Pacific Paw Trial Day

What to Expect

Your dog’s trial day will begin either between 9am&10am and last until about 12pm OR 1&130pm and will last until about 3pm. The assessment has four main parts- the solo neighborhood walk with distractions, initial car ride, introduction to dogs/pack walk introduction and car ride home with other pack members.

Assessment Process

At that time, we will initially assess how your dog does walking with a staff member. For example, we will be gauging your dogs comfort level while in the presence of distractions like dogs, people, moving objects (bicycles, joggers and skateboards) as well as cats, squirrels and other animals. We’re looking to see how easily your dog disengages from distractions. Are they able to check in with us amidst the excitement? Can redirection be done easily? We also watch for your dog’s body language. Is their body loose, tail relaxed and eyes bright? Are they stiffening up or moving away in the presence of a trigger?

Once the initial bonding assessment has been done, we will load your dog up in the car. Ideally, we’d like dogs to hop right in but completely understand if there is initial hesitation. We will work with your dog in a variety ways to make the car a predictor of some tasty treats. If your dog has fears of riding in the car, this may not be the right fit. Riding in the car with multiple dogs can be a joy for some dogs but may be a stressful experience for others. Please let us know if this is the case. If we find that your dog is unwilling to enter the car, we will stop the assessment to respect their boundaries.

The third part of the assessment will be introducing your dog two a few veteran pack members. These dogs are neutral and will show your dog the ropes as we introduce them to the pack walk. During the introduction, we will be gauging how your dog feels meeting new dogs. Are they interested and social or do they seem a bit taken back? Are they freezing, lip licking or moving away? If this is the case (which is completely normal!), we will be observing to see if this the right fit for your dog. Sometimes being leashed can cause dogs to feel frustrated or confined which can exacerbate reactivity. We want to ensure this is an activity your dog will enjoy and thrive in. We also will be watching to see how your dog behaves around other dogs while the presence of food is around. We utilize training treats while walking the pack to reinforce behaviors we want to see continued. Resource guarding of food or water while a normal dog behavior (dogs evolved from scavengers after all), this is not something that is conducive to a group dynamic. We do not want your dog to feel threatened by others while in the presence of food or water.

Finally, once we have developed a connection with your dog and their new pack mates, we will load them up in the car together. We usually first put the veteran dogs in the car and allow your dog to watch. We then give the “load up” cue. We will be looking to see if your dog loads up with their pack members willingly or with a bit of coaxing. We want to ensure your dog feels comfortable and not confined spatially. Some indications of stress can include a whale eye, increased panting, stiffness. As mentioned previously, the car can be a difficult place for dogs to feel comfortable. From a dog’s perspective, a car can be viewed as an unnatural and confining place. We put so much emphasis on car comfort because it sets the tone for the start of the walk. We want all of the dogs in our care to enjoy the process from pick up to drop off.

Take Aways

After the completion of your dog’s trial day, we will communicate how the experience went and whether this is the right fit for your dog. If this doesn’t seem to be something your dog would enjoy, we will be honest and provide you with alternatives for your dog. Like humans, dogs have different preferences and sometimes pack-walking isn’t your dog’s jam and we respect that. Other alternatives include checking out local doggy daycares, dog sports (like agility or scent work), taking classes to refine skills or working with a local behaviorist to address underlying fears or arousal issues.