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My shelter does a summer camp for kids around 7-11 (different camps, different age groups). The focus is animal care and training, sheltering, etc. In the past there have been guests like wildlife rehab centers, a person who does bomb detection with her dog, and other fun stuff.
In the last two years I've always done one or two 1 hour sessions with Soro. We've done agility, which involves watching Sor. run a longish course, timing the kids as they run the course, then letting the kids run Sor through 3-4 easy obstacles (ex. hoop, tunnel, jump).
We've also done nosework+tricks, which involves the kids working in groups of 4 to hide odor in the classroom for Soro to find, then a trick demo (usually me asking the kids what they want to see Soro do). Maybe some group tricks (ex. Soro going through all the kids' legs at once, or each kid takes turns putting kibble on his nose as he balances the treats)
But Soro's getting older and I am noticing him slow down significantly this last year. He CAN still do those things, but perhaps not as fast or well. Or I just don't want him to (ex. tearing through an agility course repeatedly). My boss keeps reminding me the kids are young, ie their expectations for performance and precision are low.
Still, I am looking to see if I can develop any 30-60 minute interactive sessions using Soro. I have considered using Brae. And Brae has surpassed Soro in all but the number of tricks he knows. But Soro is easier to spend a work day with compared to Brae (I haven't tried in months, so I might be wrong), and I'd rather use Sor for a number of reasons. Anyways, just posting to see if anyone's got creative ideas!
In the last two years I've always done one or two 1 hour sessions with Soro. We've done agility, which involves watching Sor. run a longish course, timing the kids as they run the course, then letting the kids run Sor through 3-4 easy obstacles (ex. hoop, tunnel, jump).
We've also done nosework+tricks, which involves the kids working in groups of 4 to hide odor in the classroom for Soro to find, then a trick demo (usually me asking the kids what they want to see Soro do). Maybe some group tricks (ex. Soro going through all the kids' legs at once, or each kid takes turns putting kibble on his nose as he balances the treats)
But Soro's getting older and I am noticing him slow down significantly this last year. He CAN still do those things, but perhaps not as fast or well. Or I just don't want him to (ex. tearing through an agility course repeatedly). My boss keeps reminding me the kids are young, ie their expectations for performance and precision are low.
Still, I am looking to see if I can develop any 30-60 minute interactive sessions using Soro. I have considered using Brae. And Brae has surpassed Soro in all but the number of tricks he knows. But Soro is easier to spend a work day with compared to Brae (I haven't tried in months, so I might be wrong), and I'd rather use Sor for a number of reasons. Anyways, just posting to see if anyone's got creative ideas!