When Travis Brorsen was trying to figure out his life’s direction, it didn’t come to him in a dream or vision; it wasn’t the result of working with a career counselor or life coach. Instead, it went running away from him down Runyon Canyon in Los Angeles.
After graduating from Oklahoma State University (OSU) and moving from Oklahoma to Los Angeles in 2001, he had been pursuing his acting career and waiting tables to make ends meet. With over twenty national television roles and commercials, he was on track to continue to make a name for himself as an actor. Just as his career was starting to ramp up, the 2008 Writers’ Strike halted production in Hollywood on everything but unscripted (reality) television.
During the strike, Brorsen was on a hike in Runyon Canyon with his dog, a boxer named Presley. The actor lost control of the pup, who took off down the mountain. Travis scrambled after him before coming to an abrupt stop when he spotted a woman petting Presley. He describes the scene: “I’m breathless, and she asked me if the dog was mine. I actually hesitated for a second, like, ‘What did he do?’”
The woman turned out to be a casting director for a new CBS reality show Greatest American Dog, in which dogs (alongside their humans) would participate in challenges over the course of the show. Just a few weeks before filming was set to start, she had a hole in her roster. Travis and Presley fit the bill.
Well, sort of. The problem was Presley had no training, and Travis was clueless when it came to getting the dog to obey.
“I was a bad dog dad,” Brorsen recounts. “I basically did every single thing I now tell my clients not to do.”
But the actor was such a perfect fit for the project that the studio put Presley and Brorsen through a two-week training intensive with an expert.
“I learned so much from him, and Presley was so smart, we really did make good progress, even with such a limited amount of time,” Travis said. “Mostly, I learned the importance of positive reinforcement, of mutual respect. Presley had to love and respect me in order to listen to me.”
One last tip from the trainer truly sealed the deal.
“He told me, ‘Before you go in for the final audition, just devote as much time as you can beforehand playing with him. Just wear him out.’ So we played for like three hours before I went in to meet with the production team and studio executives,” Brorsen said. “I walked in. I told Presley to lay down. He did and promptly fell asleep. We were cast immediately.”
The training continued to pay off, as Travis and Presley went on to compete in challenges such as doggie musical chairs, “pet-iquette,” doggie IQ and more. The duo became the unlikely winners of the contest, securing the title of Greatest American Dog as well as a $250,000 cash prize. He began sharing his knowledge with private clients in LA and produced Adventures With Travis and Presley, a series of eight bilingual children’s books and educational materials.
His world changed again when he reconnected with Heather, a friend from college, over a pizza at Hideaway Pizza in Stillwater. The two began dating, and within a year, they were married. Brorsen relocated to New York, where Heather worked as a Broadway performer, and he began training dogs in the tony townhouses of the Upper West Side. In New York, he also put his talent to work with stints as a judge on the Discovery+ show Puppy Bowl Presents: The Dog Games and as the host of My Big Fat Pet Makeover.
In 2019, now with a young son in tow, the couple returned to Oklahoma and began to shape their next chapter. Travis worked as a consultant for other training organizations, sharing his approach: lots of praise, positive reinforcement, and zero choke chains or shock collars.
Disarmingly self-deprecating and funny, Travis talks warmly of his journey from an Oklahoma ranch to OSU, to acting, to that fateful day in the canyon that led to reality television success. He has the benefit of hindsight, realizing all these individual steps eventually led to his biggest venture yet.
The Greatest American
Dog Den
In January, The Greatest American Dog Den opened in Edmond on Second Street near Interstate 35. The nondescript exterior in an industrial complex belies the love and care that have gone into planning and building the space. In addition to private and group training, the facility offers doggie daycare, overnight boarding and an on-site groomer. The vibe is campsite, and reclaimed wood from pallets was used to create a rustic look throughout that’s cute but not overwhelmingly so.
The large facility has several different play areas, including a tractor tire yard, a rock yard with boulders and a large adventure zone. Giant garage doors open onto a spacious outdoor area, and dogs cycle through 20-minute rotations in each of the different zones. Dogs are sorted into small packs according to size, temperament and energy level.
Brorsen’s training philosophy places an emphasis on safety and positive reinforcement.
“If a pup starts to get overexcited, they are removed from the rotation long enough to calm down before rejoining the group,” he said. “They’re not bad for getting a bit hyper, and they’re not in trouble. They’re just given the chance to chill out, and in doing so, the pack stays chill.”
When it’s time to rest, the Den’s 28 “cabins” are designed to limit outside visibility, thereby reducing dog anxiety and overstimulation. Two large air-conditioning units keep the space comfortable, and tall ceilings make even the indoor areas feel airy and open. And the smell? There really isn’t any. The dogs spend so much time outside, indoor accidents are rare and addressed quickly. Outdoor areas are subject to daily power washing with soap and water to maintain cleanliness and minimize odors.
Thoughtful touches abound: The “senior center” is a cozy room full of dog beds and low couches, designed with the oldest dogs in mind. This area doubles as the space for staff meetings and breaks, so a steady flow of teammates moves through the space. These dogs don’t need active play, but this area ensures they are not alone and have plenty of attention throughout their day.
Brorsen’s philosophy behind staffing is also thoughtfully informed by his experience. One of the things he noticed during his consulting days was a tendency to hire young, unskilled workers to keep wages down. But Brorsen realized that came with hidden costs: High staff turnover required constant hiring, onboarding and training, all of which was lost when the staffer invariably moved on. His practice prioritizes investing in the staff with both higher wages and more responsibility as it is earned. He encourages them to solve problems and learn from their own mistakes.
He also hires people with a natural tendency toward kindness, compassion and general helpfulness.
“I hire people who already have the things that can’t be taught,” he tells me. “I know I can train them on the dog stuff. I mean, I am pretty good at training.”
Visit travisbrorsen.com.
This article appears in City crowned.