Camp DogWoods

At Camp DogWoods, we know that a tired dog is a happy dog is a good dog! Guidance from a certified trainer is built into all of our interactions, and we seek the balance between stimulating exercise and rest. On Adventures, we explore our local parks and experience myriad sights and smells. By catering to a dog’s umwelt (their unique sensory world), we ensure mental stimulation that is both enriching and relaxing.

We prioritize your experience as much as your pup’s by providing home pick up and drop off and sending photos and updates after each Adventure. Spaces are limited; we keep our pack small to ensure the highest quality standards of care.

Thank you and welcome to the pack!

Camp DogWoods is conveniently located 20 minutes NW of Chapel Hill.

212 Monotropa Trl, Efland, NC 27243

About the Owner: James is a certified trainer who has worked with dogs professionally since 2012. What started out as a job soon became a lifelong passion for enriching the lives of his canine companions. He has successfully operated similar businesses in Virginia and Michigan and recently settled here in the Triangle to be closer to family. He cares deeply about the dogs in his pack, and knows that their joy is our joy!

Available Now - Adventures & Home Care

During the first year of service, Camp DogWoods will be building the facilities on our land, so we will initially offer two limited services: Adventures and Home Care.

Adventures are two-hour on-leash excursions for packs of dogs to enjoy exercise and socialization in a natural environment. Customer’s dogs are picked up from their homes, accompanied on the Adventure for at least two hours and then dropped back off at home. Following the Adventure, customers will receive a written report of the day’s activities, including photos. Customers who are interested in this service can request a meet and greet with the owner, who will come to the customer’s home and answer any questions. The fee for this meet and greet is a $50 deposit, which will apply to the first month’s balance should that balance exceed $100.
Home Care is offered to clients who are travelling and seeking care for both their dog and their home. The owner will stay in your home, ensuring excellent care for your dog with minimal deviation from their normal routine. The service includes a walk in the morning, all meals and medication, quality time during the day, another walk in the evening, and a late-night potty break. The owner can keep your home secure and manage household duties such as rotating lights, bringing in mail and packages, or taking out the trash and recycling. The owner always strives to leave your home just as they found it, and can share many referrals who will attest to the excellent service provided over more than a decade.

Coming Winter 2026 - Day Camp & Stay Camp

During phase one, we will be building a home and a canine boarding facility that will measure roughly 1600 and 350 square feet, respectively. Once construction is complete, we will move into our home and enter the second and final phase of our business development. Adventures will be included in the Day Camp service, and the Stay Camp service will include all of the above plus meals and overnight care. We will also purchase an electric van and install solar panels so that all services will be powered by renewable electricity.

Day Camp: Does your dog need more fun, exercise and stimulation while you’re at work? We provide all of this and more in an all-natural setting! Our large fenced field provides wide-open spaces where your dog can run and play under the supervision of an experienced trainer. We also spend much of the day hiking either off-site in public parks or on our own land’s extensive trail system, exploring the surrounding 42+ acres of forest. For your convenience, we will pick your dog up from your home between the hours of 9-11 am and will drop them back off between the hours of 3-5 pm.
Stay Camp: Travelling? Allow us to welcome your dog into our home! The lucky dogs who get to stay with us will enjoy healthy snacks, perpetual access to fresh water, clean and comfortable amenities and all of the freedom and joy that our land and home have to offer. We start the day with breakfast and a short hike on the trails. We then welcome our Day Camp arrivals and spend the day enjoying off-site hikes, playtime in our fields and hikes in our forest. We also take breaks for napping or enjoying chew-toys and nutritional treats whenever the weather dictates. At the end of the day, we say goodbye to our Day Camp friends and go for one last hike before dinner time. Our pack then drifts off to sleep listening to soothing music, some designed specifically for dogs. Besides for the late night pee break, a long day of play ensures that our pack sleeps peacefully throughout the night and will wake up well-rested, ready for another day of fun!
Training: At Camp DogWoods, training is not an add-on service; it is included in the base price and is built into everything we do. We are constantly monitoring and communicating with our pack to improve socialization and enforce group etiquette while intermittently practicing leash walking skills and off-leash recall. The owner James is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA) who has been handling and hiking with large packs of dogs since 2012. We closely supervise all dogs at all times to ensure that each dog is respecting the others and is being respected in return. We gently correct where needed and use positive reinforcement to shape the dogs’ actions and outlooks to foster harmony within the pack. While hiking the trails, we are solidifying leash-walking skills and while playing in the fenced field, we are periodically practicing off-leash recall. In general, we adhere to the Humane Hierarchy of Behavior Change Procedures; we believe that if a dog's needs are fully met and their environment is properly structured, their behavior will often meet or even exceed our expectations.

Camp DogWoods is conveniently located 20 minutes NW of Chapel Hill and ready to serve clients in Chapel Hill and Carrboro.

212 Monotropa Trl, Efland, NC 27243

Hours By Appointment Only: 9 am-5 pm, M-F

Mobile: (919) 391-9593

Email: jamescdw42@gmail.com