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ABOUT ME
Who is Chris Krantz?
Dog training is my passion and I truly love my work. They are the focus of a lifelong career. Even as a teenager, neighbors, friends, and family would bring me their dogs to train. As a young kid without having received formal training from a more experienced trainer, I relied heavily upon creativity and passion to develop my work.
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In those early years I took my dogs everywhere and found that good dogs can be trained based upon two simple principles, sound leadership and resource management.
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Later in life I had the opportunity to work directly with dogs in a professional capacity. I worked as a vet tech, an assessment trainer, and had the privilege of working beneath several talented professional trainers. For years I groomed dogs out of my basement and in 2006 I was given a fantastic opportunity to work with a nationally accredited dog training company. I traveled to Arizona to apprentice, but when it came time to sign a contract I was hesitant. If I signed that contract, my freedom to expand my knowledge into different venues would be severely limited. The company had elevated their philosophy over the needs of the dogs and their owners.
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As a result, I returned to Utah in 2007 and began working under another local trainer, but was soon laid off thanks to the recession. At that point I had a choice to make. Continue to work under the restrictions of other trainers or branch out. In 2008 I started K9 Leadership Training and haven't looked back.
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Since then I have found success. My clients trust me, and much of my business is through referrals. Many of my clients from years past still contact me to work their dogs and keep their skills sharp. That is my greatest working accomplishment.
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I am a member of both APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers) and IACP (International Association of Canine Professionals).
My Training Philosophy
My personal experience has taught me NOT to sell a specific philosophy. There are a million ways to achieve results if you combine common-sense with knowledge of the animal.
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Punitive trainers wait for dogs to make a mistake and positive trainers give rewards before they make a mistake. Neither one of those work all the time. Videos have the similar limitations. Some dog personalities are very soft and some are very bold and hard. Both have their challenges.
My goal as a trainer is to bridge the gap between you and your dog. I have worked within the limitations of most philosophies and choose to single out methods that would best benefit you and your dog. My object is to find the right balance between your capabilities and your dog's personality. I suppose many people would call me a "balanced trainer," but I like to incorporate and work flexibly.
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I focus on three basic principles.
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Cause and effect
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Who owns the resources?
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Association
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Dog training is a science and if you don't keep up, you become dated fast. You cannot keep training one way when the science says otherwise.