One thing many people notice when they meet Chris Banke is that he doesn't look old enough to have been training dogs for more than 30 years. Well, that is because he got started at a very young age, establishing the Algemeiner Schutzhund Club when he was just 15 years old. Though he was too young to drive a car, he was already sure that he was in his career. He listened to and trained with others to learn his craft, including the more experienced trainer, who suggested he focus on German Shepherds. Chris Banke also learned from one of the best trainers in the country, who worked with him to sharpen his dog training skills even more. He was so good at such a young age, he wasn't even 20 when he established his own dog training business, which he called, “Chris Banke Protection Dog Trainer,” although it has always trained dogs for a lot more than that. His facility is still going strong at its northern Vermont location and Chris Banke is currently regarded among the best dog trainers in the business. While most 15-year-olds hold out hope of driving a car soon, then attending prom and graduation, Christopher Banke was thinking a bit differently at that age. That was the year he accepted that his life’s work would involve a career training dogs. That was when he trained his own Doberman, Dana and others noticed how good he was and one of them, Margarete Iaquinto, took him under her wing. That was when he founded the Algemeiner Schutzhund Club. Iaquinto also too the opportunity to recommend young Chris Banke turn his attention to training German Shepherds. That was a fortuitous recommendation; it may have been a let to Chris moving into the ranks of the best dog trainers anywhere. By the time Christopher Banke was 19, he had already established his very own dog training facility, “Chris Banke Protection Dog Trainer” when he was just 19. That facility is very large and located in Vermont and it is still going strong decades later. In fact, during a career that has now spanned more than 30 years, Christopher Banke’s dog training career he's led to the training and coaching of hundreds of dogs, but it also has had a great many highlights. For example, Christopher Banke became the first-ever American trainer to compete successfully in the RSV2000 World Championship, which he accomplished with his dog, Iriac vd Maineiche. They competed in the IPO 3 handler-owner trained (HOT) category. A few years later, his dog, "Dino von der Maineiche,” whom he prefers to call “Dino,” received a trial score of 207, which is the second-highest Schutzhund/IPO 3 score in U.S. history. Dino also played a guard dog in the Oscar-nominated film, “Frozen River” in 2008. Christopher Banke is considered one of the best dog trainers in the business, mostly based on the reputation he has earned over upwards of 30 years in the dog training game. To many, he may seem to young to have so much experience, but he started his career very young. He was only 15 when he discovered his calling to train dogs. That’s when he founded the Algemeiner Schutzhund Club.
He knew that he had found his career, but he was never content to just do it; he wanted to be the best, which is why he got one of the other trainers to help him. That trainer was among the top ten trainers in the country. She got him to focus on German Shepherds. When he was still just 19, Chris founded his own dog training business, which he called “Chris Banke Protection Dog Trainer.” That company is still in business up in northern Vermont. Chris and his own dog, “Dino von der Maineiche,” once received the second highest Schutzhund/IPO III in the United States with a trial score of 297. He and Dino also were in the Oscar nominated movie Frozen River. Christopher Banke's dedication to the profession is without peer and he is highly regarded for his activism within the dog training community, including membership in numerous training organizations. He is a founding member and Vice President of the Schaeferhund Schutzhund Club, for example. He also co-founded The Pinebarrens Schutshund Club and The Mid-Island Schutzhund Club, for which he also served as training director for a time. As a dog trainer, Chris Banke can help you obtain the results you are looking for, whatever they happen to be. |