Sarah Schellhorn-Dyber, MA, CTC
About the trainer...
Playface was founded by certified trainer, Sarah Schellhorn Dyber, MA, CTC. Sarah is an honors graduate of Jean Donaldson's highly regarded two-year program in dog behavior and training, The Academy for Dog Trainers. In addition to her Certification in Training and Counseling, she has a graduate degree in Clinical Psychology and worked in community behavioral healthcare for over twenty years. Dedicated to force-free training methods and continuing education, Sarah is a member of the Pet Professional Guild who keeps current with the industry's best practices through regular seminar attendance. An avid believer that training can be fun for people and their dogs, she enjoys setting puppies up for success, giving senior dogs fun and fulfilling experiences, and helping dogs at all stages have more great days.
Sarah lives near Mt Tabor with her husband, Ken. Ken has a comic book shop, Cloud 9 Comics, also in SE Portland. They currently share their home with Bean, a Labrador, and a cat named Pythagoras. We miss our sweet Tasteecat. A true best friend, Violet, remains always in our hearts.
What's a Play Face?
A play face is the relaxed, open-mouthed, grinning look of a dog that is ready to have some fun. It is one of the markers that can distinguish play from other activities. Beautiful and infectious, we love to see that look on a dog!
Tested and Dog Approved- the training plans used by Playface have been vetted by trainers on thousands of dogs. Grounded in science, our training methods are based on the tried and true principles of learning (Applied Behavioral Analysis or ABA). We seek to make training fun and pledge to never employ fear, force, or pain to motivate a dog.
Dog Training remains an unregulated profession. Here is a short video by Jean Donaldson addressing consumer protection:
Contact us:
Monday through Friday between 10 am and 6 pm
info@playfacedogs.com
We currently are able to provide after hours and weekend walks on an occasional basis for established clients.
“We sought out Sarah with Playface after adopting a dog and discovering he “marks”/urinates inside the house. Sarah came over to see our space, meet Dawson and spend time getting to know us. She explained things in simple terms and gave us a realistic plan to follow in steps, so it felt manageable and not too overwhelming. A few weeks into our training routine, Dawson started protesting going into his crate. Sarah then helped us with steps to help Dawson enjoy time in his crate, and it’s worked! She is very knowledgeable, supportive and reassuring. She has kept in touch about Dawson’s progress and has been responsive to the bumps we’ve experienced. We have had a great experience working with Sarah and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her to other dog owners.”