Based in Sebastopol, California, INU Packs offers pack walks, socials, free play for dogs, boarding and personal behavioral sessions. But this isn’t just any dog group. Lindsey Schulz focuses her business primarily on dogs who have been labeled as aggressive.
“My work with dogs all started in 2011, when I adopted a puppy after I finished my undergrad program. And it was like a week after I graduated, and I found this dog and adopted him. At eight weeks old, he was already showing signs of aggression, so I tried working with myriad trainers for the next six years. We started with positive reinforcement. We went to obedience training. We went to balance training. We did socialization classes at celebrity training facilities. And throughout those six years, he was just getting worse and worse and worse.”
In 2015, Lindsey had just finished her master’s program and was looking for part-time work, when a friend connected her to a local pack walker, who wanted someone familiar with aggressive behavior.
“I applied, and I got the job with Healing Pack, and Rachel, who owns it, hired me as a pack walker. I worked there for two years, and it was a really beautiful education. I still practice a lot of the things she taught me, especially when it comes to setting intentions for your walk or working with certain dogs and making sure you're checking in with how you're feeling and how your emotions can impact your pack.”
During that time, Rachel suggested that Lindsey talk to an aggression expert named Brandon Fouche in Los Angeles.
“I spoke with him and learned his philosophy and that changed everything I thought I knew about dogs.”
In 2017, Lindsey started her own pack walking business in Malibu, INU Packs. And when she moved up to Northern California, the business came with her.
Whether she is working with pitbulls, rhodesians, french bulldogs, labradors or other mixes, Lindsey has been able to work with the dogs and their humans one-on-one to calm them and learn how to better foster communication.
“A lot of it is miscommunication of what we think we're communicating with our dogs and then what they're actually perceiving. A really huge lesson that I learned from Brandon was to understand what we're communicating from a dog's perspective and how to not lie to our dogs.”
“For example, people always think that through games and tug of war, it's our time to bond with our dogs and that we're sharing this loving moment. But in actuality, when you throw these things that look like prey and squeak, you're actually bringing up that predatory side of your dog. So you're saying, yes, I want you to be predatory.”
“But then when they do that in another situation, whether it's chasing a small dog or biting down on the neighbor's cat or a squirrel... one moment we're saying yes, do this; but then another moment, we're getting mad at them for it. So part of it is understanding what we're communicating with them and what we're encouraging.”
“A lot of the work is clearing up communication between dog and owners. For example, when we play fetch or tug of war with our dogs, the human thinks it’s all about draining the dog physically while doing something joyful with their dog, and an opportunity to bond.
However, for the dog, you’re just raising their prey drive. The human is triggering certain hormones in their dogs which creates predatory behavior, and leads to moving forward, using its mouth to solve problems, challenge their owners in the case of tug of war, and can lead to neurotic and aggressive behaviors.
When they bite down and shake a toy - we laugh and throw it again, but when they practice the exact same behavior on another dog or prey animals - or even us, we get mad at them. But they were doing exactly what we’ve been encouraging. We are the ones who are confused.”
Launching a New Brand
In addition to INU Packs, Lindsey is now launching an equestrian brand that started with her love of riding and her 24 years of experience, but was spurred by the need to replace her gear after a wildfire.
“After we lost all of our tack in the Woolsey fire in Malibu, a month or two later, I was finally starting to replace my boots and all my gear. And it really felt like this moment that was a fresh start. I was purchasing all my new stuff and wanted to get protective bags that were both aesthetically pleasing, but could also handle the rough environment of training and shows.
I wanted boot bags that were quality and looked really nice, but also performed well.”
Drawing on her masters in conceptual art, Lindsey started drawing what she wanted. “My dad connected me with his friend, David, who had created successful bag companies before and together we created Schulz collection. Our first line of bags is going to be a boot bag, a helmet bag, and a groom backpack that are all designed to keep your gear safe, organized, and really easy to use.”
“They're designed beautifully and equally important, made with sustainable materials. So every material and every interaction you have with these bags is highly, highly considered. For example, if we have snaps or buckles we asked ourselves what kind of snaps, and is there a sustainable way to make these snaps? Nothing is just there arbitrarily.”
Combining the Business with Environmental Protections
In addition to temporary setbacks for INU Packs, Lindsey has had countless friends and family members lose their homes due to this year’s (and prior year’s) wildfires in California, which has driven her to research the climate crisis. One of the most impactful things she has read is a solution for reversing global warming called Drawdown by Paul Hawkins.
“With INU Packs, my priority of course is keeping my dogs healthy and safe and making sure I'm always making the best decisions for them. So it's been a lot to deal with and personally, I want to figure out how I can do my part to help lead us to a more livable planet.”
That’s why every purchase from the Schulz Collection is sharing a percentage of the profits with the Drawdown organization.
Getting it All Done
Lindsey always has a lot going on but has found ways to balance everything to keep her day-to-day fresh and avoid burnout. But having the right tools in place, like PetPocketbook, has made a huge difference in her life.
“PetPocketbook was a serious game changer for me because before every billing period, which was every two weeks, I'd just be sitting on my phone, adding updates and payments and having to type everything into Venmo, and it would take so much time. And then my scheduling, even though I'm a quite organized person, it would just get chaotic, and it just was not the most optimal situation. Especially because I'm juggling my dogs, my studio art practice and the equestrian brand, I don't have time to be spending on something that's kind of unnecessary at this point. When you have PetPocketbook to do that work, it’s amazing.
And my clients love it... It's been such a streamlined process, and everything that I even could think of that I wanted was already thought of. And then of course everything that I didn't even think I needed was there. It is such a well-considered product and has really made my life so much easier.”
Follow Lindsey’s adventures on the INU Packs and Schulz Collection Instagram feeds.