06/24/2025
Why I’m a Crossover Trainer — And Why That Matters More Than Ever
I didn’t start my career as a positive reinforcement trainer.
I came up through the “balanced” training world — where tools, corrections, and quick obedience were seen as the gold standard.
In many ways, I was doing what I was taught to do. What had been passed down from trainer to trainer for decades. What “worked,” at least on the surface.
But over time, that surface began to crack.
I’ve worked in high-volume, industrial-style kennels. I’ve seen what happens behind the scenes when results matter more than relationships.
When numbers, speed, and control take priority over the emotional well-being of the dogs in front of you. You start to see dogs shut down. You see fear mistaken for obedience.
You see quick compliance — but at a high cost to trust, confidence, and connection.
I knew something had to change.
That change started with my own dog, Kairo. He challenged everything I thought I knew about training.
The very tools I had been taught to use didn’t just fail with him — they hurt our bond. They made him anxious, avoidant, unsure.
For a dog who needed guidance and safety, I was giving him pressure and confusion. And it wasn’t working.
So I stopped.
I turned to the science. I went back to first principles — operant conditioning, classical conditioning, behavior analysis, and emotion-driven learning.
I began studying not just how dogs behave, but why. I learned how fear, stress, and motivation truly work in the canine brain. I surrounded myself with peers, mentors, and research who believed in ethical, evidence-based approaches that build dogs up, not break them down.
And I crossed over.
But not everyone supports that choice.
There are trainers in this industry — many of them seasoned professionals — who view crossover trainers like me with skepticism, even disdain. Some see our focus on peer-reviewed research and ethical methodology as a threat to tradition. Some think we’re being too soft, or wasting time when “faster” methods exist.
Some prefer to point fingers, fuel online arguments, or dig their heels into “what’s always worked.”
But here’s the truth:
The dogs are changing. The research is evolving. And we owe them more than tradition.
I don’t spend my energy fighting outdated methods or policing the choices of others. Instead, I choose to lead by example. At Kairo’s K9s, we show that science-based training is not only possible — it’s effective, empowering, and deeply respectful of the human-canine bond.
We prove every day that you don’t need fear to create focus.
That you don’t need pain to teach boundaries.
That a dog who feels safe will choose to work with you — not because they fear the consequence, but because they trust the process.
That’s what being a crossover trainer means to me.
Not just a shift in method — a shift in ethics, intention, and respect for the dogs we serve.
This path wasn’t always easy. It meant unlearning, relearning, and standing firm when others questioned the direction I took. But it’s also been the most rewarding, humbling, and healing decision I’ve ever made — both for my clients and for my own dog.
We can’t change an entire industry overnight. But we can do better, one dog, one family, and one evidence-based choice at a time.
And that’s exactly what I plan to keep doing.
Christopher
Founder & Trainer
Kairo’s K9s Training
Building Better Bonds
