Devorah Sperber

Devorah (Dev) Sperber is the founder of OCEAN4Dogs, an online community and learning space where Simple Actions, such as Mark Training, Lead to Astonishing Outcomes. OCEAN is an acronym: Observe your Dog, Connect with Compassion, Engagement with Joy, Attitude before Anything, and 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 fine-tune their "eye" to improve 2-way communication with their dogs, so they can experience happier, more satisfying training experiences, improved performance, and a deeper connection. While many of her students are involved in agility, Devorah's dog training background includes Freestyle solo and brace work and Search and Rescue. 
Devorah has been doing agility for over 16 years and currently competes at the Masters level with Australian Terrier, Lil, and Border Collie, Takoda. Lil's accomplishments include 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 and USDAA, with more on the way.

Dev's philosophy is to approach dog training from the inside out by prioritizing the dog's mental and emotional state over external goals. She says, "Dogs know they are being seen, heard, felt, and gotten by their people. As trainers, it's our job to respond to what our dogs are communicating through body language so training can become a shared language. When communication flows freely in both directions, learning happens quickly, and the experience is enjoyable for the dog and the human." 

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.