(EN: they; ES: el; DE: er. Feel free to be confused by me; humans are complex! What’s not to love?)

Dog trainer, writer, nomad and chocolate-addict Chrissi, their Malinois Game and foster Border Collie puppy Chai are currently based in Mexico City.

Chrissi has been fond of dogs of all sizes, shapes and personalities for as long as they can think – especially the so-called difficult ones. This led them to abandon their PhD thesis in English Literature to follow their passion: Chrissi has worked as a professional dog trainer since 2013 and never looked back. They love finding out-of-the-box, creative approaches to behavioral challenges just as much as helping people and dogs communicate better. Their German-language puppy book Nur Mut! was released in 2017, followed by their recall book Komm zu mir! in 2018. As of August 2022, Chrissi is proud to be a Certified Control Unleashed Instructor (CCUI).

Chrissi is passionate about working with people and their dogs, creating safe and inclusive spaces, building large marker cue vocabularies and communicating across species lines – both fairly and pragmatically, traveling, podcasting, observing free-roaming dogs, climbing abandoned buildings, writing this blog (as well as other things) and deep canvassing (if you are reading this, check it out!) They spend their free time studying behavioral science, battling the Spanish subjunctive and vagando por las calles de la CDMX. Talking to random strangers is one of their favorite things, as is being vulnerable first and staying curious.

Take a look at the schedule at Fenzi Dog Sports Academy for their upcoming online group courses, or send an e-mail to inquire about private online coaching (sliding scale between $100 and $300/month). In-person behavior consults now available in Mexico City (MX $500/private session plus parking) – e-mail Chrissi for info!

Youtube Channel on the lives of free-roaming dogs: Free Ranging Dogs

Chrissi’s podcast: Our One Wild and Precious Lives (and Our Dogs)

Interviews with Chrissi on other podcasts:

From Free-Roaming Dogs to Recalls. Fenzi Dog Sports Podcast, April 14, 2023.

Freilauf und Rückruf oder doch eher eine Frage der Kulturen? Knackfrosch und Gummistiefel (German language podcast), June 6, 2022.

What Is Reinforcement Anyway? Fenzi Dog Sports Podcast, June 2020.

Get More Done (And Have More Fun). Fenzi Dog Sports Podcast, December 13, 2019.

Bad Dog! Dealing with Unwanted Canine Behavior. Fenzi Dog Sports Podcast, July 26, 2019.

Training five minutes at a time (or from your couch!). Fenzi Dog Sports Podcast, December 7, 2018.

Building Reinforcers & Recall Training. Fenzi Dog Sports Podcast, January 26, 2018.

Finding Time to Train. Fenzi Dog Sports Podcast, September 8, 2017.