Dog walks are one of the most exciting parts of the day for the dogs. They know when it is about to happen and the yaps of excitement are contagious. If you are at home and this happens with one or two dogs, even three, no big deal. It's annoying at most. But with big packs of dogs it can actually be dangerous.

Why dangerous? Dogs can't control their excitement. Much like little kids, they get so excited until it spirals out of control and they burst. Excitement always needs to be kept in check because it too often leads to dog fights.

So how do we manage the dog walks then? It took a lot of thought to figure out how we could take them for walks and still have peace. It still takes a lot of planning and coordination and when done right it's an exceptionally effective tool.

1. The dogs get walked ideally between 10am and 2pm. This is when the dogs are sleeping according to their routine. This means that when we close up the dogs that are not being walked no one misses out on any action, since they're sleeping anyway. Also, this is the hottest time of the day and they tire quickly in the heat, needing only shorter walks
2. The trick is to switch up up a bit so they aren't expecting it. Walk them every other day, sometimes earlier, sometimes later.
3. If not all dogs can be walked in the same day, make sure to give each dog a turn before walking any dog twice.
4. Don't let them see you with a leash in your hands. We have tried to desensitise them by walking around with leashes all day long, walking them around in the garden all day long with leashes, etc. This works but it needs to be consistent.
5. It's a secret. No dog know that there are other dogs being walked and no dogs know that they are about to be walked. The moment they realise you need to do everything in your power to keep them calm. Yelps quickly turn into chaos.
6. Control the dogs on walks and on the way to the gate by spraying them with water.
7. During the walk do not allow them to bark at other dogs. Use the water to discourage bad behaviour on walks including pulling, barking at other dogs and excited yelping.
8. Distract the dogs that are not being walked by doing a mini training session.
9. If all fails, abort mission. Try again when the dogs are calmer. They will be thankful for it and so will you.