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Camp Unleashed activities optimize your dog's world
and help build the dog-human relationship.























Activities & Workshops

Qualities for learning:

  • Be lighthearted
  • Include observation and reflection
  • Be hands-on!  Demonstration, then practice
  • Incorporate different learning styles
  • Get your dog to use their skills
Unleashed is a metaphor for seeing the world from the dog's point of view. All of Camp Unleashed activities are intended to optimize your dog's world and build the dog-human relationship.  The focus is on organized play, not competition.  Every dog is a winner.

There's a lot to do or nothing to do — it's completely your choice. We have a team of professionals to help you and your dog have the best possible experience. If you're not familiar with some of the activities, don't worry — nothing is intended to be too serious. We invite seniors, differently-abled dogs, and dogs who are not athletically inclined to enjoy Healing Touch, canine massage, and fresh country air!

Activities and workshops may vary with each session of camp. View a sample camp schedule.

Agility

The sport of Agility is comprised of a course set-up with different obstacles including jumps, tunnels, a dog walk, a see-saw or teeter, an A-frame and weave poles. You and your dog have to really work together as a team to run through the course together, which is what makes it such a popular dog sport.  Dogs jump, climb, tunnel and weave.  Practicing Agility with your dog enhances the bond between you and provides great healthy exercise for you both.  Unlike many other dog sports, Agility is relatively easy to start (for the dogs at least!).  Most dogs love to jump and can have fun right away, regardless of experience. If you're advanced, our coaches will help you work on specific maneuvers or practice run-throughs. Please note that while we offer agility presented by agility instructors, the emphasis at Camp Unleashed is on partnership with your dog and learning about your dog, rather than instruction for advancing in competition agility.


Barks & Crafts
You can make a fun tug toy, decorate a frame for your dog's photo, create a dog brag book or use materials found in nature to create a piece of art. We're always adding new dog-related projects.  Relax and enjoy some music and sip a little wine while you sit, chat and create, as your dog rests at your feet.  

Campfires

Canine Aromatherapy
Essential oils have healing properties on both physical and emotional levels. Absorbed through the skin and nose, they can benefit our canine companions when used with knowledge of canine physiology.

Canine Disc Throwing (Frisbee)
If your dog loves to run, jump, and catch, try Frisbee.  Not only is this great fun and fantastic exercise for both of you, but for dogs with high prey drives, catching and retrieving anything can be a great way to focus the dog on "a job" where it can use its natural talents.  Learn how to teach your dog to catch the Frisbee and how to throw the Frisbee properly for your dog.  

Canine Good Citizenship (CGC)
The American Kennel Club began the Canine Good Citizen Program in 1989 as a means of rewarding dogs of all breeds and mixes who are well-behaved companions at home and in the community. To earn your CGC certificate, you and your dog must pass a 10-step test that includes skills such as: basic sit, down, stay, come, walking on leash with control, polite greetings, etc. Earning the CGC award will ensure that your dog is a well-respected member of your community. If you are considering therapy work with your dog, the CGC is a standard part of the required testing. At Camp Unleashed we will have a practice session in which the 10 skills are demonstrated and you will have supervised time to practice before taking the test. The following day the test will be offered for all participants.

Canine Massage How-to
Learn how to give your dog a relaxing body massage by using basic massage strokes and specific massage techniques. Canine massage offers many physical and emotional benefits for your dog. It relaxes and tones muscles, increases flexibility, relieves discomfort from arthritis, builds the immune system, lowers stress/anxiety and enhances mental focus.

Canoeing with your Dog
Dogs love the new experience of traveling by canoe. They get to smell all kinds of new things and you will have a richer experience just by observing their senses at work. Learn how to safely condition your dog to enter and exit the canoe and maintain balance. Life jackets will be provided for both humans and dogs.

Canine Water Sports
Swimming safely alongside their human (or at a distance) is the foundation for Canine Water Work and a fun new sport called Canine Water Sports (CWS).  Not only is this a great way to actively spend time with your canine pal --it also opens a whole new aquatic environment for your dog to utilize their magnificent senses as well as build their confidence and enhance your relationship.  In fact, being in the water with your dog, you can be literally eye-to-eye or shoulder-to-shoulder, bringing a fresh awareness to your connection.  Intro class focuses on building your communication skills in water; more advanced swimmers can learn to do a Team Swim (Aqua Agility) and retrieve off of especially built deep-water platforms.

Clicker Training
"Clicker Training" describes a way of training animals that has become increasingly popular in the last decade because of its gentle methods. The scientific term for it is operant conditioning. Operant conditioning is the way any animal (including humans) interacts with and learns from its environment. Simply put, an animal tends to repeat an action that has a positive consequence. You can take advantage of that natural tendency by providing positive reinforcement for an action that you want the animal to repeat by "marking" the behavior with a clicking sound as it is happening so that the dog associates the behavior with the reward.   Its value is that the unique sound doesn't get lost in the babble of words we are constantly throwing at our dogs and is faster than saying "Good dog!"  Paired with something the animal finds very reinforcing (such as a high reward treat), the clicker becomes a powerful tool for shaping behavior.

Collecting Antique Dog Photographs

Do It Yourself Grooming:  Tips from a Pro
How to clean your dog's ears, teeth and fur plus basic brushing techniques and everything else you wanted to ask a groomer!

Dock Diving
In Dock Diving, dogs race down a dock then fly off the end and into the water. Distance is the goal. Dock jumping isn't just for big retrievers — if your dog loves water and loves to jump, definitely give it a try!

Dogs in Art History
An artist's view on the history of dogs in art over the centuries.

Dog Film Festival
From Homeward Bound to Best in Show, canine cinema at its best!

Exploring the Dog-Human Relationship 
Various guest lecturers including psychologists, trainers, and ethologists (animal behavior experts) present on the topic most central to our mission at Camp Unleashed.

Flyball
A perfect sport for ball-crazy dogs, Flyball is a four-dog relay race in which one dog at a time runs over four hurdles, then up to a spring-loaded box that releases a tennis ball. After catching the ball, the dog returns over the hurdles. Then, it's the next dog's turn.

Frally
A cross between Rally, Obedience and Freestyle. You and your dog work your way through a course as a team executing different moves together.  While on the course, the team is encouraged to have fun. You can talk, whistle and clap your hands — a cheerful departure from the more regimented and silent obedience trial.

Gentle Yoga
Some call it ruff yoga, others call it doga. We call it relaxation for your body, mind and spirit. Our yoga teacher will lead you in gentle stretches, and breathing with awareness that will release tension, calm your mind, and help connect you to yourself and your dog. You'll be amazed at how your dog will sync up (attune) to your focused, calm state. Beginners and all levels welcome.  Please bring a yoga mat.

Healing for Animals with Reiki

Hands-on healing and channeling Reiki Energy (universal life force energy) has been used for centuries with roots in Tibet and Nepal. Studies have shown hands-on healing can speed the healing process and compliment medicine.

How Dogs Learn
Are dogs really members of a pack? Are YOU supposed to be the Pack Leader? What about those terms "dominant," "submissive," "alpha dog"? How do dogs really learn?  This workshop will help you gain an understanding of the cutting edge science of canine behavior or why dogs do the things they do and how we can use this knowledge in shaping their behavior.


Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell and Know
What is it really like to be a dog?  What is it like to be able to smell
sadness in humans or the passage of time?  How can the smallest Chihuahua play with the most formidable Great Dane? Author Alexandra Horowitz, a psychologist with a PhD in cognitive science as well as an ardent dogophile helps us "take an informed imaginative leap inside of a dog — to see what it is like to be a dog; what the world is like from a dog's point of view."  

Integrative Veterinary Medicine Approach to Optimal Health for Your Dog
Combining traditional veterinary medicine with a natural, holistic approach, integrative veterinary medicine provides the best possible diagnosis and treatment options for your dog's health both physically and emotionally.  Practices such as acupuncture, chiropractic care, hydrotherapy, use of flower essences, homeopathy, nutrition, canine massage and others are explained as well as the latest info on over vaccinations, when to titer and how to prevent and treat Lyme disease.   

Intensive Recall

Knowing your dog will come to you when you call him is an essential component for a happy dog and a fun relationship. Not only can it be critical for safety reasons, it will enable you to give your dog the freedom to run that she needs and give you the confidence that she will return when you call her. 

Learning to Read Your Dog:  Stress,  Communication, and Conflict Resolution in Dogs
Dogs communicate with each other and with us all the time.  Learning to read your dog's signals enables you to better understand your dog's state of being and her individual needs.

Living with Dogs:  Creating Dog-Friendly Homes
What design strategies can help facilitate the optimal home for YOU to share you’re your dog(s)? Home design can seem daunting without a dog, but throw a dog in the mix and one can be easily overwhelmed. In this workshop we will explore what it means to be a dog in a human home.  We will discuss general dog behavior and the sensual perception of dogs. Each participant will attempt to view space through the eyes, ears, noses and paws of a dog. Participants will then focus on their own dog(s) needs and we will brainstorm possible solutions. 

Musical Freestyle
Musical Freestyle is a relatively new "sport" that combines dog training, dance, and teamwork. You and your dog learn to perform dance-oriented footwork in time to music.


Natural Nutrition
Good nutrition is the cornerstone of health and well being for your dog.  Experts on the topic present the latest findings on canine nutrition, the benefits  of various diets, including Bones & Raw Food (BARF), how to provide the necessary supplements to ensure your dog is getting a complete balanced and bioavailable diet, how to prepare a homemade diet and how to switch safely from one to the other. 

Nature Hikes & "Smell Walks"
Take a leisurely walk and really look at the woods.  Learn to make your way in thick cover and identify plants and mushrooms. We will talk about what you need when you take your dog on a hike or nature foray and how to make yourself and dog hunter and bear safe.  

Off-Leash Skills & Canine Play Behavior
Off-leash play in wide open areas is essential a dog's well being.  Learn how to encourage safe play, distinguish rough housing from potential aggression, and  gain confidence in giving your dog freedom.


Pet Therapy:  What it takes to be a Therapy Dog
Do you have a wonderful dog you would like to share with others?  Pet Therapy is bringing companion animals — most commonly dogs — to various institutions such as residential homes for developmentally disabled people or at-risk youth, nursing homes, hospitals, prisons and community centers, to name a few.   Most organizations that utilize Pet Therapy require that both the dog and its handler be certified. There are several organizations that will evaluate, train you and your dog as a team, test and certify you as volunteers.  This presentation will help you evaluate whether you and your dog are suited for Pet Therapy and inform you of the various possibilities for Pet Therapy service.  

Picture Perfect Pooch

We will take some great candid shots of your beloved buddy by learning to utilize your camera's options..  Bring your point and shoot digital camera AND MANUAL.  We will walk, talk and snap.  Take each others pictures  Oh!... and have fun!

 

Positive Approaches to Behavior Challenges  Open forum for questions about behavior challenges and new perspectives on your relationship with your dog. Through discussion and demonstration we explore how dogs view their world, how our behavior influences their behavior, and how to solve problems using positive reinforcement.

Private Sessions
Throughout camp, private sessions 
for an additional fee may be available for services such as behavioral consultations, people massage, dog massage, portrait photography, animal communication, Tellington TTouch, Reiki, etc.

Recall, Counter Surfing, Jumping, Barking, Oh My!
Whether it's counter surfing, jumping on visitors, or inappropriate barking, learn how to shape your dog's behavior through effective communication. Also practice getting your dog to come reliably when called.  Knowing that your dog will come to you when you call him is an essential component for a happy dog and a fun relationship. 

Scent Games
From the moment your dog is born, she/he dog lives in a world rich with scents.  Scent work provides an outlet for your dog's natural instinct for the hunt and is very stimulating as well as mentally and emotionally satisfying. All you need to do is teach your dog specifically how you want her/him to use his astonishing olfactory powers.  The easiest way to accomplish this is through games. Whether you want to track for fun, or see if your dog has what it takes to be part of a Search & Rescue team, you both will have a blast.   It can also serve to build confidence in some dogs as well as improve your partnership. 

Swimming
Our camps have private lakes that are available all day long for your dog to cool off, swim and play in. Swimming is the best exercise also for older dogs and being able to walk into a lake makes it easy for beginners as well as natural water dogs.  We also can provide life vests to help build your dog's confidence.  There are also set periods when lifeguards are present, where you can swim together with your dog.  No other sport allows you be at the exact same height level, looking into each others' eyes!  If your dog has not yet experienced the joy of swimming, we offer an engaging Introduction to Water class to build a positive association.

Teach Your Dog to Read and Other Tricks 
Watching your dog learn real new tricks gives you a new appreciation for canine intelligence.  This workshop focuses on building skills together with your dog, understanding canine learning theory and more.  Tricks that can be learned are: Teach you dog to read, "Play dead", Get me a tissue, Give paw/ high five, and Put your toys away.

Telepathic Communication with Dogs
Tap into your natural ability to connect telepathically with your dog and other creatures, and deepen your understanding of your dog's  emotions and thoughts, as well as discover new ways to enjoy and experience your love of animals.  Private sessions by appointment for additional fee.

Tellington TTouch

TTouch
is a bodywork and movement method for enhancing the mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing of your companion animal. It is used to support veterinary care, training, and behavior modification. An additional benefit is a deeper rapport between humans and animals through increased understanding and more effective communication.  The TTouch method  also addresses more severe issues such as separation anxiety, aggression, timidity, fear, barking, leash-pulling, and hyperactivity, and provides techniques to help with the discomforts and difficulties of inevitable aging in a wide variety of species.

Treibball
Treibball is the hot new canine sport of "urban herding."  A combination of herding, agility and soccer like skills are combined to make this a fun game for any breed. Treibball is great exercise and a confidence booster. Your dog will learn to push large pilates-type exercise balls into a goal. Treibball is for all types  of dogs who like to play and need a cool job.

Unleash the Artist Within: Painting with your Inner Pup
A novel approach to having fun while expressing yourself through paint with our dogs as the connectors to our "inner artist."    

Vet Tech's Guide to Emergency First Aid & Disaster Prep
How to deal with emergencies, create your own first aid kit, prepare for disaster, and the inside scoop on vaccinations, tick prevention, heartworm medication and more!

You're Feeding Your Dog What?!
The honest truth about feeding your dog a healthy diet, presented by Tracie Hotchner, author of The Dog Bible: Everything Your Dog Wants You to Know and host of Dog Talk® Radio Show.  Investigative reporter, author, radio host and passionate dog advocate Tracie shares the latest, best, and clearest info on dog nutrition.