Rent safe and private dog parks hosted by locals

David Adams

July 10, 2024

Dog Trainers

Robynn Harris

Dog trainer in Portland

https://www.assemblyofthewanderingshepherd.org/

Service areas:

Greater Gresham Area, Portland Metro

Have you ever heard a dog trainer say something like, I hate people. If I could only work with the dog I would be so much happier.? I have. And it really hurt my feelings. After all, I was, and am, a person who often needs help training my dogs.I love dogs. And cats. And really all animals. I especially love people. I have always struggled with the moniker, dog trainer, because while I do train dogs, mostly what I do is teach humans how to cohabit with their dogs in ways that makes them, and their dog(s), happy. This is a moving target because every person (and dog) is a beautiful and unique being that has unique needs depending on their time, finances, location, family life, work life, etc, etc. I love taking the time to figure out what works best for every dog team - and that starts with the humans.I have been especially blessed because when I started dog training the science was already clear: pain and punishment do not work. I have never taught with choke chains or shock collars. I have never taught dominance or alpha ideas. Very early on I had the enormous pleasure of working with people like Terry Ryan, Ris√´ VanFleet, and Valli Parthasarathy who laid a foundation of science, kindness, and curiosity for me to build upon. (Look them up - they are amazing!) I stumbled into dog training when I took a therapy dog prep class. The trainer taught in such a way I was mesmerized. She asked her dog if she wanted to work. The idea of asking a dog to do something instead of commanding the dog blew my mind and touched my heart. I knew almost immediately I wanted to teach others about this new way of training animals.As my dog training skills were being developed so were my Animal Assisted Intervention (therapy dog) skills. My dog, Schatzi, and I became a registered AAI team with Pet Partners. Throughout the years Schatzi and I brought comfort and joy to people in schools, prisons, hospitals, medical clinics, summer events, AAPT workshops, and too many events to count. I applied for a Therapy Dog Title from the AKC and got hooked on striving towards achieving more titles.Titles in themselves, the piece of paper or letters after my dog's name, are not very important to me. However, I have come to appreciate what a title means. A title demonstrates that I've worked with my dog in such a way that we excelled at something. It means we've put hours, sometimes hundreds of hours, into accomplishing a goal. All dogs can earn a title or two (even reactive dogs) - it demonstrates the dedication of time between human and dog to learn and communicate new behaviors. I thoroughly enjoy helping humans instruct their dogs in such a way that they too can earn titles such as CGCs, Trick Dogs, Rally, or anything else they want to strive for.The dog training community has often struggled with terminology for trainers who do not use pain, fear, or force in their techniques. At the moment we seem to have landed on LIMA. LIMA stands for Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive. In a nutshell, LIMA trainers do not hit, choke, or shock dogs. We look for ways to reinforce behaviors with something the animal loves. Maybe I can stop a dog from doing something by yelling, hitting, or scaring her but if I instead teach a dog to do something else, with butt scratches or food, both of our hearts and souls will feel better about it. (The research has shown those behaviors will be longer lasting too!) This is often called positive reinforcement training though, scientifically, there's a whole lot more than just positive reinforcement being used.Words matters. Most LIMA trainers now use the word cue instead of command. This reminds us that we are in a relationship with our dog and not a militaristic command structure. I teach that all cues are communication. By now we have all heard someone write or speak about how communication is the key to lasting, loving, relationships. This is true for people and animals! Communicating with someone who doesn't even speak human can be quite challenging at times - but it can be done. I teach humans how to ask their dogs for consent. I teach humans how to listen for answers to their questions. And I teach humans how accurate communication with their dogs can keep them both safe and have fun together.Fun and play is HUGE in my training techniques. If either party isn't having fun it's a lot like the old joke about never teaching a pig to sing: It wastes your time and annoys the pig. This is true for all training but especially true for fitness training.The COVID years granted me an enormous amount of time just when online education exploded. I added some new education to my Bible education and became an Animal Chaplain. I became a CAMadvocate when I completed a Canine Arthritis Management course for canine professionals. Most excitingly for me in many ways though was when I passed all my tests, and case studies, and became a Certified Canine Fitness Trainer through the University of TN School of Veterinary Medicine. This program taught me canine anatomy & physiology, body mechanics, injury prevention, nutrition, exercises, safe & effective use of fitness equipment, and how to create a fitness program designed specific to each dog team's needs.All of that education solidified in my mind and heart the desire to, help animals live as long as possible, in as little pain as possible. Animals hurt, and get hurt, from time to time. Love in the Bible is an action, a verb, not an emotion or word to say. I believe we DO love. In this context it means we provide the best veterinary medicine for our pets, it means we practice healthy/fitness behaviors in our day to day lives, and it means, in the end, providing a, good death, when the time comes to say good-bye.When I first started working with my therapy dog at the hospital I discovered many people wanted to talk with me about their pets who had died. At the time these conversations were very difficult for me. I didn't want to hear dead dog stories. When we started working at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility I heard many similar stories with a twist. The adults in custody would often speak to me about losing their pets because they had been taken away to jail and eventually prison. The feelings of loss were the same though.As a person of faith it is easy for me to look back and see YHWH/the Universe preparing me for the work I completely enjoy and feel comfortable doing now: Helping people understand and cope with the loss of their animal companions. There's never an easy straight forward plan with grief. Grief is as unique as each of us. I am truly honored when someone includes me on their grief journey.When it came time for me to create a formal business with my somewhat unique ideas I knew from the start I wanted to create a nonprofit. All of us love our animals, but in today's world money can be tight, to say the least. The most frustrating thing for me when I was working for others was the fact that I was not empowered to offer discounts on the classes I was teaching. (No judgement! Those folks needed to pay their bills too.) I knew I wanted to create not just a dog training business, I wanted to create a community where I could serve, could minister, to those in need.Assembly of the Wandering Shepherd was created in such a way I can serve people and animals, often those most in need. On the dog training side I volunteer for AWS which allows us to keep our prices low. We provide scholarships for foster dogs, newly adopted dogs, disabled dogs, dog-reactive dogs, and senior dogs. These dogs and their humans are often the most in need of guidance and fun things to do together.I have created a unique Olfactory Fun program that provides the opportunity for dog-reactive dogs to get into a classroom (all by themselves) and be the glorious dogs they are. Too many dog-reactive dogs and their humans do not get the opportunity to attend dog classes. This is a fun class where dogs learn about being dogs and the humans learn how to support their dogs. This is also a great class for dogs who have retired from sports. Sometimes the human of a retired canine athlete can feel sad and alone when they no longer have trials to attend. This class provides for, and cares about, the human and the dog as they navigate some of life's challenges.I want people to start thinking about the death of their dogs as soon as possible. Society had taught us that this is impolite conversation. Sadly this has left most of us with the inability to navigate the tough decisions that need to be made as our animal companions inch closer to the great mystery called death. In my classes, death and dying are a part of life and by talking about it we can incorporate more life into our living days.I don't just talk about death in classes. I am available to talk about this tough subject in personal, face-to-face gatherings. We can discuss the details of physical death or the more ethereal thoughts that we all ponder. I can help those all-important humans find ways to celebrate the life lost. We have infrastructure for this with humans but it is harder to find for our pets. (For some of us this is important for wild critters too. Roadkill is often the butt of jokes but for some of us we prefer to offer some kind of ceremony or prayer for those lost lives.)I am truly blessed to have traveled my amazing journey. I continue to improve upon my skills and education. As a result the services I provide are always growing. I call myself a dog trainer but please know - I love the human half of animal guardianship just as much as the animal half. I know if I teach the human to have a loving relationship filled with communication with their animal, that will not only benefit their current pet, but all the pets to come. And despite the pain we all feel when a cherished pet dies, I hope each of us continues to bring animals into our homes. I can think of nothing more rewarding than sharing my home with animals and basking in the love they receive and provide in turn.I believe in science and I believe in love. Love and science working together can accomplish the greatest of things.Robynn Harris, ODMN, CCFT

Certifications:

Certified Canine Fitness Trainer, Certified End-Of-Life Companion Animal Doula, Licensed Pet Partners Instructor, AKC CGC Evaluator, AKC Fit Dog Instructor, Animal Chaplain

Dog training services include

Deaf dog training
Reactive dog training
Agility training
In home training
Off leash training
Puppy training

More info about Robynn Harris's dog training:

I provide training in all basic/good manners skills and cues. I specialize in Canine Fitness and Conditioning and in a unique type of nose/scent work I created called Olfactory Fun. I really enjoy having older/senior dogs in my Canine Fitness and Olfactory Fun classes. My goal is to have dogs live as long as possible, in as little pain as possible, and and those two classes combined provide mental and physical health to dogs of all ages. To ensure a bit more fun I also really enjoy Trick Dog classes.

Behavioral issue focus:

I enjoy coaching people through those tricky adolescent and newly adopted years where "problem" behaviors such as potty training, separation anxiety, poor leash manners, dog-reactivity, and other challenges can start to develop. I'm happy to include or refer to trainers who specialize in behavior modification but many of these challenges can be overcome when/if they are first recognized and that's where I can help the handler the most.

Dog training methods:

Fun and play is HUGE in my training techniques. I follow LIMA standards and believe cues are all about communication. Dogs love to please us but often times the challenge for them is not knowing what we want. When I can help a human and dog communicate many behavioral challenges disappear. I offer weekly or monthly fitness training plans for those who are interested in canine conditioning. I can work with dog's post surgery (once they are cleared to exercise) to help build muscle mass and endurance that is often lost during the recovery process. Fitness lessons during the week can be part of a risk reduction plan for "weekend warriors." I teach group classes and private lessons to accommodate a variety of schedules. I have often found humans just need a couple of coaching sessions to tweak a thing or two to complete the education they already have allowing them to have a better relationship with their dog(s). I offer free consultations to folks who are not sure of their next steps. Sometimes this is about what to do next in training, sometimes this is inquiring about therapy dog work, and sometimes this is helping someone navigate more specialized training. I really enjoy meeting human/dog teams and helping them see the possibilities in what activities they might enjoy doing together. I never charge for guidance I provide via email. Sometimes people just need a link to an article or YouTube video to put the pieces they already have in the right places.

Why I became a dog trainer:

2013

My favorite part of being a dog trainer:

I love helping dogs and humans have fun together and enjoy each other's company.

My #1 dog training tip:

Have fun!

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Get safe exercise for your dog by renting a private dog park near you

David Adams

July 10, 2024

Dog Trainers

David Adams

About the author

David Adams is a man of many passions, but his love for dogs stands above all. He is not only a dog lover, but also the founder of an innovative platform called Sniffspot. This unique platform connects dog owners with private property owners who are willing to rent out their space for off-leash playtime. While the idea of Sniffspot was initially conceived by his wife, Rebecca, David has been the driving force behind its remarkable success, tirelessly overseeing its growth and development. David's dedication to providing safe and enjoyable spaces for dogs to play, explore, and socialize is evident in his unwavering commitment to Sniffspot. He strongly believes that dogs need ample space and opportunities to stretch their legs and have fun. As a result, he has worked tirelessly to build a network of private property owners across the country who share his vision and are willing to offer their space for the benefit of dogs and their owners. Despite his busy schedule, David always finds time to indulge in his passion for the great outdoors. He loves nothing more than exploring new hiking trails and embarking on thrilling outdoor adventures. Whenever he is not working on Sniffspot, he can often be found hiking or visiting multi-acre fenced sniffspots with his two beloved dogs, Soba and Toshii. He is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys the fresh air, breathtaking scenery, and the sense of freedom that comes with being in nature. David is based in Salem, MA.

About Sniffspot

Sniffspot is a community marketplace that enables anyone to rent land by-the-hour as a safe and private dog park.

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About Sniffspot

Sniffspot provides the best experiences and fun for you and your dog. Our dog parks are designed for the ultimate dog exercise. Our private spaces help you minimize distractions or triggers and maximize time with your dog. We provide off leash enrichment - exploration and activities you can't get anywhere else; wear your dog out for days. We make it easy to have playdates. Socialize your pup in a controlled, private spot - it's great exercise and it's fun for you and your dog.

Robynn Harris

Certifications:

Dog training services include

More info about Robynn Harris's dog training:

Behavioral issue focus:

Dog training methods:

Why I became a dog trainer:

My favorite part of being a dog trainer:

My #1 dog training tip:

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See The Best Dog Trainers In Other Cities Near Portland

See The Best Dog Trainers By Type In Portland

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