Meet Yuki, a 6 Month-Old Shiba Inu from Elk Grove, California. She attended our Puppy to Adult Program!

Yuki first attended a 7-day Puppy Camp when she was 3 Months-Old which was a great choice for this particular breed as they are known to be stubborn, independent and don’t take to training as quickly. During her Puppy Camp she learned basic obedience which included: sit, down, stay, place, name recognition, crate training, and introducing leash walking. We did frequent short session for high-value food which worked well with her.

When Yuki returned for her 3-Week Advanced Off-Leash Obedience Training Camp at 6-Months Old she was already familiar with the environment and routine, and had a basic understanding of all of her commands. She had developed some unwanted behaviors between her training camps which included bolting out the front door and being stubborn about staying in her down position.

We first focused on solidifying her commands that were previously taught, and then added come when called, heel, no (marker for undesirable behavior), and free (release command). She was not very motivated so she needed someone who would be very persistent with her, and not allow her to win. During training, we applied very slight pressure with her leash until she gave in and did her “down” like she was supposed to. Then we praised her heavily and moved onto another command so that she didn’t become bored. She learned to recall with the use of an e-collar and a long line, and learning that she could not outrun the feeling of her collar.

During her go home lesson, Yuki’s owner was able to walk her down the street with no leash, and she did not bolt or get distracted. She was very happy to be home and her owner was very happy to trust her off-leash!