The Winery Dogs (Mike Portnoy, Billy Sheehan and Richie Kotzen) are preparing for this summer's Dog Camp, where aspiring musicians can hang out with band members, learn from them, and jam with them.

Drummer Mike Portnoy tells Loudwire he used to do a lot of clinics, but it has been a while since he's been in that environment: "I've actually gotten away from it as I've gotten older. I did literally hundreds of clinics in the '90s. After having done hundreds of them all across the globe, I started to get away from it. I personally haven't done a clinic in about 12 years now. I've been kind of retired. I've actually gotten away from it through the years."

He adds, "My preference now is working with musicians and bands and making music. The only reason I have been lured back into it is because it's going to be with Billy and Richie, and it's going to be a bit more band-oriented, in that sense. That's kind of the appeal for me to get back into it."

The Winery Dogs just reissued last year's self-titled debut album as the ‘The Winery Dogs Special Edition,’ which includes the original album plus ‘Unleashed in Japan 2013,′ a live disc recorded last year. ‘Dog Treats: The Winery Dogs Deluxe Special Edition’ is packaged in a box resembling dog treats and includes the special edition plus a DVD and some merchandise.

The Winery Dogs have a busy spring and summer of touring planned in North America and Europe. You can see all the dates here. And check out a video of the band talking about Dog Camp below.

The Winery Dogs Talk Dog Camp

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