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About Lisa Lucas
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In addition to teaching at Diamonds in the Ruff and providing one-on-one counseling for behavior concerns, Lisa worked at SCRAPS (Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Services) from 2001 to 2005 as the first on-site Dog Trainer and Behavior Specialist. Lisa's primary responsibilities were adoption counseling, temperament testing and teaching a free training class for adopters. Lisa developed the first temperament testing protocols for the shelter and has safely tested and advised placement on countless dogs. (see article!)
Lisa has a deep respect for dogs and since working with them in a professional capacity has learned that she really enjoys the people at the other end of the leash too!
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Lisa shares her home with four Siberian Huskies and a Belgian Sheepdog. She ran a recreational sled dog team of five Siberians for eight years. As the team got older it shrank to four, which she retired in 2003. Her proudest achievement with the team was adopting an abused dog from another musher who told her, "This dog will never amount to anything." The dog's name is Jasper and he became her most devoted and obedient lead dog. Lisa says, "If it weren't for Jasper, the rest of the team would have been happy to leave me wrapped around a tree while they chased a deer down the mountain." In 2003 Lisa added a Belgian Sheepdog, Dharma, to the mix. When Dharma is not outsmarting Lisa on the agility course, she can be found in the classroom helping Lisa teach. |
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I open the lines of communication between dogs and people. I teach inter-species communication. Dogs are a blessing. They accompany us into war, tend our livestock, guide the blind, minister to the ill, defend our property, protect our lives, provide friendship, laughter and grace. Yet, historically, we humans have administered excessive and inappropriate punishment in the name of training. We expect our dogs to automatically know what we want them to do and if they don't we correct or punish them by rubbing their nose in their poo, yelling at them when they don't come, yelling at them when they finally do come, delivering electricity to their neck for barking too much. I often think our dogs would like to put a "remote training collar" on us. I believe the frustration goes both ways. When
the lines of communication flow clearly between dogs and humans the
need for coercion (force and punishment) goes away. One of the greatest
joys in my work is watching the frustration of both dog and handler
melt away as they learn to communicate with each other and work together
as a team. |
Training Methods
My training methods are based on the scientific principles of several learning theories, including operant and classical conditioning. I stay current with information that is generated in the psychology departments of Universities and Behavior Departments of Veterinary Colleges, regularly attending continuing education seminars with some of the most well respected trainers in the Country.
 photo by Cathy Fox |
Operant conditioning is, quite literally, the conditioning of operants. In laymen's terms, it means to use reinforcement to strengthen a behavior. Behavior that gets rewarded gets repeated. For example: you go to work, you get a paycheck and you go back to work again. Would you continue to go to work if you didn't get a paycheck? We humans tend to forget that dogs aren't born knowing the human language. We can teach them to understand us by rewarding them when they give us the behavior we want…or withholding rewards when they give us behavior we do not want. Operant conditioning is the best model to explain how dogs learn. It is also one of the principle ways we learn too. Operant conditioning is like a window of communication between species. |
Classical conditioning is pairing something that has no meaning/or a negative meaning with something that has a positive meaning so that they become associated. The result of the association is that the animal reacts to the previously meaningless/bad thing in a similar way as it did to the meaningful thing.
For example, if a dog is reactive towards the mailman he will become aroused whenever the mailman approaches. His arousal will cause him to "react" in an aggressive manner in an attempt to make the mailman go away. And it works, by golly! The dog barks and the mailman goes away. If, every day when it is mailman time, the owner calls the dog to the kitchen for chicken livers and presents the dog with a nonstop stream of chicken livers until the mailman goes away, the dog will begin to look forward to the approach of the mailman. The dog will associate the mailman with good things, because now the mailman predicts chicken livers.
Classical conditioning is different than training. The goal of training is to get the dog to exhibit behaviors on cue. The goal of classical conditioning is to influence the way a dog feels. It is a powerful tool in behavior modification..
Using food in training
There is a difference between using food as a training tool and using it as a bribe. I teach handlers early in the process how to use food and other rewards in a way that does not create dependence on them.
A few words about punishment
Does it have its place? Sure. But, it is not okay to use punishment in place of training. Sadly, most dogs are punished for confusion, rather than for disobedience.
"Force is simply the absence of real power, and no matter how gentle, is always the last method to use when controlling your dog." ~ Patricia B. McConnell, PhD.
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Contact
Lisa for in-home private consultation
Call
509-276-9118 Click HERE for more information on private consultations |
photo by Cathy Fox
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©
2004, Carol A. Byrnes
DIAMONDS in the RUFF
Revised: constantly
Photos
courtesy of Cathy Fox, photographer extraordinaire!
And Bruce Andre - a true artist with
a camera!