Meet The Team
A World-Class Dog Trainer in Huntington Beach
Here at Canine Learning Academy, we are a family business owned and operated by a mother and son team Yo & Kurtis.
We know you deserve the best for your precious puppies, so here’s a little about the world-class dog training team waiting to take care of your four-legged family members. One thing we all have in common is our compassion & respect for both animals and people.
Yo Armendariz, KPA CTP, CBATI, SDC
Founder of CLA & Professional Certified Dog Trainer
Yo Armendariz, KPA CTP, founded Canine Learning Academy, and is dedicated to positive dog training and owner education. Yo is the Dog Trainer in Huntington Beach who has made positive training accessible to every pet parent in the community.
She’s a KPA Certified Training Partner and a proud Fear-Free Certified Professional. She’s also an AKC CGC Evaluator, a Certified Behavior Adjustment Training Instructor (CBATI), and a Certified Service Dog Trainer—and that’s enough of the credentials!
Yo’s real strength is how much she cares deeply about both dogs and people, and helping families to thrive. Her coaching abilities are phenomenal. She can break down complex skills into manageable steps in a fun, engaging, and inspiring way. Yo is passionate about bringing humane, science-based training solutions to her clients, training team, and wider community and excels at helping others to move away from outdated punishment based methods to find a kinder, more effective way.
Yo has a massive soft spot for Doodles and other misunderstood dog breeds. She works with pet parents and other dog trainers who want to learn more about positive reinforcement methods of training and get brilliant results.
Premium puppy training
Huntington Beach, Sunset Beach, Seal Beach, Southern California, Belmont Shores, Long Beach, Newport Beach, and Costa Mesa
Happy Clients
“We are so fortunate to have met Yo and found Canine Learning Academy (CLA)!
When Sofia, our golden doodle, came home we quickly realized that bringing in a new puppy is super stressful.
We were worried about socializing, crate training, potty training, developing a schedule, and how to set up our home.
Basically, all of It!
Yo and her team of experienced trainers have helped us learn how to teach Sofia important puppy skills. The puppy classes (Kindergarten 1 and 2) were awesome! We learned how to use positive reinforcement to teach Sofia important skills.
We also love the all day puppy school! We can drop Sofia off for a full day of training and play, knowing she is not only safe, but she is also learning and being loved. CLA’s new incredible facility at Beach and Ellis in Huntington Beach is an awesome training center…bright, spotless, organized and, spacious!
The trainers at CLA are all mirror of Yo… personable, knowledgable, approachable, and always have a smile. The CLA team work individually and together with each dog providing enrichment activities using kind and positive methods, no negative reinforcement!
Thanks to Yo’s expertise and the help of her awesome team, we have a friendly, happy, socially adjusted puppy we can take anywhere. We couldn’t be happier!”
Kurtis Swinson
Training Manager & Professional Dog Trainer
Kurtis Swinson is a dedicated and skilled dog trainer, proudly certified through the Karen Pryor Academy. As the manager of the Canine Learning Academy’s training division, Kurtis is deeply invested in the education and development of both his canine and human students.
His approach to training is rooted in positive reinforcement and a gentle methodology, reflecting the principles he learned at the Karen Pryor Academy and blending them with CLA’s values and philosophy.
As a father, Kurtis extends his compassionate and effective training techniques to his parenting, fostering a nurturing and learning-friendly environment for his son. This holistic approach to education and training, whether for dogs of all ages or his child, is a testament to his belief in the power of positive reinforcement and kindness in learning.
His leadership at the Canine Learning Academy is characterized by his commitment to creating a supportive and educational atmosphere. Kurtis ensures that every student, whether on two legs or four, receives personalized attention, praise, and guidance where needed. His dedication to the well-being and development of dogs and people makes him a respected and beloved figure with his clients, the team, and our community.
Kurtis is more than just a trainer; he is a mentor, a teacher, and a role model, demonstrating daily that patience, positivity, and understanding are key to successful learning and growth.
Kurtis is deeply invested in the education and development of both his canine and human students.
Our Training Team
Our excellent team of Trainers are the key to our successful methods having a wider reach. Every member of our training team has graduated from our rigorous training program and developed their behavioral education and practical training skills to meet our high standards of care.
Our team are canine specialists who have extensive training in canine body language, illness-disease, leash handling and enrichment so that they can assist in caring for the dogs that are in our care.
Our standards are extremely high, and our team are in an ongoing process of certification and development, are committed to our philosophy, and are passionate advocates for fostering understanding, respect, and communication between dogs and their families. This ensures each puppy gets consistent, high-quality training exposure, nurturing support, and optimal learning with trainers dedicated to your future and highly trained to deliver the results.
Meet The
Demo Dogs
“Demo” Dogs are teachers. Working beside a dog trainer in Huntington Beach, a good demo is a well-trained adult dog for puppies to meet and learn from.
Demo dogs are trained to service dog standards, can demonstrate behaviors, and can reliably show owners and new handlers what finished behavior looks and feels like.
Once you’ve taken these Ferrari dogs for a spin, you’ll want your puppy to learn from the best so you can have your very own! Demo dogs are great visual aids for humans, critical influencers for puppies-in-training and they LOVE THEIR WORK!
Bentley CGC, Therapy, KPA
Dog Breed: Aussiedoodle (Australian Shepherd/ Standard Poodle) Weight: 50 lbs
Our Inspiration and Mascot!
Bentley is the beautiful Doodle on the original logo and the mascot of Canine Learning Academy. Yo’s bond while training with Bentley led to the creation of Canine Learning Academy.
Bentley enjoys working as a demo dog for private and group classes and assisting private clients when their reaction to other dogs is problematic. Bentley quickly proved himself intelligent, energetic, and universally friendly to humans and other animals. He loves to learn!
Bandit CGC, Therapy
Breed: Certified Cutie -Tiny Bernedoodle
Socializing with dogs and people helps our student dogs build confidence. Bandit enjoys supporting puppies in our All-Day School and helping dogs learn well-mannered social greetings and develop appropriate play styles.
He features in tutorial videos that can be seen worldwide, has been photographed for over 12 dog product lines, and is working toward a promising doggie modeling career in the dog industry. He travels with Yo as a companion and helper dog when she runs workshops or speaking engagements across the US.
Bandit works with Paws-to-Share to spread love and joy as a therapy dog in senior centers, elementary schools, and colleges all across Southern California.