Doggie Tales: Cowboy

Doggie Tales are true stories to share the impactful ways humans and dogs co-exist and share love, beginning with the ones that have impacted my life as a dog trainer the most.

Our second doggie tale stars our very own Doggie Dreamz VIP, Cowboy. Cowboy and his mom came to me in the Fall of 2020. His mom had adopted him and another dog named Dakota a month before Covid lockdowns began. She was extremely proactive by walking them around the backyard and leaving the house every day (even for 15 mins) so both dogs didn't develop separation anxiety. She also started introducing basic commands and potty training them. Cowboy and Dakota had been street dogs in Mexico, so they had to learn how to cohabitate inside a warm, loving home. For many dogs that have had to fend for themselves either on the streets or from a neglectful owner, being in a home is a big adjustment. It's important to give dogs time to adjust and understand their new home. One thing I always suggest is having a schedule for these dogs. A schedule helps your dog understand what is expected of them in their new home, together with adding structure to their previously unpredictable life.

Once the Covid lockdown restrictions were eased to social distancing, Cowboy's mom started to venture out into their neighborhood. She began to notice high anxiety and reactivity behaviors in Cowboy, like whining and lunging whenever he saw another dog. He was also a heavy leash puller. So Cowboy's mom reached out to me for some extra support.

Upon meeting Cowboy, Dakota, and their mom, I was excited to work with all of them! Cowboy and Dakota needed some socialization, and basic obedience, in conjunction with desensitization training. I informed their mom that dog training isn't a quick fix; it requires a lot of patience and consistent everyday work to help our dogs overcome these behaviors. And their mom was up for the challenge.

We began work right away, and when training two dogs, it's important to recognize that both dogs have strengths and areas to improve. Dakota picked up on basic obedience very quickly, whereas Cowboy needed extra time and practice to understand these new body movements. For example, teaching Cowboy to lie down was a struggle. His body was just unfamiliar with this position. Cowboy was also very distracted on walks, constantly looking around and scanning for possible threats. I sensed this was where Cowboy's reactivity was steaming from, being constantly on alert. This behavior isn't uncommon for dogs that have lived without a secure home; it's a survival trait. But now the focus was to get Cowboy to become more engaged with his mom on walks. We did this by teaching Cowboy to "Focus" as well as slowing down his pace to help slow down his mind. Teaching Cowboy to "Focus," or look humans in the eye, was also a difficult task. Dogs that have not been socialized with humans tend to struggle with this. If a dog has not been rewarded for a behavior, that behavior won't be natural for them to perform.

Over the next several months, I worked with Cowboy and Dakota on leash work, engagement, desensitization, and socialization. We worked on "Heel" and introduced leash pressure, introductions to the car, and recall work. When beginning the training journey, I always like to ask my clients what their goal is for their dogs. This helps to align them with their dog during the ups and downs of training. Cowboy's mom wanted to be able to take her dogs with her on her daily walks at the Arroyo. Her goal was to be able to stretch afterward with them both being calm when other dogs or people passed by.

Over that time, their mom and I noticed both of them started to Sit at doorways, waiting for their food, and were walking in the Heel position on walks. However, after only about a year and a half of having these wonderful dogs in her life, tragedy struck. Dakota started to become very sick. When she was examined by their vet, it was explained that Dakota's time here was coming to an end. Losing a dog is one of the hardest pains to experience as pet parents. And sometimes, when we have to say goodbye, it comes way too soon. Humans also aren't the only ones that grieve the loss. Cowboy had to go through the grief of losing his sister, friend, and constant companion. I even needed to give myself time to grieve as well.

Once Cowboy and his mom felt they were ready, they asked to restart training. Cowboy had regressed a little with his training, which is very normal and understandable. Training your dog isn't a linear process. There are many ebbs and flows. The best thing we can do as humans is to go at the dog's pace, not our own. My goal was to go slow and not overwhelm Cowboy. Both his mom and I noticed that the structure of the training seemed to be helping Cowboy adjust to life without Dakota. We saw a reduction in his reactivity, his leash pulling, and his engagement with his mom improved. Over the next few months, I introduced some of my more neutral dogs to Cowboy for socialization, and he came with me on some pack walks. These helped Cowboy become more comfortable around other dogs.

Now I am happy to report that Cowboy and his mom can go on her walks to the Arroyo and walk the path; Cowboy will lie down calmly whenever he sees another dog. If the other dog on the path is friendly, they will even greet each other briefly. We were able to reach her goal for Cowboy!! And Cowboy doesn't whine or lunge at dogs anymore. His mom can stretch after their walk without fear of Cowboy reacting. Now Cowboy is a fixture in my socialization group classes and is often used as a demo dog to demonstrate being calm with other dogs around.

I'd love to hear about any of the triumphs or struggles you have experienced when training your dog. Leave your dog's stories down below. Or maybe you are struggling right now in your dog training journey. Let me know down below, and hopefully, we can work together to help you and your dog achieve your training goals, as I did with Cowboy and his mom.

Cowboy: Terrior/Poodle mix

Birthday: Unknown celebrated on “Dogust 1st”

Favorite Accessory: His Teal Blue Heathers Hero’s Leash

Funny habits: Putting his paw on your leg when you are sitting next to each other on the couch. 

Pack drive and why it’s important

In the dog training space, trainers often talk about a dog's pack drive. Many dog trainers believe that dogs with a low pack drive are more likely to have behavioral issues later in their life. However, this concept is not often understood by many dog parents. This is why I wanted to dive deeper into this subject to help better bridge the gap between behavioral theory and how it affects and benefits your everyday life. 

Dogs are social animals that thrive on positive social interactions with both humans and dogs. Pack drive refers to a dog's desire to be with and function as a unit with other dogs and people. Like humans, dogs learn so much about the world through their social interactions. If your dog has limited social interactions this can affect their behavior towards new people and dogs. Behavioralists and dog trainers alike highly encourage activities and settings that help foster a natural pack drive in your dog. 

Every dog has many different drives including pack drive. Dogs also have prey drive, fight drive, and flight drive. These different drives are embedded in your dogs' DNA and have helped them survive for thousands of years. A dog's pack drive is a strong social bond with its family, a desire to listen to and protect their family, the accusation of resources, and attention to their humans. 

A dog with a healthy pack drive would behave like preferring to be with its human, are attentive to its humans and notice when they exit a room, and also prefer to sleep in the same room as its human. It is important to note, that noticing when their human leaves the room, is not the same as following their human from room to room. When a dog follows their human from room to room this is often an indicator of an insecure dog that may develop separation anxiety. Your dog should be able to notice when you enter or exit an area as well as be able to control the need to be next to you every minute of the day. Many dog behaviorists correlate a healthy pack drive with a dog that is confident, balanced, and focused. Dogs with low pack drive tend to not be concerned with being near their humans and are described as independent or even cat-like. 

To foster your dogs' pack drive while at home you must first add structure into your daily routine. This can look like utilizing your dog's crate or limiting access to areas of your home, having a feeding and exercise schedule, and making sure that you enforce what you ask of your dog. By doing these things inside your home you are adding predictability as well as making yourself an essential part of their daily lives. 

Outside of the home, there are 3 things you can do to help build a good pack drive in your dog. 

1. Make sure they do not pull on the leash. If your dog is walking in front of you and dragging you with them, you are no longer relevant to your dog. They are more interested in the outside world than in you. Teaching your dog to walk next to you on a loose leash helps to make you more important on the walk and helps them develop a healthy pack drive.

2. Invest in some obedience training with your dog. Dogs with a healthy pack drive want to listen to their humans and enjoy earning their food, toys, etc. Taking the time to teach your dog the desired way you want them to behave. For example, if you want your dog to be calm and wait for their food, then you must train them to “Sit” and “Stay”. Another example would be if you want your dog to walk next to you on a leash and not pull you, then you will need to train them how to “Heel”.

3. Make plans with friends to do a neighborhood pack walk. If your dog has some friends in your neighborhood, use that as an opportunity to walk them together. If your dog is reactive towards other dogs, I would recommend speaking with a dog trainer or behavioralist. Your dog will need to learn how to be able to walk past or even look at other dogs without barking and lunging. Teaching your dog this skill will make both your dog's life and yours so much happier.