The Camp Doglando

Daily Newsletter

Day 4 - Thursday

We kicked off the morning with a high-energy counselors vs. campers relay race!

The friendly competition had everyone laughing, cheering, and encouraging one another as both teams gave it their all.

After the race, campers spent time running, playing, and interacting with their dogs in a fun and engaging environment.

These activities not only helped burn off energy, they also gave each camper another opportunity to build trust and strengthen the bond with their canine partner through positive interactions!

As the morning continued, campers shifted their focus back to training by practicing pedestal and bed exercises.

These foundational behaviors encourage dogs to remain calm, focused, and confident while learning to work alongside their handler.

Campers continued developing their timing, communication, and reward placement while recognizing how consistency and patience contribute to successful training sessions.

It was exciting to see many of the dogs becoming more comfortable and confident with these skills compared to earlier in the week.

Lunch brought another round of friendly competition with a campers vs. counselors trivia challenge!

Campers answered questions covering a variety of fun topics while working together as a team.

There were plenty of close rounds, laughs, and good sportsmanship throughout the game, but in the end, the counselors managed to come away with the win.

Everyone enjoyed the lighthearted competition before gearing up for the afternoon’s adventures.

After lunch, campers headed over to Nature Play for a scavenger hunt.

Working together in teams, they searched for a variety of natural items while exploring the outdoor environment and practicing teamwork and problem-solving skills.

Once their scavenger hunt was complete, campers used many of the materials they collected—including leaves, sticks, flowers, and other natural objects—to create unique dog-themed artwork.

It was wonderful to see everyone’s creativity shine as no two creations were exactly alike.

To wrap up the afternoon, campers returned to working with their dogs by continuing pedestal and bed exercises before being introduced to a brand-new training skill: touch targeting.

During this exercise, campers taught their dogs to confidently touch a designated target with their nose, helping improve focus, communication, confidence, and engagement.

Touch targeting is an excellent foundation for many future behaviors, and it was exciting to watch the campers and dogs begin learning this important new skill together.