Hello fellow dog parent,
I’m so glad that you’re stopping by!
We are Caroline and Baloo, the hands and paws behind Dogpackr.com.
My mission (I’m not too sure about Baloo ;)) is to help as many other dog parents to own the dog of their dreams.
But more specific: I’m here to show you how to have fun with a hyperactive dog.
Unfortunately, that isn’t always that easy. According to a new study, 85% of dogs show behavioral issues.
That’s a lot of dogs!
And you know why this number is so high?
Because many dog parents don’t understand their dogs. For most people their dog’s weird and annoying behaviors are simply a problem that they want to get rid of. But that’s very hard if you don’t understand its roots.
And I’m definitely no exception here.
For the first few months I had no clue why Baloo was acting the way he was. This resulted in me reacting the wrong way and actually making the behavior worse.
This is particularly true for hyperactivity. If your dog seems to have boundless energy then that often translates into a whole lot of other behavioral issues.
Because hyperactive dogs don’t only have the zoomies A LOT, but they also tend to love destroying your belongings, digging up your yard, pulling on the leash so that you actually start worrying about your arm’s health or being vocal whenever they can…
How it all began…
Now, let’s go back in time and start at the beginning.
It’s August 2016 and I’m bringing home my 12-week old Mini Poodle puppy that I’ve been waiting for so long.
It took me almost a full year of planning, saving, organizing and searching until I had everything in place. Back then, I was a 24-yo Law School student who worked part-time and traveled a whole lot.
Now, obviously keeping up my lifestyle wouldn’t be that easy with another little mouth to feed. But that wouldn’t put me off. I was determined to make it work!
Luckily, everything fell into place. My parents agreed to take him when I’d go on holiday. I moved to an apartment where pets were allowed and my 2 bosses at the time agreed that I could bring him to work.
Everything was perfect!
And I was determined to make this the best and most well-behaved dog ever.
So, I bought countless books on puppy training, watched Youtube videos, read blogs and booked a puppy school to get started right away.
The first few days after I brought him home went relatively well, apart from a few accidents inside, but that was to be expected.
But after the initial new puppy-bliss faded away, I realized that I’ve gotten the most hyper puppy I could have ever imagined!
He was unable to sit down for even a second. All he did was zoom and run around the apartment with an insane amount of energy!
The only way to calm him down was to hold him still or put him in his crate. When he was in his crate and I tried to study in the other room, he was crying and barking on end. And it was overall just a bit of a nightmare!
So, I went through my books, researched online and asked my dog trainer but I felt like I kept getting different information.
In the beginning, I thought Baloo needed more exercise. But then my dog trainer said I’m already doing too much and that he’s probably overtired. But then I also heard that he should be socialized by the age of 16 weeks.
Heck, my head was spinning!
Not only that, but I’ve found a ton of different training methods and unfortunately, some definitely don’t help to improve the relationship with your dog.
Well, long story short, it took me about 6 months to sort of find the right amount and the right kind of exercise that he needed to calm down little by little.
And I almost lost my nerves in the meantime!
Once I got him to calm down a little I was determined to learn as much as possible about dog behavior. Because I understood early on that you can do more harm than good if you simply act without understanding why your dog behaves as he does.
So, I booked a few different private trainers, took courses and read more books. All in all, I must have spent well over $1’000 on dog training alone!
Unfortunately, none of it really helped.
Apart from socializing in puppy school (which is definitely important), I could have just gotten myself an online course and would have had all the information I needed.
The more I researched, the more I got confused. And at some point I thought: “I’m sure other dog parents must feel the same way I do. I wish there was one site that I could trust and that delivers all the answers to all my questions.”
Fast forward to the beginning of 2019, I did exactly that and started Dogpackr.com to help as many other dog moms and dads to understand their dogs better and train them accordingly.
Owning a well-behaved dog doesn’t have to be difficult, nor expensive. And that’s what I’m here to help you with!
I specifically focus on hyperactive dogs, as they tend to cause the biggest problems and are the most confusing to understand.
So, if your four-legged friend has a little too much energy for your taste, you found the perfect place to get all your questions answered!
Are you ready for a calm, relaxed and well-behaved dog?
Then start by downloading my free guide for a calm dog. This guide teaches you the 3 things you’ll need to get your dog to calm down!
Now, quick disclaimer: It’s highly unlikely that you’ll eradicate all of your pup’s behavioral issues. But by understanding your dog’s needs, you can work on one issue at a time. This will get you to the point where there will only be some minor things left.
I want to be completely transparent here. It’s not like Baloo is the most well-behaved dog in the world.
Even though I wished that was the case!
Nope, we’re still working on things and we probably will be for all of his life.
For instance, he’s still barking at other dogs because he’s just extremely insecure. I’ve tried about everything, from socializing with other dogs to rewarding the good behavior, nothing seems to work.
So, now I’m just focusing on small improvements and I’m happy for every time he doesn’t bark. But if he does, so what.
Therefore he’s calm and quiet at home, we managed to overcome his separation anxiety, he hasn’t destroyed anything for the past couple of years, he’s got a super solid recall and he’s walking well on a leash for 90% of the time.
For me personally, these are all incredible improvements and I’m very proud of him!
But all of that was only possible because for all of his actions, I always tried to understand his behavior, before I react.
Okay, do you feel ready for the next step on the way to owning the dog of your dreams?
Here’s what will set you up for success:
Since I’m not a dog trainer, I’ve partnered up with certified dog trainer Adrienne Farricelli.
Her course Braintraining4dogs is exactly the course I wish I had when I was struggling so much with Baloo.
At first, I completely ignored mental stimulation, especially for training purposes. I focused way too much on physical exercise and maybe teaching commands.
And that’s exactly what happens for most dogs.
Most of us never think about mental stimulation for dogs or don’t even know what it means.
Yet, this is such an important part in dog training and even more so to get a hyper dog to calm down!
So, once you feel ready to take your dog training serious, I highly recommend getting Braintraining4dogs. This way you’ll learn the exact process of how you can use mental stimulation to get your dog to become calmer and more obedient by the day!
If you’re not sure about this program, make sure to check out Dogpackr’s review.
Okay, that’s about it from me.
If you still have a ton of questions or you feel stuck with your pup, then you can always send me an e-mail at [email protected]!
