambi would also bark when guests came over and wasn’t confident with meeting new people or in new environments. She was hesitant to leave the house for walks and even had to be coaxed out the front door. Once on a walk, all she wanted to do was run back home to safety.

During her training, Bambi was taught sit/down (with built in stay), heeling, loose leash walking, to come when called, and to go to her bed. Bambi was eager to learn and loved food rewards, so she was taught all behaviors positively with food first. Then, after checking for understanding, a slip lead was used to teach leash pressure and e-collar pressure for off-leash reliability. Her confidence came quickly as she found reassurance in having instructions that she could understand through obedience and lots of positive reinforcement.

We used “place” to give Bambi a safe place to be when guests came over so that she didn’t feel so stressed by being forced to meet new people. She felt much more secure on her bed where she didn’t have the pressure of introductions and the barking stopped. Bambi visited lots of stores and new busy environments like parks and trails during her camp and her confidence grew with each outing.

Bambi first came to us nervous and reluctant to try to do anything. Through nurturing her confidence with patient and consistent work, she blossomed into a wonderful companion who eagerly looked to her handlers for guidance on new adventures.