About Us

Ethics & Behaviorist Statements

Ethics Statement

Our Code of Ethics is not a passive set of statements. It is a set of dynamic principles that guide our professional conduct, business philosophy, quality of information and teaching skills, all of which are driven by the professional organizations we choose to affiliate with.

We are committed to cooperative, humane animal management and training method protocols rooted in the sciences that provide for the physical and emotional safety of the dog as opposed to a popular culture of myth.
We strive to treat each of our clients with courtesy, respect and dignity at all times.
We respect animals as much as the people who care for them and promote responsible animal stewardship and training with the belief that an animal has the right to a high quality of life.
We give potential clients an honest, factual evaluation of the changes they need to make to be successful in the process of modifying and managing their dog’s behavior.
We understand that each individual must be permitted to learn at his/her own pace; we do not promote equipment, techniques or methods based on “reductionist” training models.
We recognize that the real world may involve unpleasant decisions for a caregiver and we stand beside our clients when they have to make difficult decisions.
We understand that we represent our professional community at all times and it is our responsibility to keep the ideal high.
We continually work towards improving our methods of instruction, teaching skills and core behavioral information and will always freely exchange ideas, methods and techniques in connection with animal behavior and training.

Behaviorist statement

Lisa is not a Behaviorist or behaviorist, although people often call her “behaviorist” or “whisperer” because of the style of work she does. However, a true Behaviorist is a professional who has a formal advanced education with a PhD degree.

Animal Psychologists and Veterinary Behaviorists have also obtained a PhD. To become a Certified Behaviorist requires either a doctoral degree from an accredited college or university in biological or behavioral sciences with an emphasis on animal behavior and five years of professional experience or a doctorate in veterinary medicine plus two years in a university-approved residency in animal behavior. Behaviorists usually engage in three types of work: teaching at a university, research and/or applied clinical work. Additionally, clinical animal behavioral specialists have a Master's Degree and are certified by the ABA as an Associate Applied Animal Behaviorist. To find a certified Behaviorist, please visit www.animalbehavior.org.