Canine Solutions Training Services

We have a 2 and a half year old pitbull named Willow. We scheduled an evaluation with Chris because she was exhibiting dog aggression which was spilling over into posturing and jumping at humans as well. We live at the beach and really want to be able to walk her through town without worrying about bites and fights. We had 2 previous trainers, but their methods weren't working for Willow. I must admit Chris has a tough approach initially. My impression is he wants to test owners as much as he tests the dogs. Our one hour evaluation lasted almost 2 hours and I believe he not only answered all of questions honestly.... even if I didn't want to like all the answers...... He also spent time handling her and and was able to demonstrate her behaviors and explain solutions with us. I don't think this is going to be easy, but I do finally feel like we are on the right track and with a lot of work, we'll have a better dog in the end. Willow will be going to spend 3 weeks with Chris and his team and we will be joining them twice a week for our own training. I will be sure to do a follow up review as we begin our journey!
5 12 years ago (11-03-2015)

I adopted a one year old dog that at first seemed to only need some basic leash and obedience training. Over time I discovered that my attempt at training him (with tips from a book I read) was just not working. Even worse, he started exhibiting new behaviors of unpredictable aggression with other dogs and with new people. While the aggression was rare, it created stress as I worried about when and where it would happen again. It was at this point I realized I didn’t want to spend the next 10 years worrying about whether I could put Ivan in certain situations. I needed professional help figuring out what I was doing wrong and how to develop the amazing family dog I knew he could be. Since working with the team at Canine Solutions, I’ve learned how to set the right rules and boundaries at home, which now sets the tone for how I confidently handle him in public environments. I absolutely love the hands-on nature of the classes and the opportunities to face situations in class that previously provoked bad behavior in Ivan. It is amazing the change in our family life now that I better understand Ivan’s motivations and how to communicate with him appropriately and consistently. It has relieved tremendous stress and I smile every time he heels next to me on our walks, it never gets old! ​- Heather
5 12 years ago (06-02-2015)

My husband and I brought our 10-month-old puppy, Lucy, to canine solutions in late August for an evaluation. We got her just at the beginning of June and brought her everywhere, including dog parks. After a few times a the dog park, she non-aggressively attacked another dog. We think it started because she was overwhelmed by so many dogs greeting her at the parks and she just wanted them to go away. These attacks happened more and more and even though they weren't harmful (more just bullying), we stopped bringing her around dogs all together. She was also really hard to control in any new environment, doing whatever she wanted when she wanted. We had 2 lessons with a previous organization and they did absolutely nothing. It was your typical treat training and redirection training that was really only covering up the problem, not solving. That's when we became desperate and found canine solutions. I saw the great reviews and scheduled an evaluation. At our evaluation, Chris was super blunt and honest and told us that we were spoiling the crap out of her. I was overwhelmed after the evaluation because he had recommended the 3 week rehab, which we agreed to, and gave up our Lucy to them right then and there. I cried almost every night for the first week because I wasn't so sure this was the best choice for her. Their training methods are not delicate and they are always 100% honest with you, even if it is something you don't want to hear. After going in weekly and seeing her change so quickly, my attitude began to change also. The criticism at the evaluation was hard to hear but it was absolutely true. My husband and I took that criticism and embraced it, ready to give this training every bit of our effort so we could have a happy, disciplined dog. We are now about a month out of rehab and we could not be happier with Lucy and our progress! We originally were doing the continuing rehab classes after her rehab but Chris recognized quickly that we didn't belong in there so we were moved to the Junior Class (3rd level obedience class). Lucy wasn't an aggressive dog compared to the extremes Chris and his team deal with so the obedience class is perfect for us. We learned so much and we've only been to one class so far. We will most certainly be continuing our lessons and can't wait to see more progression from our Lucy. She continues to impress us everyday with how quickly she learns and we are so grateful to Chris, Dylon, and the canine solutions team for giving us our dream dog. Now I know that we are on the right path to having a happy, healthy, obedient dog that doesn't add stress to our lives like so many others do. Both my husband and I feel very confident in ourselves to handle our Lucy properly now and can't wait to learn even more. Thank you Canine Solutions!!
5 11 years ago (29-10-2015)

All that I can say is if you decide to go here be VERY aware. I truly wish that I had checked reviews first. I met with Chris for an assessment to see if he could help my wife and I to work on some behavior issues that we are having with our two year old Greater Swiss Mountain Dog. Issues that I considered to be mild for a professional trainer; "A dog who pulls on his leash to get to play with any other dogs that we encounter, and is obedient only when he wants to be." I knew going in (through research) that the problems we were experiencing were as much due to our ineptitude and lack of canine knowledge, as they were our dog's disobedient behavior. So we were totally prepared for the hard work, and long road ahead of us going in. We did a lot of research (obviously not enough though) before deciding that Canine Solutions looked to be best training facility in the seacoast area. The $25 assessment period was supposed to last an hour, unfortunately after "15" minutes, our "assessment", that took place in a crowded office with 5 other people watching and listening (not very professional "IMHO") ended with Chris informing me that "we were not a good match" and he could not help me with our problems. He suggested that I would be better off seeking help elsewhere, he even recommended a couple of other trainers in the area. I'm not sure if our issues were too tough for him, or if it was the fact that I preferred "private" sessions (which seemed to disturb him) even though when I made the appointment I was told that it was my choice, or if we just had a personality clash, either way I walked away with a very "bad taste" in my mouth. The reason that I had requested "private" sessions was because we wanted to learn from Chris "directly" not from one of his student trainers who are still learning themselves. We were totally prepared to pay the $$ for the private time as well. Something was definitely amiss, Chris was no longer the soft spoken dog loving trainer that he "portrays" on youtube. We had so looked forward to learning from Chris, and in turn teaching our dog how to be the best dog that he could possibly be. We still look forward to learning and teaching our dog, but now have to begin our research over again and hopefully find a trainer that will be comfortable with correcting these types of issues. It was truly a disappointing experience, And besides the sour taste in my mouth, I was also a little disgusted with myself for paying $25, to be told after a 15 minute assessment (that was supposed to last an hour) what I already knew going in; "yeah, you have a problem" They told me when I made the appointment that the $25 would be waived if we decided to train with them. We weren't even offered a chance to train there and yet we were still charged! It really makes me think about the reviewer who called them scammers. My assessment time got cut by 75% because he had a class going n in the next room, then I'm told that they cannot help me, and on the way out the door, I'm reminded to pay. Be very careful and aware here, or you could end up wishing you had never gone there like I did.
2 12 years ago (10-02-2015)

In August, 2014, I adopted a 4 month old puppy that I quickly realized had some severe dog aggression issues. The traditional 'puppy/dog training' was not helping, it was actually exacerbating the issue. I took Daisy to CSTS in Sept. She spent 3 weeks there in a rehabilitation program and we have been training with them since. They have not only helped Daisy overcome her dog aggression, they have taught me how to manage her in any situation that we may encounter. This past week, we had to travel for a funeral service and took Daisy with us. I was able to safely and confidently manage my dog at service plazas while she did potty breaks and in a relatives home where they have two quite badly behaved dogs of their own and she behaved like the star pupil that CSTS has helped her become. Not only do they train your dog, they give you all the support that you may need in your journey to having a dog that is a safe member of society. If I had not found them, I have no doubt that my Daisy would eventually have had to be euthanized due to the aggression that was escalating out of control. I highly recommend their services.
5 12 years ago (04-02-2015)