Telluride k9 Adventure School
Elevate your dog's life
ADVENTURE DOG CLUB!
OFF-lEASH PACK HIKES & more
My passion for seeing animals thrive and live their best lives shines in all that I do. As an Applied Canine Ethologist, my approach with dogs is a unique blend of consistency, calmness and compassion, facilitating learning and growth through the many adventures to be had on mountains, in canyons, and everywhere between. A focus on applied ethology means I work with your dog's "LEGS" (their own unique Learning, Environment, Genetics & Self) to understand each dog in their environment as individual beings, vs "training" robotic behavior change. Prioritizing the welfare, agency and self of dogs is a new standard of care and I'm proud to be on the forefront of the Total Welfare Model of dogs in the ethology world. (Through Family Dog Mediation Education Center) This emphasis on agency is balanced with helping dogs learn how to be safe in our human-centric world as well as how to be a wonderful family member who is resilient, confident and adaptable.
K9 Adventure School
ENRICHMENT DAY CAMP
Outdoor-based structured day adventures include structured learning, fun games, socialization, calm time and top notch care in a natural setting- safely enjoying the great outdoors. Your dog is matched to the adventures that suite them- hiking, biking, SUP, swimming and more. No fake turf or artificial sniff rooms here!
HOLISTIC CARE
I take a holistic approach to helping make a dog's life the best it can be, meaning I believe in taking the whole dog into account. Mental and emotional stimulation combined with varied exercise, experiences, and good nutrition combine to ensure your dog's total wellbeing.
ABOUT THE PACK
The recurring monthly membership day training school where dogs learn life & trail skills in the outdoors is not currently accepting new members over 12 mos of age. Puppy camp for puppies up to 1 yr of age is accepting new applicants. Please use the form below to apply or add your dog to the waitlist.
DROP-INS
Our regular pack loves to welcome visiting dogs and it's very good for their dynamic to have new dogs rotating through. Local dogs: attend 7 recent nights of overnight camp & get approved for drop-ins!
Visiting dogs: please reach out to inquire about a drop-in hike for your off-leash trained dog.
Outdoor Adventure in
Every Season
more information
Sport Specific Outings
Rehabilitation through a Balanced Pack
We head out for fun and learning on the trail in every season, as long as there is not a health/safety hazard. Daily adventures are generally 4-5 hrs in length including drive time, and your pup enjoys door to door pick up and drop off from your home or hotel. They are pampered with personalized care suited to their unique needs and the highest quality of safety measures in the vehicle, on the trail, and everywhere between.
We hike as a pack daily in the adventure school, and we also teach trail skills and provide breed fulfillment through biking, mushing, swimming, bikejoring, SUP, rollerblading, and agility to mention a few! Your dog becomes fulfilled, learns valuable skills for daily life and applies them to outdoor sports as well. Crucial skills include emergency stops, leave it, neutrality, sit & down-stays, impeccable recall, and directionals.
A pack of dogs may sound like chaos; but in a structured and trust-based setting it's absolute magic. Many of the dogs in our balanced pack have been with us since puppyhood and now help teach both the new puppies and dogs that need some rehabilitation help. We work as a team, fascilitate a safe space for dogs to make mistakes and grow, follow consistent boundaries that dogs can relax into, and provide compassionate and fair leadership.
Woof! Request a day hike:
what is so amazing about training on the trail?
Lifelong Skills & Growth
All ages and breeds of dogs benefit from life-long learning and growth. Working on skills is so much more fun and challenging outdoors, so we do most of our work outside overcoming distracting stimuli to make sure your dog is as solid on commands as can be. Each day can include any/all canine good citizen behaviors as well as proper trail manners. Focus topics include all levels of socialization, off-leash recall, reducing anxiety and fear, "leave it" for ANYTHING, bike/ski/snowshoe/kayak/SUP/mushing/joring skills, balance, physical fitness, teamwork, proprioception, self-control, intuitive decision making, patience, delayed gratification, social structures, bravery and oh so much more. Yes! Your dog is so capable of all of this!
Our focus is always on risk management and positively building confidence, trust and consistency in a fun way.
Puppy Structured Socialization
Did you just add a new family member to your life? Congrats! The first few months of a puppy's life are crucial to instilling great habits, creating exposure to a wide variety of animals, people and stimulus and lots of socialization. Having a consistent program both at home and during your puppy's schooling is key to success. Puppies love playing games that are loads of fun but are secretly a training session! Puppy sessions are shorter due to their shorter attention spans and physical fitness needs and focus is always on positive reinforcement and offering a desired behavior in place of an undesirable one. Adventure school is also an excellent foundation of basic training for future Service or Avalanche dogs. Time at school can work towards your dog's AKC CGC (or higher) titles.