When Two Packs Meet!

We walk as one pack, we migrate together all in tune with each other one human and 52 paws!! So how then for another owner and dog to join us? This is how we do it...a step by step or should that be a paw by paw guide!

1. I walk my pack alone first, especially important for my higher energy dogs, to release excess energy and get them in the mind-set of migration walking.

2. We meet up with my friend and her dog, all dogs are on leash. Once all dogs are calm we allow the dogs to politely greet each other through scent - the "sniff"! They are not allowed to greet face to face as this could be understood as canine confrontation, rather they greet approaching sideways with relaxed body language.

3. If any of my dogs are not in the right mind-set they only get to look, no greeting and no focusing is allowed, their energy must be calm submissive and we simply wait until it is - say one is excited...oh OK so I am referring of course to Peterpan who is fearful/excited when he first sees another dog, as this negative energy can quickly turn to aggression he does not get to greet ...yet! - read on!!

4. Then we begin to walk, humans heads held high and no looking at the ground just straight ahead projecting positive images of the lovely walk we are going to have altogether. Not one paw is allowed in front of either human! At this stage we are each holding the leashes of our own dogs so we are still 2 separate packs!

5. Agan any focusing on the other dog from my pack gets a quick leash correction (to focus is to begin acting-out problem behaviour hey Peterpan!) So we keep going - moving the minds of all dogs forwards into calm or alert submission.

6. Once all dogs are migrating well then my friend begins to hand off her dog to me, I have all my dogs on my left hand side and take on her dog to my right - we do not stop she hands-off to me as we are still moving forwards - no change in energy.

7. I keep walking with my dogs on one side and her dogs on the other - now we are one pack! Gradually once all dogs are in true migration zone, I move my friends dog to the same side as my pack, again we do not stop, this dog goes around my back to join-up with my dogs.

8. Once we have walked this way for a while, say about 30 minutes then we stop for a rest and let the dogs off leash together for some "directed play time" - this means they get to sniff about, run around, play etc but still no excitement as we humans correct this energy as it can so easily change from play to fight! This is the time when Peter can greet the other dogs as we are all one pack Peter accepts this and socializes well as he feels safe under my leadership!

9. Back on leads and we all walk home together - then it is just fine for my friend and her dog to come into my home - as dogs live in the now and "just for now" we have united the dogs as one pack under our human leadership.

These steps, and not even 10 steps, are the only way Peter can learn to greet another dog without fear or aggression and accept them in our home as well, once he knows a dog through this process he is very relaxed around them.

A similar process to this also works to re-bond two or more dogs from the same home-pack who have been fighting previously but are ready to unite as one pack - always consult with a canine professional first though when faced with aggression rehab!!

That's it - this is how I can turn two packs into one pack, whether it is a friends's dog joining us on a walk or a new dog joining my pack the routine works. So once again I see Cesar's Way triumph here...as always!