About Us 
About Lisa Clifton-Bumpass
Lisa Clifton-Bumpass has become a respected mentor of professional trainers who wish to hone their behavior assessment abilities, treatment and protocol development, critical thinking, and mechanical training skills. She lectures on a number of topics for specialty dog breed groups, animal shelters and advanced professional education program organizations such as dogTEC (www.dogtec.com).
Lisa has lectured at both the San Francisco SPCA and Marin Humane Society’s Dog Trainer Academies. Her lectures range in topics from the biology of aggression, socialization and Dog Behavior 101, to pet first aid and preparing dog trainers for professional certification (CPDT).
The East Bay Animal Reinforcement Kaizen (Ebark) and The Sarah Bella Project are Lisa’s newest projects.
- Ebark is an advanced training resource group for professional animal trainers and caretakers interested in the sciences of learning and behavior as well as improving the mechanical skills involved in modifying animal behavior.
- The Sarah Bella Project is an educational organization focused on the learning capacity of dogs that have damage to the cerebellum. The project is named after a dog in her care that was born with Cerebellar Hypoplasia.
Lisa is the founder of a renowned private trainers group called “JavaDawgs” (www.clickertraining.com/node/269) for the owners of aggressive dogs. She also functions as an advisor to individuals and companies who are researching and designing new dog training equipment.
In 1998, Lisa started professional dog training by working for world-renowned dog behavior expert Trish King at the Marin Humane Society. Lisa then attended the San Francisco SPCA Academy for Dog Trainers and graduated with honors. She has gone on to further her studies and has accumulated over 1500 hours of coursework from leading experts in every aspect of canine behavior and training. Her travel includes canine behavior at the Institute of Canine Ethology at Wolf Park (www.wolfpark.org) in Indiana, Applied Animal Behavior under Bob and Marian Bailey in Arkansas and dog aggression in England.
Over the years, Lisa developed a wide array of obedience, sports and behavior classes for humane organizations as well as various adult education and community services programs under the business name of Pawsitive Steps. She was the first dog trainer in the East Bay to teach, train and exclusively use clickers in all of her group classes and private consultations.
Additionally, Pawsitive Steps has been employed as consultant for various local shelters, rescue groups, and humane organizations who call on her to review particularly difficult behavior cases. Lisa works with pet owners as well as specialists in confirmation, flyball, obedience, and search and rescue handlers, schutzhund, and tracking competitors to solve training and problem behavior issues.
In her private practice, Lisa focuses exclusively on dogs with aggression, fear, phobia, and anxiety issues. Additionally, A Step Beyond consults with professional trainers, rescue groups, shelters and animal management and behavior consultants. She is also considered an expert in the evaluation and treatment of animal behavior problems and testified as an expert witness in a court case involving dog aggression, canine behavior and training methodology.
Lisa has a deep respect and love of dogs as well as the art, craft and science of animal behavior management and training. Her passion for sharing knowledge about animal learning, training and canine behavior with her clients and associates is a hallmark of her work.
Our services are designed to help you understand the complexity of your animal’s behavior and make effective training, behavior modification and animal management decisions. Private consultations are available for caring and dedicated owners.
Public Service
- 2007 Board of Directors, CCPDT
- 2007 Volunteer Oakland Zoo Behavior Observation Team
- 2006 Volunteer Oakland Zoo Animal Management
- 2005 Volunteer Hayward Animal Control & Shelter, dog behavior assessment and temperament evaluation
Employment
Lisa has been employed by the following organizations as a trainer and teacher:
- Marin Humane Society
- San Francisco SPCA
- dogTEC
- TriValley Humane Society
- East Bay SPCA (Oakland and Dublin)
- Hayward Animal Care and Control
- Oakland Public School teachers
- Sausalito Parks and Recreation
- US Postal Service
- Pets in Need
- Guide Dogs for the Blind
- San Mateo Humane Society
Her community based dog training classes have been offered by:
- Castro Valley Adult Education
- Dublin Parks and Recreations
- Pleasanton Parks
- Union City Leisure Services
Lisa has been a returning educator at the Dog Walkers Institute since 2003.
Her presentation topics include:
- The Biology of Aggression
- Dealing With Difficult Clients and Building Compliance
- Pet Disaster Response and Planning
- Pet First Aid and CPR
- Pet First Aid Certification for the Pet Industry Professional (CEUs from CPDT and IAABC)
- “Dog Whispering, Are You Listening?”
- Dogs Bite—Get Real
- Reading Dog Behavior 101
- Temperament Assessment & Evaluation for the Animal Shelter and Rescue
She has created specialty lectures for Sonoma County Corgis, the Bay Area English Bull Dog Club and various breed specific rescue groups.
Lisa has provided dog safety and pet first aid programs for elementary schools and Boy and Girl Scout troops and animal behavior career lectures at high school career development days.
She has also provided operant conditioning/learning principles demonstrations and training games for:
- university courses
- exotic animal trainers
- animal keepers
- professional human behavior modification groups
- physical education teachers
- yoga instructors
- business clubs
- physical therapists
Media
Lisa has been featured in newspapers such as the Oakland Tribune (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20060206/ai_n16046173), the Castro Valley Forum and the Argus. She has also appeared on numerous television programs such as “Daybreak” (KRON/NBC, San Francisco, CA), Evening Magazine (KPIX/CBS), “People Are Talking” (KPIX/CBS, San Francisco, CA), and TV30 Tri Valley Community Television. Additionally, Dr. Marty Becker tapped Lisa’s expertise in pet safety for the “Good Morning America” television show for their segment on pet first aid. She has also been featured in Cat Fancy, Dog World, Karen Pryor’s Clicker Training (www.clickertraining.com/node/269) ezine and Learning About Dogs (England) magazines.
Awards
Education
Early in her career, Lisa realized the traditional means of professional dog training education media did not address the complex biological processes of animal learning and behavior. As a result she has accumulated over 1500 hours of continuing professional education that led to the study of the neurobiology of behavior at Stanford University’s Continuing Education Program. She believes that a professional’s level of expertise is tied directly to their commitment to a curious mind and dedication to furthering their depth of skill and understanding. Lisa is currently enrolled in a four-year Diplomat course in Advanced Canine Behavior at The Companion Animal Sciences Institute (formerly the Cynology College).
Certifications
Lisa Clifton-Bumpass has dedicated herself to pursuing advanced continuing education that includes the following programs:
- 2007 TAGTeach, primary level
- 2007 CAP 1 Assessor
- 2006 Clicker Trainer Competency Assessment, CAP2, Learning About Dogs
- 2006 Certified Dog Behavior Counselor (CDBC), International Association of Animal Behavior Counselors
- 2003 Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT)
- 2000 San Francisco SPCA Academy for Dog Trainers CTC, honors
- 1998 Marin Humane Society Academy for Dog Trainers
- 1998 Pet Tech Pet First Aid & CPR
Professional Memberships & Associations
- Animal Behavior and Management Alliance (ABMA — www.theabma.com)
- Animal Behavior Society (ABS — www.animalbehavior.org)
- Animals in Society (Yahoo)
- Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT — www.apdt.com) #P3306
- Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA — www.aza.org)
- Chickens and Dogs, Professional Seminar Instructors Assessment Group (Yahoo-founder, now closed)
- East Bay Animal Reinforcement Kaizen (EBARK Yahoo founder)
- Humane Animal Studies (Yahoo)
- International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, Certified member # 271 (IAABC — www.iaabc.org)
- International Institute for Applied Companion Animal Behavior, Certified member #60 (IIACAB — www.iiacab.com)
- JavaDawgs (founder)
- National Wildlife Federation, Certified Wildlife Habitat Garden 2005 #55918 (NWF — www.nwf.org)
- South Bay Animal Trainers
- 5th Quadrant Leadership (Yahoo-founder)