Maru | Siberian Husky | Los Angeles, California
My name is Maru, the Siberian Husky! I was wandering the streets of Downtown, Los Angeles til I stumbled upon my new family. My owner rescued me and brought me into her home where I met the other dog in the house, Poco the Belgian Malinois. Both of us haven’t really met and we keep our distance throughout the house. I am super sensitive to leash pressure. I can become very reactive when my owner needs to load me in and out of her car. I don’t really know too many commands. I lack recall and can tug on the leash when I become distracted by squirrels. Over the next two weeks I will improve my basic obedience and be socialized to public environments with my trainer Anthony. Stay tuned for my PAWESOME transformation!
Pupdate 2:
Date: Wednesday February 1st, 2023
Weight: 53.87lbs
Morning Feed: 1/2
Evening Feed: All
Training Highlight: Over at the park we introduced all five commands with leash guidance. Maru can be skittish and super verbal when she feels pressure. Leash pressure is only used to guide her into commands. Once she commits to the command, all pressure is released, and I praise her! She faced her fears of the place command! After multiple reps she continued to gain so much confidence! AMAZING first day!
Pupdate 3:
Date: Thursday February 2nd, 2023
Weight: 53.91 lbs
Morning Feed: 3/4
Evening Feed: All
Training Highlight: Today we took our training to Home Depot. We continue to reinforce all commands! Maru is beginning to trust me a lot more. She can jump in and out of the car! At Home Depot she was exposed to lots of new distractions like forklifts, carts, and lots of shoppers. She handled the people really well but would get spooked out by sudden noises. Keep up the great work girl!
Pupdate 4:
Date: Friday February 3rd, 2023
Weight: 53.96 lbs
Morning Feed: 3/4
Evening Feed: All
Training Highlight: Over at the park we were able to reinforce all commands. She has improved on her heel. I can walk with a loose leash rather than a tight leash with lots or pressure. She is doing really well with her heel to sit series. She is starting to open up more, her tail is up and wags as we train! She goes in and out of the crate without being so reactive. She can be a bit stubborn with the down command, leash guidance is still needed.
Pupdate 5:
Date: Saturday February 4th, 2023
Weight: 54.34 lbs
Morning Feed: All
Evening Feed: All
Training Highlight: Maru finally got to really meet the pack today! This time she wasn’t growling at them and we had a much more positive interaction! She got along really well with my dogs Banksy and Dante. She was able to be calm on sit command, while my dog Banksy said “hi”. She’s getting much better being in the same space with other dogs. Maru is drinking water regularly and finishing all her meals. Great work GIRL!!!
Pupdate 6:
Date: Sunday February 5th, 2023
Weight: 54.34 lbs
Morning Feed: All
Evening Feed: All
Training Highlight: Maru is continuing to gain so much confidence. She is doing much better around new dogs! Day by day she continues to improve on all her commands. Keep at it girl!
Pupdate 7:
Date: Monday February 6th, 2023
Weight: 54.34 lbs
Morning Feed: All
Evening Feed: All
Training Highlight: Today we trained around some distractions over at Home Depot. I needed some new lightbulbs for my home and Maru joined me. She’s a great shopping partner! While we were there I noticed she was frightened by the moving forklift. Maru can still be vocal at times, but she isn’t whining like she used too when going in/out of the car. She has not had any potty accidents in her crate, at home, or in stores. At the very beginning of the day we make sure to take care of potty. That can mean we go on a neighborhood walk in the morning or she goes potty in her designated area here at home. On our neighborhood walks she can go potty on the sidewalk.
Pupdate 8:
Date: Tuesday February 7th, 2023
Weight: 55.41 lbs
Morning Feed: All
Evening Feed: All
Training Highlight: We continue to reinforce commands daily. Over at the park we were able to practice extended commands. The down command is getting easier with leash pressure. Maru can be stubborn when she has to try new things. It’s important to always follow through when you ask her to perform a command.
Pupdate 9:
Date: Wednesday February 8th, 2023
Weight: 55.61 lbs
Morning Feed: All
Evening Feed: All
Training Highlight: Today we took a trip to Hollywood Blvd! It was a big deal for Maru being that she had to deal with so many distractions. She can act skittish when the metro bus passes on a busy sidewalk. She’s also scared of skateboards that pass near her. Overall she handled her dog distractions really well. She didn’t bark at the Pomeranian and was able to take these cute pics. I am confident that our next Hollywood trip will be far more better than todays!
Pupdate 10:
Date: Thursday February 9th, 2023
Weight: 55.75 lbs
Morning Feed: All
Evening Feed: All
Training Highlight: Training today went so much better! After multiples reps of her down she is beginning to submit! This means she’s beginning to create trust and is understanding that positive things happen when on command (she may recieve verbal affection, petting her, etc). We didn’t face as many distractions as Hollywood Blvd, but Maru was actually able to be in the moment and be efficient with her energy through the multiple reps of commands. She is comprehending leash pressure and the e collar way better than before. We can now work in public environments without her screaming bloody murder! Great improvement Maru!
Pupdate 11:
Date: Friday February 10th, 2023
Weight: 55.92 lbs
Morning Feed: All
Evening Feed: All
Training Highlight: Maru is really improving full circle! She’s more calm in a Home Depot environment, and people regularly pass around her. Today she looked a lot more confident in public. And she finally completed a down, on command! Keep up the hard work girl!!!
Pupdate 12:
Date: Saturday February 11th, 2023
Weight: 55.97 lbs
Morning Feed: All
Evening Feed: All
Training Highlight: Today we took Maru outdoors to the Griffith Observatory! She handled herself well and wasn’t growling towards any dogs, when she saw them. I noticed she doesn’t really like when dogs come into her intimate space. She can enjoy another dogs company, but at a safe distance. She enjoys other peoples company but isn’t too fond with belly rubs and intimate affection all the time.
Pupdate 13:
Date: Sunday February 12th, 2023
Weight: 55.91 lbs
Morning Feed: All
Evening Feed: All
Training Highlight: We continue to reinforce all commands on leash. Maru has show BIG improvements since day 1. Before she used to be fazed by simple leash pressure and now she walks the streets of Hollywood!
Pupdate 14:
Date: Monday February 13th, 2023
Weight: 55.98 lbs
Morning Feed: All
Evening Feed: All
Training Highlight: WE FINALLY ACHIEVED OFF LEASH HEEL! At Lowe’s we were able to work commands off leash. She can get easily spooked and go into flight mode, hence why I keep her mostly on leash. She’s gained so much confidence during her stay here! She can load up in and out of the car! Training with Maru doesn’t have a finish line, its a marathon! Train day in and day out and the future days for Maru are looking BRIGHT! Keep up the hard work girl, Thank you Maru !!!
