Abbie Tamber
About me
- First name
- Abbie
- Last name
- Tamber
- Summary
Abbie Tamber's commitment to clicker training was "shaped" by two dogs: Loki and Microburst (aka Micro). The dogs may not have been holding the clicker, but, for Abbie, learning how to separate behaviors into tiny increments using the clicker was a breakthrough in her ability to communicate with her own dogs.
In 1992, Abbie started Dogs on the Run LLC, teaching manners. But within two years, as she became more hooked on agility, she began teaching basic agility classes as well. Using clicker training, Abbie was developing the tools that would become the basis of her dual roles of professional dog trainer and top agility competitor. As agility came to dominate both her personal and professional lives, Abbie expanded her agility program, offering foundation through competition classes.
Abbie had learned from her own dogs that everything she did with them during a normal day affected their performance in the agility ring. This insight led to the understanding that clicker-based relationship training is essential to dogs that become either excellent pets or top-flight agility competitors (or both). That is why at the foundation level Abbie trains all performance dogs to be great companions, and trains all companion dogs as if they someday will enter an agility ring.
- Bio
Abbie has been a professional dog trainer since 1992, the year she founded Dogs on the Run LLC. The impetus that drove her into dog training has a name, or really two names: Loki and Micro. Loki, appropriately named for the Norse god of mischief, was a handful in the early days. Although Abbie finds adorable, lunatic dogs irresistible, living with Loki wasn't easy, so she sought help.
But Abbie was living in a small town in rural upstate New York, and there were no dog trainers around to help her get through to Loki. Figuring out how to communicate with Loki was a significant challenge. The traditional methods Abbie had grown up with simply didn’t address the communication issues. The breakthrough came with the combination of clicker training and agility. Over the years, working with Loki taught Abbie how to take on serious challenges without taking herself too seriously.
Micro is Abbie's “heart dog.” Jack Russell terriers are the opposite of couch potatoes, and Micro is no exception. Abbie named her “Microburst” because that’s the term for a very intense, short-duration storm with high winds that does lots of damage! When Micro first entered Abbie's household, the name was a perfect fit.
Micro's combination of shyness and insanity could have pushed Abbie over the edge, but instead it pushed her to fully embrace clicker training, with amazing results. Anyone watching Micro’s repertoire of tricks or her success on the agility field would have no sense of the painstaking efforts it took to instill the confidence and enthusiasm for play that Micro displays now.
Micro’s agility accomplishments include an invitation to represent the United States as a member of the twelve-dog team that competed at the IFCS (International Federation of Cynological Sports) World Championships held in Spain in 2004, and, a year later, an invitation to participate in the ESPN Great Outdoor Games (VI), where she placed 8th. In USDAA, Micro has earned platinum masters titles in Standard, Snooker, and Jumpers, and a gold ADCH. Micro was ranked among USDAA's top ten dogs nationwide in Jumpers for 2001 and 2003, and among its top ten dogs in both Snooker and Gamblers for 2005.
Abbie is a graduate of the Agility Instructor Certification course from Julie Daniels' White Mountain Agility School (WMAS), class of '94, where she was voted the most inspiring instructor by the campers. She assisted at WMAS from 1995 until 2005. In 2005, Abbie began volunteering at Glen Highland Farm, a rescue sanctuary for Border collies, helping prepare dogs for their “forever” homes. Abbie credits her work with rescue dogs at Glen Highland Farm for the hands-on experience that can come only with access to a very large number of diverse dogs. Working at Glen Highland Farm deepened her inclination to balance the science of clicker training with a creative openness toward every individual dog. Abbie is the opposite of a "one size fits all" trainer, tailoring her approach to the needs of each particular person and dog.
In addition to her classes, Abbie presents agility and clicker seminars at various locations throughout the northeast. She is a co-presenter of a Click to Calm course and assists at the Karen Pryor Academy course at Clicking with Canines in Binghamton, New York.
- Services offered
Jump-Start (combining games and agility equipment with manners); in-home behavior consultations; agility classes for all levels from foundation through competition; private agility lessons; demonstrations (educational and entertaining presentations for group events); video analysis for agility competitors; agility and clicker seminars
Contact information
- Street
- PO Box 185
- City
- Oxford
- State/Province
- NY
- Country
- USA
- Phone number
- 607-843-6271
- Website
Facility & Location Information
- Directions
Seasonal Locations
- Hotels & Lodging
Comfort Inn, 1000 Front Street, Binghamton, NY (607) 724-3297
Super 8, 6067 State Hwy 12, Norwich, NY (607) 336-8880
- Veterinarians Nearby
Dr. Faith White, Greene Veterinary Clinic, 4276 State Highway 41, Greene, NY (607) 656-4285
Sara C. Grote, DVM at Jockeyport Veterinary Clinic, Afton, NY (607) 639-2200
History
- Member for
- 1 year 42 weeks