Pack Walk Norms and Challenges
Our primary service, the pack walk, has been a pleasure for dogs small and large and has helped many dogs socialize to overcome their shyness or reactivity. It’s a joy for owners to get to know their pup’s friends and we’ve had numerous owners tell us they were delighted to see their pets getting along well with other dogs. That said, it can be difficult for non-walkers to understand some of the practical and logistical differences between a pack walk and walking a dog alone.
Pack Walk v. Solo Walks:
During our pack walks, we make a circuit picking dogs up and then dropping them off at a steady fast moving pace. We make certain to “pull over” many times to let dogs sniff and explore and use the bathroom, but the whole four or five dog pack needs to be able to keep pace in a calm, orderly manner and also be able to move up and down many flights of stairs and in and out of buildings efficiently.
Challenges:
We have worked with many dogs to gradually overcome hurdles, but we ask that you work with us and be realistic about what is safe and feasible for the health of both your dogs and our walkers. In some cases, a simple and inexpensive gear change has been all that was needed. In others, a few training sessions with our recommended trainer Sean Lundy (see bottom of page) can make the difference. In some cases, we may need to make other accommodations like recommending our solo/special needs walk or shortening walks. Many of these challenges and solutions are outlined below.
Behavioral Challenges:
Pulling/ Stubbornness/ Physical Stamina in Dogs:
We are trained to help manage these behaviors through leash skills and correction. That said, depending on the size and strength of the dogs, as well as the intensity of the behavior, there are times where these behaviors can become dangerous. Due to the fact that we have multiple dogs tethered to our wrists/hands, excessive pulling can threaten to pull us down in the street or on stairs. Additionally, sometimes pulling can cause injury to your dog’s chest or throat depending on gear and often to our joints as walkers. Excessive stubbornness means we would have to pull your dog along to keep pace, which can cause harm and is not acceptable. Furthermore, sudden stopping can cause us to fall or cause wear and tear injuries to our wrists and shoulders over time. In such cases, a solo walk that allows for our undivided attention and a comfortable pace for your pup may be necessary.
Some of these issues may arise as dogs age and we’ll need to be realistic about accommodations such as shortening walks or switching to solo walks.
Reactivity:
Generally we manage both fear and aggression reactions through preventative measures such as putting a lot of space between us and stimuli (other dogs we see in the street, skateboards or whatever else may cause problems). We ask that owners are forthcoming with their dogs’ challenges even if they seem minor. The more information we know the better prepared we will be to keep them safe. That said, dogs in the pack need to be able to remain or at least return to calm if something triggers them. If a dog in our pack cannot be calmed and will excessively pull towards or away from stimulus, they could probably use some training support or may need to move to solo walks.
Logistical Challenges:
Building safety:
It’s not obvious unless you’re dealing with it, but tight staircases and entryways can become quite dangerous when we have multiple dogs, especially in the case of large dogs. It’s rare that this becomes unmanageable but in select cases we may need to make accommodations like picking up and dropping dogs off solo. We also cannot do pickups unless we have an indoor, spacious place for the dogs to wait. In most cases, the hallways of apartment buildings have been completely fine, but certain single or multi-family homes can present issues with pickups.
Timely pickup:
Our pack walk process includes an expectation that we can get in and out of your apartments in a minute or two such that the majority of walks are spent out and moving. It’s also important to ensure dogs stay unwatched for the minimum time possible. While this has never posed major issues in our many years of operation, behavioral issue like shyness or some logistical challenges like construction being done on the home might mean we need to either switch to solo walks or plan some sort of time accommodation like special pickup time allotments.
We have worked with many dogs to gradually overcome hurdles, but we ask that you work with us and be realistic about what is safe and feasible for the health of both your dogs and our walkers. In some cases, a simple and inexpensive gear change has been all that was needed. In others, a few training sessions with our recommended trainer Sean Lundy (see bottom of page) can make the difference. In some cases, we may need to make other accommodations like recommending our solo/special needs walk or shortening walks. Many of these challenges and solutions are outlined below.
Behavioral Challenges:
Pulling/ Stubbornness/ Physical Stamina in Dogs:
We are trained to help manage these behaviors through leash skills and correction. That said, depending on the size and strength of the dogs, as well as the intensity of the behavior, there are times where these behaviors can become dangerous. Due to the fact that we have multiple dogs tethered to our wrists/hands, excessive pulling can threaten to pull us down in the street or on stairs. Additionally, sometimes pulling can cause injury to your dog’s chest or throat depending on gear and often to our joints as walkers. Excessive stubbornness means we would have to pull your dog along to keep pace, which can cause harm and is not acceptable. Furthermore, sudden stopping can cause us to fall or cause wear and tear injuries to our wrists and shoulders over time. In such cases, a solo walk that allows for our undivided attention and a comfortable pace for your pup may be necessary.
Some of these issues may arise as dogs age and we’ll need to be realistic about accommodations such as shortening walks or switching to solo walks.
Reactivity:
Generally we manage both fear and aggression reactions through preventative measures such as putting a lot of space between us and stimuli (other dogs we see in the street, skateboards or whatever else may cause problems). We ask that owners are forthcoming with their dogs’ challenges even if they seem minor. The more information we know the better prepared we will be to keep them safe. That said, dogs in the pack need to be able to remain or at least return to calm if something triggers them. If a dog in our pack cannot be calmed and will excessively pull towards or away from stimulus, they could probably use some training support or may need to move to solo walks.
Logistical Challenges:
Building safety:
It’s not obvious unless you’re dealing with it, but tight staircases and entryways can become quite dangerous when we have multiple dogs, especially in the case of large dogs. It’s rare that this becomes unmanageable but in select cases we may need to make accommodations like picking up and dropping dogs off solo. We also cannot do pickups unless we have an indoor, spacious place for the dogs to wait. In most cases, the hallways of apartment buildings have been completely fine, but certain single or multi-family homes can present issues with pickups.
Timely pickup:
Our pack walk process includes an expectation that we can get in and out of your apartments in a minute or two such that the majority of walks are spent out and moving. It’s also important to ensure dogs stay unwatched for the minimum time possible. While this has never posed major issues in our many years of operation, behavioral issue like shyness or some logistical challenges like construction being done on the home might mean we need to either switch to solo walks or plan some sort of time accommodation like special pickup time allotments.
Work from Home Pickup Guidelines
Due to the increased regularity of clients working from home, we spoke with the trainer we work with Sean Lundy (see bottom of page) and created some suggestions about what can make pickups most successful. We’ve found that when parents are home, dogs are more likely to show signs of being unbalanced or agitation: stubbornness on walks, pulling towards home, hiding near their parents’ legs or barking excessively to alert their parents of our presence. This makes for a more difficult start to the walk and initial immersion into the daily pack. No guidance perfectly fits all dogs so we encourage parents to consider their own dog’s needs when adapting our suggestions.
Create a routine
Dogs and pets in general thrive on routines. When owners aren’t home, we find dogs tend to get into a pretty consistent pattern of behavior around pickups. When owners are home, there are naturally many more variables around what’s happening in the house as they might be preparing meals, attending zoom meetings, exercising or any other number of possibilities. If you find your dogs are showing behavioral challenges, take some time to consider if there’s any way you can eliminate variables, such as placing your dog in their crate or in your entrance way at the same time daily before we come for walks. This consistency will greatly help to keep your dog in a calm, happy state and ready to enjoy their walk. |
Calm, Hands Off Approach
It can seem counter-intuitive, but dogs are likely to get riled up if they see their owners rushing to address us, suit them up or hype them up to meet their friends. The relationship between a dog and its owner/s is a high value one, so there is little we can do (even giving them treats or encouraging them) that will make them more excited about leaving with us than wanting to stay close to their owners. While we appreciate the warmth of a quick hello, in most cases the ideal process is to allow us to calmly enter, get your dog ready and swiftly continue on our way. It may seem strange to effectively ignore your dog, us and the proceedings, but a dispassionate normalized pickup will help your furry friends focus on how excited they are about their walk! 
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Trainer Sean Lundy
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We’ve been working with Sean since the inception of the company and customers have reported great satisfaction in terms of his knowledge, demeanor as well as the feasibility of his training regimes. Sean is a true animal lover and a wonderful person. We feel lucky to have connected with him and collaborated in the best possible pet care. Sean will often recommend a three session training package and in that time will be able to both work directly on your pup’s behavior himself and empower owners and family to know how to maintain and improve behavior.
More info from Sean’s website: Sean Lundy, founder of Walk Dog Talk Dog, is a Certified Canine Behavior Consultant and Dog Trainer. He has been working with dogs for 20 yrs, specializing in Obedience Training , Problem Behavior Modification and Aggression management. Sean's unique approach to dog training has been developed through years of education, research, observation and personal experience. You will learn how to build a better bond between you and your dog using Walk Dog Talk Dog as your guide. Sean has worked & volunteered with numerous humane and rescue organizations. He is also highly recommended by veterinarians through out New York City. |
