Today began the second, and sadly the last, week of camp Session 1. The campers arrived refreshed from their weekend and ready to start the day!

They began with crate exercises. After working on distance, duration, and distractions, they moved on to a new skill...

Once the dogs were able to wait in their crate -- no matter how long or whatever the campers did -- it was time to teach the campers how to release the dogs.

To do this, they opened up their feet and used the word, "Free" to invite their dog to come out of their crate. After exiting the crate, the campers turned their dogs back around and back into their crates to start again.

After a few more repetitions of this, the campers headed outside for long line training. Today, they continued to work on engaging their dogs to keep them focused on their camper rather than any outside distractions. The dogs have made lots of progress since the beginning of last week!

After that, the dogs took a nap in their crates while the campers took a field trip to Rick’s Dog Deli.

There, they learned the importance of a fresh food diet for dogs and what that entails. They got to see the different steps of the dog food-making process, from cooking potatoes, to dicing hard-boiled eggs, to mixing up the finished product and stamping it into identical rectangles to be frozen and sold.

On Friday morning, the campers and dogs arrived at the barn, cleaned their crates, and shared their adventures from the night before.
 
Then, the campers started the day with crate exercises. The campers were able to walk three steps from the crate without the dogs running out.
 
They also began to work on distractions which could be turning around or stomping their feet. This offered a challenge to the dogs but, even so, the dogs waited patiently in their crates

Campers were taught the importance of valuing dog nutrition in order to ensure their dogs live long, healthy lives. They learned of many customers whose dogs went from having three months left to live to living a happy life two years later. 

After their field trip, it was time to walk the dogs and eat lunch. Our lunch questions today were:

• "If you had only three objects for the rest of your life, what would they be?"
• and, "What’s the best present you’ve ever received?"

After lunch, the campers were given a challenge. Everyone was blindfolded and had to find their way to the end of Doglando's Nature Play and back.

Nature Play is an expansive field full of ponds, sand hills, and a mini forest. Many of the campers teamed up and held hands trying to find their way across without falling in the pond or walking into a tree.

After some trial and error (and a couple of slips into the pond), everyone made it back to the barn.

Then, everyone leashed up their dogs and took them right back out to Nature Play. Being in Nature Play allows the dogs to experience life to its fullest, whether it’s swimming in the pond, running through the forest, or just taking time to smell and explore their surroundings.

The campers had fun running around with their dogs and playing catch with tennis balls. While outside, the campers continued to work on recalls with their dogs, allowing them to run and play, but also making sure they were aware of their camper, and close to their side.

After that, tired dogs and campers came back to the barn. Before the end of the day, the campers discussed the blindfold activity and everyone’s different strategies to get across Nature Play and back.

They also discussed some of the struggles they may have had in Nature Play with their dogs.

Then, they packed their bags, got their homework for the night, and headed home after another successful day.

More adventures to come tomorrow!
 

-Sofia

P.S. This Friday, at 4pm sharp, you're invited to join us for Session 1 Graduation at Doglando.