In Chris’s words
How I got here.
I dropped out of school at 14. Did a chef apprenticeship, spent years in corporate at Telstra, and eventually found my way into dog training full-time. I began operating Positive K9 Training in 2009 and formally registered it in 2011 — covering everything from dog sports and behaviour to assistance dogs and substance detection work.
Positive K9 Training grew from training dogs for friends into a business with a team of trainers. During COVID lockdowns, I took training online through PK9 Online. PK9 Gear came from problems I wanted to solve in the equipment I used every day. I’ve spoken about that business journey on Evolvepreneur and in my Inside Small Business interview.
I founded PK9 Gear in 2023 as an extension of Positive K9 Training; it became a separate entity that year. It started because I was frustrated. As a trainer putting gear on dogs every single day, I was sick of cheap, imported products that fell apart. So I started making my own. What began as solving my own problem turned into a brand with two sides — tough, reliable everyday gear built from Bluewater climbing rope and waterproof Biothane, and a high-end bespoke leather range using Italian vegetable-tanned hides and solid brass hardware. Both sides exist because they solve real problems I was dealing with as a working trainer.
The everyday range is what most people start with — leads, collars, and the Tug-a-Roo, all built to cop a beating and still look good. The bespoke side is where things get personal — one-off commissions like the collar I made for Oprah Winfrey's dogs, or the custom piece for Jelly Roll's dog Bussie with "BUSSIE" studded in silver. That side grew into bespoke leather projects. But at the core of it, I'm still a dog trainer who makes gear — and I still test everything on the dogs I work with before it goes to anyone else.
Read my personal story
