Puppy Camp

Guide Dog Puppies get to go to Puppy Camp at least once during their year with their Puppy Raisers.

At Puppy Camp the Guide Dog Puppy spends two weeks with another Puppy Raiser family.

The puppy learns a new family, new routine, new handler and gets exposed to a new environment and new experiences.

Puppy Camp also provides another set of Puppy Raiser eyes watching the puppy to offer feedback for strengths and weaknesses.

Our Puppy Camp was a 3-way-trade:

• Watson went to a family that has raised 8 Guide Dog Puppies; 
• their puppy went to Watson's sister Cami's Puppy Raiser, who has raised 5 Guide Dog Puppies; 
• and, we got Cami!

I was looking forward to having Cami with us for 2 weeks. I wanted to see the similarities and differences between the sisters.




When Cami goes for walks, she motors and doesn't stop and smell the roses as much as Watson does.

Every morning Cami got to walk along Buffalo Bayou, cross over foot bridges, walk on sand and meet weird birds that definitely caught her attention!

As Cami's time progressed, she took less interest in the weird birds.

She also got to go to the RV Show.

She climbed in and out of RV's and had impeccable manners.

Cami has decided that she would now like to spend her summer vacation exploring the great outdoors in a new RV.

She especially liked the Mercedes RV's! She thinks it would be an excellent training experience!

When we went out to eat, she was awesome settling under the table in restaurants.

One major difference - Cami BARKS! Something Watson never does.

Oh, and, Cami went into heat while she was with us! YIKES! That was a first-ever for us. GULP.

(Cami is mortified I shared that!)

Meanwhile, Watson managed to find the time to send home a few updates and photos from her Puppy Camp.

It looks like Watson settled in without too much trouble.






Watson went to Camping World.

She was pretty quiet about what she found for her summer vacation, but I am sure she got a few ideas.

She looks so mature and professional!

It made me very proud.







Apparently she was a Rock Star in the sandwich shop.

That made me very proud too.








After 2 weeks all the puppies went home to their Puppy Raiser families.

I think that every Puppy Raiser secretly hopes that their puppy will come back from Puppy Camp fully trained.

It was wishful thinking.

But bottom line - we are thrilled to have Watson back home with us!