Daisy | Golden Doodle | Bakersfield, CA

ByAileen Medina

Daisy is an 8-month-old Goldendoodle staying with us for a 2-week Board & Train with OLK9 Training. She’s a sweet, playful girl with lots of energy, and we’ll be focusing on building better impulse control, reducing chewing / play biting, and creating more structure with her commands. Through clear communication, consistency, and daily structured training sessions, Daisy will be learning how to respond calmly and reliably in different situations. We’ll also be doing plenty of confidence-building work with new environments, surfaces, and challenges to help her grow into a well-rounded, obedient, and confident companion. We’re excited to watch her progress over the next two weeks!

Pupdate 2

She’s definitely a bit nervous in this new environment, which is completely normal, but she’s already starting to settle in. She’s doing well with her basics so far — sitting when guided and going into her kennel without assistance.

Recall without the leash is where she’s showing some hesitation right now, especially in open space, but that mostly seems confidence-based rather than defiance. When she’s gently guided and encouraged, she follows through and makes great choices. We’ll continue building her confidence in small, structured steps so she starts choosing to come on her own more consistently.

Breakfast consumed: 50%

Dinner consumed: 80%

Pupdate 3

Breakfast consumed: 50%

Dinner consumed: 80%

Training Highlights:

Daisy is settling in and starting to understand what’s being asked of her. She’s picking up on her commands well, we’re just building clarity and consistency. She does have a tendency to redirect toward the leash at times, especially when there’s pressure or mild frustration, so we’re calmly working through that. No corrections for the redirection — just guiding her into the right behavior and rewarding engagement.

She’s responsive to the e-collar at very low levels, and we’re taking things slow since she seems a bit sensitive — likely from previous e-collar exposure. The focus right now is making sure it stays neutral and clear for her, not stressful.

Pupdate 4

Breakfast consumed: 80%

Dinner consumed: 100%

Training Highlights:

Miss Daisy 🌼

We’re continuing to build her confidence around other dogs in a structured, positive way. Today she got to run and play while wearing the e-collar so she can associate it with freedom, fun, and good experiences, not pressure or only corrections

The goal is clarity + confidence and she’s making progress every day.

 

Pupdate 5

Breakfast consumed: 80%

Dinner consumed: 100%

Training Highlights:

Today we shifted gears and focused on impulse control and engagement. We worked through structured leash drills, extended “place” duration, and cleaner sits under mild distractions.

She’s learning that calm behavior earns freedom, and she’s starting to offer that focus without as much prompting.

Pupdate 6

Breakfast consumed: 100%

Dinner consumed: 100%

Training Highlights:

Daisy had a little crate accident and needed a bath today. She did well during the wash, but got uncomfortable and a bit nippy when being towel dried — she seems nervous with the towel over her body. We’ll keep building positive associations with grooming.

She’s doing excellent with sit and down holds in the yard. Place is improving, though she’s still hesitant on new objects.

Pupdate 7

Breakfast consumed: 100%

Dinner consumed: 100%

Training Highlights:

Today we focused on desensitizing Daisy to touch around her neck and back. This is important because she’s shown some sensitivity in those areas (especially during grooming), so we want to build positive associations. We also worked on calmly removing and re-adding her collar. This helps reduce stress during transitions, grooming, or leash work and prevents defensive or nippy reactions. The goal is for her to stay relaxed and neutral no matter what’s being put on or taken off.

She was introduced to door manners as well — practicing patience and waiting before going through thresholds.

Pupdate 8

Breakfast consumed: 100%

Dinner consumed: 100%

Training Highlights:

Daisy is doing great overall! She’s continuing to build clarity with her commands and is becoming more responsive each day. We’re focusing on consistency, confidence, and follow-through. She’s understanding expectations much quicker and is starting to offer behaviors without as much hesitation. Proud of her progress so far!

Pupdate 9

Breakfast consumed: 100%

Dinner consumed: 100%

Training Highlights:

Daisy had a great outing at Petco today! She handled the new environment really well. There were lots of smells, people, and movement, and she stayed engaged and responsive. We worked on leash manners, sits, and downs around distractions. She checked in nicely and showed good impulse control. Big win for her confidence in public spaces!

Pupdate 10

Breakfast consumed: 100%

Dinner consumed: 100%

Training Highlights:

Daisy is building so much confidence around other dogs. She’s learning to complete her commands even with distractions nearby, which is a huge step forward. We’re reinforcing neutrality and rewarding calm focus.

She’s also starting to really enjoy her “place” command. What used to feel new and uncertain is becoming her safe spot to decompress and relax. Learning to settle is just as important as learning to work

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.