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Mr. Fraize is a caring husband of 11 years and a nurturing father of three wonderful children.  Canine behavior and training are a family passion and way of life for all of the Fraize family.

Since opening Canine Solutions Training Services in Maine, Mr. Fraize has founded the Maine Association of Dogsports (M.A.D.)  He has been featured in Dog Sports Magazine, Dog In Sight Magazine, WJBQ radio, WHEB radio, The Portland Press Herald, The Sanford News, Foster's Daily Democrat, The Weekly Observer, and The National Geographic Channel just to name a few.  He has also been an expert witness in dog bite cases.   He is a Certified decoy (the bad guy that gets bitten) for the National Association of Protection Dogs, K-9 Pro Sports and winner of the 2000 Dog Sports Open Magazine Decoy competition.  In addition he conducts bite prevention seminars for organizations such as Central Maine Power, Lakes Region Humane Society, The New Hampshire and Maine Safety Councils, On Target Utility Services, United States Postal Service and many more.  Mr. Fraize also conducts seminars in Canine Problem Solving, Police K-9 Training, Obedience Training and more every year.

Mr. Fraize has competed and placed in National obedience trials, personal protection trials, weight pull competitions, therapy work, agility, herding and many other dog sports competitions. His full resume and achievements are too large and numerous to list here.  He has successfully rehabilitated many problem pet dogs that other trainers had given up on. He has trained Police K-9's, Tracking dogs, Search and Rescue Dogs, Therapy dogs and other service dogs of all shapes and sizes.  Mr. Fraize is the inventor of the sequestered trial now used in many dog sports competitions across the country.

What makes someone a qualified trainer?  In the United States there is no set standard or real certification for dog trainers.  All it takes for a person to call himself a professional dog trainer is a business card.  There are many programs—often lasting only a few weeks or months—that will earn someone the ambiguous title of Certified Master Trainer.  However, because no two dogs are exactly the same, a true knowledge of canine behavior can only be obtained through diversity of experience.  It takes years of successful experiences and achievements in a wide variety of canine venues with a wide variety of breeds and behaviors to create a well-rounded or balanced trainer.

Training is an art form, a craft that has lost its balance over the past 20 years.  Why was the balance lost?  Because we as humans self-importantly decided that dogs have to understand our human language instead of us learning to understand theirs.  Trainers developed methodologies that were more focused on pleasing their human clients than on developing the balanced communication dogs require to fully understand what is expected of them.  As a result, two opposing training philosophies emerged—force trainers and purely positive trainers—and neither was willing to listen to the other. Instead, each of these camps believed that their methods and techniques were the only viable training methods and that they should work on all dogs across the board.  Now, much of the general public has come to believe that there are some dogs that cannot be helped by training, or that any method of dog training other than purely positive is abusive.  The truth, however, is that nearly all of the dogs in shelters and pounds across the country are there as a direct result of a human failure, the failure to properly and responsibly communicate with their dogs.

Many purely positive trainers teach dogs with treats and praise while ignoring bad or unwanted behaviors.  This is “teaching” and is appropriate and correct if the dog has never been exposed to the lesson or command.  However, “teaching” and “training” are different.  Far too often, purely positive techniques fail the dog because they do not adequately stop unwanted, bad, or potentially dangerous behaviors.  These trainers hope for results based on a formula they believe every dog should know.  This is cookie cutter training.  Every dog and every owner must learn the same way, and if the dog or client doesn’t fit the mold, they can’t help you.  This method can teach the dog that there are no limits to life, no boundaries in your home, and, worst of all, that they are in charge of you and your family.  This is confusing, frustrating, and potentially dangerous to you, your community, and your dog for reasons you may or may not be aware of.  A child raised with no rules or boundaries is a brat or scared of his own shadow.  A puppy or dog raised in this manner will turn out the same way.

On the other hand, force trainers use what I call “the blacksmith mentality,” dictating behaviors and banging on the dog harder and harder until they get some kind of result.  This type of training is harmful to your dog physically and mentally while only achieving the lowest results possible.  If you were getting no results on your own, this may seem like a miracle.  It isn’t.  This too is cookie cutter training where every dog and every owner must learn the same way.  If the dog or the client doesn’t fit the mold, they can’t help you.  This kind of training only serves to show the force trainer’s fundamental lack of understating of dog behavior and poor communication skills with canines and humans alike.

Balanced Based Behavior training is efficient canine communication.  The balanced, behavior-based trainer understands dog behavior in the same way the dog understands it.  Simply put, the balanced trainer molds the behaviors of the dog and the owner and teaches with clarity and respect in the dog’s native language.  Balanced training is more complex than the cookie cutter methods described above and may be a bit frustrating in the early stages.  This is because it takes time to develop a common language between dog, handler, and trainer.  The balanced trainer always believes that a middle ground can be achieved.  And when it is, the results are well worth the added effort!  Timely and appropriate rewards and praise, carefully combined with judicial, well-timed, and properly understood corrections, make learning and training easier for the dog.  Try watching two or more dogs communicate with each other.  You will witness many levels of well-timed correction for undesired or incorrect behaviors in the group or pack.  There are also rewarding moments of play and enjoyment for the correct behaviors.  This is the way dogs learn and train best.  This is the canine way!

At Canine Solutions Training Services, we believe that every dog and handler is different and should have a teaching and training program custom tailored to their specific needs as a team.  Like humans, each dog learns in a different manner and at a different pace.  Instead of allowing human expectations to determine when a dog understands what he is being asked to do, we wait until we see that the dog understands.  You can truly see a light bulb go off over the dog’s head and, in turn, the client’s head.  This is what we do!  Take a look at the happy and obedient dogs in our pictures and videos, and you will see how the work we do enhances the canine-human relationship.

I hope this gives you some insight into our programs and training here at Canine Solutions Training Services.  If you have any question please feel free to call us at (207) 636 3124.

Safe training,

Chris Fraize

Canine Behaviorist/Trainer

Owner/Head Trainer Canine Solutions Training Services