Summer camp for pets

Summer is nearly here and so are summer camps! We don’t mean for your child (although those are great too) – we mean for your pet. That’s right: if you have not heard of summer camps for dogs and for cats, then you have been missing out. These pet camps are curated to give your pets a lovely time during the summer to bond, learn skills and just have the time of their lives.

In this article, we will explore what summer camps can give your pets and why you should try and find the nearest one as soon as possible.

Summer camps for pets? What?

It’s real – summer camps for pets are an easy way for you to go on vacation with your dog or cat and spoil them. More often than not, our pets have been loving witnesses to the happy moments in our lives. They have given us joy and meaning, and always made any achievement or bonding moment brighter. Why not spend this summer celebrating that with a camp dedicated to making your pet as happy as they can be? Pet camps are an excellent way to introduce your dog or cat to something new, bright and fun. It is an opportunity to spoil them rotten.

Benefits of summer camps

But what can a summer camp offer you and your pet? If a vacation is all it is, surely you can just take your dog out of town somewhere where they can run around and enjoy themselves?

Well, summer camps for pets are about dogs running around and enjoying themselves, but they also offer a lot more than that. Here are some benefits in choosing to take your dog to a pet camp this summer.

1. Skill-based learning (for your pet)

Do you remember summer camps as a child? Those camps would always teach you something, whether it was the Duke of Edinburgh scheme or the annual school summer camp. They were designed to impart skills to you that you could use later in life. And while it is questionable whether anyone really remembers the seven different ways to tie a knot (except those children with elephantine memory), the delight we felt at learning something new stays with us.

Pet camps are no different. Your dog needs to be challenged, allowing them to widen their horizons. There is only so much you can do by training your dog in your house or in the local park. Most summer camps for pets know this. They design their schedule so that your dog or cat can acquire new skills. Agility training, swimming, behavioural workshops – you name it and a summer camp has it.

2. Learning more (for you)

Most pet resorts and camps also realise that the key to a healthy and happy life for a dog or cat is a knowledgeable and involved pet parent. Several of these camps have training sessions for pet parents on how to better understand and take care of their pets. Some hold seminars on animal health, where experts come in to speak to you about how to take care of your dog or cat. Others show you CPR training for canines, which is good knowledge to have and helpful if you are a pet parent to a senior dog.

3. Keeping your pet fit and entertained

Pet camps also have a range of activities to keep your dog or cat active and healthy. From boating, kayaking, dog games and dog sports – not to mention relaxing nights by the fire – summer camps have something for everyone. They are a great way to keep your dog mentally engaged and physically fit. No more long and boring summers for your pet!

4. Socialising

One of the most valuable aspects of a pet camp is the opportunity it provides for socialising. While your dog may have a group of dogs they go on play dates with or meet in the park, their social circle is bound to be small and dependent on how many dogs you have in the area. Pet camps and resorts are an excellent way for your dog to bond with other dogs and make new friends. Dogs are social pack animals, so this is important for them. The camp’s structured activities – such as dog sports, swimming and dog games – can help improve your dog’s social skills and teach them to play better with company.

And socialising is good for your cat too. While cats are more individualistic, it is important that they learn to play with other felines. This socialisation is a necessary part of their growing and an excellent skill to possess – and pet camp can help improve it.

5. Grooming

Who doesn’t like a good spa day? Most pet resorts have grooming facilities for your pet to pamper them properly. This includes trimming your dog’s nails, washing their ears ,brushing and trimming their fur – not to mention washing and styling the coat until it shines. Cats get all this and more. Some camps include medicinal bath treatments for your cat to truly spoil them.

6. Bonding between you and your pet

What pet camps provide most of all is an opportunity for you to bond with your pet. Camps take you outside of your usual circle – outside of the house, out of the city and into new elements. It exposes your pet to an environment curated just for them. In the case of dogs, this is usually the great outdoors and a carefully crafted resort. In the case of cats, it is usually spaces designed with their interests and talents in mind: a climbing wall, objects made out of cat treats and so on.

Either way, dog camps and cat camps create a world focused on your pet so that you get a chance to live their life for a while. They are already the centre of your heart – why not also make them the centre of your summer?