| Package of Five (10% off) | $45 per hike |
| Package of Ten (15% off) | $42.50 per hike |
| Package of Twenty (20% off) | $40 per hike |
| Single one off hikes | $50 per hike |
*Pickup and drop off are typically included in hiking fee; however depending upon your location a round trip transportation fee may be applied. Package pricing may not be available for all service areas. Packages to be used within three months of purchase. We also offer Frequency Pricing which enables regular hikers to pay on a weekly basis while locking in the discounts of package pricing. Please inquire about Frequency Pricing Terms and Conditions if you are interested. | |
| Dog Pet Sitting in your home | $95 per night |
| Dog Boarding (Includes off leash adventures on property) Boarding dogs must be able to spend time alone in our home without excessive anxiety, barking or destructive behaviors. | $65 per night |
| Private rental of property to hike with your dog and/or your dog's friends! | $15 per hour base rate, $5 per additional household (please contact us to inquire). Commercial dogwalkers are welcome to inquire, rates will be different. |
| Pickup/Drop off Fee For Dog Boarding | Billed/prorated hourly @ $30 per hr. |
Benefits of Hiking
Off leash adventure groups are a fantastic way to achieve the combined benefits of socialization and exercise in one outing. Canine senses are engaged in the sights, smells, sounds and movement of the natural environment as well as each other. This is a lot like the canine version of the internet – important news pertaining to current events and entertainment can be found there! The result is a fulfilled dog who is not driven to create mischief at home due to boredom and restlessness. The ripple effect is pressure relief for busy households where getting the dog out for consistent exercise is difficult.
Our land is a combination of gentle slope and flat terrain; it varies between forest and cleared pasture land. We also have streams on the property so splashing and wallowing in water is all part of the fun! Recall, proactive check-in's, attention to the handler, robust but polite play and the capacity to ignore distraction when asked are all aspects of off leash adventure groups that are reinforced consistently. The dogs are always working towards reinforcement by engaging in good behavioral choices either by their own accord or when asked. In addition to that technical stuff – unique canine personalities abound and are freely celebrated! Each dog has their own way of relating to the world at large and quite frankly there is much joy and laughter for us in observing them be themselves.
In addition, off leash groups are pretty much all weather. Barring high winds, thunder/lightning conditions, flooding or excessive snow/ice we go out. While most dogs are not enthusiastic about traipsing down the sidewalk on leash in the rain, off leash dogs seem to enjoy the textures and smells the weather brings out in the natural environment as it differs considerably from dry conditions. They also seem to LOVE the rushing streams of water pooling and spilling down over the landscape features. These streams often end in irresistible pools and puddles that beckon to be splashed in. Its the canine version of a water park! We will towel dry your dog on rainy days.
How Hikes Work
Hiking service is structured in the following ways:
- On your dogs scheduled day or days we pick her/him up between the general hours of 9am and 3pm, take them out hiking on our trails for one hour and then drop them back home.
- The amount of total time that your dog is out of the house may vary depending upon where in the transport route you are located. However, while the drive time may fluctuate your dog will always get at least one hour outside hiking on trail – that will not vary.
- Groups are structured first and foremost according to age, activity needs, play style, sociability level, size etc. Typically, we run multiple groups a day. The pickup/drop off process includes your dog and up to five other canine buddies. Our driving routes are often sequenced in an order that does not solely maximize route optimization for whoever is scheduled on a given day. The most important thing to us is proper personality matching within groups versus what makes the most sense according to where everyone is located. As a result flexibility is needed on your part with respect to pickup/drop off timing. However, if you have special needs around timing please let us know and we'll do our best to accommodate!
- We put preliminary schedules together for the week on the Sunday before. If you have a day and/or AM, PM time slot request kindly weigh in as soon as you can by no later than Sunday afternoon. If you have an emergency and need last minute add-ins we'll do our best to accommodate. We need flexibility when scheduling. We are happy to field requests and do our best to build schedules around what you, as the owner need but we cannot lock ourselves into exact times.
- AM time slot: Pickup is anytime between 9am and noon
- PM time slot: Pickup is anytime between noon and 3pm
- Please keep in mind that an AM pickup usually means an early afternoon drop off and dogs who go out in the “AM group” are usually quite restful well into the afternoon/evening as a result of the activity.
- This is a hands-off type of service in that we don't need you to do anything at all. Simply give us access to your house (either a spare key or hide-a-key), instructions if necessary for alarm and/or access codes and preferences (if you have them) for where you'd like your dog returned to (in a crate, a specific room, behind a baby gate etc.) and let us do the rest. You do not need to be home in order for us to fulfill the service and if you are home please be aware that the process goes smoother and quicker with minimal involvement from you. If we do encounter you upon pickup or drop off please understand that we are usually on a schedule and our social interactions may be brief (not that we don't want to catch up with you!)
- Grooming: Please take a look at the following two photos of our beloved client Mr. Brady:
This is our definition of a dirty pup! We will definitely NOT return your dog home looking like this. If your dog loves to put a mud coat on as part of their hiking experience rest assured we will hose and towel them off before returning them home. However, we cannot offer any type of grooming service beyond emergency mud coat situations. Dirt and dampness on paws, coat and/or plant burs or brush in fur within normal tolerances are part of a good hiking experience and should be expected. If you are worried about cleanliness please consider using covers on furniture or baby gating your dog in a particular section of the house where they have access to a dog bed and their water bowl. Short coat dogs naturally shed excess dirt and oil pretty quickly. They also dry fast. Just in case you're curious here's a good article on dog bathing:
https://www.ccspca.com/blog-spca/education/how-often-should-you-bathe-a-...
If your dog exhibits signs of illness, soreness/physical sensitivities or seems "not themselves" in any way please alert us immediately. Physical ailments can alter behavior in ways that are unpredictable. Sickness may also be contagious. For everyone's health and safety please sit your dog out of group hikes and/or daycare if they are not themselves.
Daycare services: we do not provide daycare.
Criteria For Off Leash Adventure Groups
In order to qualify for off leash adventure groups a dog must be “well-padded”. Basic training (such as a beginner obedience class) is certainly helpful but not necessarily required. Your dog should be comfortable:
- interacting with and/or ignoring fellow dogs as well as people.
- riding in the car with other dogs without guarding space or being overly anxious/nervous to the point of making the car environment difficult for everyone else.
We have some basic ways to separate one or two dogs from the others during transport (crate, front seat etc.) but we cannot separate everyone. Car riding with others is introduced in stages to maximize comfort level.
Spay/Neuter is mandatory if your dog is older than six months. Contact me if you have any questions about your dog as a possible candidate for this service. If you'd like to get started with adventure groups please fill out and submit our online Canine History and Behavior questionnaire located here.
Dogs with bite histories, either with fellow dogs and/or people are generally not a good fit for the off leash adventure groups.
Boarding
We provide personalized, small scale dog boarding in our home. The majority of dogs who board with us are hiking clients. This is the easiest boarding scenario since it creates a seamless transition for the dog and ensures their daily exercise/socialization schedule remains intact. In addition, boarding dogs receive attention, affection, rubs and snuggles from someone they know and trust while their human parents are away.
If your dog is not a regular hiker and you are interested in having your dog board at our place please contact us to discuss it.
