Mabon
Scottish Deerhound
Orange, Ca | Three-Week Board and Train
Meet Mabon, the Scottish Deerhound. Mabon is a large 8-month-old puppy here to learn some manners and off-leash skills. She’s had some basic obedience training. However, her family could use a good vacation from this cute, no-longer-tiny terrorist. Follow her on her journey to off-leash freedom!
August 2nd, 2026
Mabon spent her first day getting acclimated to her new surroundings. She wasn’t thrilled to be dropped off at puppy boot camp. She weighed in at 68.6lbs. We went for a summer stroll so Mabon could familiarize herself with her new surroundings. She enjoyed frolicking with the flexi leash and stretching her legs in our nearby park. She tried to say hi to everyone who walked by. She ate all of her dinner. We did spruce it up with some rice, green beans, and shredded chicken to be most appetizing to a stressed-out baby. She was also gifted a very yummy bully stick, which she has made a point of saving for a later inspection time. She began wearing the e-collar for her acclimation window, and we went for a long stroll to avoid any sadness. She was unsure of all the cars passing us on the street but was happy to explore. Although I have a suspicion she is already plotting my demise. She wants to do lots of zig zag stopping so I trip, and we both end up murdered so no one can do anything. We immediately began working on door manners and not crossing the street without permission. She has some thoughts about her lack of freedoms yet, but adjusted well. She was tired but did some whining after we came home and had lots to say with her eyes. As I write this now, she is doing some serious side-eyeing.
August 3rd, 2026
Mabon had a long day adjusting to her life in puppy boot camp. She had to go on lots of walkies for her potty breaks. She was offended by the sun. She had big feelings about people riding bicycles, scooters, motorcycles, and walking dogs. During the day, there was more intrigue towards everything, but at night she was more concerned. Trying to hide behind me or approached cautiously. She ate all her breakfast, which included some rabbit juice, but was not a fan of her dinner, which had some sweet potato. We will try again tomorrow. She is working on her crate and door manners. She is getting better at sitting nicely to put on and take off her collars. She is making progress on our front door. She is working on keeping the door fully open and using a release word before leaving the premises. She is working on her regular recall and finish. She tends to lag or zig-zag rather than head forwards on walks, but with lots of distractions in the evening, she got a lot of reps in. Her sitting on command is getting easier as we navigate tethered space. Which means bathroom times and shower training happen often. Hopefully by bath day she will be unfazed. She did murder her water bowl, but I have an inkling that she either sat on it or leaned against the bowl, which made it snap and spill. Requiring blanket drying time and a new bowl. We began reintroducing down and placed both inside and out. She did sleep through “the night” last night, 1 am – 5 am, waking for early morning walkies to go potty. We got to spend some quality time working on settle during the day while we waited for cooler weather. In between her walks, she appreciated settling under the fan. Growing girls require lots of naps; however, I think it will take more time for her to realize what settle actually means.
August 4th, 2026
Bon Bon went out and about to work on her commands and have some new adventures! The park she enjoyed frolicking in has been closed for the rest of the summer for its usual maintenance. She wanted to say goodbye and give the nice construction people some of her opinions on the matter. She met some tiny people who were having a library day at the park. They had to stay focused on their instructors, but Bon enjoyed all the compliments and would have liked to eat some of the tiny people’s snacks. We perused a gym where we ate snacks and watched people work out and park their scooter/motorcycles. She had conflicting feelings, but she persevered. She is getting very good at sitting at the door, and we began adding place to her daily repertoire of walkie activities. She has deemed that activity not as fun. However, she decided to eat all her food today. Rabbit broth was the way to go. I have since learned my lesson. She seems to be adjusting better. She did sleep through the night, and after each of our sessions, she requires another nap to function as a growing baby.
August 5th, 2026
Mabon had a long day working on her e-collar conditioning. We went to different locations where she learned what the feeling means while people-watching. She did enjoy all the cheese she got as her reward. She seems to be very interested in what other people are up to, especially if they have strollers or bicycles. She has decided to let me know she is not a fan of getting in the car. So we worked on getting in and out of the car and going on short drives. To which she was deeply offended and required extra snacks. After overcoming her car experiences, she enjoyed frolicking in new grass areas. The Bon worked very hard today and appreciated all the compliments and potential onlookers while she was showing off her recall.
August 6th, 2026
Mabon had a long day working on her e-collar conditioning while putting distraction work on her place, sit, door manners, and recall. She finally got to meet the Stwabbles; he was very excited to meet her, as she was of him. They enjoyed a long stroll. He showed her the ropes of sitting at curbs and lying down in public spaces. She was wary of that one, but by the end of the walk she felt more tired, which made it easier for her to be so exposed. It also helped that he gave her lots of kisses and encouraged her to be brave. She seemed less concerned with the passing cars and the people passing us. She had her own personal emotional support doggy. It was nice having her walk with someone who doesn’t care about those things; it made her second-guess whether she should be concerned or not. She did not eat all of her food today, but she did get lots of treats. We even spruced up her food with some chicken broth because we ran out of rabbit. Which apparently was not as good as straight-up cheese and turkey. She’s working on adding duration to her positions, which is very hard for a baby who wants to do things and go places. However, she does tire fast, which helps build the duration. She seems rather confident now in her abilities, so much so that she’s reliably coming when tapped, sitting when asked, and lying down when told. She seems rather partial to praise and being called the best girl ever while my screams match Stitch’s barks in pitch. She has her own entourage of cheerleaders.
August 7th, 2026
Bon Bon spent her day with her new best friend, Stwabbles. He’s showing her the ropes on walks and how to be an off-leash baby! She’s still working on that part, but little does she know he’s also a very good distraction to help get our reps in! Stwabbles had to show her his favorite place of all. The beach! She thought they were going to frolick together in the sand, but little did she know he’s a raging water-holic who must peer-pressure everyone in the water with him! She said politely no thank you! However, he does not take no for an answer, and after several minutes of demand barking, she agreed to face her fears and step her feet in! The water was very warm, and the tide was low enough for maximum frolicking through waves. Now Bon wanted nothing to do with the waves and decided to be a supervisor from the shoreline. However, Stwabbles thinks this is his world, and we are just participants in it. He was not accepting no for an answer and proceeded to trick and bamboozle her into the water by telling her he would play with her. She did fall victim to his crimes and got splashed right in the face! This made Stwabbles quite pleased as he got soaking wet, which is his goal! She had to retreat to safety until her inhibitions were lowered again by false promises of a cute old man. However, the next time she was more prepared and went in willingly once the water had already crashed. She’s a very smart cookie! By the end of our time there, she neither hated nor loved the water and slept the whole way home! She did not finish her breakfast but ate all her dinner. She’s holding onto hope for more snacks; unfortunately, it is working because she is being so good that she gets all the snacks! A balance will be struck shortly.
August 8th, 2026
Mabon had a busy day! She was so tired this morning that we had to convince her to get up. She said she did so much yesterday and needed to snooze longer. She has rethought her position on sleeping through the night and is now a big fan. She reluctantly went to work and felt she was a very good assistant. She was so proud of herself. Saying she did the best distraction work, making her the best distraction dog. She got to practice her commands for other people and made new friends. She showed off her zoomy skills and really big hops! She did lots of walking and slept the whole way home. She said she was just resting her eyes, though. At our paint and train class, she got to work on her place skills. Building her distance and duration. Everyone was so impressed with how good and cute she was. Making new friends and got lots of snacks. She did eat all her food today! We were very proud. She definitely worked up an appetite.
August 9th, 2026
Mabon started working on her off-leash reliability by going for walks with the leash dragging. For now, she will be under Stitch’s influence in off-leash freedom. She has to earn her detachment. Currently, she thinks this is a fun game where she has full access to him because he cannot escape her. Our walks are structured, so she has to keep up rather than try to play, which Stitch is grateful for. We spent the rest of the day working on her people-watching and settling into place while we cleaned our garage. She got to see lots of people and dogs pass. For the most part, she just calmly watched as others would cautiously try to approach but would redirect when told to leave them. It wasn’t until nightfall that things got a little spooky. She had some concerns and occasionally addressed them via medium woofs or by trying to lead us back to the door. However, her night walks have become a source of comfort. Especially with Stitch, she enjoys frolicking with him and is less concerned with the people or car passing compared to just hanging outside with us. She has begun not wanting to finish her food in one setting; I blame the treats. We begin fading treats this week, so she will be disappointed when that number goes down.
August 10th, 2026
Bon spent her day working on her distractions! She was my assistant at work and got to see lots of other dogs. She wasn’t allowed to say hi, but she was fine with that and just enjoyed frolicking around as a great distraction! We began working on her heel out in public, and even though she found that game very rude, she did well! She would rather frolic like her people, but she enjoyed the pets as we walked and all the compliments she got. She is doing a lot more check-ins now on our walks and responding well to the ecollar. She ate most of her food today. The chicken snacks were better than no snacks, but she prefers new snacks every time! How silly of me not to know this by now! We are building her duration at the door now, which she finds my shenanigans to be silly and pointless. Nevertheless, Stwabs has convinced her to give it a try before plotting my demise. I appreciate his efforts.
August 11th, 2026
Mabon had a long day going on adventures. We worked on her dragging the leash outside and began implementing door manners. We went to a cool dog event where she got to see lots of different dog breeds and people. She got to try scent work. She had fun looking through the boxes but did not want the cheese! She made a new corgi friend named Percy. She’s getting better about getting in and out of the car now. We no longer need to provide her with emotional support or assistance to get in the car. She just jumps right in and waits to get out. There is starting to be a consistent level pattern and number she understands. She has been eating all her food, but she does not eat it all at once. She eats, then stops, and later we try again. She got so many compliments and people wanting to know where she came from and all about her today. It was interesting trying to see who knows who!
August 12th, 2026
Bon spent the day working on her duration and getting groomed! Today was bath day, and Mabon had to participate in getting all nice and clean and washing her bed. She had lots of thoughts about getting bathed, but she survived and tolerated it well. She didn’t understand why Stitch was so excited, but she enjoyed the emotional support through the difficult time. She had the zoomies after her bath. Frolicking at full speed, drying mid-run. She worked on her leash dragging skill by herself today! She’s moving on up. She was slow to do everything I asked, but she did do it! As she starts to understand her freedom, we will get stricter. She also got to practice adding more duration to her place command. She decided she wanted to go to bed when we were done; she was tired of me. She did eat all her food today, yay!
August 13, 2026
Mabon had a fun day at the park, working on her off-leash skills. She frolicked and reviewed all her commands. She’s getting better in the car but still hates car rides. Today she had an accident in the car. She got distracted during her potty activities and decided she should finish while we were on the freeway! However, it gave us a great opportunity to work on off-leash skills in public while I cleaned the car. We later worked on her grooming skills, laying on her side while we worked on her nails and brushed her hair. She was not a fan, but she accepted the ham. She required lots of ham. She did some gardening with me and now enjoys the hose, but only for the purpose of some fresh running water. She checks in regularly and is improving her distractions.
August 14th, 2026
August 15th, 2026
Bon went on an all-day adventure to a dog show! She did tolerably well for the long drive. When we arrived, she and Stwabbles were able to explore some wilderness areas and de-stress. She did lots of people- and puppy-watching. Most of the time she stayed focused and ignored everyone except Stwabs. She viewed him as her personal pillow and punching bag. Stwabbles had to tell me every crime she committed for proper compensation. He was not amused, but he tolerated the abuse because he likes her. So he accepted his fate until I’d intervene and tell her she was not allowed to use Stwabbles as she see fit because he is old and fragile and she is quite large and bony. She did not like that answer. We worked on brushing and clipping her nails. She also was not a fan of that activity but enjoyed using us as a pillow instead. She got lots of compliments from onlookers. After the show, we went to the beach to celebrate Stwabbles’ qualifying score. Bon tried to tell him to go to seawolrd instead, but Stwabs was insistent on the beach. At the beach, Bon discovered her newfound tolerance to the baby waves. They had big feelings about boats. Stitch would like his own wave maker, and Bon did not appreciate them making the waves! She was so brave and went in the waves anyway, willingly by herself, to hang out with the Stwabs. It was a very long day, and when she went home she knocked out.
August 16th, 2026
Mabon had a fun day frolicking free, working on her off-leash skills. She got to show off to the neighborhood her off-leash heel and enjoy some frolicking time. She very much enjoyed galloping around getting herself tired. We went to an outdoor mall where she worked on holding her downs and sits around distractions. She ignored lots of dogs and got to work on her greeting skills. To which she feels on her side is the best position to ask of her since it allows optimal pets by multiple people at the same time. She got many compliments and pets. She enjoyed that aspect of the day! She ate most of her food for both meals, but I think she still holds out for treats. However, for dinner she had some sardines mixed with her food; she very much enjoyed she had to stop her nap to come investigate what delicious smell was coming from the kitchen! She said she should do quality control to be sure it’s actually safe.
August 17th, 2026
August 18th, 2026
She spent the day working on her off-leash skills out in public. We went to a farmers’ market where she got lots of attention and worked on her polite greetings, weaving through a crowd, and being petted and examined by strangers. Mabon did no finish her food today, which was very rude because we did lots of walking and she needs her energy. She only wanted snacks for her troubles. She also enjoys coming home over going out now, she’s the first to race to the door. She runs to the door and then runs to her bed so she can take a snooze and whenever I tell her let’s go for a walk she pretends that she doesn’t see or hear me. I think she’s getting sick of me now. Granted, we are doing more walkies, and the work is significantly harder since we’re practicing out in public with lots of crowds and distractions, and she has to be on her best behavior. Which seems to be very difficult for her. She’s just a baby who wants to plot murders and do espionage and be cute, but instead she must do walkies, sits, downs, heel, place and leave it and do bonding without jumping or giving people concussions, which is all very hard for a Bon Bon. Those are all her favorite activities. She is getting use to our night time routine of grooming to which she lays down and attempts to snooze while I do her nails and brush her.
August 19th, 2026
Mabon had a long day working on her door manners and being a distraction dog. She then went to an outdoor mall that was very crowded. However, we discovered she loves being a little socialite and appreciated all the drive-by pets she got! It gave her such energy she had a pep in her step; she had to do the little hops and the big stretches to contain her excitement! She worked on her heeling through heavy crowds along with holding sits and downs. She had also decided she would like to go on vacation now. She is tied off all the extra walkies and hard work and just wants people to pet her and to frolic. She ate most of her food today, but we had to bribe her with some fish oil and goat’s milk. She says it was all right; but she prefers the better stuff.
August 20th, 2026
Mabon had a busy day working on her off-leash skills. She went to an outdoor mall with her friend Squinkie. She tried a puppuccino from Starbucks and decided it was very gross; no thanks. She then walked around, soliciting attention from anyone who would pet her, and if they were close enough, she tried to initiate those interactions by doing drive-by boops. She enjoys her nightly frolic time, and she’s been getting so tired that her nightly grooming sessions are funny. She tries to snooze, so she’s too tired to fight me doing her nails, brushing her, or putting cream on her toe beans. She ate all of her food today after she was given lots of treats, compensation, and a special dinner treat to make her food appealing. She then had bonding time while my mom watched TV. She enjoyed the soap opera my mom was watching, and she made sure to tell us how she felt about us eating our dinner without her. She had to be huffy on the other couch.
August 21st, 2026
Mabon went to the beach today, but this time to the pier! She worked on her heel and greetings. She’s gotten a lot better about not jumping on people. There was an event going on that gave us lots of stopping opportunities to talk to people and not say hi. She walked through crowds and passed other dogs and small children, bicycles, and wagons with fishing poles. She was intrigued by what was going on below the pier and did some surfer watching. She later got to work on her duration down out in public when we went out for a little snack! She impressed some people with her size, as well as how well she behaved! She was pooped out afterwards and was ready for bed. She ate all her food today.
August 22nd, 2026
Mabon had her busiest day yet. She was a very good assistant at work. Mabon had to go back to the beach from yesterday, except it was a muggy day, which is nice. After work, Mabon joined us on an off-leash hike. She did not understand why she was forced to drive so far just to walk, just to drive back home. She also didn’t appreciate that the hike was not a fun stroll; she had to go up in elevation, go down, and do it over again, very unlike her walks back home. The hike we took was on the Pacific Crest Trail, and we chose that trail for the freedom to run around. It had really good shade. You could see that on the hike she was sick of us. She was rethinking all her life choices, but after a while she realized and appreciated everything that we did. As she frolicked, she checked in often, even offered a brace several times!
Finally, after she understood why we drove as far as we did to take her on that hike, it was really cute, and we were really happy that she was able to live her best life, running around in a way that wasn’t the city or just a grass area. She also got to see cows, which was very interesting. She was intrigued; her little ear antennas decided they needed to do a little dance, and then that was it. She decided she had to go back to frolicking and never thought about them again, even when we saw them again. When we got back in the car, she knocked out. Apparently she partied too hard, and her little puppy body was like, ” Whoa, guys, all that frolicking requires some hardcore napping”. So she slept most of the way back home. At home she ate most of her food but preferred to be mad at me and get emotional support from everyone who did not take her on this very long day. So she watched TV and got snacks and eventually more of her food, but she didn’t finish it even though it had really good pieces of salmon in it. She said the type of bribery required for her forgiveness was far greater than just salmon. However, later her needs for pets and solicitations were too great, and she gave in, so we got to brush her, do her nails, as she laid down and got some more snacks and pets. She got her last weigh-in, where she was 69.8lbs. She’s gained over a pound while doing lots of walkies and very hard brain activities. Little does she know she’s already practicing and looking forward to her vacation. She wants prime time TV access with Snack privileges, only fun frolicking walkies only. We had a conversation, and she made sure to say frolicking only; she’s out of school, and it would be in my best interest if I remember that going forward.
Mabon’s siblings are not sad. They are resting comfortably without their legs being chewed, their ears being munched and their tails being used as a walking guide. They wondered if they got shredded chicken though as they heard she was getting treats. (Sadie had a dance party last night-but we aren’t supposed to let anyone else know)
Mabon at home goes to bed by 8:30 and wakes up between 5 and 6- you are getting the bad end of the deal on sleeping. She has slept through the evening and night every night since we brought her home at 11 weeks. She is trying to win the puppy Oscar for pitiful behavior,. Sorry about the water bowl- we have a supply. Teach her to shed the crocodile tear on command and you can do movies! (and afford lots of water bowls) What is rabbit juice?
Glad Mabon has cheerleaders and a very handsome friend who is so well trained. Osmosis we hope!
So impressed on this new BonBon who places and sits looking at you. Bon’s sister went to her first show in Colorado and got a reserve even though she was a bit of a wild woman. We love this place work and this looks like a whole new BON to me