Meet the Team
Meet your dedicated Dog Training Team at Cranks Custom Canines, ready to provide you with top-notch expertise to assist both you and your furry companion.
Meet Gene Baillif
Gene’s journey truly began when he and his partner Jennifer Gonzalez bought a half-German Shephard half-Malinois named Zebu off Craigslist for $120. While Gene had been surrounded by dogs his whole life, Zebu was different. From puppyhood, Zebu was more nervous, fearful, and prone to anger and aggression than any other canine Gene had owned previously. While Zebu was a driven dog and easy to motivate through food and play, Gene knew he had work to do.
Zebu’s more troubling mix of traits led Gene down a long road of dog behavioral training exploration. His life’s purpose slowly took shape. He started training Zebu for Mondioring, a multidiscipline dog sport fusing high-level obedience with jumps and protection. While Mondioring began as a hobby for Gene, it quickly evolved into something more serious. Gene realized that he was driven to win and it became clear to him that as much as he loved Zebu, competing in Mondioring at a high level wasn’t in the cards for him due to his temperament.
That’s when Gene found Crank Ot Vitosha, the namesake of Crank’s Custom Canines.
Crank Ot Vitosha was bred in Ivan Bablabanov’s (2x IGP World Champion) kennel breeding program. It’s important to note that getting a puppy with high working potential like this requires you to either be very lucky, well-accomplished in the dog sport world, a reputable breeder, or at least vouched for. Thankfully, Gene had the latter in his favor, making the program comfortable enough to place Crank with him.
So, why was the dog named Crank? It was largely because of his biting style. “Crank” is also a slang term for methamphetamine, which captured his energetic personality.
Using the lessons he learned with Zebu and his year of pet-training experiences, Gene travelled to the USA with Crank for training and trialing. The result? They became the fourth team in U.S. history to achieve a perfect score of 200 in Mondioring Level 1, as well as the first to do so in a single trial attempt. The duo quickly soared to Level 2 status and, eventually, obtained the coveted Level 3 title.
It was in 2013 that Gene officially started training, taking from major training influences from the likes of Ivan Bablabanov and Michael Ellis, and he’s never looked back since. Since then, Gene has trained over a thousand canines to reach advanced off-leash obedience in board and train settings. He’s resolved countless canine behavioral issues and shown clients how to lead better lives while increasing their dog’s overall happiness.
Gene’s results-driven approach, underpinned by values of honesty, integrity, and treating dogs as beings with feelings, is a unique stance compared with the age-old concept of dog training. Gene gets the owners involved in the training to make sure they can confidently implement and sustain what they are learning alongside their dogs for years to come. By choosing to work with us, your dog will be in great care and you will both enjoy the experience and outcome.
Meet Jen Gonzalez
With a decade of invaluable experience in the realm of dog care and a deep commitment to customer service, Jennifer stands as a seasoned professional in the pet industry.
Her journey began as a passionate dog lover, evolving into a career that has not only enriched her knowledge in training and health but has also cultivated her exceptional ability to provide top-notch service to pet owners.
Jennifer’s unwavering dedication to ensuring the well-being of dogs and fostering positive relationships with their owners has made her an indispensable figure in the world of canine care, embodying the perfect blend of expertise and compassion.
Ken B2023-09-21What a great company! We could not be happier with what Gene and Jen did with our dog Clyde. We were at our wits end with Clyde with several behavior issues and just a general lack of discipline. We opted for the 3 weeks of in house training with several training sessions with Gene after. During the 3 weeks, we received updates on Clyde’s progress in addition to cool pics of Clyde enjoying his environment. They don’t just train your dog, they build a trusting relationship with them as well. Gene and Jen did several training sessions with us out in the local parks allowing us to work on stuff with Clyde in a real world environment after the in-house training. We dropped off Clyde an undisciplined hardcore puller and just a typical puppy. He came came back a well disciplined dog. Fully trained on an e-collar (that is rarely needed) with all the basic commands. He comes on command, heels, sits, stays, and we now have a dog that we can comfortably walk off leash for several mile walks each day. We couldn’t thank Gene and Jen enough. Well worth the time and money spent.
Lianne Shinton2023-09-20Cranks Custom Canines possesses remarkable dog training expertise that greatly enhanced my skills in preparation for my upcoming competition as part of the US team. If you're in search of top-tier dog training, I wholeheartedly recommend their services. 🐕🏆
Aaron Assadoghli2023-07-31Gene and Jen did an absolute fantastic job with our dog! Not only did they train my dog but educated my wife and I so much to an extent that they helped make my home a safer environment for our family. Cannot thank them enough! High recommend!
Griselda Avila2023-07-24Gene did a incredible job with our dogs! We first took our at the time 5 month Doberman/Rottweiler mix because she would bark at people and other dogs on walks and we were concerned it would turn into aggression! After her first class we notice a difference we did the 10 class and he really taught us how to work with her and she completely changed her behavior! She is now so well behaved that people will even compliment us on how well behave she is and she’s now confident and super sweet with strangers and other dogs! We recently got a 4 month husky puppy and we right away decided to take her to Gene and again he did so great with her he really was patient with her since she sometimes has attitude and she’s such a great puppy! I definitely recommend going to Gene!
Jami Logan2023-05-25Working with Gene was awesome! He is great with dogs, he just gets them! He has a natural understanding of them and their behaviors and can figure out their needs very quickly. He helped us so much with our 2 dogs and our dogs loved him! I highly recommend trusting him with your training needs. He is also super flexible with his scheduling it was an overall great experience.
angela2023-05-08So far, our dog is obeying. Couldn't ask for more !
Rachel Camp2023-02-16If I could, I would leave more stars! It was obvious from the beginning they are extremely knowledgeable in dog training and behavior. I had two under-trained and very excitable German Shepard brothers who were not fun to play with or take for walks, I decided we needed a trainer but was apprehensive about taking them to a group setting or a kid from a pet store. I called around to a few different options but could tell from our first conversation this was the trainer I needed for my dogs. I can not be happier that we went to Cranks Custom Canines! From our first training session we received clear and patient directions. We began to see results (although small) after the first session, with each visit they became better and easier to work with. We finished a few months ago and my boys are completely different dogs. We walk on and off leash and they can finally come inside without wrecking everything in the house. Of course training relies on consistency in class and at home but I received the tools and mentality I needed to be able to work with my dogs. I can not recommend Crank’s Custom Canines enough.
Sergio Moran2022-12-26I couldn’t have been more grateful to have found Gene from Cranks Custom Canines. I love the knowledge, confidence, and passion Gene posses. He & his team are truly a gift for dogs and families in search of quality dog training. My Rottie (Peaches) was an ultra reactive pup living in fear. I felt awful for her but, also scared of what these fearful reactions would lead to. The stress and anxiety between myself & poor Peaches were at a all time high. After meeting Gene, he not only explained the psychological aspects of training but also displayed the ability to work with my dog effectively. I can’t stress how many times I spoke to someone claiming they could train my dog & during consultation they could not manage the dog. Gene is experienced & through his teaching (myself ) my 5 & 6 year old can give Peaches commands and she responds accordingly to their request. He COMPLETELY changed my Peaches overall quality of life which means less stress for me and our family. We have a HAPPY, well trained Rottweiler no longer living in fear of sounds, things or people. We can now ENJOY her as a family. Thank you Gene & Jen from the bottom of our hearts.
Diane Creamer2022-12-14Gene is an incredibly talented and intuitive trainer. He worked magic with our 3 year Whoodle who was fearful of people and other dogs, barking and lunging at them. Bringing people into the house and taking him for a walk were quite challenging. We wanted Doolie to be more confident and relaxed and able to enjoy life and with Gene’s expertise that has happened. He also worked with our 1 year old Westie, Izzy, who was so excited to see people and other dogs on her walks that she barked incessantly at them. She is now able to calmly walk by people and dogs. Gene patiently provided me with the skills to continue training both dogs. We are extremely grateful to Gene for helping our dogs to become calm, confident and happy. This
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