Meet Our Trainers
Our Philosophy
Ruff House Pet Resort employs Certified Dog Trainers that are skilled at working with various dog breeds and multiple levels of obedience and socialization. They attend continuing education workshops as a way to stay current with training techniques and methods. We are members of The Association of Professional Dog Trainers and The International Association of Canine Professionals.
Training methods and tools may vary depending on dog-specific issues and owner involvement in solution-based training. Our trainers are balanced in their teachings and believe there is a variety of effective tools that can be used to train a dog.
We use positive reinforcement and leadership skills to teach dogs to follow our lead. Rewards, treats or praise are offered for following cues and responding to commands. In turn, dogs begin offering good behaviors and unwanted behaviors begin extinguishing.
At Ruff House Pet Resort, our goal is to make training fun while still following a structured plan of mental and physical exercise with training and rewards.
Marti Michalis
Service Areas: Greater Orange County
Certifications:
Certified Professional Dog Trainer, CPDT-KA
AKC-Canine Good Citizen Evaluator
TDI-Therapy Dog Evaluator (inactive)
Training Cesar’s Way, Fundamentals I and II
LAK9’s Workshop-Dog Behavior in the Digital Age
Canine Lifeline’s 3D Workshop-Working with Difficult Dogs
Memberships:
Association of Professional Dog Trainers- APDT
International Boarding and Pet Service Association- IBPSA
International Association of Canine Professionals- IACP
About Marti:
Marti has been training since 2001 and has worked with clients at Ruff House Pet Resort since 2008. She uses her assessment skills of rescue dogs, off leash play dynamics, and dog body language to help customers.
She followed renowned Veterinarian and Animal Behaviorist Sophia Yin to learn science based methods. Marti continues to study animal behavior and attends several lectures and workshops relating to the psychology of dogs. In 2012 she became a Canine Good Citizen Evaluator for American Kennel Club and a Certified Evaluator for Therapy Dogs International.
Marti expanded her knowledge of dog psychology by attending Cesar Millans Courses; Training Cesars Way-Fundamentals Level I in 2015 and Level II in 2016. She is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer through APDT and a member of IACP. She volunteers, fosters and trains dogs for some of the hound rescues. Marti can be seen in many online videos relating to dogs and family dynamic for multi-pet households. She writes articles for dog industry publications and speaks at dog boarding conferences and day care seminars. Marti lives in Orange County with her Bloodhound and Bracco Italiano.
Sarah Samson
Service Areas: Greater Riverside area
About Sarah:
Sarah began her career as an animal caretaker at The Marine Mammal Care Center of Los Angeles caring for sick and injured seals and sea lions while obtaining her degree in animal behavior. She then began at the Aquarium of the Pacific training various animals for voluntary husbandry behaviors including sharks, rays, seals, sea lions, and penguins.
She also has extensive canine experience as she worked at Petco as a Senior Dog Trainer and Dog Training Mentor. During her 3-year tenure with Petco she successfully ran the dog training program and trained dog trainers for all Petco’s in her district and surrounding districts. Her hands on experience along with teaching various species makes her a great teacher for anyone looking to train their dog.
Associations
