Wild Pup Adventures’ PupScouts Academy
Off-Leash Dog Training for Portland & Beaverton Oregon!
Unleash Your Adventure Dog’s Full Potential!
This is where your dog becomes the best adventure friend you always knew they could be.
In our small, expertly guided dog pack, dogs of all ages and abilities train hard, develop excellent social skills, and build real-world off-leash skills under the leadership of WPA’s Owner and Operator, Toby Joy Zelt and canine Pack Leader, Raven. This is the most comprehensive adventure-based dog training program available, designed to unlock your dog’s full potential so they can enjoy every trail, park, and wild moment with you.
We lay the foundation—teaching essential skills, expectations, and commands—so you and your dog can finally be on the same page and live your best life together.
PupScouts Graduates who join Adventure Club get their first week free! A $105 Value!
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PupScouts Graduates who join Adventure Club get their first week free! A $105 Value! **
What dogs learn at PupScouts Academy
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Off-Leash Recall
Dogs learn a strong, reliable recall through positive reinforcement and real-world practice in safe off-leash environments. By associating the command with fun, rewards, and clear guidance, they learn to come immediately, even amidst distractions. This skill ensures your dog can explore freely while remaining safe under your control. Included training collar work if needed for particular dogs.
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Spacial Awareness
Through trail exercises, dogs develop an understanding of their own body in space and avoid coming into contact with your feet or bike. They learn to judge distances, avoid hazards, and navigate narrow paths or uneven terrain. This improves safety, agility, and confidence in outdoor environments.
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Commands for Safety
Dogs are taught essential safety commands such as “stop,” (at intersections) “leave it,” (with things they may want to eat) and “wait for me” among others. Practicing in real-life adventure scenarios ensures they respond reliably to prevent accidents or exposure to hazards, keeping them safe and giving owners peace of mind.
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Routines & Expectations
Dogs thrive with consistency. In our program, structured daily routines teach dogs what to expect during adventures, from getting out and into the vehicle without hesitation to knowing when they need to return after a hunt. Clear routines reduce anxiety, increase focus, and make learning faster. You will use these routines when you take your dog adventuring too.
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Multi-Sport Skills
Whether dogs are learning to run with a mountain bike, a dirt bike, to swim next to a kayak and more, our program gives them skills to do it safely with you. Some sports are seasonal, like teaching dogs to swim, so we may not cover all sports during each Intensive. Whether you cross country ski, snowshoe, or trail run, your dog will be a better partner after PupScouts.
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Social Skills
Dogs interact in small, supervised packs, within what we call “Conscious Canine Community” where they learn to express themselves, share space, and respond to both dogs and humans appropriately. Structured socialization teaches boundaries, reduces reactive behaviors, and encourages positive play, ensuring harmonious group adventures. Having a group of long-term friends is essential for dogs.
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Navigation
Dogs learn to find and follow trails, interpret information, and move efficiently through varied terrain. Using guided exploration and step-by-step challenges, they develop the confidence and know-how to navigate safely in outdoor environments, making hikes safer and more enjoyable for both dog and owner. Dogs learn to go their own way if the human’s path is too hard for them. Dogs often learn to track where the van is parked so they can always find it again.
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Confidence and Know-How
Through progressive challenges—like obstacles, water exercises, and independent decision-making—dogs gain self-assurance and practical skills. This happens over the long-term by attending weekly adventures. Confident dogs handle new situations well, think independently when needed, and enjoy adventures to the fullest without hesitation or fear.
More trust.
More safety.
More freedom.
More unforgettable moments outdoors.
Why Pet Parents Want a PupScouts Academy Graduate
Less Stress: Confidence Off-Leash
Take your dog on adventures with complete peace of mind. PupScouts Academy trains your dog in essential off-leash skills so you can explore safely. We handle the hard work, while you enjoy simple at-home, on a walk or in a dog park exercises that reinforce their training.
More Smiles: Adventure Together
Your dog will thrive on weekly adventures, fully engaged, confident, and excited to explore by your side. Every hike, run, or outdoor activity becomes a memory you’ll both cherish. Whether you climb mountains together, spray mud onto your dog from your MTB tires, or simply enjoy local dog parks or off-leash walks, WPA’s goal is for you to enjoy your time together and not feel as stressed.
Peace of Mind: Health & Happiness
Adventure training supports your dog’s physical and emotional well-being. PupScouts Academy helps your dog stay fit, confident, and resilient—improving long-term health and overall happiness. It’s intellectually, socially, and physically fulfilling for them. And your dog can get in shape to join a Wild Pup Adventure Club pack in the future!
Stronger Bond: Better Relationship
Build a deeper connection with your dog through trust, teamwork, and shared achievements. Wild Pup Parents notice a more responsive, happy, and connected dog—making everyday life together more rewarding.
Curriculum
Click to learn about each topic.
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We teach dogs to enter the vehicle on command, sit calmly during the ride, and wait until asked to exit. Proper vehicle manners ensure every trip—whether to the trail, groomer, or a road trip—is safe and stress-free. We don’t allow whining or barking from excitement or impatience.
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From first-time swimmers to dogs needing advanced water skills, we build confidence and capability in the water. Essential for lake days, creek crossings, or any water adventure.
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No more stopping and barking or looking to a person for help. We teach dogs to navigate obstacles independently, building problem-solving skills and confidence.
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When heading back to the vehicle off leash, or entering an area where you may encounter other people and need your off-leash dog to be controlled, we teach dogs to walk behind, maintaining control and safety on every hike.
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For dogs who sprint ahead, we teach them a command to have them slow down a bit. We also teach that this command may be followed by others related to it’s meaning.
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A reliable “stop” command ensures your dog freezes instantly, preventing dangerous encounters with vehicles at intersections.
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For dirt bikes, mountain bikes, or similar sports, we train dogs to run safely off-leash alongside you. They learn to respect the bike’s space, stay out of harm’s way, and respond to cues to go ahead or fall back. They are not allowed to run next to, in front of, or near the rear wheel.
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Allow your dog to safely access water down a steep grade without you needing to scramble down too. Dogs learn when it’s safe to go down and drink on command and return to you reliably.
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Protect your dog from hazards like salmon poisoning, dead animals, trash, or other dangerous items. “Leave it” prevents unwanted grabs, and “drop it” teaches safe release. Both are essential for adventure safety. We teach aversion training in certain contexts.
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“Go ahead” allows controlled passing while keeping everyone on the trail safe and free from tripping or becoming off-balance with a dog behind them. Important when in thick brush or near uneven or steep ground.
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For paddling adventures, we train dogs to safely swim near a kayak without trying to climb on top. We teach them to stay away from the paddles.
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We teach dogs to take the energy down on command if they are playing too rough. Essential for safe, enjoyable socialization and adventures. We also use another command to tell them play time is over.
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We teach a clear, enthusiastic recall command that dogs respond to consistently, even with distractions. Perfect for off-leash adventures with control. Requires the human take action and move as well.
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No more jumping on people at scenic overlooks or on the trail. We teach dogs to stay grounded while adventuring. We absolutely do not tolerate them jumping on us.
Why Choose Us?
WPA is the Industry Leader
Unmatched Expertise
Your dog works directly with Toby Joy Zelt, the Owner and Pack Leader of Wild Pup Adventures. They will never work with a contractor. Toby’s a lifelong outdoorsperson and athlete whose dogs are an integral part of her adventures. Taking dogs on adventures and training them isn’t her “job,” it is the very essence of who she is. From multi-week backpacking and road trips, to dirt biking and mountain biking, to snorkel swimming with dogs, there isn’t a sport she won’t do with dogs. Kayaking, scrambling, snowshoeing or skiing, her methods for training dogs apply to it all. As a gifted translator of dog communication, with a remarkable way of communicating back, Toby understands and sees things about dogs that others miss. Since 2016, Toby has worked in silence with dog packs in wild places, observing with humility and learning from her pack, leaving others to remark that she’s a “dog whisperer.”
Trust
All Wild Pups are treated like family; most dogs in WPA have been involved for many years. Reviews are all 5-star and testimonials express what a gift WPA has been to many, many people and their dogs. Toby is the most experienced and knowledgeable dog adventure pack leader you’re likely to find. No matter what comes up, she’s got a way of handling it, whether it’s applying her medical training to help a dog’s injury, or finding one who’s lost, even the most stressful challenges end well. Toby is a five-time recertified Wilderness First Responder; your dog couldn’t be in better hands. When WPA sets a goal, we achieve it. When training Wild Pups, not every topic in the curriculum comes up as one that needs work, but Toby can quickly see where the needs are and makes sure your dog can be an incredible, safe, and enjoyable partner to you no matter what your extracurriculars are.
How We Train
Learner-Centered Dog Training™
At the core of every Wild Pup Adventure service is Toby’s Learner-Centered Dog Training™ philosophy. This approach treats every dog as a unique individual with their own learning style, emotional needs, and communication patterns. Toby studies each dog closely—their micro-movements, reactions, preferences, and relationships to their environment—to understand what they need to learn best. This deep, moment-to-moment observation allows her to shape training that feels natural and supportive for each dog. The intensive program creates a strong, relational bond between teacher and student—one where the roles can even shift, as Toby learns from the dogs just as much as they learn from her. Learner-Centered Dog Training™ is flexible, dynamic, and designed to help every dog become the best version of themselves.
WPA’s Unique Training Methods Work
Building on this philosophy, Toby developed a specialized set of training methods tailored specifically for off-leash, multi-sport, wilderness adventure dogs. These methods require understanding each dog’s motivations and using tools like excitement, interest, play, and environmental engagement to shape reliable behavior. Because adventure dog training demands exceptional responsiveness and safety, certain learners may also benefit from tone, vibration, or e-collar technology—used thoughtfully and appropriately to support long-term success. Wild Pup Adventures’ approach is different from traditional trainers because the work happens in real outdoor scenarios where dogs learn dynamically, not in artificial settings. The goal is simple: effective, ethical training that gives dogs the freedom to live the fullest, happiest, most adventurous life possible by your side.
Toby & Raven: A Teaching Team Like No Other
Raven, the Wild Pup Adventures canine Pack Leader, has been the heart of the pack for nearly a decade. Her natural authority, emotional intelligence, and clear communication make her an extraordinary mentor for every new PupScout that joins the Academy. Dogs instinctively respect her—she sets boundaries, provides guidance, and models the calm, confident behavior that adventure dogs need. Over the years, Toby has come to see Raven not just as a partner, but as her own teacher. Raven’s instincts and nuanced leadership have deeply shaped Toby’s understanding of canine culture and her approach to teaching other dogs.
Together, Toby and Raven form a seamless team: Toby communicates expectations with clarity and consistency, while Raven reinforces those lessons in real time through her presence and example. Raven sometimes even makes the decisions and Toby trusts her enough to follow. This human–canine partnership creates an authentic learning environment where each PupScout receives immediate, meaningful feedback if needed.
Scout and Ranger are amazing and reliable off leash, they listen very well to the commands you have taught us to use such as this way, stop, etc. They are very agile and seem to be very aware of their capabilities in challenging terrain, they are very strong swimmers from adventures on lakes, they have become brave and also respectful of other humans and dogs they encounter when they are off leash.
—Ashley Crowell
Sign Up Now
Start Dates:
December 23th, 2025
January 13th, 2026
10 Weeks
6-Hour Training Adventures, Tuesdays
Cedar Hills Meeting Spot at 11am and 5pm, Home Pickups Possible
Weekly Training Summary Videos and Homework for families
Graduation hike for families
Each Participant gets a FREE Ruffwear Harness
Training Supplies Included
Satellite GPS Collar FREE for first 4 weeks
$2900, 50% Secures your dog’s spot
Set up your Meet N Greet or Phone Call
To learn more about the program, consider enrolling or reserving your dog’s space, or to see if your dog is a good match. Whatever program you’re considering starting with Wild Pup Adventures, a Meet n Greet is the first step!
Stay in the loop about PupScouts
Stay notified with updates about PupScouts, dates for new Intensives, and other programs that may be of interest to you!