HOW I APPROACH TRAINING
At Chaos K9, we work extensively with high-intensity working and sport dogs—dogs that are driven, powerful, and often misunderstood by conventional training approaches.
These dogs aren’t “too much.”
They’re simply being trained with the wrong model.
The same techniques that produce surface-level compliance in a typical pet dog rarely create real control, stability, or durability in high-drive dogs.
ENERGY ISN’T THE PROBLEM
Most owners don’t want to eliminate energy—they want direction, control, and an “off switch” when it matters.
The goal isn’t suppression. It’s precision.
REAL LIFE MATTERS
I’ve lived and worked with multiple working and sport dogs in urban environments, family households, and now in a rural setting. I understand the pressures of managing serious dogs in real-world situations—where consistency varies, environments change, and expectations are high.
Training has to hold up in that reality.
WHAT THE TRAINING FOCUSES ON
Lasting results come from:
-
clear communication
-
structured expectations
-
consistency across environments
-
mutual respect between dog and handler
Every program is built around the individual dog and handler, because no two teams are the same.
WHAT THAT MEANS FOR YOU
This approach produces dogs that aren’t just compliant in controlled environments—they’re reliable, responsive, and capable of functioning in the environments you actually live in.
Whether your goal is a stable companion, a working dog, or performance in sport, the focus is the same: clarity, resilience, and consistency that holds under pressure.
A Lifetime with Working Dogs
Dogs have been central to my life for as long as I can remember—not just as companions, but as serious working and sport partners. I began competing in IGP in the early 2000s and have since been deeply involved in competitive obedience, protection sports, conformation, field trials, and hunt tests. Over the years, I've had the privilege of learning from some of the most accomplished trainers in North America, refining a training philosophy grounded in clarity, structure, and performance under pressure.
I currently serve as Training Director of the Anarchy K9 Working Dog Club in the Okanagan, where members have earned PSA titles. My own dogs have achieved national recognition, including owning and training the #10 pointing dog puppy in Canada (2018), the GSPFCA Derby Dog of the Year (2019), and the #2 pointing derby dog in Canada (2019).
I am an active member of the German Shorthaired Pointer Field Club of Alberta and the Protection Sport Association, and currently serve on the GSPFCA Board of Directors. I have also traveled extensively throughout the United States and Europe to evaluate and select dogs for breeders, competitors, and companion homes.
Experience Across Species. The Same Principles.
Before working professionally with dogs, I spent over 15 years training Thoroughbred racehorses at a high level. I worked as assistant trainer to Hall of Fame trainer R.K. Smith and later managed my own stable across Canada and the United States. During that time, I worked with high-level horses including Miss Victoriana, Distorted Dave, and Bodhisattva, who competed in the 2015 Preakness Stakes against Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, and served as an instructor in the Equine Science Horse Racing Program at Olds College.
Training That Holds Up in Real Life
Training at a high level in both horses and dogs has shaped the way I approach behaviour, performance, and resilience. I’ve spent years working in demanding environments where clarity, consistency, and real-world function matter. That experience influences the way I develop both dogs and handlers through training that is practical, individualized, and designed to hold up outside controlled settings.
At Chaos K9, we work extensively with high-drive dogs — protection and guarding breeds, herding dogs, hunting dogs, and other intelligent, high-capacity dogs that often require more nuance and structure than standard training approaches provide. These dogs are not “too much.” They simply need training that understands how to direct intensity productively rather than suppress it.
The goal is not suppression. It’s precision. High drive should be an asset, not a liability.
A conversation about training, behaviour, and the ideas that shape the work we do at Chaos K9.
If you’re looking for a structured, realistic approach to training—and results that hold beyond the training field—start with an assessment and build from there.