Currently offered on MDI and now scheduling on Wednesdays in Ellsworth area too!
Adventure school is the BEST way to break up the day for your dogs who need more exercise, mental stimulation, and one-on-one training. We take full advantage of the beautiful place we live by visiting different trails, beaches, and mountains. We will play, hike, swim, run and train during our sessions: bringing your dog home tired, enriched, and happy. This is a great way to exercise your dog without creating the adrenaline junky that can sometimes happen with daycare or other high arousal activities.
These are one on one sessions so your dog will not be competing for time or attention. Even better? You will have a professional, insured dog trainer with them, who will help continue your dog’s training in real world scenarios. We’ll pick your dog up, drop them off at the end of the session, and there’s no need for you to be home!
With Adventure School we now offer training packages! These packages not only offer you a discount from our regular rate, they allow you to have your dog working on a specific set of skills to set them up to be a fantastic Adventure Dog out in the world! Great for owners who want to jumpstart and solidify training but who don’t have the time to build the skills themselves.
Puppy Jumpstart
8 day package (1.5 hour sessions) $750 (price includes 3 private sessions)
Puppy Jumpstart is our program that focuses on socializing your puppy through safe, controlled exposure to new environments, sounds, people, new surfaces, as well as laying the foundations for self-control and confidence around exciting distractions. We work on gradual exposure to strange sounds, novel objects in the environment, body handling, prep for trips to the vet and groomer, and more! This program is designed for the critical age period between 8 – 16 weeks of age. Our trainers focus on your puppy’s behavioral wellbeing, while helping work through common puppy problems like play biting and potty training. You will also receive a detailed report at the end of each session that details what your puppy worked on as well as discounts to future classes at Salty Dogs. Included in Puppy Jumpstart are two transfer sessions, one halfway through and one at the end to help your family continue and reinforce the work your puppy has started in Adventure School.
Sessions Included:
-1 Initial Consultation and Evaluation
-8 Adventure School Days to be scheduled over the course of 2 months
-1 Private transfer lesson after 4 sessions
-1 Private transfer lesson after 8 sessions
Adventure Puppy Academy
For dogs 5-12 months of age
16 day package (2.5 hour sessions) for $2110 (price includes 3 private sessions!)
This program provides a full curriculum of basic obedience training (sit, down, stay, polite greetings, coming when called, loose leash walking, etc) as well as providing appropriate socialization with exposure to novel surfaces and objects, body handling to prep for vet/grooming visits and more! Adventure Puppy starts with a consultation on your dog’s first day to assess their skills and needs.
In this program your puppy will learn sit, down, stay, leash walking, recall (coming when called), polite behavior around people, as well attention around distractions. We also work on body handling to prepare them to handle vet visits and grooming more confidently and help them navigate new and potentially scary situations while working out in the world. You also receive two additional private transfer lessons during your puppy’s package to ensure continued success at home. Like with our other programs, you receive a detailed report emailed to you at the end of the day going over what your puppy worked on, as well as discounts to future classes at Salty Dogs.
Sessions Included:
-1 Initial Consultation and Evaluation
-16 Adventure School Days to be scheduled over the course of 2 months
-1 Private transfer lesson after 8 sessions
-1 Private transfer lesson after 16 sessions
Adventure Hound Basics
14 sessions (2.5 hour sessions) $1875 (price includes 3 private sessions)
For dogs over 12 months old we’ll work on building up all of their obedience and impulse control skills out in the world while providing them with opportunities for exercise and mental stimulation. In this package we’ll cover all the basics: loose leash walking, recall (coming when called) , stay, polite behavior around people, as well attention around distractions. sit/down/stand, beginning heelwork, leave it, and settling around distractions. This package includes 3 private sessions, one as an initial assessment to see where your dog is currently at and what your goals are, and two as transfer sessions for you to learn and continue the work we’ve started. One to meet after 6 sessions and one to be completed after their last session.
Sessions Included:
-1 Initial Consultation and Evaluation
-14 Adventure School Days to be scheduled over the course of 2 months
-1 Private transfer lesson after 7 sessions
-1 Private transfer lesson after 14 sessions
Advanced Adventures
12 sessions (2.5 hour sessions) $1590 (price includes 3 private sessions)
For dogs who have completed our Adventure Hound Basics program. We’ll work on taking their skills to the advanced level while providing them with outlets for exercise and mental stimulation. We’ll build advanced loose leash walking (walk on leash while connected with handler even when faced with distractions) Heelwork (able to heel past distractions), stay (wait patiently around multiple distractions, including other dogs) Confidence and Connection (have confidence around distractions including people and other dogs and the ability to remain settled and connected to handler) rock solid reliable recall, emergency recall. This package includes 3 private sessions, one as an initial assessment to see where your dog is currently at and what your goals are, and two as transfer sessions for you to learn and continue the work we’ve started. One to meet after 6 sessions and one to be completed after their last session.
Sessions Included:
-1 Initial Consultation and Evaluation
-12 Adventure School Days to be scheduled over the course of 2 months
-1 Private transfer lesson after 6 sessions
-1 Private transfer lesson after 12 sessions
Confident Canine
(Confident Canine Packages are tailored to the individual dog in terms of number of sessions and will be determined after your initial assessment. Number of sessions could vary from 12-20 and beyond depending on need)
For the Adventure Dog needing a confidence boost out in the world. In this package we work with dogs who are shy, fearful, or uncertain when faced with new environments or situations. Dogs are considered for this program on a case by case basis and some might need private training work beforehand. We will work with your dog to help them build confidence in a variety of settings while also teaching them skills and patterns to make their world a bigger place. In addition to helping your dog become their most confident self, we will teach them leash walking, recall, stay, sit/down, leave it, and an auto check in.
Email us at saltydogsmaine@gmail.com to sign up!
During EVERY Adventure School Session We’ll Work On:
*Impulse Control
*Basic Manners
*Leash manners and skills
*Coming when called
*Greetings
*Focus around distractions
If you’d like to sign up for one session at a time, versus a package we can do that too! Great for a dog who already has some training under their belt that you’d like to maintain, or when you just want to help break up your dogs day with some exercise, mental stimulation, and one on one attention!
Adventure trips for dogs 5 months and older run for 2.5 hours and the cost is $125.
Sign up here for Ellsworth area
Adventure trips for dogs 8-16 weeks run for 1.5 hours and the cost is $85.
Sign up here for Ellsworth area
All students of Adventure School Receive:
*Photos and videos of your dogs day
*Discounts on future group training classes
*Handouts and progress reports
FAQ
What are Adventure Sessions like?
These sessions are a combination of training time, physical exercise, mental stimulation, and socialization for your dog. While out they will be working one-on-one with a professional dog trainer to jumpstart and refine the training skills you need help with. Your dog’s day could be a combination of hiking on a trail, practicing skills in downtown Bar Harbor, heading for a swim, and running through an open field.
How do the private lessons work?
Owners are provided with an initial consult as the first session before their dogs first adventure outing. This allows you and your dog to meet your trainer and allows us to evaluate your dog’s current skills and your goals. After that, owners are provided two private lessons that are scheduled in advance. All three lessons must be completed by the time your dog graduates from their program. Lessons are essential in transferring the behaviors to you, the owner, to make sure that your dog and their training continues to be successful at home and out and about.
How much and what kind food should I bring?
You should bring about 1 cup for a small dog under 30 lbs, 2-3 cups for a medium/large dog. Please ensure whatever food is brought to be used for training is in small, bite sized pieces. About the size of a pea. Please bring 3-5 different high value treats such as: Precooked Meatballs, Liverwurst, Ham, Rotisserie Chicken, Turkey, Cheese Sticks, Steak, Pork, Freeze-Dried Treats, Hotdogs, Cubed Cheese, Happy Howie’s Roll, Roast Beef.
Can both of my dogs go?
Two dogs who live together are considered on a case-by-case basis, email us to talk more!