Community K9

Meet Leni! She has some stranger danger and reactivity issues around her house. When her humans moved to a new house they wanted the transition to be as low stress and supportive of Leni as possible so they enrolled Leni in our Homeschool program.

During Homeschool she learned how to better regulate herself around strangers in and around the house. The training focused on building her confidence through play and giving her skills to help her feel safe and regulated in her new house.

Leni was previously E-Collar trained elsewhere, but it was not beneficial to her emotional state and her humans had a limited understanding of how to use the tool. During Homeschool she has been relearning the E-Collar so she has a better relationship with it. Her humans have gone through more education on how to use the tool so they can be consistent with the training in the long run.

She also has been integrated into our Pack Hike program and has really been enjoying her time in the woods and on the beach with her friends.

Leni previously did two Board and Train programs elsewhere, but those programs didn’t have her working in her home, around her neighborhood, and her humans were not very involved in the training. With the Homeschool program she got to work around other people and dogs on her home turf while her parents were involved through weekly training sessions. I think a Board and Train is a good idea for specific issues, but for most cases I think keeping the dog at home and keeping their owner involved will yield better results. What do you think? Let me know if you want a breakdown of why I would recommend a Board and Train vs a Homeschool program.

We ♥️ all of our muzzled pack hikers!

They wear muzzles for different reasons and have all gone through extensive training to be able to comfortably wear a muzzle. Each one has a muzzle that is specifically fit to their face with padding that prevents any rubs or irritations. The muzzles allow them to have a level of freedom on hikes that would not be possible without the muzzle.

A muzzle is not necessary for every dog and the dogs who require it are not “bad” nor is there anything “wrong” with them.

There was a time, not so long ago, that some of the traits that motivate us to now muzzle our dogs were strongly desired and selectively bred for. Some of our muzzled friends are weary of strangers, like to herd fast moving items, or don’t disengage from conflict well. Things our ancestors desired in the dogs that worked and lived with them.

Just a few generations later, those genetic predispositions are still strong in some dogs even though they don’t serve a purpose in our modern world. Regardless, those dogs deserve to live a full life and experience the freedom of being in nature with their friends. That’s where the muzzle plays a crucial role in keeping everyone safe and allowing those dogs to live their best lives.

We try to make our pack hikes as inclusive as possible. This means dogs go through extensive training beforehand, we use safety tools like muzzles, remote collars, long lines, etc. and our packs are curated with our dogs temperament and preferences in mind.

We will have a few spots open in Southie for our pack hike program this summer (current clients please stop moving!!) You can submit a contact form on our website (link in bio) to sign up or for more info.