Let's talk off leash pack hikes. If you haven't heard of pack hikes, it's pretty much what it sounds like. A handler takes a group of dogs off leash on a hiking trail. I started Intrepid Tails as a pack hike service in 2014 when it was still considered very niche. This service has gotten increasingly popular since then, and with good reason! They combine physical exercise, mental enrichment, social time with other dogs, and get your dog out of the house longer than a walk in the neighborhood. Yet, while they're very beneficial for many dogs they're often marketed as being a cure-all for behavior issues, or that they'll fix your dog's reactivity, or that they will socialize your dog. While some marketing claims are for all intents and purposes true, some may not be applicable to your particular dog, and some are misleading or just straight up false.
Here are 5 common marketing claims about pack hikes, and whether they're more full of shit than your dog's poop bag.
Let's start with something spicy
1. Your dog will get to fulfill their need run with a pack
…………no.
Technically a group of dogs is called a pack, but that's where the trueness of this statement starts and stops. Contrary to popular belief, dogs aren't pack animals.
Your dog isn't satisfying some sort of primal or hierarchical instinct by going out with a group of dogs, because there simply isn't one to satisfy. It's very easy for it to look at it that way, because dogs are a social species and being with other dogs is a social activity. If your dog enjoys social time with other dogs, pack hikes will help fill their social needs, but it really isn't any deeper than that.
2. Your dog gets the freedom to express their natural doggie-ness
True! That's assuming there's a good handler in charge. There are, unfortunately, pack hikers who insist on marching the dogs uniformly down the trail gathered around them in an amoeba-like formation, and/or who restrict them from going in water, playing in puddles, digging, or exploring off trail. This is almost invariably achieved by using tools such as e collars, prong collars, noose-style leads such as a slip lead or choke chain, or jerking the leash when a dog does something unwanted. Others allow the dogs a wider range of interaction with the environment and each other, but still use e collars. These tools all work by punishing and behavior (despite many claims to the contrary). I'd argue that freedom under threat of punishment isn't really freedom. Look for a pack hiker who uses positive reinforcement, and, when necessary, safe management such as long lines attached to the back clip of a non-restrictive harness to keep their dogs under control.
3. It's great exercise
Yes! True!
[Image description: a gif of sonic the hedgehog running fast]
It is great physical and mental enrichment. Even senior dogs and puppies can enjoy a walk in the woods, although they generally benefit from a slower pace and shorter hikes.
4. Pack hikes (and doggie daycares for that matter) are good for socialization
Dog trainer proverbs: It depends.
[Image description: On the left, a picture labeled Fun! of 4 dogs standing side by side on a trail. One has a ball in their mouth. All look relaxed. On the right, a picture labeled Not so fun. of two dogs on their hind legs, crashing into each other. One has their teeth bared at the other, who is wincing and avoiding the teeth.]
It depends on what you mean by socialization, it depends the skill of the handler, and it depends on the social skills of the dogs in the group. Pack hikes provide social interactions with other dogs, and with the environment, and social skills are skills just like any other. They can be learned and honed. Some dogs will feel more confident and happy with social interactions once they gain more skills to navigate social interactions, and some dogs will only become more tolerant, never or rarely finding social situations particularly pleasant or enjoyable. Whether or not this goes as intended depends on the handler knowing what to look for, and how to help. Understanding dog body language on its own is a skill that develops over time and takes a lot of practice to get really good at it. Understanding play is an even higher level of understanding dog body language. Everyone starts somewhere, but a handler should have spent at least some time studying and observing under the supervision of a competent professional before being in charge of groups of dogs themselves.
This ties into the last claim we'll go over:
5. Pack hikes will help your dog-reactive dog.
Dog trainer proverbs: It depends.
It depends why your dog is reactive. If your dog is reactive because they truly want to access other dogs they see, and they are reactive because they are frustrated when they can't, then pack hikes might give them that outlet and you might see a reduction in reactive behavior. If your dog is reactive because they don't want to be around other dogs, then being in a large group of dogs will be incredibly stressful. If you and your dog are struggling with reactivity, reach out to a trainer to help you assess why your dog is reactive before signing up for hikes.
Pack hikes are a wonderful service, provided they're done by a competent and responsible professional.
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