At A Glance
Titus is an 8-month-old Saint Bernard/Poodle mix who enrolled in a 2-Week Board and Train with Off Leash K9 Training in Toledo, Ohio, working with trainer Dylan Beck. As a large young dog who is expected to continue growing, Titus needed more dependable obedience and better everyday manners before his size made inconsistent behavior increasingly difficult for his family to manage.
Although Titus already knew some commands, his owners described him as stubborn and selective about when he chose to respond. Distractions made following commands even harder. He also became overly excited and played roughly with people and other dogs, while showing some nervousness around unfamiliar people.
Dog: Titus
Breed: Saint Bernard/Poodle mix
Age: 8 months
Location: Toledo, OH
Program: 2-Week Board and Train
Trainer: Dylan Beck
Main Focus: Command reliability, distraction work, rough play, dog manners, stranger confidence, responsiveness, and overall control
Outcome: Training underway to build more dependable obedience, better manners, and greater comfort around people and dogs
The Challenge
Titus entered training as a very large adolescent dog whose family was having difficulty getting consistent responses from him. He understood some commands, but knowing a command and reliably following it were two different things.
Before training, Titus:
- Knew some commands but responded selectively
- Was described by his owners as stubborn
- Often treated commands like a negotiation
- Lost reliability when distractions were present
- Became highly excited around people
- Could play too roughly with people
- Played roughly with other dogs
- Needed better manners around dogs
- Showed some nervousness around unfamiliar people
- Was reportedly more nervous around women than men
- Needed stronger overall control as he continued growing
Because Titus is already a large dog at only 8 months old, his family wanted to improve responsiveness and manners before he became even bigger. Trainer Dylan also noticed some uncertainty around strangers during Titus’s first day in training. However, he reported that Titus was already beginning to warm up quickly.
The Training Approach
Titus entered a structured 2-Week Board and Train program focused on building more reliable responses and improving his ability to work through distractions.
Training focuses on:
- Improving command consistency
- Strengthening responsiveness to direction
- Practicing obedience around distractions
- Building better handler engagement
- Reducing selective responses to known commands
- Developing calmer interactions with people
- Improving manners around other dogs
- Addressing overly rough play
- Building greater comfort around unfamiliar people
- Giving Titus experience in different public environments
- Creating better overall control as he matures
One important part of Titus’s training will be seeing how he responds to unfamiliar people and environments outside of the training setting. Because Dylan observed some initial nervousness around strangers, controlled outings can provide additional information about what situations Titus finds challenging and give him opportunities to practice more appropriate responses.
The Results
The provided transcript was recorded just over 24 hours into Titus’s two-week program, so it does not include his final results. One early development was already noted: Dylan reported that Titus was beginning to warm up quickly after initially showing some uncertainty around unfamiliar people.
His program is designed to improve:
- Command reliability
- Responsiveness around distractions
- Handler engagement
- Overall obedience
- Manners around people
- Appropriate interactions with other dogs
- Control during excitement
- Comfort around unfamiliar people
- Consistency in different environments
- Everyday manageability as he grows
Titus’s final progress should be evaluated after the full two weeks, particularly around distraction reliability, interactions with unfamiliar people, and manners around other dogs. Specific claims about eliminating nervousness, rough play, or selective obedience should be confirmed through his completed training footage and trainer assessment before publication.
Trainer Insight
Large adolescent dogs can present a unique management challenge when they understand commands but do not respond consistently. As Titus continues growing, behaviors such as ignoring commands, rough play, and becoming overly excited can become increasingly difficult for owners to manage simply because of his size and strength.
Reliability matters just as much as knowing the command itself. A dog that responds in a quiet setting but stops listening when distractions appear still needs opportunities to practice those skills in more challenging environments.
Titus’s nervousness around unfamiliar people also deserves a measured approach. Confidence should be developed through appropriate experiences rather than assuming that obedience alone will resolve uncertainty around strangers. Similarly, rough play with other dogs should be managed carefully while Titus learns more appropriate manners and responsiveness.
Ready for More Reliable Obedience in Toledo, OH?
If your dog knows commands but responds only when it feels convenient, becomes difficult to manage around distractions, or needs better manners around people and other dogs, structured training can help build clearer communication and more dependable behavior.
Schedule a consultation today with Off Leash K9 Training Toledo to discuss your dog’s needs and available training options in Toledo, Ohio.