Meet Aspen 🐾

Meet Aspen, a beautiful 1½-year-old King Shepherd who is joining us for our 4-week Board & Train program!

At home, Aspen is incredibly loving and devoted to her owners. However, when it comes to meeting strangers and navigating new situations, she can become uncomfortable and unsure of how to respond appropriately.

Aspen currently struggles with leash pulling, overall obedience and manners, and nervous or protective behaviors around unfamiliar people. When she feels uncomfortable—or when someone gets too close to her owners—she may even nip as a way of creating distance.

Our goal over the next four weeks is to help Aspen build confidence, impulse control, structure, and better social manners, while teaching her clear boundaries and reliable obedience.

We’re excited to watch this girl grow and see just how far she can come with the right guidance, consistency, and training.

🐕 Stay tuned for Aspen’s transformation! We’ll be sharing her progress throughout her 4-week journey.

Pupdate 2:

Date: August 12th, 2026

Weight: 64.16lbs

Morning Feed: half

Evening Feed: half

Training Highlights:

Taking things slow with Aspen and giving her the time she needs to come out of her shell. Right now, a big part of her training is helping her understand the concept of following on the leash and learning that she doesn’t always have to be in her own head or worried about everything around her. We’ve also started introducing her to some of the other dogs to bring out that natural pack drive, get her moving, interacting, and ultimately just let her be a dog. Sometimes the best progress comes from taking the pressure off, allowing them to relax, gain confidence, and learn how to enjoy themselves. Aspen is settling in really well so far, and we’re starting to see more of her personality come out each day. We’re going to continue building that trust, confidence, and structure while letting her experience what it’s like to simply relax, have fun, and be comfortable in her environment.

Pupdate 3:

Date: August 13th, 2026

Weight: 64.16lbs

Morning Feed: half

Evening Feed: half

Training Highlights:

I took Aspen to Hollywood Boulevard today to put her to the test in a completely different environment. We walked through an area filled with tons of people, kids, noise, and distractions. She was definitely a little nervous at first, which is completely understandable, but I made sure to keep her safe, calm, and moving forward through the environment. The biggest thing is that even with all the people around, Aspen didn’t try to jump on anyone or nip at anybody. She was able to walk past people and take everything in without reacting negatively. These outings are all about building confidence and showing her that she can navigate the world calmly and safely. I know with more exposure and continued work, she’s going to be much more comfortable the next time we come back. This is just another step in helping Aspen come out of her shell and become a more confident, well-rounded dog.

Pupdate 4:

Date: August 14th, 2026

Weight: 64.16lbs

Morning Feed: all

Evening Feed: half

Training Highlights:

The day has finally come—Aspen’s muzzle is off, and we’re starting to see a whole new side of her come out. She’s beginning to open up, become more comfortable in her surroundings, and show a lot more confidence. Today, she was able to share space with a smaller dog, and seeing her tail wag more and more was such a great sign that she’s feeling happier and more relaxed. We took her to the dog park, and she had an amazing day experiencing new things, being around other dogs, and simply getting to be a dog. There’s still plenty of work ahead, but these are the moments that make the progress worth it. One day at a time, and Aspen is getting better and better.

Pupdate 5:

Date: August 15th, 2026

Weight: 64.16lbs

Morning Feed: all

Evening Feed: half

Training Highlights:

Back at the dog park again, and she has come such a long way since the day she was first picked up. It’s incredible to see how much she has opened up and how much more comfortable and trusting she has become. Putting her collar and leash on, moving around her, and simply being in her space has gotten so much easier. There’s no more nipping, no more trying to jump all over me, and no more sudden, quick attacks when she feels unsure or overwhelmed. She is learning to trust, learning that she is safe, and showing more and more of her sweet personality every day. Watching this progress has been so rewarding, and she deserves all the credit for how hard she’s working. Great work, girl—you’re doing amazing!

Pupdate 6:

Date: August 16th, 2026

Weight: 64.16lbs

Morning Feed: all

Evening Feed: all

Training Highlights:

Aspen has done amazing today. We spent some time at the playground around large groups of kids, different noises, and plenty of activity, which can still make her a little skeptical and unsure at times. She was even able to stay calm while kids were around and holding her down, and although she was clearly taking everything in, she did a great job pushing through that uncertainty and staying composed. Another big win today was seeing her appetite improve—she finally ate both of her full servings, which is a great sign that she’s becoming more comfortable and settling into her routine. Overall, Aspen is coming along really well, and we’re continuing to see more confidence, trust, and openness from her every day.

Pupdate 7:

Date: August 17th, 2026

Weight: 73.87lbs

Morning Feed: all

Evening Feed: all

Training Highlights:

Today, we took Miss Aspen out to train in Downtown LA, giving her the opportunity to experience a busy city environment and be exposed to larger groups of people. Overall, she did a great job handling the constant foot traffic and remained calm and focused as people passed by her. We are still working on improving her comfort level with people getting into her close personal space, especially when someone reaches over her or makes sudden movements near her, but she is showing steady progress in these areas. One of the biggest positives from today’s session was how nicely she is walking on leash, consistently staying on my left side without pulling or lunging at people as they pass. She is becoming much more confident and composed in public environments, which is exactly what we want to see as we continue building her socialization and obedience skills. Another major accomplishment is that we have officially outgrown the biting behavior that was previously occurring between her and me, which is a huge step forward in our relationship and overall training. Today’s session was a very positive one, and Miss Aspen continues to show great improvement with each new environment and challenge we introduce.

Pupdate 8:

Date: August 18th, 2026

Weight: 73.87lbs

Morning Feed: all

Evening Feed: all

Training Highlights:

Today we took Aspen’s training to The Americana in Glendale, putting her in a highly distracting environment where she was surrounded by people and constant activity. She handled the experience really well overall, continuing to walk nicely on leash and remaining responsive to me for the most part despite all the distractions around her. Her sit and heel are coming along great, and she’s showing that she can stay engaged even in busy public spaces. She still needs a little more guidance and consistency with her down, but that’s something we’ll continue to work on as she gains confidence and becomes more reliable. Overall, Aspen is making some great progress and showing us more and more of what she’s capable of every day.

Pupdate 9:

Date: August 19th, 2026

Weight: 76.87lbs

Morning Feed: all

Evening Feed: all

Training Highlights:

Took Miss Aspen to the Glendale Galleria today for some indoor training, especially with the weather being pretty warm lately. She’s come such a long way since she first started, and it’s been amazing to see her confidence and obedience continue to develop. She’s beginning to hold her sit for longer periods of time, and the down command is becoming much easier for her to understand and execute. Most importantly, she’s becoming much easier to manage in real-world environments, even with all the people, distractions, and activity around her. We’re continuing to take things one step at a time, but Aspen is making some really solid progress. 🤎🐕‍🦺

Pupdate 10:

Date: August 20th, 2026

Weight: 76.87lbs

Morning Feed: all

Evening Feed: all

Training Highlights:

Aspen is continuing to open up more and more each day, and we’re starting to see some really positive changes in her trust and confidence. She’s now comfortable taking treats directly from me, which is a great step forward and shows that she’s beginning to feel safer and more comfortable in her environment. Large groups of people, especially in places like busy malls, can still make her nervous and scared, but she’s handling these situations much better than she did on day one. We’re continuing to take things at her pace while gradually exposing her to new environments, people, and distractions. Overall, her progress has been really encouraging, and we’re excited to keep building on this foundation.

Pupdate 11:

Date: August 21st, 2026

Weight: 76.87lbs

Morning Feed: all

Evening Feed: all

Training Highlights:

Aspen is continuing to make great progress with her obedience, especially when it comes to holding commands like sit and down. These commands are becoming much easier for her to understand and complete, and we’re starting to see more consistency with each training session. In highly distracting environments, she still needs leash guidance to help keep her focused and make the right decisions, but that’s all part of the learning process. With every repetition, Aspen is becoming more responsive, more confident, and more comfortable working through distractions. Each rep gets a little better, and we’re continuing to build on that consistency one step at a time.

Pupdate 12:

Date: August 22nd, 2026

Weight: 78.23lbs

Morning Feed: all

Evening Feed: all

Training Highlights:

Today we worked with Aspen in Home Depot, putting her in an environment with closer proximity to people and a variety of new distractions. Being a fearful dog around unfamiliar environments, sudden noises, and things like forklifts and the sound of shopping carts can be overwhelming for her and cause her to become nervous. Although she was initially uneasy and needed some time to process everything around her, she did a great job working through those feelings. What’s most encouraging is that she is beginning to self-regulate much quicker, recovering from moments of anxiety and returning to a calmer, more focused version of herself. Each outing like this is helping build her confidence and showing her that these new environments don’t have to be something to fear.