The Pack Dog Training (2024)

25/08/2024

Everyone say hello again too Goose who had a training session with Kelly this afternoon.

Owner concerns: socialization

Assessment finds: Goose had his initial assessment with Zofia and she saw that this was not a dramatic case or even a reactive dog, but just the pup that needed some polishing up on his socialization skills.

Our prescription: Zofia recommended that Mom and Goose did a session with me and the pack to talk about how to set him up for success with learning how to be a more well-rounded dog.
We met at Patterson Park and I brought out almost the entire van, starting with Cooper where we did a little off-leash play that was absolutely adorable. I then added Bogey and Robert James. Followed up by swapping out Robert James for Shadow the husky. Shadow and Bogey then got swapped out for Pebbles who got swapped out for Scrappy.
Gave Mom the opportunity to see the difference in his reaction to a variety of different sizes, sexes and temperaments while we went over dog body language and communication along with the importance of leadership and guidance by both humans and the dogs we allow around our dog.

Stay tuned: We recommended to either sign up for a couple more Pack walks or utilize our closed Facebook group for our clients to connect with others going through programs to set up doggy dates and parallel walks.

24/08/2024

What is an e-collar?

We have come to sessions where a client claims to be working with an e-collar but then shows us one of the first 7 products.

These are not a true e-collar!
Why?

🚫 Because they are not TENs machines (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) but usually true electricity (OUCH!) ⚡
🚫 Because they don't have a multitude of levels - with the Mini Educator having 100 and the Dogtra having 125. More levels means the ability to find that perfect range for you and your dog, which is very personal to the dog and handler and their relationship.
🚫 Because they cost less than $50 and you get what you pay for. The basic Mini Educator is $250 and the Dogtra sometimes more depending on the style.

If you're going to go the route of the e-collar, first and foremost please contact a professional whether it be us or another trainer in your area, there are also a multitude of fantastic online programs and even some free YouTube videos that can give you the basics. Please do not just buy a collar, slap it on your dog and try to figure it out yourself.
Next, please buy a quality product. There is a reason why 99.9% of e-collar trainers use one of the two aforementioned styles: Mini Educator or Dogtra.

What ecollar brand do you use?
Have you been using an off brand?

24/08/2024

What is an e-collar?

We have come to sessions where a client claims to be working with an e-collar but then shows us one for the first 7 products.

These are not a true e-collar!
Why?

🚫 Because they are not TENs machines (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) but usually true electricity (OUCH!) ⚡
🚫 Because they don't have a multitude of levels - with the Mini Educator having 100 and the Dogtra having 125. More levels means the ability to find that perfect range for you and your dog, which is very personal to the dog and handler and their relationship.
🚫 Because they cost less than $50 and you get what you pay for. The basic Mini Educator is $250 and the Dogtra sometimes more depending on the style.

If you're going to go the route of the e-collar, first and foremost please contact a professional whether it be us or another trainer in your area, there are also a multitude of fantastic online programs and even some free YouTube videos that can give you the basics. Please do not just buy a collar, slap it on your dog and try to figure it out yourself.
Next, please buy a quality product. There is a reason why 99.9% of e-collar trainers use one of the two aforementioned styles: Mini Educator or Dogtra.

What ecollar brand do you use?
Have you been using an off brand?

24/08/2024

Everybody say hello to Coca who had another training session with Kelly out of her five package program this morning.

Owner concerns: Basic manners, Recall, Socialization

Where we started: Coca is a fairly traumatized Street dog and Dad's first dog ever. He lives in a very saturated part of Vancouver and when we first started working together you would have thought that she was a coyote that he put on leash. Absolutely no handler relevance, constantly in a state of anxiety and hypervigilance.

What we did: we did several sessions together before I got the opportunity to board Coca while Dad went out of town. This gave me some great insight to her foundational anxiety and gave me the opportunity to condition her to some new tools. We added in a prong collar for better communication and control which was an absolute game changer for her and her dad. I also conditioned the e-collar.

How it's going: today we met back at the original Park where we started and it was like night and day. We did e-collar conditioning with Dad to show him the techniques and benefit to help coca with her anxiety.
There is such a misconception and flat out lie being spread that you should never use an e-collar on a fearful or anxious dog when it's honestly the exact opposite. We have found this tool to be so effective as a tactile stimulation to interrupt anxiety spiraling, which is exactly what happened with Coca.
I brought out several dogs from Cooper to Ozzie, Ferris, Walter and Simon used as a distraction for Dad to practice his levels and bringing her attention back to him.
By the end of the session this girl was so relaxed and neutral it proved to Dad that it was a tool he wanted to add to the toolbox.

What's next: he will be borrowing and e-collar from us while doing his own research over the next few weeks before she comes to me again for another board where I can polish everything up.

23/08/2024

This is 11 week old Bear the day we met. A little 50lb floof that had arrived the week prior from his breeder in the Ukraine.
His then mom had hired me to be proactive about his training, and despite our best efforts, we could not train out hundreds of years of bred livestock guardian breed genetics. He no longer fit in the family home environment in Richmond and after an incident with a construction worker on property, his family could no longer handle him.
She asked which shelter she should take him to and I knew that would destroy him, so I agreed to take him myself and try to find a home where he could thrive with his breed need.
We all know how this story went: me falling in love and after a year of hard training, of both me to him and him to me, we agreed he was home. I am telling you right now I walked into the situation with this 200 lb Caucasian Shepherd thinking "I'm an aggressive dog trainer, I can handle this" and he humbled me beyond words. He was a dog that I couldn't be too soft but also couldn't be too hard, I had to give pressure but not force, I had to make clear boundaries but not discipline. I literally spent almost the first year with him walking around my house in a cage 🙃 He was worth all the time, money and stress as he made me better as I made him better. We built trust and love and that took time, but when it finally solidified, I don't know if I have had a connection with a dog like I had with him.

Being his mom was an honor and privilege ♥️

RIP my sweet baby Bear 🐾

23/08/2024

After being diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma in April, I let Bear go last night.

💙 February 10, 2020: We met - your name was Blue.
🏠 November 8, 2021: You came to live with me.
🌈 August 22, 2024: I had to let you go.

It was an honor being your mom my baby Bear ❤️🐾

We spend a lifetime missing them for the privilege of loving them 💕

23/08/2024

Rex and his session with zofia at the pack!

Owners Concerns: dog (select) and human reactivity, chases motor bikes or any cars that make a Loud exhaust sound, ecollar training, reliable recall - especially with squirrel season upon us. Grooming/nail clipping

Assessment Finds: Rex was a dog who was recommended BE by a behaviourist and I believe a couple trainers, so to see his overall progress and demeanour after just a couple sessions makes us all super pleased. His walking in the building lobby is much more calm, he’s just more regulated overall.

Our Prescription: todays session we started off with nail clipping, apparently he goes ham sandwich when he gets groomed but he did super well today and we got one nail. After that we got a long line and started conditioning long line recall, he’s super sluggish with a leash dragging behind him so if it’s safe I’ve said to mom to take it off. We discussed heel, how to use our body as a pull to get him to recall with hand gestures and walking backwards. We also talked about how right now, for the next week or so, every time he’s recalled he gets a tap (this is of course inclusive of all the drills we’ll do) and in 1-2 weeks, we’ll start to see if he can be conditioned off collar which means, he gets one chance with command to comply, and if he doesn’t, he gets feedback from the ecollar. We also talked about 180 turns with continuous low level pressure to get him super tuned into what the ecollar means - in this case direction and how to follow it, which ultimately is the foundation of recall.

23/08/2024

Bam and his first official session with zofia at the Pack

Owners Concerns: leash reactivity, over arousal, general anxiety, dog reactivity, he also redirects when pushed to his limits!

Assessment Finds: Bam has made progress in areas inside the home. Mom has been implementing more stationary work, and holding him accountable. Bam has always been a dog who grabs various foliage on walks, which turns out, for him, is a precursor to redirect biting when frustrated and pushed.

Our Prescription: we covered a lot in session today, and got a lot of information on Bam and his demeanour. One thing we will always say about redirecting dogs is the safest way to deal with them is to hold them up and out, when they come down from arousal, you can slowly lower them. While it’s never wonderful when we see a dogs mischievous side, it does give us a lot of information on how to move forward. Pushing your dog to threshold offers breakthroughs in training. For bam, the most important piece of homework is an in house leash and the majority of his day should be in place or crate. No couch time, and less physical affection, I want moms to be less soft with him for his behaviour mod program, reason behind this is perception absolutely matters, we’re not angry with him, we just need him to view his people as authority figures who, when they say no, he feels quite happy to listen to them. For leash drills we talked about 180 turns with low level ecollar pressure, we did some leash and prong work but because he’s pushy we’re going to shelve that exercise. Picking up anything off the ground or off bushes is a firm no, we definitely want to shape him NOT using his mouth in moments of arousal and distraction.

Todays session was really hard, but I have to say, mom killed it!!!!

22/08/2024

Training a dog isn’t just about the moments we spend teaching commands. It’s about the consistency, patience, and routines we establish in our daily lives. Real progress comes when we carry that same energy through every interaction, every walk, and every moment together.

21/08/2024

Dog Name: Bayley, 8 months old, Goldendoodle

Owner Concerns: Human reactivity, Basic manners, Separation anxiety, Recall, Biting/ Nipping

Brief Assessment: Bayley is a bit of a hurricane! At 7-8 months old she is a whirlwind of excitement (and all the things that come with that, such as jumping/nibbling/barking and general disobedience). Dad has done a bit of obedience at puppy school but really would like to focus on manners in general as Bayley’s tendency to jump. Bayley has not been taught a whole lot of calmness and also has not been told no (in any matter that really means anything to Bayley). Because she’s so overly friendly, there’s been alot of enabling (by accident!) and a lot of living very freely that’s created this whirlwind of a dog.

Our Prescription: Bayley struggles a ton with boundaries, listening, jumping/nipping (all the things that come with a cross of two working dogs) and being calm. We’ll be working a lot with engagement with the handler and getting the whole family on board with being a bit stricter with Bayley.

Stay tuned for more progress!

21/08/2024

“He’s been barking and is pretty lonely when we leave the house, so we got a second dog to keep him company!”

Yeah, this isn’t the groundbreaking idea you thought it was. There’s already a fire in the home and all we did was add fuel to it! Your first dog doesn’t need a friend, your first dog needs help regulating their emotions, practicing calmness and needs to be a given a space for themself to decompress among many other things before we even consider adding a second dog!

And hear me out, this doesn’t apply to people who have thoroughly thought about their actions in regard to adding a whole other sentient body into their home with the understanding of their existing dog.

21/08/2024

Konas session with zofia at the Pack!

Owners Concerns: separation anxiety primarily, both inside and out of the house, also inside the car when someone departs. Loose leash walking, dog reactivity, ecollar training.

Assessment Finds: this was our 2nd official session and kona is doing very well. She can go to both crate and place on command without an ecollar prompt. Her leash walking skills have improved, her dog reactivity, especially in front of the house is fairly significant. She’s very prong sensitive so we’re actually placing the prong collar below the ecollar. Separation anxiety training is coming along, but as we know it’s a challenge behaviour to train.

Our Prescription: we can start conditioning heel at more of a normal pace, mom was walking slower before. For cont. heel practice I want mom to do 180 sharp turns, both left and right, with continuous ecollar pressure, releasing when she’s in a straight line. Doorways and thresholds should be exited with appropriate mindset, kona doesn’t need a sit or a down at the front door, but I want her attitude to be in a better headspace when she does exit. For place work she’s getting really solid, so I’d like to see her on place with the leash on but not back tied, if she breaks, simply say “no” with an ecollar correction and lead her back to place. For whining in crate we can play around with either low continuous, or a single higher correction, higher for her being around 15-20. Super amazing work!!!! Love to see progress like this.

20/08/2024

Maise and her session with zofia at the Pack!

Owners Concerns: leash reactivity, a smidge of human reactivity on the very low end, jumps on house guests, a little bit of resource guarding, again low end, and primary concern is she chases deer on an up north property and can’t be recalled from them.

Assessment Finds: since our initial assessment Maisie has made a lot of progress with the ecollar and prong collar. Her walking is much more respectful, she understood “no” on the ecollar for jumping up on me. We did a little bit of “out” training with my dog playing with a toy and she definitely showed some her hand there when it came to intent!

Our Prescription: I’ve sent owners a full list of homework to be accomplished before our next session. because we’re in obedience and behaviour mod season, id like for her heel walk to be super structured. We discussed “out” training, and how that should be practice 1-2 times a week for the next couple weeks with something she feels a lot of possession towards so we can copy paste that behaviour when it comes to big game (deer, coyotes, bears) we talked a lot about minimizing our commands, so when we’re recalling, it’s always and only “come”, walk beside us “heel” and when we want her to stop doing something “no”. The next while will be lots of long line work, practicing things like recall with the ecollar, and currently we are tapping for every command. Eventually we will get to a point where we only tap when there is non compliance of a command - except for “out” in the event she’s actively chasing a live animal, in that context we would always tap, and likely and quite a high number.

20/08/2024

Murphys session with zofia at the Pack!

Owners Concerns: redirect biting in moments of over arousal, dog reactivity, loose leash walking, ecollar training, general in home calmness.

Assessment Finds: this was Murphys 2nd session. Crate manners are way up, he’s doing great exiting, place still needs work. He easily breaks Place command with distraction, doorways and thresholds are coming along but needed work. Lower numbers on the collar were annoying him and not offering any clarity. It’s been 4 plus weeks since our initial assessment and working the remote collar, hes well conditioned so we were able to do work higher up on the collar.

Our Prescription: crate is great, keep up with consistent polite exits. Tons of place work. 90% of Murphys life indoors should be on that place bed. His house is a Vancouver apartment so this isn’t an outlandish task. We talked about using the ecollar to create space when he’s pushy with the dishwasher, and also discussed that every “no” should come with a tap on the ecollar. For basic accountability work in the house he’s around a 25-35. We also talked about making sure he’s in a down on place. Outside, and at doorways, Murphys a dog that operates (currently) a lot higher on the collar. We talked about tapping for mindset, and letting him know we don’t like certain behaviour at a higher number right at the front door. Same thing with the two doors leading into the lobby. For heel work right now, Murphys also high on the collar. Making sure to use consistent backward leash pressure to correct heel, and tapping at the same time. For the next few weeks, whenever Murphy looks at a dog we’re tapping at an appropriate number and saying “no” to set a solid expectation that he has no business interacting or looking at other dogs.

One last note, mom messaged me saying “it’s rough over here, Murphy is really struggling” which he was, heel was tough, she was underwhelming him on ecollar with low numbers, but I think what mom didn’t realize is allllll the stationary work she had been doing phenomenally, lead to an amazing session today. So lesson is, if your dog is making progress in one area, it’ll come in others ♥️

19/08/2024

Today is Kelly's 46th birthday 🎂

I am desperate to raise the remaining $5k owed on our legal fees for PB&Chi Dog Rescue Society as if we don't, I get to pay for that myself.

So if you want to give me a birthday present, please make a donation to the rescue in honor of the day I was hatched 🐣

▶️ GoFundMe.com/PBandLegalFees
▶️ PayPal: [email protected]
▶️ E transfer: [email protected]
▶️ Pbandchi.com/give

Let's get to saving some more dogs 🐾

19/08/2024

Today is Kelly's 46th birthday 🎂

I am desperate to raise the remaining $5k owed on our legal fees for PB&Chi Dog Rescue Society as if we don't, I get to pay for that myself.

So if you want to give me a birthday present, please make a donation to the rescue in honor of the day I was hatched 🐣

▶️ GoFundMe.com/PBandLegalFees
▶️ PayPal: [email protected]
▶️ E transfer: [email protected]
▶️ Pbandchi.com/give

Let's get to saving some more dogs 🐾

19/08/2024

Cowboy had his final session with Kelly out of his five package training program this afternoon.

Owner concerns: Human reactivity, Socialization

How it started: Cowboy originally came to us as an emergency boarding situation after Mom couldn't find somebody locally to take care of him on a last-minute trip, we use that opportunity for me to get to know him and his issues and what we could work on when she got back. She had already been through several training programs with other trainers but unfortunately never achieved the goals that she had hoped for. He's still with extremely excitable meeting new people and had little to no manners engaging with other dogs.

What we did: first off I was able to tell very quickly that his excitability and anxiety was based on, most likely, a chemical imbalance. We started microdosing THC and adding in much more structure in the home and on walks. She was using a chest harness extremely unsuccessfully, so we switched over to a prong collar. She was also using an e-collar from a previous trainer but in the smallest capacities so we opened up the versatility of that tool to help her in a wide range of his training. We focused all training both inside and outside on NEUTRALITY.

How we finished: We met at Moody park in New West which was quite busy with distractions and triggers. I brought out dogs he knew and new dogs for mom to polish up her techniques and the fluidity of shifting them as needed; sometimes we're using the prong collar, sometimes the e-collar, sometimes luring with treats, sometimes redirecting and walking away... You have to be willing to change your technique in the moment if something isn't working.

What's next: we will always be the go-to for dog sitting and Mom knows we are always here for support. She is part of our closed Facebook group and will be connecting with other pack members to set up neutral walks and continue creating controlled environments to practice training.

18/08/2024

Everyone say hello to Jessie who had her initial assessment with Kelly this afternoon.

Owner concerns: Human reactivity, Leash manners, Aggression (has the intention to harm)

Assessment finds: Jessie is a 98% good girl. She is a well-bred golden retriever and her parents have experience with the breed. She definitely has a spunky side and one of the issues that has come up is lack of consequences for non-compliance of commands or bad behavior.
Their main issues are excitement with humans that turns into full-blown body slams and jumping up and resource guarding. What they listed as aggression turns out to be very typical dog conversation and so we had a nice talk about that.
Be then got to see a bit of it first-hand as I had them put out all of her favorite toys and I allowed Cooper to come in to her yard (which I never ever ever recommend to anybody having two dogs meet on a dog with known resource guarding territory) but I wanted to see what they were talking about first-hand.
It was an absolutely beautiful conversation that I'm so happy I got on camera and will be sharing, but it was nothing over dramatic.

Our prescription: with the issues that we talked about and their goals, I felt an e-collar would be a magnificent tool to add to their training. I brought one in for them to feel and suggested some books and reference material to check out in order to make the most educated decision on whether it was a tool for them.

Stay tuned: regardless we are going to do a three package program just polishing up these behaviors and learning how to be more proactive with her training.

18/08/2024

Everybody say hello again to Luca and Jaxon who had another session out of their five package training program with Kelly.

Owner concerns: Recall, Dog reactivity

How it started: overall these two boys are quite well behaved dogs and have a solid foundation in their training program and relationship with their mom. There has been a handful of incidents throughout the last five years and a medical recovery that had mom lose some of her confidence in trusting them and herself.
The boys are definitely a bit under socialized which is exacerbated when they are on leash.

What we did: in between the initial assessment and our first session mom took it upon herself to get e-collars for the boys and it was, as so many say, a game changer. It gave her the neutral control and communication with them and ability to interrupt loading behavior with a tactile stimulation.
At this point it's really about putting mom and the boys in controlled scenarios for her to build back her confidence by gaining more experience and knowledge and how the boys speak.
Today we went to Dogwood off leash dog park with Luca on leash and Jaxon off and both otu their e-collars. We did the first round with Cooper and Bogey and the second with Toa (being another under socialized not dog language fluent husky mix).
At the end of our final lap we came across another under socialized husky mix that gave us an amazing Clinic on dog conversation between her, Jaxon and Toa. Make sure to check out stories!

What's next: we are going to continue to put Mom in more and more boundary testing situations and allow her to learn how for dogs speak and when it is appropriate to allow them to have conversations and when she needs to intervene.

17/08/2024

Everybody say hello to Henry who had his initial assessment with Kelly this morning.

Owner concerns: Human reactivity, Dog reactivity, Biting/ Nipping

Assessment finds: Henry is a purebred Australian Shepherd without a job. He's not currently getting enough mental and physical stimulation, remember what this breed was built to do, and she also has not been giving him an appropriate outlet for his breed need. If you have a working dog and do not give them a job, they will open up shop and put you out of business 😂
He goes to doggie daycare twice a week in which he is a rock star with all dogs and people, it is the relationship with his mom on leash that they struggle with the most.
She has seen three other trainers and a behaviorist and he is on three different medications, but none of this helped as she had hoped.
He absolutely lost his mind when he first saw me to the point that he had to be put in the car, when he was brought back out I bought his friendship with food and the minute I was a treat dispenser he was my best friend literally eating from the palm of my hand.
He did exceptionally well with both Cooper and Bogey in addition to several dogs that passed by, when I was there, but when it was just Mom he would lose his mind.

Our prescription: I explained to Mom that they were locked into this codependent vicious cycle of reactivity. Because of the fact that he goes to doggie daycare without issue and how quickly he warmed up to me with little to no issues that proved he's absolutely capable of doing the appropriate behavior. What is lacking is confident leadership and direction, in addition to acknowledging and rewarding the good behavior instead of just giving him a ton of attention when he was naughty.
We are going to do the five package training program and which we give Mom the leadership skills created through controlled situations to gain experience and confidence.

Stay tuned: for more of this chunky boy becoming the best version of himself 😜

17/08/2024

Everyone say hello again to Eze who had another session out of his five package training program with Kelly this afternoon.

Owner concerns: Dog reactivity, Leash manners, Basic manners, Obedience, Recall, Socialization

Where we started: Eze came to us with a solid foundation in training thanks to the dedication and prioritization of it with his parents. Unfortunately they didn't find a true balanced trainer that was giving him the full spectrum of positive reinforcement and correction when necessary, so he was lacking in a few areas; specifically excitement based reactivity with people and under socialization leading to a bit of fear-based reactivity with dogs. Their equipment wasn't ideal to control and communicate with him especially when he was near or over threshold.

What we did: we added more structure in the home, with consequences for non-compliance (which is always tough when you have a dog that's super cute especially when they are naughty hahaha). We added in a prong collar and an e-collar to interrupt loading behavior and communicate before hitting threshold.

How it's going: today we took the culmination of our previous sessions and put it to the test by going to Pacific Spirit off leash Park with him on leash and flanked by two new dogs: Simon and Finn and his wingmen off leash: Cooper and Bogey. It gave his parents the opportunity to practice their e-collar timing and levels in real world situations but being backed up and protected by myself and the pack.
I was so extremely impressed with how well he did along with how quickly his parents adjusted to the differing situations, never panicking or losing their cool.

What's next: we will continue pushing the boundaries as they find their range on the e-collar and continue to practice neutral socialization with other dogs.

16/08/2024

Everyone say hello again to Fig who had another training session out of his five package program with Kelly this morning.

Owner concerns: Human reactivity, Dog reactivity, Biting/ Nipping, Recall, Basic manners

How it started: Fig was being given too much freedom, out in situations too often he rarely handled well and never had consequences for bad behavior. They were using a chest harness which gave them little to no control of him , especially when he hit his threshold. They had a crate but didn't use it.

What we did: Implementing the crate which he was in if not being interacted with or engaged with. The crate was also part of the new protocol with people coming to the door which he struggles with guarding. We switched to a prong collar and when he came and stayed switch me for a week I did e-collar conditioning to add that tool to the toolbox.

How it's going: today I taught mom and dad how to use the e-collar in the home as a communication device and an interruption to guarding behavior. Both Hai dad and myself put on jackets with hoods and Balaclava to walk back and forth along the yard window to give mom and opportunity to practice leave it with e-collar stimulation.
We then headed outside and I brought out Winnie and then Toa to provide a triggering dog to walk past as they practiced leave it with the e-collar.

What's next: we will be getting volunteers to walk in the yard so mom and dad can practice surprise visits and using the e-collar as a digital leash in that situation, which is one of their biggest concerns and struggles.

Monday	09:00 - 20:00
Tuesday	09:00 - 20:00
Wednesday	09:00 - 20:00
Thursday	09:00 - 20:00
Friday	09:00 - 20:00
Saturday	09:00 - 20:00
Sunday	09:00 - 20:00

The Pack Dog Training

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How Kelly became the Crazy Dog Lady