SCHMIDT | GERMAN SHEPHERD | BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA
Meet Schmidt: Our Newest Board & Train Student 🐾
Schmidt is an older German Shepherd who recently found his forever home with a loving owner. Because he was adopted, much of his past—and even his exact age—is a bit of a mystery. What is clear, though, is that Schmidt is a special dog with a big heart and a lot of potential.
Schmidt will be joining us for our 3-Week Board & Train Program, where we’ll be working through some important behavioral challenges. He has had incidents around younger children, shows reactivity toward smaller dogs, and struggles with pulling on leash during walks. These behaviors can be stressful for any owner, especially when they limit where and how a dog can safely enjoy life.
On the bright side, Schmidt has an incredible bond with his owner. He is extremely affectionate, loving, and eager for connection—qualities that give us a strong foundation to build on during his training. Dogs like Schmidt often just need clear communication, structure, and confidence to help them make better choices.
Over the next three weeks, we’ll be focusing on improving his obedience, impulse control, leash manners, and overall confidence, while helping him learn how to navigate the world more calmly and safely.
Stay tuned as we guide Schmidt through his journey and share his progress along the way. We’re excited to help him unlock his full potential and create a better quality of life for both him and his owner.
PUDPATE 2:
DATE: JANUARY 14TH, 2026
WEIGHT: 90.29LBS
MORNING FEED: ALL
EVENING FEED: ALL
TRAINING HIGHLIGHTS:
Today we introduced leash pressure as part of his training. Leash pressure is an important form of communication that helps him understand guidance, direction, and expectations without relying on force. He responded well to this introduction and showed a good understanding of the concept, which is a great foundation for future work. Overall, he’s settling in very well, becoming more comfortable with the environment, and showing a positive, willing attitude toward training.
PUPDATE 3:
DATE: JANUARY 15TH, 2026
WEIGHT: 90.45LBS
MORNING FEED: ALL
EVENING FEED: ALL
TRAINING HIGHLIGHTS:
Today we took Schmidt to the park and intentionally introduced him to a new environment as a way to begin building healthier habits and confidence. Because he’s naturally very anxious, the focus wasn’t on doing too much, but on slowing everything down—his mind, his body, and his overall pace—so he could process the experience without becoming overwhelmed. By keeping things calm and structured, we gave him the space he needed to feel safe while still being exposed to something new. Even with his nerves, he handled the outing really well, settled in nicely, and showed great signs of progress, fitting into the environment better than expected.
PUPDATE 4:
DATE: JANUARY 16TH, 2026
WEIGHT: 90.45LBS
MORNING FEED: ALL
EVENING FEED: ALL
TRAINING HIGHLIGHTS:
Today we took Schmidt to the park to work through his anxiety in a more structured and intentional way. When Schmidt becomes anxious or fearful, he tends to get skittish and will instinctively try to force his way back into the crate as a way to escape the situation. Rather than allowing the crate to become a reactive coping mechanism driven by fear, we utilized this exercise to make the process proactive and purposeful. The goal was to slow his brain down, help him process the environment more clearly, and teach him that the crate is not a panic response but a calm, controlled choice. By guiding him into the crate in a relaxed state, we reinforced calm behavior and helped reshape his emotional response, allowing the crate to represent safety and stability rather than urgency or distress.
PUPDATE 5:
DATE: JANUARY 17TH, 2026
WEIGHT: 90.45LBS
MORNING FEED: ALL
EVENING FEED: ALL
TRAINING HIGHLIGHTS:
Today we took Schmidt back to the skate park to intentionally work through heightened distractions and environmental pressure. This setting presents a much higher level of stimulation, which makes it an excellent place to challenge his anxious mindset while continuing to build confidence. The goal was to help Schmidt learn how to stay composed and thoughtful in a fast-paced, unpredictable environment, rather than becoming overwhelmed by movement, noise, and unfamiliar activity. By exposing him to these distractions in a controlled and structured way, we focused on slowing his mind down and teaching him how to remain calm and engaged despite the chaos around him. Each successful moment helped reinforce confidence, emotional stability, and trust in the process. Turning an anxious mind into a calm, focused one in an environment like this is no small task, and Schmidt handled it extremely well. Great work, dude.
PUPDATE 6:
DATE: JANUARY 18TH, 2026
WEIGHT: 90.45LBS
MORNING FEED: ALL
EVENING FEED: ALL
TRAINING HIGHLIGHTS:
We took Schmidt back to the skate park again today, intentionally increasing the level of difficulty by working around even more distractions. With the added movement, noise, and activity, he showed noticeable improvement in his overall composure. His heel work was much more consistent, and he did a great job managing his anxiousness compared to previous sessions. Rather than becoming overwhelmed, Schmidt was able to stay more engaged and responsive, showing growth in both confidence and focus. While he is making solid progress, he still has some challenges with the down command in this environment, which is expected given the level of stimulation. Overall, this was a strong session that highlighted how far he’s come while also giving us clear areas to continue refining.
PUPDATE 7:
DATE: JANUARY 19TH, 2026
WEIGHT: 91.23LBS
MORNING FEED: ALL
EVENING FEED: ALL
TRAINING HIGHLIGHTS:
We are slowly introducing distractions with Schmidt, and he is responding much better on leash. Today, we were able to walk past several highly reactive dogs in the neighborhood while practicing neutrality, and he handled it very well. His command response continues to improve, especially with his sit. He is now able to hold a solid sit while I drop the leash and create distance, which shows growing impulse control and confidence. He also did great staying calm and focused long enough for me to get some very handsome photos of him.
Pupdate 8:
DATE: JANUARY 20th, 2026
WEIGHT: 91.23LBS
MORNING FEED: ALL
EVENING FEED: ALL
TRAINING HIGHLIGHTS:
Today was all about getting real-world reps in the neighborhood, intentionally exposing him to reactive dogs so he can learn how to stay calm and focused no matter what’s happening around him. We worked through barking, lunging, and chaotic distractions, and he showed major growth by choosing to stay engaged instead of feeding into the noise. His heel is getting cleaner, tighter, and more consistent with every pass, even when other dogs are losing their minds nearby. This kind of progress only comes from structured exposure and repetition, and he’s proving he can handle the pressure. Huge work today, Schmidt—this is how solid dogs are built.
PUPDATE 9:
DATE: JANUARY 21ST, 2026
WEIGHT: 91.23LBS
MORNING FEED: ALL
EVENING FEED: ALL
TRAINING HIGHLIGHTS:
We’ve been taking Schmidt out into the neighborhood consistently, practicing all of his commands while exposing him to new sounds, smells, and everyday distractions. He’s showing noticeable improvement on leash and is moving much more calmly and confidently through his environment. While he still needs some additional help with his down, he’s becoming far more capable of regulating his energy and returning to a calm state when asked. Overall, Schmidt is making great progress—great work from him and excellent effort all around.
PUPDATE 10:
DATE: JANUARY 22ND, 2026
WEIGHT: 91.23LBS
MORNING FEED: ALL
EVENING FEED: ALL
TRAINING HIGHLIGHTS:
We took Schmidt into a brand-new environment to help acclimate him to city life and build his confidence in more stimulating settings. This included exposure to groups of people, other dogs on walks, and common urban encounters he’ll continue to experience moving forward. Each outing like this helps him become more comfortable, neutral, and confident in busy situations. He handled the experience well and continued to show progress—great work, bud.
PUPDATE 11:
DATE: JANUARY 23RD, 2026
WEIGHT: 91.23LBS
MORNING FEED: ALL
EVENING FEED: ALL
TRAINING HIGHLIGHTS:
Today we took Schmidt to the playground to intentionally expose him to child-related distractions as part of rehabilitating and reshaping his past experiences with kids. The focus of this session was teaching him how to remain calm, composed, and neutral in an environment filled with high levels of movement, noise, and excitement. Through controlled exposure and guidance, Schmidt practiced coexisting peacefully around children without becoming overwhelmed or reactive. This type of structured work is crucial for rebuilding positive associations, increasing trust, and helping him develop the emotional stability he needs to safely and confidently navigate kid-heavy environments moving forward.
PUPDATE 12:
DATE: JANUARY 24TH, 2026
WEIGHT: 91.23LBS
MORNING FEED: ALL
EVENING FEED: ALL
TRAINING HIGHLIGHTS:
Today we took our training to the park and intentionally worked in a much more complex environment. With children, movement, and everyday park distractions around us, the focus was on extending and reinforcing his sit and down commands under real-world pressure. He did a solid job holding his positions and staying engaged despite the added stimulation, which shows growing confidence and understanding of the expectations. We’re still addressing some of that flighty behavior, but overall this was a strong step forward and exactly the kind of exposure needed to build reliability outside of controlled settings.
PUPDATE 13:
DATE: JANUARY 25TH, 2026
WEIGHT: 91.23LBS
MORNING FEED: ALL
EVENING FEED: ALL
TRAINING HIGHLIGHTS:
Today we focused on mimicking real off-leash life by practicing recall, heel, and sit without the leash, emphasizing accountability, engagement, and responsiveness. Schmidt did a great job staying connected and following direction while navigating the freedom and added responsibility that comes with off-leash work. We’re still providing some assistance with the down command, but overall his effort and progress were strong, especially in maintaining focus without physical guidance. Great work today, Schmidt—this was an important step forward in his training.
PUPDATE 14:
DATE: JANUARY 26TH, 2026
WEIGHT: 91.23LBS
MORNING FEED: ALL
EVENING FEED: ALL
TRAINING HIGHLIGHTS:
Finally getting some solid off-leash work in with Schmidt, and it’s been a huge step forward for him. With his naturally flighty personality, recall isn’t optional—it’s absolutely essential—so today was all about reinforcing that reliability even in a distracting environment. Beyond just letting him run and burn energy, we focused on teaching him how to workaround other dogs, not just play with them, building impulse control, engagement, and purpose. Watching him balance freedom with focus is exactly what this stage of training is about. Overall, it was a great session at the skatepark and a really productive day for Schmidt’s development.
PUPDATE 15:
DATE: JANUARY 27TH, 2026
WEIGHT: 91.23LBS
MORNING FEED: ALL
EVENING FEED: ALL
TRAINING HIGHLIGHTS:
Today we took Schmidt to Hollywood and put all the commands he’s been mastering to the test on the Walk of Fame. With crowds, noise, movement, and nonstop distractions all around, he showed impressive focus and composure, responding well despite the challenging environment. Given his previous flighty behavior, we made the smart choice to keep him on leash—because safety always comes first, especially in high-stimulus settings like this. Overall, it was a huge win and a great confidence-building outing. Excellent work, buddy 👏🐾
PUPDATE 16:
DATE: JANUARY 28TH, 2026
WEIGHT: 91.23LBS
MORNING FEED: ALL
EVENING FEED: ALL
TRAINING HIGHLIGHTS:
Life off leash is becoming very comfortable for Schmidt, and his confidence continues to grow every day. He is now reliably performing all of his commands off leash, showing a strong understanding of expectations even with freedom and distractions present. We’ve been bringing that confidence out consistently, reinforcing it day in and day out through real-world exposure. Today’s session included a mix of structured training and play at the park, all done off leash, allowing him to balance discipline with fun while staying engaged and responsive. Huge progress and great work, dude 👏🐾
PUPDATE 17:
DATE: JANUARY 29TH, 2026
WEIGHT: 91.23LBS
MORNING FEED: ALL
EVENING FEED: ALL
TRAINING HIGHLIGHTS:
We took Schmidt to Hollywood and he did an excellent job working through a high-distraction environment with confidence and focus. He is no longer pulling on the leash, stayed engaged throughout the outing, and reliably performed all of his commands despite the crowds, noise, and constant movement around him. This level of progress has made a huge difference in how these outings feel—allowing us to move calmly, communicate clearly, and actually enjoy the experience together rather than manage chaos. Big win and well-earned progress for Schmidt 🐾👏
PUPDATE 18:
DATE: JANUARY 30th, 2026
WEIGHT: 91.23LBS
MORNING FEED: ALL
EVENING FEED: ALL
TRAINING HIGHLIGHTS:
Schmidt has earned an incredible amount of freedom through his training, from confidently meeting new dogs to being off-leash at the park and truly reaping the full benefits of the work he’s put in. Watching his growth has been so rewarding, and it’s a testament to his consistency, effort, and willingness to learn. I’m so proud of how far he’s come, and even more proud knowing how much further he’ll go with you guys continuing to support and guide him. Amazing work, buddy — this is just the beginning. 👏🐾
PUPDATE 19:
DATE: JANUARY 31st, 2026
WEIGHT: 91.23LBS
MORNING FEED: ALL
EVENING FEED: ALL
TRAINING HIGHLIGHTS:
Today we took Schmidt to Hollywood for a real-world training session with added dog distractions. The goal wasn’t just play—it was teaching him how to work around other dogs, building teamwork while practicing calm, confident behavior in a busy city environment. He showed great focus, made thoughtful choices, and handled the stimulation better and better as the session went on. Schmidt is coming along incredibly well, and his progress really shows. Great work, dude—officially becoming a true city dog.
PUPDATE 19:
DATE: FEBRUARY 1ST, 2026
WEIGHT: 91.23LBS
MORNING FEED: ALL
EVENING FEED: ALL
TRAINING HIGHLIGHTS:
Today we took another trip to Hollywood as part of Schmidt’s ongoing training, intentionally putting him in the middle of heavy distractions to keep building his confidence and focus. From the noise, crowds, and constant movement to all the unexpected sights and sounds, he handled it incredibly well and stayed engaged the entire time. Day by day, his progress is becoming more obvious—each outing he’s calmer, more responsive, and more comfortable working through real-world challenges. Watching him rise to the occasion like this is such a rewarding reminder of how far he’s come, and I couldn’t be more proud of Schmidt.
