SFTD Off-Leash Manager Adam Davis on training as a teenager & developing a career specializing in helping dogs socialize

When Adam Davis came to work at School For The Dogs in late 2019, he was only in his mid-twenties but already had a decade of working with dogs professionally under his belt. In particular, his background involved a lot of hours spent helping city dogs learn to co-exist, and play, off leash. Today, he runs School For The Dogs' unique School Yard program-- a by-appointment, trainer-supervised members-only dog run -- and also oversees puppy playtimes, in addition to working private with clients. He and Annie discuss his early introduction to the world of science-based training, his interest in police dogs, his rescue dog Sonic, and more. Book a session with Adam at http://schoolforthedogs.com/adam Learn more about School Yard and Puppy Playtime at http://schoolforthedogs.com/services Mentioned in this episode: The Human Half Of Dog Training --- Partial Transcript: Annie: So I am here with Adam Davis. Adam, why don’t you introduce yourself with your official School for the Dogs title. Adam: Hi, Annie, thank you for having me on. Yeah, my name is Adam Davis and I am the off-leash manager at the School for the Dogs. Annie: And what does that mean? Adam: So pretty much, we have these really cool services, it’s called our Off Leash services, right? Pretty much it sounds exactly how it sounds you get to come into the school and allow your dog to be off-leash in a highly controlled and constructive kind of way. Our services are great for — Annie: And to be clear that the owners are there. Adam: Yeah. Owners are there, you’re there with your dog. You’re talking to other parents, you’re talking to the trainer, that’s there. Yeah, we definitely want people to be involved with their dog, especially when it’s in an off-leash kind of setting Annie: And we have two different kinds off leash services, which are? Adam: Yes we do. Yeah. We have the puppy ones, which, you come in it’s puppy play time. You get to learn a little bit about how dogs communicate to one another, when to give breaks. Really, really valuable. I would suggest this to anyone that has a puppy. It’s so valuable to have our puppy socialized in a highly controlled manner. So that’s the puppy side. That’s the cool, that’s the baby side. Right. And then we have school yard, which is a little bit of a step up. It’s for dogs that are 20 weeks and older. Very much a similar kind of structure, but a little bit more laid back, I would say. So school yard is really great for dogs that want to be social, that can communicate well. That can take communication well. And it’s a great space for them to be able to come and socialize in a highly controlled manner. This is for adult dogs. Well, not really adult, but non puppies. Annie: Some of, some of them are adults. We have some. Well, I think the part of the reason it’s maybe like less controlled as you say is because it’s… I mean, puppy playtime often, it’s, someone’s first time there with their dog. Whereas school yard, we have people who come almost every day of the week for years, so they don’t need as much as much instruction. So why don’t you talk about the process of getting into school yard. Puppy play time of course is open to puppies who’ve had at least their first round of shots. Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe