When a dog begins showing aggressive or reactive behavior, many owners feel like they’ve run out of options.

For Chloe Parsons, founder of Novko K9, that’s exactly when her work begins.

Parsons discovered her passion for dog training early in life after watching a mentor train dogs in her neighborhood. What started as teaching tricks and agility exercises with her own dog quickly turned into a deeper interest in understanding how dogs think and communicate.

Today, through Novko K9, Parsons works with dogs that many owners fear are too difficult to help. But she says most behavior problems aren’t about aggression at all.

Dogs constantly communicate through small signals like lip licking, ear or eyebrow position, and posture changes, but those cues are often missed by people. When those signals go unnoticed, problems can escalate.

Parsons structures her training around what she calls the “three D’s”: Distance, Duration, and Distraction.

Distance refers to how close a dog is to a trigger. Duration is how long the dog is asked to stay calm in a situation. Distraction is anything competing for the dog’s focus. Effective training, she says, comes from gradually building these elements while keeping the dog comfortable and confident.

Her training approach also leans heavily toward the LIMA method: Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive. That means starting with the gentlest training tools possible and building from there only when necessary.

Just as importantly, Parsons says training isn’t just about fixing a dog, it’s about teaching owners how to communicate better with their pets.

One memorable success story involved a dog named Gizmo who had been found nearly frozen during an ice storm. Terrified of people and unfamiliar situations, Gizmo struggled to function in everyday life. With time, patience, and structured training, he eventually gained the confidence to interact safely with others and become a happy member of his family.

Gizmo

For Parsons, that transformation is the most rewarding part of her work.

If you’re struggling with behavior issues or simply want a stronger relationship with your dog Novko K9 offers training focused on trust, patience, and communication.