At A Glance
Ember is a 14-month-old Labrador Retriever who enrolled in a 2-Week Board and Train with Off Leash K9 Training under the care of Austin. Ember is affectionate, spunky, and high-energy. She already knew several basic commands, but her owners struggled with her focus when distractions showed up. Her program focused on impulse control, distraction proofing, and improving manners like counter surfing and jumping.
Dog: Ember
Breed: Labrador Retriever
Age: 14 months
Location: Richmond, VA
Program: 2-Week Board and Train
Trainer: Austin
Main Focus: Focus around distractions, counter surfing, jumping when excited, obedience reliability
Outcome: More reliable obedience around distractions, improved impulse control, calmer manners in real-life situations
The Challenge
Ember was a great dog with a strong foundation, but her owners needed her to be more reliable when it mattered most.
Before training, Ember:
- Counter surfed and jumped up on things
- Jumped on people when excited
- Knew basic commands (come, sit, down, place)
- Walked fairly well on leash in low-distraction settings
- Lost focus when distractions appeared (new people, other dogs, busy environments)
- Turned her “listening ears off” in exciting situations
Her owners wanted Ember to stay engaged and responsive even when life got busy around her.
The Training Approach
Ember completed a 2-Week Board and Train designed to take existing obedience and make it reliable under distraction.
Training focused on:
- Strengthening obedience with better follow-through and duration
- Building engagement so Ember checks in instead of scanning the environment
- Distraction proofing around new people, dogs, and busy settings
- Improving impulse control to reduce jumping and counter surfing
- Practicing obedience in real-world environments to ensure reliability carries over
- Maintaining Ember’s playful personality while adding structure and boundaries
The goal was not to change Ember’s fun nature, just to make her listening consistent no matter what is going on around her.
The Results
Over the two weeks, Ember began showing better structure and improved reliability around distractions.
What improved:
- Better responsiveness when new people or dogs are present
- Improved focus and engagement during outings
- Stronger obedience follow-through on known commands
- Reduced jumping through clearer boundaries and impulse control work
- Improved household manners, including counter surfing behavior
Ember stayed loving and energetic, now paired with more consistent listening and better everyday manners.
Trainer Insight
Many dogs know the commands. The hard part is doing them when distractions are present. Distraction proofing and impulse control are what turn basic obedience into real-world reliability.
Ready for a Dog Who Listens in Real Life?
If your dog listens at home but ignores you in public or around distractions, a Board and Train can bridge that gap and give you dependable obedience.
Reliable focus changes everything.
Schedule a free consultation to see if this is the right fit for your dog.