Ace is a Goldendoodle in Leawood who pulled toward every squirrel and jumped on arrivals. Across 4 in-home sessions and a two week board and train between 15 June and 7 July 2026, front yard box drills turned his heel around: he began giving the leash real space and offering eye contact instead of pulling. The board and train also surfaced crate panic and dog directed reactivity that the in-home sessions had not, and the plan changed to match. By 7 July his down had clicked and he was dropping on a finger point with no leash guidance.

Week 4 · 2026-06-17

Ace, a Goldendoodle puppy in Leawood, had his first real heel lesson this week, and by the end he was walking right alongside, checking in with eye contact instead of chasing every squirrel and bird.

We worked it in the front yard with short box drills: change direction, keep moving, and let him figure out where the comfortable spot is. The first few reps he wanted to pull and tangle the leash. A few turns later he was giving space and keeping pace.

That Goldendoodle puppy brain goes everywhere, so the key was repetition and praising every check-in. Place and recall are both holding strong at home, too. Smart pup.

Wins: first heel · loose-leash walking · puppy focus · calm greetings

Week 5 · 2026-07-07

Ace is a Goldendoodle puppy in Leawood with plenty of brain and plenty of go, and this week was all about teaching him to switch it off.

We introduced ‘down’ today. The first few reps were a real struggle, then it clicked: by the end he was dropping on a finger point with no leash guidance at all. Alongside that we worked on calm greetings, ignore the excitement, wait him out, and reward the moment he settles instead of the jumping.

The bigger lesson was rest. A puppy whose mind never stops can’t learn to be calm, so we built in structured crate time after each short session. Ace settled into the back of his crate on the third try, head down, relaxed, no fuss. That quiet is where the training actually sticks.

Wins: crate calm · down command · puppy settle · impulse control