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In our ongoing series of PPG member profiles, this month BARKS features Michelle Martiya of Essential Animal Training in Boca Raton, Florida
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Michelle Martiya was a dog groomer for over 20 years but had started to feel burnout and the need to branch out into another area.
Q: Can you tell us a bit more about yourself, how you first got into animal behavior and training and what you are doing now? A: I felt like I needed something new to breathe life back into my career so I decided to take a dog training course and was totally hooked! I became obsessed with learning about animal behavior and training. I started training dogs and horses for the first few years and later added exotic pets. These days I offer virtual coaching services to help people train their dogs, equids, and exotic pets via positive reinforcement. I specialize in helping people bond with fearful and unapproachable animals.
Q: Tell us a little bit about your own pets. A: I own a Manchester terrier, a Pomeranian/Chihuahua mix, two Bengal cats, and one domestic longhaired cat. All of them are clicker trained to varying degrees. I also own a 24yearold American mustang, named Robin Hood, who came to me through a rescue that had deemed him "untrainable." He has proved to be very trainable with positive reinforcement though.
Q: Why did you become a dog trainer or pet care provider? A: I became an animal trainer because I was passionate about understanding animal behavior and wanted to help people connect with their pets on a deeper level.
Q: What is your favorite part of your job? A: Those lightbulb moments in both animal and human are my favorites parts, plus seeing the connection those moments form between them.
Q: What do you consider to be your area of expertise? A: I feel I excel most working with animals, or coaching people in working with animals, that are fearful and unapproachable. My forte is helping people create trust and build relationships with animals that are feral or wild.
© Michelle Martiya Michelle Martiya favors the TreatRetreat technique to build trust with the animals she trains, from dogs to foxes and horses to zebras
Q: Are you a crossover trainer or have you always been a force‐free trainer? A: Luck was with me when I decided to take a dog training course. The course I selected was my first introduction to animal training and my mentor throughout the course was a positive reinforcement trainer. It all made perfect sense to me and I’ve never trained any other way.
Q: What drives you to be a force‐free professional and why is it impor‐tant to you? A: Since I was a child, I had always wanted to be able to communicate with animals. For a while I lost that and animals were just, well, animals. Learning about behavior and positive reinforcement opened lines of communication that I never knew could exist between myself and the animals I work with. I want other people to be able to experience the kind of relationship that only comes with being forcefree.
Q: What are some of your favorite positive reinforcement techniques for the most commonly encountered client‐dog problems? A: TreatRetreat* is probably the one positive reinforcement technique that I use most. I’ve used variations of this technique to build trust with everything from dogs to foxes and horses to zebras.
Q: What is the reward you get out of a day's training with people and their dogs?: A: There is something magical about seeing those "lightbulb" moments when the animal "gets" the behavior and the client has that “lightbulb”
‘There is something magical about seeing those "lightbulb" moments when the animal "gets" the behavior and the client has that “lightbulb” moment as they watch their animal figuring it out. Watching the very first exchanges in communication between animal and human leaves me feeling like I've just taught someone a secret language.’ - Michelle Martiya
moment as they watch their animal figuring it out. Watching the very first exchanges in communication between animal and human leaves me feeling like I've just taught someone a secret language.
Q: What is the funniest or craziest situation you have been in with a pet and their guardian? A: Probably the funniest situation I've been in was when we were teaching the client's horse to station at a target. While I was explaining something to the client, her horse picked up the target and moved it. It was funny because he was still stationed at the target, just in a completely different spot than where we left him!
Q: Who has most influenced your career and how? A: When I was younger, I worked on a small farm for about four years. Actually, I lived and breathed that farm. It was my entire world outside of school. Valorie Goldenbrook, the farm’s owner, is the person that most influences my work with horses today. She taught me to have great respect for the horses on her property, and that respect is the
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Q: What awards or competition placements have you and your dog(s) achieved using force‐free methods? A: My Manchester terrier Bosco has his beginner and intermediate trick dog titles. Other than that, we don't compete.
Q: What advice would you give to a new trainer starting out? A: Always remember that when you’re working with people and their pets, it’s the people who really need your help, and they learn the same way their pets do. When you’re writing up your training plan for their animals, don’t forget to write up your training plan for them also.
Q: How has PPG helped you to become a more complete trainer? A: PPG has given me a sense of belonging to a community of likeminded individuals who are very supportive. I am confident as a trainer because even though it sometimes feels like I'm the only forcefree trainer for miles around, I know I have an entire forcefree organization backing me. n
*Treat‐Retreat was developed by Suzanne Clothier back in 1994, inspired by Dr. Ian Dunbar’s story of how he got into a rough spot with an Akita, and used thrown treats to help him and the dog save face and avoid confrontation. Clothier’s approach is different – it’s about teaching the dog a skill set that promotes confidence (suzanneclothier.com, 2019).
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