|

Hilo | Golden Retriever | Bakersfield, CA

ByAileen Medina

Meet Hilo, a 2-year-old Golden Retriever who is staying with me for a 3-week Board & Train program. Hilo is friendly and social, doing well with both dogs and people, and he enjoys being around others. While he has a great temperament overall, he can become overly excited—especially around children—which has led to some concerning behaviors in the past. During his stay, we’ll be focusing on helping Hilo learn appropriate behavior around kids, improving his overall manners with everyone, strengthening his ability to listen and follow direction, and teaching him how to settle and remain calm in stimulating situations. The goal is to create more structure and impulse control so daily life is smoother, safer, and more enjoyable for the entire family.

Pupdate 2

Today we worked on a follow the leader game to build engagement, focus, and leash awareness. At first Hilo wanted to rush ahead, but as the session went on he started to understand the concept. Once it clicked, he noticeably slowed down, paid more attention to my movement, and stayed more connected instead of trying to bolt forward every chance. This is a great step toward improving his listening skills and overall calmness on leash.
Breakfast Consumed: 75%

Dinner consumed: 75%

Pupdate 3

He’s doing much better entering the crate and is showing less hesitation overall, which tells me he’s becoming more comfortable with the routine and expectations. He’s also really enjoying his socialization time with the other dogs and has been appropriate while running around and sharing toys. When his excitement level gets a little too high, he may show interest in mounting, and that’s our cue to step in and slow both his mind and body back down. He’s having productive and positive progression so far.

Breakfast consumed: 75%

Dinner consumed: All

 

Pupdate 4

We’ve been working on the place command, which is great for building confidence and giving Hilo a clear job to do. It helps slow his mind down, encourages calm decision-making, and teaches him how to settle instead of staying in a heightened state of excitement.

Breakfast consumed: All

Dinner consumed: All

Pupdate 5

Worked on place today paired with food manners. Focusing on staying calm, holding position, and waiting politely instead of rushing or breaking. Great progress slowing the mind and building impulse control

Breakfast consumed: All

Dinner consumed: All

Pupdate 6

We’re beginning to add more obedience work around the other dogs, with the goal of Hilo holding a solid sit while dogs are playing with toys, running around, or laying down near him. He can comfortably hold a sit or a down on a place cot or other elevated objects, but still finds the down on flat ground more challenging. We’ll continue using elevation to support clarity and confidence while gradually transferring those skills to the ground.

Breakfast consumed: All

Dinner consumed: All

Pupdate 7

Hilo’s in-home manners with a big focus on food obedience and patience has made him being indoors so much more relaxing. He’s practicing waiting calmly before meals, holding position until released, and showing better control around food. He’s also doing great running into his crate willingly and staying settled while waiting to eat. These routines help build structure, calmness, and clear expectations inside the home, and we’ll continue reinforcing this consistency daily.

Breakfast consumed: All

Dinner consumed: All

Pupdate 8

Hilo is showing nice improvement on neighborhood walks. He’s leading less, staying more engaged in his walking task, and doing well ignoring other dogs instead of assuming he needs to play with everyone around him.

Breakfast consumed: All

Dinner consumed: All

Pupdate 9

Breakfast consumed: All

Dinner consumed: All

Pupdate 10

Today we worked beyond the park and neighborhood and took a trip to Home Depot! Hilo was definitely the star of the store—everyone wanted to say hi—but we limited interactions so he could stay focused while practicing off-leash drills. He did a great job ignoring other dogs as they passed by and is continuing to learn neutrality around people who get excited and want to pet him. Setting clear boundaries in these environments is important so he can stay calm, engaged, and successful.

Breakfast consumed: All

Dinner consumed: All

Pupdate 11

Hilo has been such a good listener lately. His recall has grown so much—he’s coming when called whether the house is busy, he’s loose in the backyard, or even while working in the store. He’s also doing a great job ignoring people in passing and staying focused on his task. Really proud of how reliable and consistent he’s becoming in all environments.

Breakfast consumed: All

Dinner consumed: All

Pupdate 12

Another Home Depot trip in the books! Hilo did much better this time around— you can see the confidence in his ability as well as the mental and physical exhaustion through every rep!

Breakfast consumed: All

Dinner consumed: All

Pupdate 13

Today’s training we went on a walk around the neighborhood with Hilo, focusing on real-world manners and calm behavior in public. During our walk, we stopped at the neighborhood gas station market, where Hilo did a great job behaving politely around people. He remained calm and composed while waiting in line as I paid for my coffee, showing nice impulse control and confidence in a busy environment. Overall, Hilo handled the outing very well and made great progress with public manners.

Breakfast consumed: All

Dinner consumed: All

Pupdate 14

Today’s training with Hilo, we went on another walk around the block. Hilo did a great job maintaining a nice heel position, even while working through everyday distractions. He stayed focused, calm, and responsive, showing continued improvement in his leash manners during the walk.

Breakfast consumed: All

Dinner consumed: All

Pupdate 15

After a fun and productive day of training, Hilo got to unwind and have some fun playing on the agility course. He enjoyed running through the obstacles, building confidence, and burning off some extra energy as a reward for all his hard work. 🐾💪

Breakfast consumed: All

Dinner consumed: All

Pupdate 16

Today we went on a field trip to the park with Hilo, where he did a great job staying focused and calm amidst all the distractions. He handled the environment well, showing good engagement and responsiveness while continuing to build confidence in a busy, real-world setting. Great work, Hilo! 🌟

Breakfast consumed: All

Dinner consumed: All

Pupdate 17

Check out this super star!! With the right warm up, leadership and confidence from his handler he is capable of anything! Our mall trip went fantastic, we of course had the occasional stranger who called him over and whistled and he did great ignoring them. He stayed working through the entirety of our field trip and was only allowed to be on a loose leash in empty areas when I called him onto a break. He also has great stair manners now, staying calm and collected by my side! 🐶✨
Breakfast consumed: All

Dinner consumed: All

Pupdate 18

Another successful challenge, park training during the busiest time of day— evening with soccer games & dogs all around! In this video he’s showing off his mastered art of heel command and place to place🤯
Breakfast consumed: All

Dinner consumed: All

Pupdate 19

I spent my morning with this handsome boy on a coffee date and walk around the park. Every day will come with its own challenges and distractions but with continued practice Hilo will be able to enjoy any outing once back home. After a 30 minute walk we need at the cafe, I kept Hilo accountable for working by keeping him in and sit or down and not letting strangers excite him.

Pupdate 21

 

Aileen Medina

Aileen has always had a huge love for all animals, especially dogs. She has been working with and assisting training dogs since she was about 14 years old. She has been lucky enough to get mentored from a young age by multiple professional trainers, and is continuing to learn new tips and techniques everyday while working with different breeds of dogs. Read more about Aileen here.