Layla is a nine month old goldendoodle puppy from Encinitas, San Diego. Her parents found us online in May of 2016, just after she was spayed (you'll notice in the video that some of her fur still isn't fully grown out from her surgery).
Layla is a great dog. Her parents got off to a wonderful start by starting training with her early. They had already gone through some puppy classes before we met, but they wanted and needed more. She has so much energy, and even though she knew commands like "sit", "stand", "down", "come", and "leave it," she would not obey when it most mattered most, like when someone was at the door or the grandkids were over. Instead of doing the things she practiced, she jumped on people and barked at distractions.
Her parents mostly wanted basic puppy training such as: potty training, teaching her not to jump, and controlling her reactions to distractions such as dogs, children, and the front door.
We decided to go with one-on-one, private, at-home lessons, and Layla has had so much success. It was very obvious during her short stay with us that her parents put a lot of time in to helping her be the best dog she can be.
This video was shot at Encinitas Community Park during Layla's short stay with us for a Board & Review. CJ demonstrates how Layla can be excited and playful, but we can still ask her to sit and have her do what we ask in the midst of her excitement. Notice how CJ exaggerates his playful movements and when he asks her to sit he completely changes his posture to reflect a more leader-type disposition. This clearly shows Layla what we want from her and helps us communicate better with her. This skill is useful in many situations. Now, when she is excited and tempted to jump, we can ask her to sit before she does so and perhaps accidentally knocks a grandchild over.
Layla can also sit on her place while we gain a significant amount of distance, even with distractions around. This means that when someone is at the door, she can wait patiently on her dog bed instead of barking and potentially causing chaos.
This goldendoodle puppy has such a great, fun energy. She is a wonderful dog. Since she is still a young puppy, she will undoubtedly try pushing the boundaries as she ages to try to see what she can get away with, but setting the foundation for her now will help her keep her mistakes in the future small and make them more easily manageable. We are really proud of Layla and her parents for really embracing the mindset and lifestyle we teach.