About BAMK9 Long Beach

Dogs are a family thing.

Jordan grew up with a mom who was a highly sought-after dog groomer in the Bay Area, and her love of dogs rubbed off early. Today, he leads BAMK9 Long Beach.

Jordan Silva, BAMK9 Long Beach Head Trainer and Behavior Specialist

Long Beach Head Trainer · Behavior Specialist

Meet Jordan Silva

Jordan was part of the Long Beach dog community from the very beginning, helping grow BAMK9's free community class long before he became a professional trainer himself.

When he decided to go all in, he trained at Starmark Academy in Texas and completed their Behavior Specialist program. He stood out enough that Starmark offered him a paid internship, which turned into a full-time position. After nearly two years training dogs professionally there, he came home to lead BAMK9 Long Beach.

Today he does what he loves most: figuring out what's really going on in a dog's mind, relieving the stress and pressure holding them back, and showing their people what their dog is truly capable of.

Train with Jordan

CertifiedStarmark Behavior Specialist
Hired by StarmarkAfter completing the program
~2 yearsTraining professionally at Starmark
Fully insuredFor your peace of mind

Why train with Jordan

Your dog is in very good hands.

01

Certified behavior specialist

Jordan completed Starmark Academy's Behavior Specialist program, so he brings a deep understanding of why dogs do what they do, not just how to stop it.

02

Hand-picked to stay

Starmark didn't just graduate him. They hired him. His internship became a full-time role, and he spent nearly two years training dogs there professionally.

03

He loves the hard cases

Reactive, stressed, or overwhelmed dogs are where Jordan shines. He looks past the behavior to what's driving it, and helps relieve the pressure holding your dog back.

04

He trains you, too

Jordan loves helping owners understand their dogs, and seeing them realize what their dog is capable of. You'll leave every session knowing more than when you arrived.

05

Long Beach is home

He helped build BAMK9's Long Beach community long before he went pro. He knows the parks, the patios, and the people, and he trains where you actually live.

06

He lives it

Jordan has competed in disc with his own dog and worked her in tracking, scent work, and agility. He knows firsthand what a trained dog can do.

And then there's Zoey

The boss.

Jordan was paired with Zoey at Starmark, where students train shelter dogs and prepare them for adoption. He worked with two dogs in the program, but Zoey got him early and ended up becoming his.

She's wicked smart. Jordan has competed in disc with her and worked her in tracking, scent work, and agility. These days she's also the van's resident passenger princess. If Jordan is somewhere, Zoey probably isn't far behind, either showing off off leash or abandoning all responsibilities because she spotted a squirrel.

The BAMK9 story

It started with a puppy class.

BAMK9 was founded by Jordan's brother, Charlie DiBono, and it grew up right here in Long Beach.

The beginning
A life around dogs

Charlie's work with dogs started early, from his first job as a dog bather to years as a dog nutrition specialist at Pet Food Express, work as a vet tech, managing a daycare, and fostering through rescue. Before he even had a dog of his own, he was hanging around the store's weekly puppy class, and once he did, he stayed after every class to learn everything he could.
Learning the craft
Seminars, mentors, and every dog he could help

He studied online seminars from Dr. Ian Dunbar, sat in with any trainer who'd let him watch, and started helping family and friends with their dogs. A short stint at a big-box store showed him how many dogs a single method leaves behind, so he went looking for more tools and more education to reach every dog in front of him.
Why Long Beach
A 12-week class that lasted three years

Charlie moved to Long Beach to teach a free community dog training class three times a week. It was supposed to run for 12 weeks. Instead, it became a cornerstone of the local dog community and ran with the City of Long Beach for three years, with Jordan right there helping it grow.
2022
BAMK9 is born

As the community grew, private training was the natural next step, and in 2022 BAMK9 officially opened its doors. Free community training has been part of BAMK9 ever since.
Going pro
Jordan goes all in

Inspired by the work, Jordan left for Starmark Academy in Texas, earned his Behavior Specialist certification, and spent nearly two years training professionally there.
Today
Jordan comes home to lead Long Beach

Jordan now leads BAMK9 Long Beach as Head Trainer, bringing everything he learned back to the community where it all started.

Why "Body and Mind"

Activate the body. Stimulate the mind.

That was one of BAMK9's first slogans, and it still sums up how we see dogs. Physical health, fulfillment, the right outlets, mental stimulation, communication, and relationship all shape how a dog shows up in the world. To have a genuinely fulfilled dog, you have to take care of both the body and the mind.

Today, that philosophy is our method:

01

Fulfilled

Meet the dog's needs.

02

Focused

Teach them how to focus and communicate with you.

03

Free

Use those skills to give them access to more freedom.

What we believe

Dogs are more than their obedience.

More than commands.

A dog can know Sit, Down, and Come and still be frustrated, unfulfilled, hard to live with, or unable to handle the places you want to take them.

Fulfillment and structure aren't opposites.

Neither are freedom and boundaries. We meet the needs of the dog in front of us while giving them clear expectations.

Training doesn't end when the session does.

It becomes part of how you walk together, play together, relax at home, explore new places, and communicate with each other.

Trust, inclusion, and freedom.

That's where training should lead: a dog you trust, included in more of your life, with more freedom to enjoy it.

Our mission

We want people to genuinely enjoy living with their dogs, and dogs to have access to bigger, fuller lives because of the skills they've learned.

Why the Core 4

Tools for including your dog in more of your life.

Training should give dogs access to more of their owners' lives. That's why we focus on four practical skills: Heel, Place, Down, and Recall. They aren't the end goal. They're what makes it possible to safely bring your dog into more of what you already do.

PlaceWhere should you be?
DownCan you stay here?
HeelCan you move with me?
RecallCan you come back to me?

Where it started

Community first. Always.

BAMK9 grew out of a free class in a Long Beach park. Accessible training has been part of who we are ever since, and our free Community Class still brings Long Beach dogs and their people together today.

Explore Community Class