A dog you can take anywhere

Dog training for better behavior, reliable skills, and real off-leash freedom, built through private training, group work, and ongoing support.

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Fully Insured
Options for Every Budget
Lifetime Training Support
Balanced Dog Training
Our Promise

A bigger life with your dog starts here.

Everything we teach runs on our FFF method: Fulfilled, Focused, Free. It’s built into every program, so life with your dog gets calmer, easier, and full of places worth sharing.

Fulfilled

A calm dog is a dog ready to learn.

We meet your dog’s needs for exercise, structure, and real outlets, so they can settle and life at home gets easier.

Focused

Stop managing. Start moving together.

Your dog checking in on the trail. Walking past the barking fence. Settled at your feet on the patio. A partnership that goes everywhere you do.

Free

Off leash is where the adventure begins.

Freedom for your dog to explore, and for you to let go of the stress. And you’ll always have a place in the BAMK9 pack.

Every BAMK9 program is built on these three steps.

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Programs

Your path off leash.

Every program moves your dog toward the same goal. Most dogs start with Foundations.

The Process

How our training works

Five steps from where you are now to the dog you've been picturing.

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Meet the Pack

Meet your trainers

The humans you'll train with, and the dogs who keep us honest.

Jordan Silva, BAMK9 Long Beach Head Trainer Meet the boss
Jordan's dog Zoey
Jordan's dog Zoey Wicked smart, a disc and scent-work pro, and the van's resident passenger princess, until she spots a squirrel.
01 Head Trainer · Behavior Specialist

Jordan Silva

Jordan leads BAMK9 Long Beach. He's a Starmark Academy Certified Behavior Specialist who was hired by Starmark after completing the program, and he trained dogs there for nearly two years before coming home. He loves the hard cases, relieving the stress that holds a dog back, and showing owners what their dog is truly capable of.

Your trainer for every Long Beach session.

Charlie DiBono, founder of BAMK9 Meet my crew
Charlie's dogs Ellie, Noodle, Ba'cho and Doobie, from left to right
Charlie's crew Ellie, Noodle, Ba'cho & Doobie The crew that tests every method before it ever reaches your dog.
02 Founder

Charlie DiBono

Charlie founded BAMK9 in 2022 after three years running a free community class in Long Beach, and he's been training dogs for about 10 years. He built the programs you'll train in, and he's usually the first person you'll talk to when you book your call.

The first person you'll talk to on your call.

Read our story

Meet the BAMK9 community

Line drawing of a dog walking a mountain trail

Your dog here

Ready to join the BAMK9 crew?

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Dog name

Dog name

Dog name

Dog name

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Dog name

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Typhon

Typhon

Finn

Finn

Blaze

Blaze

Starlette

Starlette

Pepper

Pepper

Suka

Suka

Georgie

Georgie

Case Studies

Real dogs. Real results.

Pick a dog and hear the story, straight from their people.

Case study

    The result

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    Why BAMK9

    How we compare

    Trained out in the world

    Trailheads, patios, beaches, busy sidewalks. Training happens in the places you actually want to take your dog, with the distractions they’ll actually encounter. If it only works in the training room, it doesn’t work.

    Fulfillment before obedience

    Every plan is built around our FFF method: Fulfilled, Focused, Free. We start by making sure your dog’s needs are actually being met. From there, we build the focus that makes training stick and the freedom that comes with it.

    Every program points toward off-leash freedom

    Off-leash freedom is the destination. Whether you’re starting with leash pulling or already have a solid recall, every program is designed to move you closer to a dog you can trust when the leash comes off.

    A custom path for every dog

    Every dog learns our Core 4 skills because we believe they’re the foundation for doing more together. How we get there depends on you and your dog. We look at your goals, your routine, your lifestyle, and how your dog learns, then build the training around that.

    Private sessions, group classes, and online support in one program

    You don’t have to choose. Private sessions give you one-on-one coaching, group classes build focus around dogs, people, and distractions, and our online platform keeps you moving between sessions. It’s all part of the same training plan.

    Accountability between sessions

    You get access to our online platform with homework after every session and a place to upload clips of your practice. Your trainer can watch, give feedback, and help when you get stuck. Because most of the training happens between sessions, we’re there for that part too.

    BAM K9 Logo
    Traditional dog training
    Your next step

    The dog you picture is closer than you think.

    Apply in a few minutes, talk with a trainer, and take the first step toward a dog you can take anywhere.

    Apply Now See Our Programs
    • No commitment until your call
    • Pay over time with Affirm
    • Support that doesn't end at graduation
    FAQ

    Dog training questions, answered

    Everything people ask before they apply. Still wondering about something? Ask on your call, or see the full FAQ.

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    Our in-person programs in Long Beach range from $300 to $4,500. Groundwork, our weekly group class, is $300. Foundations, our core program with 6 private sessions, 6 group sessions, and online support, is $1,250, and so is Off-Leash. Adventure Academy is $450 a month for 2 outings or $775 a month for 4, and Board & Train starts at $4,500 for 4 weeks. You can pay over time with Affirm.

    Most dogs start with Foundations. It combines private sessions, group classes, and online support, so it covers everything from leash pulling to reactivity while building toward off-leash freedom. If you'd rather learn the basics in a group first, start with Groundwork. Your $300 counts toward Foundations if you upgrade within your first 3 sessions. Not sure? Apply, and we'll recommend the right fit on your call.

    It depends on the program. Foundations and Off-Leash start at Marina Vista Park in Long Beach, and in the final sessions we train wherever you want to take your dog, from your neighborhood to your favorite patio or trail. Groundwork classes meet at Pet Food Express on Long Beach Blvd. Adventure Academy heads out to local trails, parks, breweries, and coffee shops around Long Beach. Board & Train dogs train all over Long Beach and beyond, and some even join road trips for experience in new places.

    Yes. We work with reactive dogs in Long Beach all the time, and Jordan loves working with them. For reactive dogs, we recommend Foundations, where private sessions come first and group work is added as your dog is ready. Groundwork is a group class, so it isn't the right fit for dogs with serious aggression, and dogs that are reactive or very disruptive may be asked to practice away from the group there.

    We use both motivation and clear communication. Dogs learn new skills through food luring, and early on we reward often with food and toys. As training advances, rewards become more occasional, but they never disappear. We don't believe removing rewards completely works; the reward just changes form.

    A dog motivated by things it enjoys performs with enthusiasm. A dog trained with both rewards it loves and consequences it wants to avoid is a dog you can trust. Together, that's what opens up a bigger, happier life with your dog. Every program also runs on our FFF method: Fulfilled, Focused, Free.

    Sometimes, and only when a dog is ready. Every dog starts on a slip collar and leather leash, which is what we use most. Some dogs progress to a prong collar in Foundations or Board & Train. We use e-collars in our Off-Leash program and Board & Trains with off-leash goals, once a dog understands commands and leash pressure, and occasionally in Foundations when it's the best fit for that dog and owner. We never use prong collars or e-collars in Groundwork.

    It depends on your dog, but every program is built to move you toward it. Off leash is earned one reliable rep at a time: focus and recall on a leash, then a long line, then no line. Once the foundation is solid, our Off-Leash program takes you and your dog further.

    Our programs start at 5 months old, but we love working with you before that. We can help you get set up before your puppy comes home and guide you through the early stages of puppyhood. We highly recommend joining a puppy socialization program starting at 8 weeks, and we're happy to recommend some.

    In Foundations, you and your dog train together through 6 private sessions, 6 group sessions, and weekly homework with video feedback from your trainer. In Board & Train, your dog lives and trains with us for 4 weeks or more, then we show you how to keep it going at home. Foundations is best if you want to learn to handle your dog yourself. Board & Train is best if you need us to do the heavy lifting first.

    Yes. You can pay over time with Affirm, so cost doesn't have to be the reason you wait. We'll walk you through your options on your call.

    You're not on your own. Foundations includes ongoing support through our online platform after the program ends, and every graduate stays part of the BAMK9 pack, with options like Adventure Academy, pack walks, and community events to keep building together.

    Fill out a quick application about your dog and your goals. We review it, then you'll book a call to find the right program. There's no commitment until that call.