Hi, we are back with some update of our weekly therapeutic pack walk. This week we have Ginger (golden retriever), Mia (singapore special), Xabi (shetland sheepdog), Gus (water springer spaniel) not forgetting our very own Hyper (border collie), along with Olive and Lady Mae ( both singapore special)
Our usual route will start at robertson quay and we will walk down to either esplanade or gardens by the bay and back, total we will usually take about 3hrs for the whole walk. Of course, not forgetting hydrating the dogs and stopping a few times if some of them need to catch up the stamina 🙂
Mia used to be very skittish while out for walk, shes afraid of alot things from cyclists to people crossing to vehicle, with the help of the pack, she’s more comfortable now, not as reactively as before when she sees cyclist going pass. I still remember vividly the first time i walk her pass a cyclist, she totally shut down and just into a prey mode, panicking and desperately looking to hide! As you can see while on pack walk, mia will be always inner side so they will be dogs “protecting” and “comforting” her fear, and now we have thought that to sit when cyclists approach, and only proceed only after the cyclist have gone pass us. We are happy to see the improvement on her so is her Daddy 🙂
Apart from therapeutic pack walk training, its also a good exercise for them going for a long walk weekly, just like Xabi and Gus, who joined us for a good exercise, socializing and playtime with the other dogs 🙂
We have our Pack Walk weekly either on saturday or sunday morning!
Contact us at : 94897602 (Alan) or email us : thealphapacksg@gmail.com to sign your furkid for our pack walk 🙂
Summer, a 9 months old Maltipoo, joined our pack-walk recently after we had made an assessment of her socialisation skills.
~ Assessing Summer level of socialization skill ~
Like many small dogs, when Summer sees a dog moving towards her, or in her direction, she starts to panic and flee, or hide. Having taken into consideration Summer’s age and lifestyle, we prescribed her our therapeutic pack-walk for starters! Here’re a few pictures we took during our pack walk 🙂
As you can see, we are not trying to ‘flood’ (a term in dog training ) Summer. The dogs on the left are walking with a short leash, while Summer, on the right is permitted a long leash so that she can move freely. In one of the photos, you can see that Summer moved slightly to the right in an attempt to smell the other dogs. Our objective was to create a casual atmosphere in which she had the choice of approaching the other dogs for interaction, when she felt comfortable. This is a perfect example of how we “set the dog up for success” (This a common phrase used in dog-training where conditions and environment are carefully arranged to ensure that there is a high chance for the dog to succeed in performing only the desired behaviour). The factors involved in this pack-walk involved restricting the lengths of the other dogs’ leashes so that they will focus only on walking forward and not going toward Summer, while giving Summer’s own leash the adequate length that she needs to build her confidence level to encourage her to approach any other dog at her own pace and time. According to her owner, Summer used to keep a few meters distance from other dogs and would stop walking when she saw dogs in the vicinity. Well, we definitely don’t recognise that uncertain Summer in the pictures! Another canine friend may have just found her inner balance through the positive power of our pack-walk 🙂
How do we feed multiple dogs? If certain dogs in the pack have food aggression issues, can they still be fed with other dogs? What about dogs that don’t respect boundaries and steal the food of other dogs? How do we control the feeding of multiple dogs?
Before you start
Before we even start preparing the bowls and food for the dogs, we have to know certain things about the dogs:
-Which dogs are fast eaters and which dogs are slow eaters?
-Which dogs have a milder temperament?
-Which dogs have (potentially) a resource guarding issue?
-Which dogs are nosy (i.e. will go to other dogs’ bowls)?
Who eats first?
Once we know which dogs fall into each category, we can move on to the actual feeding.
1) If you’re feeding them in the kitchen, look for a place that’s not too cramped nor too spacious for them.
2) As you prepare the food, the dogs may be excited and jumping around, perhaps even barking. What should you do? IGNORE! We don’t want to push them away, start shouting at them or acknowledge them, as they may take it as play (if we push them about) and our raised tones may get them more excited.
3) When all the food has been prepared, place the bowls on the counter and wait for them to calm down. This may take awhile initially, but they should catch on quickly after a few feedings.
4) How do you place the dogs? Make sure that the dogs that have, or potentially have, food aggression are slightly further away from the nosy dogs, and closer to only the dogs with milder temperament. The more nosy dogs should also be placed next to the dogs with milder temperament. Don’t have the dogs side by side, as they will still be able to see (and perhaps stare at) each other at the corner of their eyes. Place the dogs in a ‘random’ order around the kitchen.
Abby, Lady-Mae and Olive sit and wait patiently for their food bowl. Lady-Mae, who has a milder temperament, separates the two more reactive dogs (Abby and Olive)
5) Once all the dogs are sitting quietly, you can start placing the bowls on the ground. This is the most difficult part, in my opinion. Moving slowly and deliberately, each dog will have its respective bowl placed in front of him. All the dogs are expected to remain calm and seated. As long as one dog stands, moves or barks, remove the bowls and put them back on the counter. Wait for them to sit again and continue placing the bowls on the ground.
Twinkle, Cotton, Hyper, Lady-Mae and Abby (Olive is hidden behind the washing machine) wait patiently (or stare longingly) for the release word to eat
6) When all the bowls have been placed in front of each dog and all of them are waiting calmly and patiently, they are ready to be released to eat. This can be tricky as well: you need to release each dog separately (by calling their name or tapping them gently on the head). You want to allow the dogs who eat slowly to eat first, then move on to the faster eaters.
7) You must watch the dogs at all times as they are eating. If you notice any change in behavior in any of the dogs which indicate resource guarding (for example, their eating slows suddenly, staring or tension in their body, they lose focus on the food, low growling, showing teeth, etc.) quickly remove their bowl by lifting the bowl up and towards the dog’s face. Resettle that dog slightly further away from where he was initially. He is telling you that you are feeding him too near the other dogs for now, and we need to respect that.
For nosy dogs that like to go to the bowls of other dogs, be sure to keep them a further distance from the other dogs. As mentioned before, they can be placed slightly nearer to the dogs with mild temperament. Always keep an eye on these nosy dogs to make sure they are focused on their own food bowl. Anytime they look away to the other bowls, distract them and get their attention by making a kissy noise, or use your legs and hands, or move to block their attention and make sure they are sitting calmly again. Always make sure you have the most attention from nosy dogs!
8) As soon as each dog has finished eating, remove their bowl and have them leave the feeding area or kitchen. This is to give more space for the dogs who are still eating.
Always ensure that the feeding ritual proceeds only if the dogs are not jumpy and excited. We want to reward calm behavior. We also want them to be okay eating with other dogs around, and as they get used to doing this, we can gradually move their bowls closer to each other.
Do not attempt to feed more than two dogs until you have had sufficient practice and are confident in reading the dogs’ body language. It is also recommended that you only feed dogs together when they are familiar with each other and when you are familiar enough with them to know their temperament.
In the case that the feeder loses control or a fight breaks out:
1) Remove the bowl that the dogs are fighting over.
2) Immediately make a loud noise – clap your hands or bang the counter. This breaks the intentions of other dogs, if they were thinking of going nearer or getting into the fight.
3) Remove the scuffling dog that is closer to you. Never grab by the collar, as it may slip and the dog may redirect the aggression on you; instead grab their hind leg from the hips and pull them back as fast and as far as possible, then let go and hold on to their collar or neck (the scuff).
4) Don’t pet the dogs. Just hold on to both dogs and wait for them to calm down. Calming signals include yawning, shaking their body and looking away from the other dog. Then slowly let go of them.
Always remember that the fight occurred because the feeder/owner failed to recognize the signals from the dogs, so make sure that you are constantly on the lookout for signals from the dogs that they are not comfortable with the dog next to them. As we continue to feed them together, they will start to trust the dogs around and improve their resource guarding issues.
The dogs in this video have walked together once a week for the past 2-3 months and I regularly practice multi-dog feeding as part of my training.
For a month, we have had the pleasure of hosting a Golden Retriever called “Ginger” on our Saturday pack-walks. Walking and chilling at a cafe afterwards while the humans have breakfast help her socialise in a relaxed manner with both dogs and humans.
We are happy to observe a healthy and gradual progress in Ginger’s behaviour!
I leave you with some pictures taken during one of our delightful pack walks!
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