OCEAN is an acronym for: Observe Your Dog, Connect with Compassion, Engagement with Joy, Attitude Before Anything, and Never Stop Learning Bio:
Devorah (Dev) Sperber is the founder of OCEAN4Dogs, an online community and learning space designed to enhance 2-way communication between dogs and humans through the application of OCEAN principles: O. Engagement with Joy; A. Attitude before Anything, an
d N. Never Stop Learning...about your dog and yourself. OCEAN is based on the premise: When communication flows freely and equally in both directions, dog-training becomes a shared language between dogs and humans. Whether coaching remotely through Ocean4dogs or in-person at Marin Humane in the San Francisco Bay Area, Dev is passionate about teaching people how to improve their observational skills so they can communicate more clearly with their dogs. OCEAN's simple actions are designed to slow things down so people are better able to notice the subtle ways their dogs are communicating their mental and emotional states through body language. Dev believes when dogs feel "seen, heard, and gotten," they are more willing to stay engaged with their human partners, even when confusion or frustration arises. This results in happier, more satisfying training experiences, improved performance, and a deeper connection. While many of her students are involved in agility, Dev's dog training background includes Freestyle solo and brace work, trick training galore, and Search and Rescue. Dev currently competes in agility at the Masters level with her Border Collie, Takoda. Her Australian Terrier, Lil passed away in 2021. Lil's accomplishments included 12 agility championship titles, two national event wins, and she competed twice in the big distance Stakes Division at NADAC Championships, a rarity for a mini dog. Takoda has earned multiple championship titles in NADAC, his AdCH in USDAA. In addition to being insanely passionate about dogs and dog-training, Dev has had a successful international art career through which she has explored the art and science of SEEING for over 30 years - www.devorahsperber.com. Become an OCEAN Member for full access to everything OCEAN has to offer including hundreds of training techniques designed to improve communication and deepen the connection between dogs and people, along with personalized coaching by Dev. Go to: www.ocean4dogs.com
You can also join the OCEAN4Dogs Free Facebook Group if you want to dip your toes into OCEAN.
