MEET THE INSTRUCTORS

Ruth Swardfager

Owner/Operator

Ruth Swardfager, owner and operator of Ruff House Boarding Kennel & Training Centre, has owned and informally trained dogs since childhood.

As young as 12 she was successfully helping her neighbours with problem dog behaviour. In 1988 she began formal obedience training with many wonderful trainers.

From obedience to utility, she just kept going because it was so much fun to work with her dogs. Because her children were still young, she chose not to compete. Then in 2005, when the kids were getting ready to leave the nest, she got her first Border Collie from CanDo and started training in various dog sports. Flyball, Frisbee, Agility, and Rally-O have been added to dog interests.

She has taken clicker classes, trick classes, dog behaviour seminars and had lots of hands on experience working with Sally Hull of Hull’s Haven Border Collie Rescue. She had plenty of opportunity to work with all kinds of dogs and dog behaviours and add dogs to her own family.

In 2009 she and her husband, Don, moved out to Teulon to start a Boarding Kennel and Training Centre as a semi-retirement plan. She now has eight dogs of her own that are trained in a variety of sports and various other things. It is all about having fun with furry friends (and their people).

Don Swardfager

Owner/Operator

Don has been involved with training his own dogs and working with behavioural issues. He has also taken training classes in an holistic approach to dog training and dog behaviour.

With his calm, patient demeanor, he is the backbone of the boarding side of the business. He is known as the “Pied Piper” of Ruff House Boarding Kennel & Training Centre because the dogs love him and follow him everywhere he goes.

He takes care of their basic needs, plays ball with them, brushes them, pulls ticks off, and gives them treats. What’s not to love?

Sammy Mar

Instructor & Behaviour Specialist

I am a member of APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers) and the PPG (Professional Pet Guild). I continually strive to upgrade my education so I can offer clients the most up to date, scientific, positive training methods.

Sammy has 12 years of experience as a dog behaviourist. She does Private Behavioural Consultations for dogs with issues such as fear, biting, anxiety OCD’s, reactivity, aggression and possession to identify what is driving unwanted behaviour, what the triggers are, and develops a strategy to modify the dog’s responses. In this capacity she has experience with all sizes and breeds of dogs from Chihuahuas to Mastiffs, including bully breeds, toy breeds, and working breeds.

As a certified dog trainer, she teaches classes and competes in Obedience, Rally-O, Flyball, Agility and Disc. Her dogs are also trained to perform in professional dog shows. She has worked with Wild Dogs and Winnipeg Woof Pack. She still performs with SuperDogs, Ruff House Rowdies Entertainment and her own SMART Dogs Professional Dog Show. Most of her dogs have been cast in movies.

She also has some experience in showing CKC dogs.

Her background:

Runs her own business Sammy Mar’s Assessment, Rehabilitation and Training for Dogs or SMART Dogs, which also includes daycare and board and train
apprenticed with Dawn Piche at Canada’s Canine Academy for 6 years where she founded the day care
Is a Graduate of Companion Animal Sciences Institute
Is Certified in Pet CPR & First Aid with various vets
Is a Member of the Association for Force-Free Pet Professionals
Is a Member of Association of Pet Dog Trainers(APDT) for 10 years
Has travelled extensively throughout North America to take classes and seminars from top dog trainers such as Ian Dunbar, Patricia McConnel, Trish King, Sue Sternberg, Joan Weston, to name a few

Michelle Wilker

Instructor

I first found out about agility when my sister dragged me to an event. I was hooked immediately. Thus began my career and I have been participating in one way or another since 1997.

After a couple of years of lessons and getting my second dog (Chevy girl), I began to teach for the local club. I started as an assistant for the head instructor and they quickly had me teaching on my own in beginner and advanced levels. I continued to take classes and to teach there for several years until moving to Winnipeg where I taught and took lessons at a local club. This is when my third dog, a rescued Border Collie named Porsche, came into my life and turned it upside down in no time flat. I was quite spoiled by my previous two dogs with their easy going personalities and no fuss attitudes, so Porsche was a harsh reality check.

Training needed to be stepped up a notch so I gave up teaching and joined a different local club for lessons, so I could concentrate on my own dogs training and their different needs. After a couple of years I was ready to start teaching again and had started thinking of doing my own classes when a friend introduced me to the Ruff House gang – they were looking for an instructor and I was looking to instruct. The deal was made and I began there in September of 2010.

Seminars I’ve attended were presented by: Diane Mapes – Agility – Saskatoon, Susan Williams – Flyball – Saskatoon, Stuart Mah – Agility – Saskatoon, Terry Simon – Agility – Saskatoon, Terry Smorch – Agility – Winnipeg, Barb Davis – Agility – Winnipeg , Theresa Rector – Agility – Winnipeg, Tracy Sklenar – Agility – Winnipeg, Joan Weston (K9 Shrink) – Behaviour – Winnipeg