“Lucy” Lab/Golden Retriever Mix
Board and Train program results for Lucy, the Lab Golden Retriever mix.
Testimonial / Dog Highlight
Board and Train
When Lucy came to us she was about 1 year old. Some of her behavioral challenges included:
Pulling on the leash, pulling toward other dogs, not listening to commands, being easily distracted, jumping on company, knocking over the baby, not coming when called, barking, digging in the yard, pawing at people for attention, getting the baby’s toys and general over excitability that is hard to control.
One of her mom’s biggest challenges was being able to walk with Lucy and the baby stroller. That was something we knew we really needed to get under control for her.
Dog Training Approach
To train Lucy we had her come stay with us for a 3 week board and train program here with us in Simpsonville, SC. She stayed in our home and trained with the other dogs here, our cat, our chickens and our kids.
Dog Training Tools
We trained Lucy with an Ecollar (as seen in training videos). We use an EZ900 from Ecollar Technologies.
CLICK HERE to see videos of us training with Ecollars and explaining what we are doing with them. Understanding what you are doing with an Ecollar is critical for success with your dog.
Training Loose Leash Walk with a Stroller
Here is a video of Eric demonstrating walking Lucy with a stroller and baby. We also wanted to make sure that a young child could take Lucy for a walk. Because if a 3 year old can take her for a walk without her pulling and listening to commands, then mom and dad can take her for a walk easily.
3 Year Old Toddler Takes 1 Year Old Black Lab for a Walk - Lucy
Taking a leisurely stroll with your toddler and dog might sound relaxing. But what happens when a three-year-old takes charge of handling the leash? It’s a great way to teach both your child and dog valuable lessons, but it also takes some patience and practice.
Setting Up for Success
Before starting, there was emphasis on ensuring no pulling on the leash. A loose leash is a foundational step for safe and enjoyable walks. Lucy had to learn that any tension in the leash meant adjusting her position closer to her handler, in this case Vega (the three-year-old). This small detail helps dogs understand their boundaries and follow properly, even when the handler doesn’t give verbal cues.
Teaching Loose Leash Walking
During the walk, keeping the leash loose was the priority. A leash with slack in it signals that Lucy is in the right position. Anytime tension developed, Lucy needed to correct herself.
This kind of exercise teaches dogs to stay tuned in to their handler. They learn that they’re responsible for maintaining a comfortable pace and position. For Vega, it was a chance to learn through simple guidance—no overcomplicated commands, just consistent walking.
Responding to External Distractions
Walking a dog alongside a stroller comes with unique challenges. For example, Vega learned how to respond when a car approached on the road. Moving Lucy off the street and having her sit while the vehicle passed established a routine for safety.
Using Turns to Reinforce Focus
Training included periodic turns, where Vega had to change direction while Lucy followed. Why turns? They force the dog to focus on the handler’s movements and keep their attention.
At first, Lucy struggled with staying close and avoiding tension on the leash. But over time, she improved. Even though she occasionally got ahead or lagged slightly, you could see her effort to check her handler’s position.
By the end of the session, Lucy’s ability to stay aligned with Vega’s changes of pace and direction was noticeably better.
Tackling Common Issues
One recurring problem was Vega and Lucy getting a bit tangled, especially with the leash crossing in front of the stroller. This is a common issue when walking a dog alongside a stroller, but it’s an easy fix with consistent reinforcement.
Lucy also had to keep calm near distractions, like chickens on the patio at the end of the walk. She’s trained to sit once she reaches the door, and impressively, she did so without verbal guidance. This kind of behavior shows how reinforcement over time builds habits.
Wrapping It Up
Walking a dog with a toddler in Simpsonville—or anywhere—can seem chaotic, but it’s incredibly rewarding. With practice, Lucy developed great leash manners, and Vega gained valuable experience in leadership.
If you’re balancing a dog, a stroller, and a child, remember: the key is consistency. Teach your dog to respect the leash, stay focused on the handler, and respond calmly to distractions. Over time, even the youngest family members can help contribute to a well-behaved dog.
Want help training your dog for better walks? Check out Greenville Dog Training for programs that turn your dog into a leash-walking pro. Whether it’s basic obedience or solving specific issues, professional training can make life easier for both you and your pup.
Dog Training Testimonial
Faith and Andrew give a testimonial after their experience with Dog Psychology and Training Center.
DOG TRAINING TESTIMONIAL "Lucy" Black Lab / Golden Retriever Mix (Board and Train) -Simpsonville, SC
Testimonial Transcription:
“My name's Andrew. And I'm Faith. And we found our dog on the side of the road when we had a four month old, and thought about just taking her to the humane society. But she seemed to check all the boxes we wanted in a dog. And so we decided to keep her. Yeah. Our dog is a black lab slash golden retriever mix.
So she's pretty big. So when we found her as a puppy, she's actually about the same age as our baby. So, they were both about four months old when they. when Lucy the dog came into our lives and we weren't intending to keep her. We tried to find the owners and we just never did. And we fell in love with her but we also knew that having a baby and a puppy would be difficult.
It was. Lucy had a lot of really great natural qualities in her. Like she's naturally a gentle giant and she's, you know, a sweet dog, but of course she was a puppy. And so she sometimes wasn't aware of her surroundings would knock the baby over when she was starting to crawl and walk. It would be really hard.
Some of our struggles with her at the time were, like I couldn't sit on the floor and play with my daughter, the baby while Lucy was there. Cause she would be like all over me. Like think that me being on the floor was about her. We were struggling with, um, walks, she would just pull very hard. Like it was, I couldn't really walk her.
She was too strong for me. Especially when other dogs came by, like it was just, it, she would pull me so hard that I was like being dragged basically. So that was just not acceptable. Um, I think those were our main two behavioral concerns. Can you think of any others? Just like overall good training.
You know, most of the time she would sit when we told her to sit, but if there was a reason for her not to, then she wouldn't. So she thought it was all up to her. So I had talked to my coworker who had used Eric and, DPTC and she highly recommended it. And so I didn't really question it.
I was like, okay. Cause she had told me how great it worked for her dog. So we jumped right in and we signed Lucy up for the three week bootcamp. Iit's definitely an investment, but one that we are so grateful that we made because we now are just living a lot more stress free of a life. Our dog feels like a part of our family and not like something that we just have to manage and struggle through.
Something else that we would struggle with is when company came over, she was just pretty uncontrollable. Since then it's been awesome. Like she, we can go on walks and she doesn't pull. She just, she listens. The place command is one of our favorites. Especially when our baby is eating and she wants to feed Lucy.
Lucy's not doing anything wrong, but the dog distracts her from eating. Being able to put her on place is really helpful. Just like the overall respect, like she doesn't jump on the furniture. She only comes up when we invite her to, so. Which, and then she's like more cuddly when we do invite her up.
So we're so thankful that we had that investment. Eric was amazing with us. He really spent so much time at the pickups teaching us every little detail. When I would have questions, Like about a month after the training, I had some residual questions about like, I'm not sure that I'm doing this right, and he didn't hesitate to help.
He just, he really cares, and you can tell he cares. Lucy, our dog, loved him, so I didn't have any concerns with like, how, She was being treated there. Like she, whenever I would drop her off, she was so excited to see him and he was excited to see her. So she's definitely, your dog is well loved when they're at the bootcamp.
She just came back herself, but a more well trained version of herself. And yeah, we just are so happy with our dog now. I'm expecting again, actually now. It's nice because I don't have any stresses about what life will look like with a dog and two kids because I know that Lucy can handle it because she listens and she obeys and so yeah we just couldn't be more grateful for Eric and his training program and so we just want to say thank you and we highly recommend it.
And I think it really allows us to like enjoy our dog. I mean when we open the door, because she's trained to not run out the door without a break command, you know, We can leave the door open when we're bringing groceries in and not in a full panic that our dog's going to run out or chase the mailman or another dog, um, And even, like, our daughter knows when she throws the ball for Lucy, she says break to break Lucy so she'll go after the ball.
So it definitely, like, allows us to enjoy the dog more when we do want to pet her and give her attention we can because we're not constantly, like, battling with her jumping on us when we're trying to play on the floor with our daughter or, you know, when She doesn't hop up on the couch without being invited up and so it just makes it a lot easier and allows us to kind of set boundaries and enjoy the dog when we want to and enjoy our daughter at other times.
So thank you!”
Help for your dog
If you have ever experienced any behavioral challenges like Lucy’s we can help. Reach out to us on our Contact Page, via email at: [email protected] or you can even text us at 864-252-1484.
Want to see more of Lucy’s dog boarding and training journey at Dog Psychology and Training Center in Simpsonville, SC?
CLICK HERE to find more of the videos of Lucy.
You can also find more videos of other Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers and dogs and puppies of all ages and breeds on our Facebook Page.
If you want to see us putting these things to practice check out the video below.
Find more "How To" Dog Training Videos HERE:
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