And we’re back! After a fun weekend of adventures for the campers and their dogs, it was time to jump back into it. The campers came in this morning and took their dogs out to potty.

Then they discussed their weekend outings and where they posted flyers while they were out. The campers took their dogs to experience farmers markets, department stores, trails, and much more! They posted flyers around their communities, at post offices, and even restaurants.

The first exercise of the day was pedestal. The campers worked on freeing their dogs from the crate, getting them into a "sit" on the pedestal, and holding that until the camper asked them to go back into their crate. The campers stepped back and dropped kibble onto the floor to act as a distraction while holding their dog's attention. Distance, duration, and distractions were all incorporated to continue progressing the dogs in this skill.

Next up was the bed exercise. The campers worked on freeing their dogs from the crate and directing them to the bed. Then they got them to lie down. While staying in a down, they once again incorporated distance, duration, and distractions. Once they created distance from the bed, they would free their dogs back into the crate.

After these good sessions, the campers returned to the grass strip where they continued to work on loose leash walking, using their inside and outside turns, as well as reverse and recalls to drive their dogs. They are making progress, but there is still a long way to go! The campers returned to the barn to put their dogs up and give them a rest from a hard-working morning.

Then, the campers went over to the Doglando side to have Justin, a former employee and big part of Doglando, show them his style of play.

The campers started off in the sand yard with their backs to the fence to allow the Doglando dogs to smell them and gain familiarity with them. Then they headed into Nature Play when the dogs seemed comfortable enough.

Justin demonstrated play with a few of these dogs and then the campers chose some dogs to initiate play with just as Justin demonstrated. They jumped into the pond, played with sticks, toys, and more.

After that, everyone headed back to the sand yard where they learned how to be a “door” with their body and let the dogs enter the gate into the sand yard.

Back at the barn, the campers all sat in a circle to create their “Adopt me!” posters. They channeled their inner creativity to create some eye-catching boards to interest people in their dogs! Finally, it was lunchtime and the campers could sit down for a bite to eat. Today’s questions started off silly but then got pretty deep. We really wanted everyone to open up today.

After lunch, it was time to go to Lowe’s. This was for more practice driving their dogs in different scenarios. The campers showcased a better understanding and did a great job. They performed these exercises all the while keeping their distance. Then, we headed to Avalon Town Square with the posters. The campers showed their fun signs to the passing people and cars.

We arrived back at Doglando around 3pm and the campers took their dogs out to potty before coming inside to give them a rest. While the dogs were resting, the campers headed over to the pool to swim and play games! It was incredibly hot today, so this was a nice chance for everyone to cool down.

After about 30 minutes of pool time, the campers headed back inside to get changed. To finish off the day, their homework was written down on the board, along with what they needed to bring tomorrow. Then the campers prepared to head home after a great first day back!

-Ayla

Camp Volunteer