A Los Angeles-based celebrity dog trainer uses his dog to teach kids about kindness and other valuable traits, Fox 23 News reported.
Travis Brorsen said he loves using his talents to teach children about important virtues like love, trust, kindness, and respect. He demonstrates his lessons using his well-trained pooch, Chip.
Brorsen, a former reality show star and a certified celebrity dog trainer, was previously based in Oklahoma. He emerged the winner of the American TV show “The Greatest American Dog” in 2008, alongside his then-canine. The show aired on Animal Planet.
Brorsen now lives in Los Angeles and tours the country with Chip. The duo is working to change the lives of children from all age groups by instilling in them positive values while focusing on good manners.
Brorsen’s journey to celebrity dog training
Brorsen’s journey into entertaining while teaching children about valuable character traits began over a decade ago.
While competing on the hit reality show back in 2008, Brorsen worked on his “character traits lessons” idea behind the scenes. His dog of the time, a talented Boxer named Presley, was his inspiration. The canine helped Brorosen execute his lessons while perfecting his craft.
“Every week, our relationship grew stronger through love, trust, respect, and we ended up winning the reality TV show,” Brorsen told Fox 23 News. In his words, as emerging winners, the two could truly “t[ake] our show on the road.”
Brorsen, the current CEO of Greatest American Dog Trainers and the TV host of a popular show on Animal Planet, “My Big Fat Pet Makeover,” recalled what pushed him to pursue a cause that felt so close to his heart at the time.
“My first dog taught me a lot of life lessons. Patience, you have to earn someone’s trust,” he said. “Growing up having a dog” and “learning those skills with a dog, changed my life in a way I realized I should be treating people that same way.”
The dog training enthusiast now holds live shows with his dog Chip. Brorsen and the pooch mostly perform in schools and at Lions Club events. In particular, he held a live show at the Broken Arrow school in Oklahoma at the end of October. About 1,400 first-graders were in attendance.
Celebrity dog trainer and his pet dog impacting kids’ lives
According to Brorsen, children get to learn by watching him solve “challenges” with his dog on stage through his application of virtues like respect and trust. He and Chip get to demonstrate the importance of good manners and how these positive character traits pay off.
“I’ve worked with Chip long enough that if I don’t say please and thank you, he won’t do it for me,” Brorsen said. “Dogs can teach a lot of people new ‘tricks.’”
According to the certified dog trainer, life skills like showing others compassion and kindness are “just as important as academics.”
Brorsen’s unique, yet entertaining, teaching method helps him grab kids’ attention while on stage. Undoubtedly, he and his dog Chip are changing lives — one lesson at a time.
