To Mike Jones, training a dog can be easy, but the owners can be a different story.
Jones is the owner of Primal Canine in Morgan Hill, and he has built an expanding dog training business that trains police, military and personal dogs.
His love of dogs which goes back to his childhood in East San Jose, and a focused work ethic has propelled him to Morgan Hill. It hasn’t been without challenges. Recently, Jones has worked to release a documentary, “Pack Life,” on Netflix, he’s had to defend his company against accusations of animal abuse, and he’s doing it all despite a recent diagnosis of stomach cancer.
“Dogs are easy; people are hard,” Jones said.
One of the first things that stands out when you meet Jones, 34, are his tattoos. A cursive ‘Ivy’ tattoo, his daughter’s name, is above his left brow. Among a sea of tattoos on both of his arms and hands is a picture of his dog Bear, a pit bull mix Jones adopted from a shelter. Beneath his left ear, there’s a red letter P for “Primal,” the same design he uses for the company’s logo.
There’s a bit of resemblance between Jones and Primal’s mascot ,Bear. Both Jones and Bear can be misunderstood at first glance. Whatever kind of tough guy persona one may assume is shed quickly as he interacts with a 15-pound Shih-Tzu, Nova. There’s an instant connection between Jones and Nova. Nova doesn’t judge a person based on appearance, and that’s one of the reason’s Jones loves dogs.
Jones worked through that misconception in May when his training was under scrutiny.
Late in May, a passing driver on Hwy 101 saw dogs undergoing police dog training at Primal Canine’s fenced-in outdoor training facility near the highway. The witness called the Morgan Hill Police Department to report animal abuse and posted her allegations of abuse online. Local police investigated the report and found no evidence of any wrongdoing.
“She just wasn’t used to the work we do,” Jones said. “It was actually a good thing. It was an opportunity to let the community know us.”
For Jones, each dog has its own personality, and each dog responds to training differently. His flexible style of training also helps him to work with the dog’s owners, because training can be wasted by owners who choose not to be consistent with their dogs.
Jones demonstrates the power of his training with one of his dogs, Malice, a Belgian Malamute. It’s as if Jones presses a button in Malice’s brain. With every command, “Sitz,” for sit, “Platz” lay down, Malice obeys immediately. Jones walks Malice around the room, commanding the dog’s motion with every step as Malice weaves between his legs, around in a circle, back and forth.
With every second of instruction, Malice appears to be in heaven. His eyes are bright, tongue hanging out of his grinning mouth. Obedience is fun for the dog, who works best when it’s working.
Jones also trains police dogs for about $20,000 a canine. The proof is in action, and folks who don’t know what was happening might get the wrong impression. To demonstrate a police dog in action, Jones gets some help from one of his apprentice trainers, Matt Jaramillo. For the demonstration, Jaramillo puts on a full-body padded bite suit that makes him look like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. He needs it because even with the suit, it can still hurt.
“It’s not so bad,” Jaramillo said as he showed off some bruises and teeth marks.
Malice attacks on command. The Belgian Malamute locks its teeth around Jaramillo’s arm like a bear trap. On Jones’ command, Malice lets go and returns to his side, wagging his tail as he sits. There are no hard feelings between Malice and Jaramillo; it’s just a day on the job.
Since his childhood in East San Jose, Jones said he has often felt closer to dogs than he does humans. Dogs are predictable. They are genuine, with no guile or hidden agendas. They’re loyal, loving, and they know when something is wrong.
His life will soon be an open book after “Pack Life” is released on Netflix.
“It should be out in September after it passes legal,” Jones said. “It’s kind of scary. I get bit for a living, and when I was wearing a suit at the premiere at the Grenada, it was worse than being in the bite suit.
“It’s five years of your life; then you watch it on screen.”
Jones now owns three Primal Canine locations in Morgan Hill, San Diego and Minneapolis. He manages 10 employees between the three sites. This has become especially taxing since his diagnosis of stomach cancer.
Jones’ illness has not kept him from work. He has eschewed traditional treatments to instead focus on holistic methods so he can continue with his work.
