In this video, we are highlighting the importance and effectiveness of pack walking dogs together. We decided to take Venus, an NYBC rescue dog from our facility on a walk with Denali, an adopted NYBC alumni. Venus often shows high reactivity to other dogs and Denali often can be reactive as well when encountering new dogs that he doesn't know, so we chose them to show how a long, steady pack walk can effect their behavior in a positive way. Pack walking greatly increases not only the bond between dog and human, but also between the dogs themselves.
We start the walk a good distance apart and take at least 15 minutes with one dog trailing the other.
As the walk progresses, we switch places, all the while we are evaluating and corrrecting reactive behavior with leash corrections to keep the dogs from being overly focused on each other.
You will see after about 25-35 minutes of brisk walking, both dogs begin to get tired, and naturally become less focused on each other, which is exactly what we want. By giving corrections and keeping their focus on us, we are showing both dogs strong leadership, basically letting them know that they need not worry about the other dog, that the humans are in control and that they can let their guard down without fear of confrontation. This is a key element, as reactivity most often stems from a dogs lack of confidence, which we as pack leaders must instill in our dogs. Pack walking is one of the most important activities for completing this task.
Once both dogs are visibly tired and their pace begins to slow down, you can see that we get them closer together. Now walking side by side, we continue to give corrections, but are calmly and safely allowing the space between them to lessen.
Once the walk is completed and both dogs are visibly tired out, you can see that we were finally able to allow them to get close enough to sniff each other, and clearly, they have trusted us enough to let their guard down and coexist.
Tired dogs are good dogs, and as you can see in this video, we completed our task successfully. Taking the time to walk your dogs as a pack daily, or using pack walks when introducing new dogs into your pack can clearly have a positive effect on your dogs reactivity. If you have friends or family with dogs and you want them to coexist, this would be the best way to introduce them. And most importantly, if you have a pack of dogs, and there is a fight, it is crucial to immediately get them out on a pack walk, and do not separate them, as that can confuse them and make them think they should not be together. We have to pack walk them right away to show them that they are still a pack under your leadership and begin to mend the bond between them.
The benefits of these walks can dramatically improve your dogs ability to socialize with other dogs and are a wonderful, and necessary part of their behavioral development.
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