Who We Are
The Team
Samantha Porter
Founder & Lead Trainer
Why did you get into dog training? It is a question that people have asked me hundreds of times over my 16 years of being a trainer. The simple answer is that I have always been connected to dogs and felt it was my calling to help each dog that crossed my path, especially those who were deemed “untrainable”. I believe in the dog's psychological state of mind and feel that if you just listen and watch, they can tell you how to help.
The much more fulfilling answer is what shaped my life. Growing up in Michigan my family had 12 dogs , a large pack for any home, but especially one with 2 adults and 6 kids. Early on I could feel a pull towards dogs, while still enjoying catching frogs or playing with snakes, dogs spoke to me. As I grew up I helped take care of our pack but wanted to do more, to help other dogs have full and happy lives. With this in mind I took the call to action and set out on my path. At the age of 14 I sought out a local shelter and asked if I could help out in any way and begin to learn formal training methods to advance my goals. I even offered to care for those dogs that no one believed could be saved. I was told no, that I was too young and that the training cost money, which I did not have. So in a way that defines much of my life, I did what I felt was right, I didn’t take no for an answer. I sat outside the shelter everyday, asking everyday to be allowed to help and learn to train. Finally after two weeks my persistence paid off. The owner of the shelter said that he would allow me to help but that my first job would be to care for a dog that people avoided. Taking up the challenge because this special dog needed me the most. Within days of starting, with no formal training, and no fear, this special dog and I had established a bond. I could see and understand even at this early age what I thought he needed and on the first day I was able to do something no one else could, I sat in his cage with him and we just cuddled. From this point forward his transformation was profound, after less than a few weeks working with him, he was able to be put up for adoption and found a home. The shelter manager was astounded, thinking I wouldn’t last more than a day or two. I was given access to even more dogs, and advanced my knowledge on my own. I continued to work with the special dogs because it was my calling.
In 2001, I left home at a very early age and moved to Georgia.While in Georgia I had a special dog of my own and even while working a full time job, started my first dog training business. It was small and knowing nothing about things like marketing or advertising, my client base remained small. But each dog was special to me and we all learned something from each other. I continued to learn my special connection to understanding a dog's psychological needs, the dogs learned skills and ways to harmoniously coexist with the families that loved them, and the families learned how to best meet the needs of that special family member.
After a couple of years I moved to Columbus, Ohio in 2003. It is here that I became a full time trainer. Working at a local boarding facility I continued learning even more training methods, but I also took it upon myself to truly understand the business side of how to achieve my goals of helping every family that needed me. To achieve all of this I attended a local school for Dog Trainer’s to expand the dog training knowledge. And while working at the boarding facility I asked questions about the business, learned about the advertising, questioned how things were run and became fully proficient in it. When the owner of the facility decided to move on they sold me the facility and I once again took up the challenge. Making it one of the most unique facilities in the area. But I still felt pulled to continue to grow, so I sold the business in 2007 and moved, but this time to be closer to family.
I moved to this amazing area of Jacksonville, NC at that time because my parents were here and I wanted to be close to them. They also said that it was a place that could use my talents because of the amazingly diverse group of people and dogs who called this place home. I started Tranquil Dog Training by S.A.SK-9 and for 16 years now I have been training dogs of all types and needs. As one of the longest tenured dog trainers in Jacksonville, Camp Lejeune, Onslow and surrounding counties it is because my methods begin with understanding a dog and their families true needs. Helping families know what my group of gifted trainers and I can do to help and not just selling them “training”, but instead how I can help each dog individually.
Each dog and owner becomes a member of our family and we care about each and every one of them.
While here, I have continued to expand my knowledge of dog behaviors and psychology by attending the Animal Behavioral College, working with Dr. Lynne Swanson (DVM), co-writing books on dog behaviors, and attending hundreds of seminars as both a speaker and attendee. I never stop learning and growing, I push my team to do the same, and because of this we continue to be called upon to help so many dogs, but especially those special ones that started me on this path.
So, if you ask me why I became a dog trainer, well it’s because I want to help every dog and family I see. It is who I am, it is what I am called to do and it is so much more than just a job for me. It truly is my purpose and passion. And for those reasons I truly hope that you will allow my team and I to assist you and for you to become a part of our family.
Chris Baker
Dog Trainer, USMC Vet
Welcome to the Tranquil Dog Training Family!
These were the words that Samantha said to me when I contacted her and her company when I had made arrangements to adopt a new dream dog of mine, a Bluetick Coonhound named Maggie. I went through many massive changes within my life and decided it was time to add a new member of the family to not just my own life, but my two daughters' lives. What I did not quite expect was that not only did I find the dog of my dreams at a local shelter, I found two! Quickly deciding that Maggie, the shy, odd, fearful and timid dog was the one that we wanted to add to our family, before even bringing her home I contacted Tranquil Dog Training at the recommendation of a close friend and client of TDT, in slight panic with the unknown of owning and training a seemingly feral dog. Samantha reassured me that everything would be just fine, and she was there for us the entire step of the way.
When enrolling my dog into their Train and Stay program, I knew I was hiring a dog trainer to help me and my family through this new phase in life, but what I wasn’t prepared for was that I then made another friend for life. At one of our lessons with my dog, Samantha asked if I was afraid of “big mean dogs” to which I happily answered, no. She asked for some assistance to see where a very large and aggressive Weimaraner was within his training, with a stranger, and from there, I began offering to help with the dogs who needed a new friend to possibly bite (though I’m happy to announce, no one has bitten me!)
Samantha and I grew a friendship that helped me professionally and personally grow into the person I am today. Beyond the dogs, she had inspired me to get healthy both mentally and physically. She inspired me to change my habits from playing video games, to walking my dog (seemingly simple tasks but a task we all forget), and so much more. She has been an inspiration to not just myself, but an excellent friend and inspirational role model for my two daughters. Her drive and knowledge is an inspiration to all of us, and she truly has a gift for working with animals and seeing what many of us can not.
As a United States Marine Corps Veteran, I have maintained the next stage of my life within the civilian workforce upon Camp Lejeune and began learning how to train dogs early 2023 alongside Samantha Porter, and have learned so much and have already been blessed to help many families with the knowledge and skills I have learned , and I look forward to helping and meeting even more families who need help just like I did, to inspire them to make the changes within their own lives for their dog(s), to create an even more amazing member of the family for many years to come.
Additionally we believe that each dog deserves our TIME, not a revolving door of in-and-out like most dog training companies. Science says it takes a human sixty six days to form/learn a habit, and many convince you that your dog can be fully trained in two weeks with a little bit of magic. Though your dog can make incredible strides in two weeks, imagine what they can accomplish with sixty days of well deserved effort, routine and guidance? We believe your investment is worth that investment from us.
Courtney Riegel
Dog Trainer, Dog Caregiver, Mom
I have always had a calling to animals from the time I was little that remains present to this very day. It always seems that stray dogs and cats always followed me home when I was a child and that continued into adulthood. A quality that drove my parents crazy I am sure. I began training along the way but I've always had the drive to learn and do more with dogs. I learned a lot just by spending time hanging out with different dogs and decided it was time to take it to the next level. In 2018 I got my Great Dane Edgar and knew I had to commit to a higher level of training than I had before. I spent most of my time researching every bit of dog training information I could and applied it to my own dogs. I was amazed because it was working! We've formed such a strong bond in the process and that's what I'm hoping to bring to any clients that decide to invite us to help them.