More than just dog walking - Pack walking

For a dog-friendly dog, a pack walk can offer a wonderful opportunity to step out of the restrictions of living in a human world, connect with other compatible dogs, and fully enjoy their daily exercise.

As descendants of grey wolves; one of the pack orientated species, our domestic dogs still find comfort and companionship amongst a pack of their own, and you only have to observe a pack of dogs playing together to understand just how happy being around other dogs makes them.

Yet in addition to play, there are so many other benefits to exercising your dog in this manner.  

Read on to get the fuller picture of how joining a pack walk can benefit your dog.

We charge £22.50 

for a 2 to 2.5-Hour Pack Walk

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Fulfilling our dog's need for exercise, can often prove difficult with our busy life commitments.  In the UK it is estimated that at least 70% of all dogs, only get an average of between 15 and 30 minutes of exercise per day.  

This can often lead to behaviour issues, as well as weight gain and depression in our dogs.

When your dog joins one of our pack walks, they will get up to two and a half hours to run around, play, explore, and be at one with nature.

When compatible dogs get together, they often don't care about toys or human interaction, instead they fully submerge themselves into having as much fun with the pack as possible.

This fun offers the opportunity for your dog to get their exercise in an effortless way, and is so much better for their overall well-being than simply walking on lead alone.

At the end of a pack walk with us, your dog will be happy, probably dirty (sorry about that), exhausted, and wonderfully content: ready for a drink and a nap.

For most dogs, this 2 to 2.5-hour pack walk, is more than enough daily exercise, and you should notice a more relaxed and overall happier dog at home because of it.

Dogs love exploring.  In fact, their noses are made to do just that.  

A dog has millions of scent receptors in their nose, which help them understand the world around them.  

The act of sniffing gives our dogs a release of positive hormones, decompressing stress and boosting their mood: a truly enriching experience for them.

For dogs, sniffing is one of their favourite pleasures in life, and when they visit new areas filled with new and unique scents, they are truly in their element.

During a pack walk, your dog will be allowed to sniff until their little heart is content.  

We never interrupt a good sniff.  

They will get the chance to not only sniff the nature around them, but also each other: another great perk of being part of a dog pack.

The action of sniffing allows your dog to connect with their environment.  Simply, it makes them happy.  

Sniffing is how they tell which dogs have been there before them and what that dog was experiencing.  

It helps them tell the difference between the humans they live with, and between each of the dogs in their pack.

For dogs sniffing is the best thing since all natural, non-generic dog food, and it works wonders for promoting their general well-being and positive mental health.

Even dogs who aren't inclined to play with other members of the pack, gain so much enjoyment from simply being allowed to plod around sniffing, and this practice will help them to return home, calm and content.

Dogs learn so much from each other and training is often easier, when you have a group of dogs, all learning together.  

Dogs enjoy the unity of completing tasks together and often realise what their handler is requesting from them through observing the behaviour of the other dogs in the packs.  

Sharing the reward or treat at the end, is also highly enriching for the pack and helps them to bond.

Improved confidence is another great benefit of dogs enjoying time within a pack.  Shy dogs gain so much reassurance from the more confident dogs in the pack and this confidence will assist them to overcome new situations and experiences.

Being part of a dog pack also helps dogs to understand each other more.  

Many dogs with dog or leash reactivity simply don't know how to read other dogs.  

This lack of awareness often leaves the reactive dog feeling vulnerable and fearful, resulting in behaviour that humans see as problematic.  

Allowing a young dog to spend time with a compatible pack of well balanced dogs, will help them develop better social skills, enabling them to interact with members of their own species successfully throughout their lives.

Often, dog guardians don't connect the link between a dog who may be 'naughty' in the house, and one that is not getting enough time to burn off their energy.

In actual fact, dogs that display behaviour in the house that is deemed unfavourable by their owners or guardians, are often simply trying to express their frustration and pent-up energy.

Regular pack walks offer the dog an opportunity to do this and as a result, many behaviour issues at home simply disappear.

This is not to say that pack walks take the place of properly structured training, but rather it becomes far easier to train a dog who isn't climbing the walls due to a lack of exercise.

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Pack walks offer an excellent cost effective alternative to doggy daycare.

At present, our pack walks take place each day, in the mornings and afternoons.  This helps to break up the day for those dogs, who spend their weekdays at home alone.

As pack walks can offer a wonderful opportunity for physical exercise and mental decompression for your dog, it is not uncommon for your dog to simply fall asleep, once returned home from their walk.  In many cases this can alleviating some of the behaviours associated  with separation anxiety.

Of course, pack walks are not a replacement for training, which may further help your dog overcome any separation anxiety they may have.