Friday June 27, 2018

The Campers are now in the routine of getting to Doglando on time, taking their dogs out to potty, cleaning their crate, then trying to see who else needs help.

To start off the day, we warmed up the dogs with a crate exercise. The best session we have had yet!

After this, we had a discussion about what inside turns and outside turns are. Inside turns are where the dog is on your left and you turn left into the dog. Outside turns are where the dog is on your left and you turn right, with the dog outside of your turn.

Once everyone had an understanding of what this would look like, we had our discussion over the Campers'  homework. The homework was... 

• to make flyers to post around town for their puppy.
• to submit a bio to Bryan to post on their Camp dog's web page.
• and, to choose a breed of dog and research their history.

One Camper, Taylor, chose the Pomsky - a Pomeranian and Husky mix, and talked about how they are created through artificial insemination. From there, a discussion arose about what that is and means. This discussion got deep into the courtship ritual and meaning behind dogs breeding naturally. This was an intense discussion for the kids. 

Then, we moved on to a quick lunch. After the Campers were done eating, we tapped into our creative side and made bracelets. The Campers got a little crazy with the beads by “making it rain.” This made for a long clean up, having them sort through each style and color of beads.

We then had a discussion on walking backwards with loose leash walking. The point of this exercise, is that when the dog's head walks ahead of your left foot, you reverse and walk in the opposite direction until the dog is back on your left side. This teaches the dog that they must walk by your side - as a team - to move toward your destination. We then practiced this motion with the dogs outside. This part of training can take a while for the Campers and dogs to fully understand.

Next, we split up for our daily chores. Once our chores were done, we had an amazing discussion with Tracey, a visitor and friend of Teena's, about health and the importance of how not all diseases can be solved with medicine and surgery. The discussion went on to talk about the choices we make in everyday life to keep us healthy, like food, exercise, sleep, and stress.

And just like that, our first week has come to an end!