KIBA K9s

2024 was one for the books! We traveled across 8 countries serving countless dogs, gained tremendous inspiration & education from talented masters of the craft, and holistically grew in profound ways, both as dog professionals & as people We are grateful for every person, experience, lesson, and challenge that shaped our year into something unforgettable. Thank you to our KK9s family — you guys motivate us to continually grind and pursue excellence. We owe you more than we can repay We pray that 2025 brings even greater opportunities, joy, and success. Let’s keep building and striving for more. We are beyond excited for the year ahead Psalm 118:24 ✨

Interesting live yesterday @jrigk9 I normally post content for clients on IG and content for professionals on FB. But this one is for everyone, because work and life politics affects all of us In the end, our greatest freedom will always be our ability to choose how we respond. So much love ✌🏾

Modern dog life is NOT cheap 🥴 For example, owning a dog in New York City can run you anywhere from $15,000 (absolute bare necessities) to $100,000+ (depending on the breed, care, and lifestyle choices) over the life of the dog Reoccurring expenses like food, vet visits, insurance, and services like grooming, walking, training, etc. can easily stack up to $5,000+ per year! While the joy of having a dog is beautiful, it’s important to be prepared for the financial commitment that comes with modern dog ownership PS —> FREE GAME: GET SOME DOG INSURANCE Media credit: @shantellacy12 & jack the border collie :)

It is possible! And it’s worth it! If you have a dog with medium to high drives, teaching them to play, even later in adulthood, isn’t an issue since prey drive will kick in But what if your dog has low drive? Then, it becomes a bit more challenging My first step is always to just play authentically. If the dog doesn’t engage, I keep playing by myself and try to genuinely have fun! I also involve my dogs I want the dog to see me and see FUN. I want them to find intrinsic motivation and curiosity and — on their own — decide to come join me in playing But sometimes, this doesn’t work, or perhaps time is not on your side 🤷🏽‍♂️ In such cases, an approach like this can work. Start with direct rewards and then quickly transition to indirect rewards. Don’t stay with direct rewards for too long! This will kill your goal Common questions … Q: What if the dog has no interest even with his food in the ball? A: After a few attempts, session ends and opportunity to get food goes away. The dog will then ONLY get opportunities to eat through the ball game It may take a few sessions or a few days. That’s totally okay and your dog will be fine skipping meals insofar as there are no pre-existing medical issues Q: What if the dog has no interest in picking up the ball but instead just tries to get the food out? A: First few reps, no problem. Next few reps, I start to stalk and chase the dog. I let him be possessive about the toy. The moment he shows that possessive reaction, the ball is rolling (pun intended 😉) From there, you can easily teach a game of tug of war. This must be done intelligently and you must behave appropriately & read the dog well to not create adverse outcomes Beats by @nile.eth

Muzzle x Heeling = Fun Precision I am using a muzzle game to help guide Jegna into the right rhythm, position, and attitude during rapid heeling pace changes (normal pace, fast pace, slow pace) It’s our job as handlers to find the speeds that create harmony — to that end, I’m still playing around to find Jeggy’s ideal rhythm during the slow walk and running Ofc, the prerequisite to doing this is that your dog loves “hunting” for the muzzle and has a powerful desire to stick his nose in it. Once you have that, you’ll find that you can be very creative with how you can utilize this tool. But good news: ANYONE can do this! Have you seen a muzzle used like this before? Do you want to see more content like this? Have any questions? Let us know below!👇🏾 Beats by @nile.eth

It’s the little moments for me 🥺

Understanding pressure & feeling 🤌🏾 This is one of the areas where science fails to aid us in comprehending what is actually going on in the field … In contrast, the language/system I describe in this video is much more nuanced way to understand pressure & feeling. And it is still simple enough for the average owner to comprehend and practically observe Much of the terms I use with clients (e.g. correction) is “jargon” when it comes to scientific literature. But on the field, it allows us to train and speak with much more clarity, opening up a whole world of possibilities beyond what scientific literature can currently explain The truth is, science is always playing catch up Learn more by subscribing to our Exclusive Content ——— Deeper background for those interested: In cognitive behavioral science, the intensity of stimuli is divided into three categories: (1) neutral, or indifferent (2) appetizing, or positive (3) aversive, or negative Their relative thresholds are broken down into: (1) sub-threshold: stimulus is not consciously recognizable by the subject (2) threshold: subject is aware of stimulus (3) supra-threshold: stimulus causes emotional or behavioral response It’s important to understand that science generally views the simplest explanation as best While this is great for creating good paradigms for complex topics, it doesn’t cut it for an applied field like dog training. Distinguishing between the various types of pressure and emotional/behavioral responses in the dog is crucial for modern dog trainers and owners As a dog trainer, I effectively utilize each of these “levels of pressure” for different purposes … As a human teacher, I need my students to understand when to use what kind of pressure and how to accurately interpret the response of the dog To be perfectly clear, I am not advocating to do away with science. I am saying there is much more to it ✨ #DogTraining #Science #Communication #NYC

The lion who has the gazelle by the neck does not waste energy fighting nor does he get frantic … He is determined in his objective, confident in his bite, and calmly annihilates his prey with focused aggression To compete at the highest levels of IGP (shutzhund), Jegna must master the art of focused aggression Deep, full, grips. Untroubled by chaos. Even as the enemy escalates, trust your grip & just bite harder I want Jegna to put all of his energy into sinking each tooth deeper into the grip. No fighting. Just winning #IGP #Sport #Bitework #Protection #Malinois #Focus

Dog parks … I like em 🤯🫢 The truth is, I LIKE DOG PARKS There is such a thing as a healthy dog park, and it’s an AMAZING option for owners that live in dense, urban areas like where we are (NYC) The key to understand is that a healthy dog park is defined by its activity (how the dogs and humans are acting), not by its amenities (pool, bridges, built-in jumps and tunnels, etc) It’s YOUR responsibility to observe the environment before deciding to enter Are the dogs displaying healthy behaviors? Boundaries, communication, social attitude … Are the humans present and aware? Off their phone, attentive, relaxed … If so, that dog park at THAT TIME is an excellent option. But of course, different time, different crowd, different results. Pay attention!

This is the FIRST TIME my #puppy is presented a nail to hold. Zero pressure … 100% commitment. Build good foundations, and nothing will phase your dog. #kibak9s #nepopo #moderndogtraining #hold

A lot of people simply don’t understand the versatility of the ecollar. Even educated folks. & historically … SCIENCE PLAYS CATCH UP If you agree, like & share. If you disagree, comment and let’s discuss ******************** So I see a video on Instagram by Kerri Norman (PhD, Canine Behavior & Cognition) that basically says “an ecollar stim is ALWAYS aversive to the dog no matter what” … Definition of aversive: “causing strong dislike or disinclination.” Cool. Here are my thoughts… ******************* Disclaimer: long post, but worth it 🧠💡 TLDR: I go into the applied science of WHY AN ECOLLAR IS NOT NECESSARILY AN AVERSIVE Theory is great. But it’s 🚫 enough If you skip the read, your loss Also, watch the video first for context (or don’t) ******************** My response: The ecollar / stim is NOT necessarily an aversive stimulus. You CAN make the stim a positive reinforcer through classical conditioning if you so wish (we in fact do this for dogs that are deaf). And not only that, you can also use it as a negative reinforcer or positive punisher! A lot of people — from top trainers and scientists to average owners — carry a default assumption that any electrical stimulus is "unpleasant" and "will always be unpleasant." But this is wrong. Yes, it is true that classical conditioning requires a “neutral" stimulus ... but the ANIMAL decides what is neutral/positive/ negative, not you. & the "intent" behind the ecollars creation is pointless lol. The application is what matters That said, an electrical stimulus can 100% be used at a low enough level to be physically perceived by the animal but not induce *any* negative emotional response. It would instead TRULY be a neutral sensation to the animal To be clear, the level at which an animal can perceives the stim is *not* when YOU see that they perceive it. If you're looking for some visual cue from your dog that they have felt the stim (ear twitch, change in gaz