Love More. Bark Less.

04/20/2024

To learn empathy or how to enjoy the simple pleasures in life, get a dog! 😍🐕

01/01/2024

Name(s): Huckabee (Tan) and Rainier (Black)

PET PARENT’S PEEVES: Over excited behavior, counter surfing, invades space, no recall, lack of control.

WHAT WAS PRESCRIBED: Unwanted behaviors, aggression, possessiveness, unruliness, are all by-products of a problem. The problem in most cases is a lack of effective discipline, lack of consistent rules, no clear boundaries, and confusing the dog by trying to apply human corrections. One example of confusing your dog is trying to reason or discuss the behavior with your dog. Obviously, they do not understand the words you speak. However, they can smell how you are feeling at any given moment. When they smell fear, frustration, anger, dogs will reject anything you do since these emotions signal danger to a predatory pack animal.
In addition, pet parents will usually reach down and give calm affection in an attempt to calm the dog down. Unfortunately, this touch is interpreted as being given affection for being in an excited state. The result is continued excitement since in the dog’s mind, it is being rewarded for being in an excited state.
The preferred environment of predatory pack animals is calm. Dogs will typically not want the alpha position in a pack since it is a position of direction and can be stressful to the dog. However, if an alpha is not present, they will assume the alpha position and start to create their own boundaries and limitations. This means counters with food are NOT off limits!

There is always hope to rehabilitate any dog. It truly depends on the owner’s commitment to change their habits. Any behavior is okay ON YOUR TERMS.

Love More. Bark Less.

11/14/2023

Name: Dana
Pic Credit: Pet Parent

PET PARENT’S PEEVES: (Copied and pasted from email request.) “He knows some basic commands, but there's a big issue with him having separation anxiety. Right now, my wife and I spend most of our time on the second floor with our newborn. Whenever we leave our dog alone on the first floor, whether it's for just a few minutes or up to an hour, he starts barking. We're also worried about him jumping on our baby when the little one starts walking.”

The pet parent’s concerns were obviously valid when I met Dana. There was no respect for personal space. He jumped on me repeatedly and tried to claim me by wrapping his leg and paw around my leg and rubbing up against me.

This was clearly a case of improper hierarchy. This is the most common issue I see. Jumping on people, aggression, possessive behavior are all byproducts of the issue. In other words, the unwanted behavior is not the problem, it is the outcome of a lack of trust, respect, and discipline. Consistent calm assertiveness tells your dog it's your way or no way at all. Follow through discipline, incorporating my point system will get your dog to elevate you to the alpha position. Then, you will gain your dog’s respect.
Once you have gained your dog’s trust and respect, you can essentially ask your dog to follow any of your wishes or intentions. It’s important that you never forget your dog is a predatory pack animal first. Not a human.

There is always hope to rehabilitate any dog. It truly depends on the owner’s commitment to change their habits. Any behavior is okay ON YOUR TERMS.

Love More. Bark Less.

08/12/2023

Name: Rudy

PET PARENT’S PEEVES: General disobedience, recall issues, excited behavior, jumping on people.
Sometimes, I can feel the frustration of the pet parent. Some people are great at communicating with people and have an ability to command perfection in multi-million dollar projects. It can certainly be frustrating when that same person has a difficult time in getting their fur baby to not jump on guests.
This is a prime example of the effectiveness of being able to reach your dog on their level. The dog will ignore or reject frustrated energy because in a predatory pack animal’s world, any energy outside of calm assertiveness can equal danger. This can lead to a dog creating its own boundaries and limitations. Only by reaching them on their level will you stand a chance of rehabilitating any unwanted behavior. Use my point system in every interaction to maintain the alpha position.
I demonstrated how to maintain a calm demeanor and different techniques of claiming guests and setting boundaries. I believe Rudy too was probably born towards the beginning of his litter mates.
So as a reminder: when you end up with an alpha prone dog, it is important to set rules, boundaries, and limitations early on so they don’t start setting their own. When a dog sets its own boundaries and limitations, it gets challenging and dangerous because we bring them into our human world. They don’t know that running in front of a moving vehicle is dangerous or ingesting a pill from the floor could be deadly.

There is always hope to rehabilitate any dog. It truly depends on the owner’s commitment to change their habits. Any behavior is okay ON YOUR TERMS.

Love More. Bark Less.

08/06/2023

Name: Trooper

PET PARENT’S PEEVES: General disobedience, recall issues, mind of her own

The owners were caught off guard with Trooper because the dog they had prior was easy to handle and fairly easy going. Trooper tends to do what she wants when she wants and the pet parents were not sure how to instill boundaries and limitations.

I demonstrated how to get Trooper to understand behavior on the parent’s terms as well as ways to get obedience from Trooper.

One reason that the parents were having such a different experience from their previous dog could be due to rank of birth within a litter. Through the years, I have found the rank of birth within a litter of pups can determine their personality. More so than the breed of dog. Pups born towards the front of the litter tend to be more alpha prone, pups born in the middle end up being more ‘ambassador’ type dogs and want everyone to get along, runts of a litter will be more happy go lucky and go along with just about anything.

When you end up with an alpha prone dog, it is important to set rules, boundaries, and limitations early on so they don’t start setting their own. When a dog sets its own boundaries and limitations, it gets challenging and dangerous because we bring them in to our human world. They don’t know that running in front of a moving vehicle is dangerous or ingesting a pill from the floor could be deadly.

There is always hope to rehabilitate any dog. It truly depends on the owner’s commitment to change their habits. Any behavior is okay ON YOUR TERMS.

Love More. Bark Less.

07/30/2023

Name: Wilbur (chocolate) Archie (tan)

PET PARENT’S PEEVES: Intermittent disobedience, random barking, potential distrust.

The very minute I entered the home, both dogs were jumping at/on me. I was being claimed by them and there was a total lack of respect for my personal space. This is essentially dogs being left to determine their own boundaries. If this behavior is left un-checked, it most likely will evolve into resource guarding or aggressive behaviors anytime you disagree with their behavior.

Because dogs are predatory pack animals, they live by rules from their alphas. If the human doesn’t assume the alpha position, the dog will since in their mind an alpha presence must be identified for safety reasons. This is one reason that reaching dogs on their level is critical.

I demonstrated ‘follow through’ discipline with setting boundaries and the toys. The owner also practiced with the dog’s toys by taking them away and giving the toy back only when the dogs exhibited calm submissive behavior/ energy. Its important to remember that ANY behavior is okay if it is on YOUR terms.

There is always hope to rehabilitate any dog. It truly depends on the owner’s commitment to change their habits. Any behavior is okay ON YOUR TERMS.

Love More. Bark Less.

07/09/2023

Name: Vincent or Vinny

PET PARENT’S PEEVES: Loves to steal baby toys and eat my baby’s food and lick his face while eating.

The first thing I noticed when I met Vincent was his ‘claiming’ behavior. Dogs will touch new people or objects sometimes as a way of claiming. The touch comes by rubbing their body, licking, biting, or invading your space uninvited. In Vincent’s case, he rubbed his body against me and licked my hands. These are signs that he had not been shown boundaries or limitations.

In the home, he grabbed the mask hanging on my neck to attempt to take possession and assert his alpha status in the home. I held on to the mask with calm assertive energy until he released it which is follow through discipline to let him know it was my way only. I demonstrated claiming objects and toys. And showed the pet parents when they could let him have his toy.

Generally, Vincent had been allowed to get his way by manipulation. The pet parents are well on their way in gaining the upper paw!

There is always hope to rehabilitate any dog. It truly depends on the owner’s commitment to change their habits. Any behavior is okay ON YOUR TERMS.

Love More. Bark Less.

06/04/2023

Name: BERENJACK

PET PARENT’S PEEVES: Aggressive lunging at people. Barking, growling at people.

The first thing I noticed when I met Berenjack was a serious lack of trust. She lunged at me a few times during the introduction and the walk up the stairs to the apartment.

In Berenjack’s case, the mistrust is the byproduct of a lack of boundaries and limitations. Typically, when she acts out, the parents would either lock her up or crate her. She was never allowed the opportunity to overcome or get passed the aggressive outbursts towards visitors or guests since she was always removed from the situation.

This becomes habitual since Berenjack is not asked to change her behavior or that the outbursts are not allowed. So, when the parents get nervous about the behavior, they are actually stimulating a ‘protect’ behavior. Berenjack only knows that the parents get nervous when people around from the way they smell. Berenjack will not understand the nervousness is because the parents think she will bite someone. This is why Berenjack will believe she needs to protect her pack from others.

I took a slow approach with a slip leash. I gave a slight physical suggestion to get her out of her crate. We then made a few rounds in the living room on the leash. This was a way to gain some trust from her so that she would stop barking, growling, and lunging at me.

Since the pandemic, I have noticed many dogs that have not been socialized frequently and since most people now are ‘work from home’ the pet is only comfortable around the pet parent. Persistence will change bad behavior. Consistency will create new habits.

There is always hope to rehabilitate any dog. It truly depends on the owner’s commitment to change their own approach. Any behavior is okay ON YOUR TERMS.

Love More. Bark Less.

05/31/2023

Hey Fur-Baby parents! Dropping by to share my notes from the recent workshop I did at the Seattle Canine Canine Club: https://seattlecanineclub.com/

My name is John Kim. My dog behavior journey started back in 2007.

I had a house cleaning business in San Francisco. Around 60 percent of my customers at the time had dogs, and about 70 percent of those dogs had issues. This is around the same time that Cesar Milan, The Dog Whisperer TV series premiered. I was amazed at how Cesar was able to get immediate results. That led me to read one of his books and study the behaviors of my customer’s dogs. I found that reaching the dogs came naturally to me and I was able to get results quickly. Throughout the years, I have practiced every chance I got to help friends and their families with their dogs. Love More. Bark Less. Was born in 2020.
Since the birth of Love More. Bark Less. I have come up with four behaviors that humans can change or adopt to get desired behaviors from their dogs. I have learned to take a more natural approach to modifying dog behavior. I’ve found the most effective way to modify dog behavior is to reach them on their level. Bruce Lee once said, ‘To be an effective teacher, you should first learn the student.’ Before I jump into the four behaviors, it’s important to talk about some facts and myths about dogs and how they understand the human environment.
FACTS:
No matter how small, furry, cuddly, dogs are predatory pack animals. This means behaviors or reactions of dogs can be driven by the hunt and the rules of an alpha presence in a pack. Some examples of predatory behavior are when a dog shakes its toy, this is an act of trying to kill its prey and ‘tug-of-war’ is an act of tearing its meal apart.
The dog’s sense of smell is a superpower that is at least 10,000 to 100,000 times stronger than the humans. To better understand this, if you used a simple analogy of taste, we humans can detect a teaspoon of sugar in a cup of coffee, our dogs can detect a teaspoon of sugar in a million gallons of water or, two Olympic size swimming pools. It is with this superpower that dogs can be trained to identify drugs, gunpowder, and illnesses in humans such as cancer and COVID.
At least 60% of the information regarding the dog’s environment is received by smell. When a dog is more sight or sound reactive, this could be a sign of mental imbalance within the dog. Dogs should be nose, eyes, ears in contrasts to humans which are ears, eyes, nose. Humans are born hearing first and dogs are born smelling first. Dog’s noses can also sense heat like a snake’s flickering tongue which helps them find their mother’s teat.
A fact about human emotions; each emotion carries a different chemical scent. Anger produces a different scent than fear or affection based on the balance of emotional chemicals such as dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins.

MYTHS/ Things that may Not be backed by science.
If you combine the facts of a dog’s nose and the fact that human emotion causes chemical changes depending on the emotion, this can explain how the dog knows how we feel. I believe through years of domestication; dogs have learned to expect certain human behaviors based on the scent of our emotions. I believe their sense of smell also helps them tell time. For example, they remember what the atmosphere smells like at the time of day when you come home from work. This is why it’s important that you are calm assertive anytime you are attempting to change your dog’s behavior. Calm to set an example and assertive to let the dog know, it will be your way only. Any behavior is okay, on your terms only.
The dog’s body language can also be telling. Tail tucked between legs usually signals fear or uneasiness. Tails up usually shows confidence. I’m sure many of you have seen signs of calm-attentive or submissive. Excitement. Avoidance.
There are also facial expressions. Especially in the eyes such as the difference between a hard stare or relaxed lids. These are all important in assessing the dog’s mood or how it might be interpreting what is happening.
Also, I have found the order of birth within a litter will determine the personality of a dog more than the breed of dog. I mean such stigmatisms as Pitbulls are an aggressive breed. In comparison to humans, Asians typically have dark hair and eyes but that is not conducive to their personality. However, the first born usually develops a different personality from its youngest sibling. The breed of dog will determine its physical attributes more than its emotional. First of a litter will be alpha prone, middle of a litter will develop ambassador type personalities, and runts will usually be very accepting or happy go lucky.

The four behaviors that humans can change or adopt.
1. Use of name.
2. Follow through discipline.
3. When to touch.
4. A point system during interactions with your dog.

Use of name. Humans will use the dog’s name for everything from recall; Fido come, Come here Fido! to discipline; No Fido! Your dog has no clue what the intention of the sound Fido is. However, your dog SMELLS what you are feeling when you are making the sound Fido. I imagine dogs experience words we say much like the Peanuts characters when a teacher speaks in the cartoon. WHAH, WHAH, WHAH… This can be very confusing for your dog because one minute, you are saying Fido and smelling frustrated then the next you are saying Fido but smelling affectionate. The sound of Fido will be rejected since confusion signals danger to predatory pack animals.
Instead, use the name only for affection and during feeding. Dogs love to eat and are affection junkies. This will also help with recall. Do not use the name for discipline or when you are not feeling calm. Consistency is key to teaching your dog words. Use the name for feeding or affection but use a different word or sound for discipline. The sound or word for discipline is not as important as consistency.

Follow through discipline. There is a difference between discipline and punishment. Discipline is a method of teaching and punishment is serving a penalty or sanction. Punishment never feels good for the one dealing it or the one receiving it. And because you don’t feel good about punishment, it will be rejected. However, discipline Is necessary in keeping our dogs safe. We bring them into our human environment. They don’t know that running in front of traffic is dangerous or scrounging the floor can result in accidental ingestion of medicines or poisons. Follow through discipline means standing your ground or position until your dog has completely disengaged from the unwanted behavior. For example, the walking ritual. In most cases, the excitement starts the moment the pet parent goes for the leash. Then the leash gets attached to an over excited dog. The door opens. They exit. And the chaos carries outside. Follow through discipline can correct this behavior. The dog could be reacting to a familiar smell when the leash is about to come out. When the dog starts exhibiting excitement, you should get the leash out but leave it on a counter and ignore it. Wait for your dog to forget about the leash or be totally disengaged. You will need to repeat this every time your dog’s energy gets elevated. Consistency and patience will be key. Once the dog is calm, then clip the leash on. When the excitement level goes up, leave the leash clipped on but wait again for your dog to disengage or become calm submissive. Proceeding only once your dog reaches the energy level that you want communicates clearly what you want and that things are on your terms. Waiting your dog out until it reaches the energy level you want is follow through discipline. During behavior corrections, you may notice signs that your dog is processing new information. Signs such as yawning, licking the mouth, shaking. In some extreme cases your dog may shiver. These are all physical cues that your dog is thinking about a different behavior or reaction to what is happening. Persistence will change behavior; consistency will create new habits.

When to touch. This is actually a very simple one. It is extremely important to be mindful of how you feel when you are touching your dog. Remember that your dog is constantly aware of how you are feeling by the scent of your emotional state. A touch out of frustration can be rejected since this can signal danger to a predatory pack animal. When you touch your dog while trying to get it to calm down from an excited state, you are most likely feeling sympathy and affection. This encourages unwanted excited behavior since your dog smells sympathy and affection for being in an excited state which to them is very rewarding. It is very important that you touch your dog when you are calm assertive, or for affection. There is an advanced technique for discipline or behavior corrections that involves touching. It’s something dogs will do to each other if one dog in a pack is overexcited or misbehaving. It’s a quick touch to the side of the dog. If done correctly, with calm assertive energy, it can force the dog to refocus onto you. Although highly effective, it is an advanced technique that requires consistent calm assertive energy. A slip leash can be used in lieu of the touch. Giving a quick tug of a slip leash can also be used to create refocus. Remember to pick a discipline word or sound and use it consistently. If used consistently, it can replace the need for touch.

The point system. When practiced consistently, the point system will have your dog elevate you to the alpha position. Keep in mind, the alpha position is about trust and respect, not dominance. Consider the leash scenario that I talked about during ‘Follow Through Discipline’. When you latch the leash the dog in the excited state, your dog is gaining a point. Then when you open the door, the dog gains another point. Your dog gains a point each time you proceed during an interaction while the dog is not focused on you. Remember, it should be your way or the highway. In the leash scenario, the moment you notice your dog getting excited, you should stop and wait until the dog has completely disengaged or has become calm submissive. This is ‘follow through discipline’ and will grant you a point. When you go for the door and your dog gets excited. You wait until calm submissiveness. You gain a point. When your dog comes to you for attention un-invited and you give in. The dog gains a point. When you invite the dog to you for affection. You gain a point. If you consider the point system in every interaction with your dog consistently, your dog will elevate you to alpha status. This is why I don’t recommend using treats to try and change your dog’s behavior. Your dog views this as them manipulating you to get what they want. The treat becomes alpha.

With calm assertive energy. Persistent consistency. Practicing these four behaviors. You will be on your way to achieving a more meaningful relationship with your fur baby. For me, one thing I have learned from my relationship with my dog is, true beauty comes from the inside.

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05/19/2023

Come and join us on a learning session with John Kim, dog behaviour specialist. We will go over 4 tips to better communicate with your dogs.

05/10/2023

Hello Pet Parents!

Dropping in to let everyone know, I have booked a presentation at the Seattle Canine Club in S**O! The owner was generous enough to let me share the event here for those who might be interested!

Here is the link to RSVP since space is limited:
https://seattlecanineclub.com/dog-behaviour-workshop-with-john-kim/

One note from Seattle Canine Club: "I want to extend this also to your community, feel free to post the link to your blog so your FB community can sign up for this. Their dogs are welcome if well behaved in groups. Non-members of our club will need to agree to bring their dogs in under supervision."

Mark your calendars folks! May 20th. I will be doing two presentations; 10AM and 2PM.

Love More. Bark Less.

Come and join us on a learning session with John Kim, dog behaviour specialist. We will go over 4 tips to better communicate with your dogs.

04/25/2023

Hey There!

I hope everyone is doing well and getting along with your fur-babies!

Just dropping a note to let everyone know, when I am not posting pics of new dogs I've met, I'm most likely doing revisits or 2nd sessions.

Currently, I am searching for an opportunity to do a FREE 30 minute presentation on how understand your dog on their level! I cover 4 things that humans can change or adopt to get different results from their dog!

1. Use of name. I have found that most humans use the dog's name for everything as you would with humans.
2. When to touch. It's important that you are in the right state of mind when you touch your dog.
3. Follow through discipline, keeping in mind, discipline is NOT punishment.
4. Incorporate a point system with every interaction with your dog. This will award you the Alpha position and to me, Alpha is about trust and respect NOT dominance.

I would love to present at any Pet Friendly apartment complex or Office environment. The above approach has helped many pet parents Love More. Bark Less. 😁

01/10/2023

To celebrate, how about a FREE 30 minute phone consultation through January 2023!

During the 30 minutes, I will cover 4 behaviors that YOU can change to get different results from your fur-baby! Past clients are also welcome to take advantage of this offer. Please message me to get started. Thank you. Happy 2023!

12/31/2022

Name: CocoBean

PET PARENT’S PEEVES [Copied and Pasted from pet parent’s original post on a job board]: He Is A Great Dog & I Love Him & I Just Want To Be Able To Correct The Mistakes I Have Made With Him And Make Him Happier In The Process & My Life A Little Easier. He Seems To Be Becoming Leash Aggressive With Other Dogs & He Has No Manners Basically The Only Command He Will Respond To Is Sit & That Is Only If He Feels Like It. He's A Little Dog But He Tries To Drag Me On Our Walks Together. But If He Is Left Home Alone He Howls From The Moment I Leave Until I Return & He Had A Kennel Only It Was A Wooden Kennel & He Chewed His Way Out Twice. As A Side Note My Dog Has Witnessed Domestic Violence & Is My Biggest Protector!!!

Essentially, the root cause of most behavior issues is, the hierarchy of the pack.

When a dog is not given proper boundaries or limitations, they will determine their own to ensure a safe environment for the pack. A rule of pack animals is there must be an alpha. It is a lack of trust that will drive the dog to assume the alpha role. As I always say, the alpha role is not about dominance. It is about trust and respect.

The owner was able to practice calm assertive energy during our pacing practice indoors to get CocoBean in tune with her. Calm, consistent, persistence will always win!

There is always hope to rehabilitate any dog. It truly depends on the owner’s commitment to change their habits. Any behavior is okay ON YOUR TERMS.

Love More. Bark Less.

11/12/2022

Name: ROJO

PET PARENT’S PEEVES: Anxiety, and occasional nipping.

Number 4. This represents the number of times I have been bitten by a dog since I began helping them over 10 years ago.

Since the moment I had entered the home, I noticed two things the parents were doing that can be contributors to the dog’s behavior.

1. One of the owners would ‘baby talk’ to the dog. This typically creates an excited environment or can be interpreted as affection by the dog. It’s very confusing for the dog when baby talk is used for discipline or as an attempt to get certain behaviors. When a dog gets confused, it is forced to make its own choices which sometimes could include them assuming the alpha position, which can lead to attacks. When discipling or attempting to modify behavior, saying less is your best bet. Focus your thought on visualizing the desired behavior. Be calm assertive.
2. The owners would touch when attempting to direct Rojo. The reason I discourage touch when trying to correct behavior is, typically, this begins with frustration because of the dog’s behavior. Your dog will smell your frustration. If you touch your dog while frustrated, the touch will be rejected since frustration to a predatory pack animal signals danger.

With the above, there was also a lack of clear direction and boundaries. These have allowed Rojo free reign to pick and choose when he could be touched, almost without warning.

He did give a low growl, but I interpreted as an affectionate growl because my dog does give low toned growls when he’s happy and I was giving Rojo affection when he got my hand. It was a good opportunity for me to demonstrate calm assertiveness and how to apply the proper level of discipline. But most importantly, how to prevent a bite before it happens.

There is always hope to rehabilitate any behavior. It truly depends on the owner’s commitment to change their habits. Any behavior is okay ON YOUR TERMS.

Love More. Bark Less.

11/05/2022

Name: Pammy

PET PARENT’S PEEVES: Jumping, invasion of space, darting outside when the door opens. I observed the root issue to be a general lack of respect.

Pammy is a good example of the importance in establishing a proper hierarchy and being the ‘alpha’ dog.

When you can gain the alpha position, you are gaining trust and respect from your dog. However, you should know, trust can be present without respect; Your dog could trust you enough to allow you to touch. However, a lack of respect would be if your dog comes into your space uninvited looking for affection.

So in Pammy’s situation, it’s important to prevent her from making a dash for opened doors. Happy, (My own fur-baby.) had this same issue. Being mindful of the point system will play a big part in correcting Pammy’s behavior. I could see she trusted her owners but lacked respect. It will take practice, persistence, consistency.

During our session, Pammy did dart out the door (into a fenced yard) right passed me. She had caught me off guard because her body language was calm but my position was more at her side than in between her and the door. I was able to ‘corral’ her back inside with patience and by rejecting her invitation for play/chase.

The owners were able to witness the effectiveness of a calm, instinctive approach. They are on their way to a more meaningful relationship with their dog!

There is always hope to rehabilitate any dog. It truly depends on the owner’s commitment to change their own approach. Any behavior is okay ON YOUR TERMS.

Love More. Bark Less.