Certified Dog Trainers – Tustin

Rae Druiff-Fick
Tustin Trainer

I have come home from work proudly covered in dog hair for the past eight years. So when I started working at Wags and Wiggles in 2011, I fell in love with the company. Throughout my years at Wags, I have done a little bit of everything, but I found my true niche was working hands-on with the dogs. As a result, my role at Wags is split between working in our big dog room as Operations Manager and as a trainer with our behavior and training team.

Whether teaching an excited puppy how to walk with a loose leash or helping a reactive dog make a progressive breakthrough, Wags' positive reinforcement methods are enjoyed by the dog, the owner, and the trainer.

My passion for animals is something I was born with, and I have worked with a wide range of species. I spent a few years volunteering at my local wildlife rescue center, traveled to Thailand to work with elephants, and recently returned from an internship at a conservation center working with big cats.

I have loved working with all different types of animals. However, the deeply rooted bond between dogs and humans is incomparable. Dogs are the best!

A few months ago, I officially became a dog mom and adopted Frida, a Xoloitzcuintli, from Mexico. So now I spend most of my free time making sure my former street dog is living her best life!

EMAIL RAE

Christine Culver
Tustin Trainer

I grew up in a household full of animals. We had cats, dogs, birds, rats, & more throughout my childhood well into adulthood. So I knew growing up that working with animals made me happy. After high school, I attended California Polytechnic University at Pomona and majored in Biological Sciences. I worked as a Veterinary Technician for four years before starting dog training at a facility in Yorba Linda. There, I found my love of agility and pretty much anything active & engaging with my dogs. I love challenging my dogs and seeing that light bulb moment when everything starts to click.

I am thankful to be a part of the Wags training team. I started at the RSM facility in March 2014 and more recently started working at the Tustin facility in June 2021. I continue to learn each & every day how to be a more effective trainer and communicate better with our training clients.

Outside of work, I can be found on weekdays at the gym before the sun comes up, out on a local hiking trail with two dogs, or doing something fun with my two human kids. I currently have Myth, a 10-year-old Border Collie, and Pedal, a 7-year-old Chiweenie. I no longer compete in agility with my senior dogs, but I have found a new passion for training in Noseworks, Tracking, and Canine Conditioning.

EMAIL CHRISTINE

Jordyn Gressier
Tustin Trainer

I was always the kid who tried to rescue and bring home every type of animal under the sun, to my parents' exasperation. My love for animals, especially dogs, has always superseded most things.

I got a second job in college as a dog walker and soon realized how much I loved working with dogs. I knew I wanted to make a career out of spending my days with furry friends and eventually found my passion in training.

Wags has made it possible for me to do just this and has bettered me as a trainer in so many ways. I am beyond grateful to have found Wags and be a part of a training team that takes pride in their ability positively impact the lives of dogs and their humans alike!

EMAIL JORDYN

Karen Wlodarski
Tustin AgilityTrainer

Karen has owned dogs all her life but became involved in agility training and competition in 2001 and soon became addicted to the sport. She competes with papillons and has cumulatively earned 55 MACH titles on four of her dogs. Karen has competed in AKC and USDAA agility, and her papillons have regularly qualified for and competed at the AKC Agility Invitational and AKC Agility Nationals, making it to the finals round several times.

Recently relocated to Laguna Niguel, CA, from the Charleston, SC, area (she’s a native upstate NY’er, also residing in Boston and Indiana along the way), Karen has taught agility classes and seminars at all levels since 2003; she believes in building a strong relationship with your dog and utilizing positive reinforcement training techniques to have fun and be successful in the agility ring.

Karen has a data processing background and spent ten years of her professional career with IBM. She has served as a licensed AKC agility trial secretary and an active AKC agility judge since 2010. In her current real-world life, Karen is a licensed residential realtor. She looks forward to joining the Wags family as an agility instructor!

EMAIL KAREN

Pam Gray
Tustin Trainer