Motivation, Communication, Mastery.
Every program I design is tailored to your dog’s unique personality, your lifestyle, and goals. By blending clear communication with a powerful foundation of motivation, I build dogs that perform with a genuinely happy attitude and true reliability.
Whether you are building a happy and fulfilled companion, developing an elite spot dog, or preparing for your dog to work: Let’s talk about your dog!
It Starts With A Consultation
The best dog trainer is the one you have the best communication with, and I want to make sure I am the best trainer for you before any commitments.
This session is designed for me to get an understanding of your dog’s starting point, listen to your ultimate goals and map out a clear progression to reach them. True progress requires a collaborative partnership, and this complimentary 30–60 minute session ensures we build on a rock-solid foundation.
Hi, I’m Chris!
I am driven by helping companion dogs and their families, and working dogs and their handlers thrive together. My approach is simple: build a solid foundation of motivation, add clear communication, and polish it with precision.
Forged during my time as a Search and Rescue K9 handler with my SAR dog Delia, this philosophy has powered working dogs for teams nationwide and sport dogs competing at the highest level, where attitude counts just as much as accuracy.
More important than success in sports or work, my proudest moments came from rescuing Lycan, who had sustained a spinal injury in a flood I taught him to walk short distances, and to use a wheelchair to fully enjoy life. It was the ultimate test of patience and precision, and the most rewarding work I have ever done.
Services
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The Home School program delivers the depth and consistency of a Board & Train right in your home. I come to your home Monday through Friday for three weeks to work with your dog on basic obedience and behavior modification (addressing jumping, barking, chewing, nipping, reactivity, and more).
Monday through Thursday, I work directly with your dog in your home, yard, and neighborhood to get your dog outside time and fulfillment. You do not need to be home during these sessions. I’ll send you regular photos and video updates so you can see your dog's progress in real time.
Every Friday, we meet for a lesson so I can pass along the clarity and skills I’ve built with your dog directly to you. You’ll receive a little weekend homework to ensure you feel confident working with your dog and completely understand the training.
This program is limited to 3 dogs at a time.
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I work one on one with you and your dog directly in your home and out in the real world to address your specific goals. Whether we are focusing on behavior modification (fixing problem behaviors), developing reliable obedience, or building new skills, these sessions are designed to guide you to learn alongside your dog in your environment. Lessons are typically structured once per week, with lots of homework to do between them. Ensuring you gain the clear communication and practical handling skills needed to achieve lasting real-world results.
Let’s learn together! -
Four one hour, private lessons designed to take full advantage of your puppy's critical developmental window and set them up for life. Using and positive reinforcement to build motivation, I guide you through teaching clear communication, basic obedience, potty training, and crate training, while directly addressing common issues like puppy biting. Whether you are raising an exceptional companion or shaping early engagement for future work, you will get practical guidance on your puppy's development alongside the skills needed to nurture their mind, body, and lifelong bond with your family.
Open to puppies 8 months and under
Puppies must have had their first and second round of DHPP vaccines.
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Work directly with me remotely via video calls and sharing training videos. These sessions are ideal for individualized help with teaching foundational behaviors, planning for a new puppy, or for experienced handlers troubleshooting issues in tracking, detection, or protection work.
I do not offer virtual sessions for aggression; this requires in person work with a qualified local trainer.
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Your dog lives and trains with me in my home and out in the real world through a custom program built on my philosophy of building motivation, establishing clear communication, and coaching to high-level success. Whether you are building a reliable companion, or developing a sport or working foundation, my tailored approach is designed specifically for getting you and your dog real-world results. Every program includes daily updates, hands-on handler coaching to seamlessly transition the skills to you, and dedicated support for the life of your dog.
To ensure uncompromising standards, this opportunity is limited to three dogs at a time. These openings are shared with the Home School program.
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The bond between a handler and their dog is unlike any other, and I develop programs specific to your handler and dog team. As an experienced SAR K9 handler and trainer who has run live find and recovery dogs in urban disaster zones and the wilderness, I understand what it means to trust a dog with your life and the lives of others.
I have worked with tracking, detection, apprehension dogs, and personal protection dogs, and dogs with titles in PSA and IGP. I can develop, improve, and troubleshoot skills in tracking, detection, and protection, as well as work on canine functional fitness and injury prevention; ensuring your canine partner has the resilience to match their drive.
Whether you are looking for someone to work with your team or agency, or you want help doing cool things with the working dog that lives in your house, let’s help you and your dog meet your highest potential.
Let’s work your dog!
Frequently Asked Questions
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I don’t believe in a cookie cutter approach to training. Every dog is an individual, so every training program is custom to your specific dog and your goals. Everything I do starts with a deep foundation of motivation and clear communication. From there, I utilize the full spectrum of motivation to create reliable dogs who understand where boundaries are and their path to rewards; allowing us to build a reliable, confident, and joyful dog.
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The Home School program and Private Lessons are available to dogs in the Knoxville, TN area including: Knoxville, Powell, Halls, Hardin Valley, Ceder Bluff, Farragut, Oak Ridge, Maryville, and Alcoa.
I offer Board and Train out of my home in Knoxville and clients often bring dogs from out of state to work with me.You can book me for Virtual Lessons from anywhere in the world.
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Absolutely. I build programs for the team, meaning both the handler and the dog.
When your dog works with me, you are learning alongside them. I make sure you understand the why behind our methods, how to maintain the boundaries we’ve set, and how to show your dog it’s clear path to rewards. My goal is to give you the confidence, clarity, and handling skills to ensure that you and your dog excel for life.
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Yes, in the form of my lifetime commitment to you and your dog. Every dog that completes a Board and Train or Home School program comes with lifetime support. If you ever need help to touch up or maintain the work we did together, I’m in your corner for the life of your dog.
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A working dog is specifically selected and trained to perform critical tasks that humans simply cannot do. This includes, military and police dogs, Search and Rescue dogs (Like my Delia), personal protection dogs, and detection dogs sniffing out everything from explosives to endangered species. The term also extends to high-level sport dogs competing in disciplines designed to test and showcase these skills. Whether on a live search, an operational deployment, or a trial field, they represent the peak of canine capability and teamwork with their handlers."
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Maybe. Most dogs in operational service are selected and trained for it from a very young age, but a dog's genetic ability and drive matter far more than early training. Specific breeds and bloodlines truly need to work, whether that means competing on a sport field or just working with you in the backyard.
If you want to do cool things with your dog and see what they are capable of, I am happy to do an assessment of your dog and help you develop clear goals and the skills to meet them.
Lets Talk About Your Dog
Connect With Me
