Los Lukes

Live peacefully with your dog. / Vive en paz con tu perro. I'm Matt Chan, KPA CTP (that means I'm a certified dog trainer through Karen Pryor Academy!).
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Helping people live more peacefully with their dogs is a passion for me. It means more people and their dogs can live in better harmony, and less dogs will be surrendered to animal shelters. Having worked in animal welfare management for over 15 years, I know what it is that often causes dogs to be given up: too jumpy, too mouth, not sociable, can't be walked down the street without pulling, barks

and lunges at people/other dogs/cats/traffic. My goal is to deter all of this, by helping people learn how to communicate better with their dogs. I'll help people understand their dogs better, understand their breed better, and help the relationships all around. Because training time is bonding time. Visit loslukes.com to Book Now!

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Soy Matt Chan, KPA CTP (¡eso significa que soy un entrenador de perros certificado a través de la Academia Karen Pryor!). Ayudar a las personas a vivir en paz con sus perros es una pasión para mí. Significa que más personas y sus perros pueden vivir en mejor armonía, y menos perros serán entregados a refugios de animales. Después de haber trabajado en la gestión del bienestar animal durante más de 15 años, sé qué es lo que a menudo hace que los perros se den por vencidos: demasiado nerviosos, demasiado boquiabiertos, poco sociables, no se puede caminar por la calle sin tirar, ladran y se abalanzan sobre las personas. /otros perros/gatos/tráfico. Mi objetivo es disuadir todo esto, ayudando a las personas a aprender cómo comunicarse mejor con sus perros. Ayudaré a las personas a comprender mejor a sus perros, comprender mejor su raza y ayudar a las relaciones en general. Porque el tiempo de formación es tiempo de vinculación.

¡Visite loslukes.com para reservar ahora!

11/29/2024

POP QUIZ: At what age can you start training your puppy?

Really the best answer is: As soon as you can start training! It’s never too late, but the earlier the better, before both puppy and guardian reinforce unwanted behaviors and become frustrated through unintentional mistraining.

Look for trainers who have these credentials:

KPA CTP: Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner

CPDT: Certified Professional Dog Trainer

CDBC: Certified Dog Behavior Consultant

Finding a trainer with these credentials helps ensure you will be working with a humane trainer. These credentials are not given out lightly. They take strenuous immersion of study, a rigorous testing process, and a lifelong adherence to principles from the credentialing institution. Myself, I am a KPA CTP via Karen Pryor Academy. Look up the accounts I’ve tagged to learn more.

✨Puppies can start learning training-level skills as early as 8-10 weeks of age. Certified Trainers know how to help your puppy get appropriate puppy-puppy socialization and life socialization, as well as teach you humane housetraining and many other foundational skills.

✨I begin teaching puppies like Ruby here at 8-10 weeks of age. As they mature during the course, we begin adding more and more advanced skills–for both of you!

Matt Chan, KPA CTP, CAWA

Featuring adorable new student Ruby♦️😍

11/17/2024

✘ BEHAVIOR BRUNCH: The Exposed Belly ✘

This emotional signal has many possible meanings.

1. Avoidance:
Often, it is used to indicate that a dog wants space, and wants to avoid you and your hands. Ironically, many people assume it is an invitation to rub their belly, when the exact opposite is true.

ACTION STEP: You can’t go wrong by simply leaving your dog alone when they show this sign.

You have to put the signal into context. If they are licking their lips, or rolling away from you while still on their back, it is likely avoidance.

2. Non-Threat:
Dogs will also use this signal to indicate that they are not a threat to someone, people or dog, and is an appeasement behavior.

ACTION STEP: Ensure you don’t come across as threatening. You have to be mindful of:
Your facial expression, your eyes
Your movements
Your voice
Towering over your dog

3. Submissiveness:
A dog might feel they need to make an overt display of submitting to a person or other animal.

ACTION STEP: If they are showing this signal to you for the reason of submissiveness, ask yourself what you are doing to elicit a dog needing to show that they are submissive to you. Have you done anything to scare them? Unnecessarily?

4. Solicitation to Be Pet:
Last, it can indicate a solicitation to have their belly rubbed.

ACTION STEP: If they continue to approach you and then flop on their back to expose their belly, they are actually soliciting pets, and you know you can give that belly rub.

Matt Chan, KPA CTP
✘ LOS LUKES ✘

All illustrations © Matt Chan.

11/11/2024

🧇 BEHAVIOR BRUNCH: The Lifted Paw 🐕

What you see:
A lifted paw

Details:
This emotional signal usually means a dog is uncertain. Of what is happening, or of what you are about to do.

For an unknown dog, it often signals anxiety or apprehension. Of the situation, of you as a stranger, of your appearance/facial expression/body language, or your own behavior.

For your own dog, it may just be a moment of uncertainty of what is about to happen. Dachshunds like my own boy Sammy here are famous for showing you this signal loud and clear.

I have to be very mindful of my own movements and provide a lot of reassurance to Sammy and any dog who shows me their lifted paw.

Action Steps:
Proactively seek to read a dog’s emotional signals.

When you see the lifted paw with an unknown dog, simply don’t approach them. Be more gentle in what you are doing, how you are speaking, and your facial expressions—smile! ☺️ Dogs like smiles, not stern faces.

When you see this signal given to you by your own dog, readjust. Be more gentle, and use more reassurance.

Matt Chan, KPA CTP
LOS LUKES

All illustrations © Matt Chan
Illustrated with and Illustrator

11/08/2024

Enjoying a California sunset + pizza run
with my Training Mascot and best friend since 2006,
Mercedes 🩷

10/28/2024

✨ It’s time for an all-new GET TO KNOW THE TRAINER! ✨

~What music album best describes you?

🔊 ASCEND, by

~Where did you grow up?

♥️ Waynesboro + Charlottesville, Virginia

~Favorite TV show growing up:

🦮 A tie: Full House & Saved by the Bell

~At what moment did you know you wanted to become a dog trainer?

⚡️When I realized that: The majority of people who give up their dog do so after they’ve experienced a relationship breakdown. That breakdown occurred because they didn’t have the skillset to understand:

a dog’s emotional signals

their needs for a good quality of life

a wide array of dog behaviors

how to simply manage and handle a dog

and just how much training would be involved in order to be successful in keeping a dog.

~If you could give dog owners one piece of advice, what would it be?

🐕‍🦺 Put your phone away and walk your dog. You can’t pay attention to both, so pay attention to the one who is depending on you to keep them safe. It will also keep you from getting frustrated when your dog gets excited about something that you could have avoided if you were paying attention.

~Favorite training tool:

The Clicker + High-Value Reinforcer (they come as a single set!)

~Favorite training treat:

I’m a big fan of food and treats. I was skeptical at first, because there hasn’t been a nutritionally-complete plant-based food/treat brand for dogs that I’ve especially liked (for them 😜). Dogs are loving these! You can use the food kibble as treats too. And I also like Cheerios and cheese reinforcers.

~Favorite place to train clients:

🐾 I like to start in the client’s home—it always helps to begin in a lower-stimulus environment to start building up behaviors before expanding to higher-stimulus areas.

~Favorite hobby:

🥡 Trying out new places to eat with my girlfriend. 💚

XOXO
Matt Chan, KPA CTP, CAWA
Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner
Certified Animal Welfare Administrator

Thanks for all the Get to Know Me questions from:
rodriguez13

Featuring my Training Team of Luke and Mercedes 😎

10/11/2024

OUR BIGGEST GIVEAWAY EVER!

✨Tag a friend in the Comments here to get them ONE FREE STARTER SESSION with Los Lukes!✨

Please also Follow and Repost to your Stories to help more animals and their families 🥰

If you know someone who’s been looking for dog training or cat behavioral assistance, tag here.

Or if you’re the one who needs the help, have a friend tag YOU!

Offer good until spots fill up! ✨

09/29/2024

Play bows~it’s Graduation Time! 🎓 🎓

Sookie and Beanie graduated from Los Lukes Undergrad yesterday WITH HONORS! 🥳🎉

Way to go girls, I am SO proud of you!! You have learned and grown so much.

And I want to thank their mom and dad Samantha and Devin too, who I am so thankful toward as well. Your commitment to their training needs was a priority from Day 1 since we worked on adoption counseling for Sookie, who was coming into a home with Beanie already a part of the family. Thank you for being such ✨ stellar students ✨ who have excelled in all of our coursework! 🎓🎓

And later, Sookie and Beanie may also enroll into Los Lukes Grad School. The family is about to get bigger, and the girls just might like to work a Calm Manners with
Babies & Toddlers course. 😎

*Trainer’s Note: Play bows = I’m ready to play (and not fight)!

08/17/2024

BE the FLAME You Want to See 🔥

Wave 1 of the Fall ‘24 LOS LUKES Collection has arrived! Tap the link in bio to go straight to the Merch Shop!

Being the Flame you want to see means:
It’s up to you to make the difference in the world that you believe in. ❤️‍🔥

For LOS LUKES, that means leading the way to help people share their best lives with their animals by learning greater behavioral knowledge and training abilities.

💚🩷🧡

🔥Featured Models🔥

Kaylee
Alli with Husky mix Bear .twigandarrow
Kendra .belle
Karen & Kyle with their Labradoodle Koda

06/12/2024

Hey! Luke and I haven’t seen you guys as much on social lately~but not because we aren’t thinking of you! We’re just so busy creating our first-ever book. ✨ I’m doing all the writing and illustrating, he does all of the inspiring and modeling.

So much helpful stuff on the way with the book, including:

•illustrated how-to’s
•illustrated body language charts, presented in brand new ways
•guided action plans to help you keep the peace in your home—and keep the community you live in safe.

🔥You’ll want to get a copy for everyone with a dog you know.

RELEASE DATE: 2024!

xoxo,
Matt Chan, KPA CTP, CAWA

05/31/2024

Love to still be working with this little boy for over 4 years now~

I first met gentle, blind Justin at my last animal shelter, where I had the honor of helping him find the most amazing home with his mom .am.julie.ann and dad (and sister Asherah).

Most of the time in animal sheltering, you don’t get to see the life full of love and friendship they go on to share with the family you counseled for adoption. You just have to imagine it. And sometimes quite honestly; hope for it. You think about Capitan, and Bart, and Koda (so, so many Kodas), and Baxter, and BeeBee, and Monkey, and Banana, and Mystique, and Rogue, and Gambit, and thousands and thousands of others. You just hope you did the best for them, and that they’re out there, happy. No longer in distress, or fearful of their surroundings. You did your part, so that others can do theirs~

Through Los Lukes, and as a friend, I get to know that with little Justin, and for an animal shelter professional now primarily trainer, that means the world. Thank you Julie & Kevin, for the best life you give your special little boy.💗

xoxo,
Matt

04/20/2024

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to beautiful LOS LUKES model Willow ! 🧁🩶

Willow is 8 majestic years young today! Beyto, I’m so proud to get to work with you, and best of all, be your friend. 🖤 Love you girl!

xoxoxo
MC

Pictured: Willow with her mom in Solvang, at Pismo Beach, and on the beach with my boy Luke (and making him look short)

💗

04/07/2024

It’s Get to Know Me: The Final Four Edition 2024! 💪🏽

This time, I’m selecting 4 Core Aspects
in 4 Core Training Areas to know about me.

✨My 4 Definitions of Training:

Behavior:
Teaching you how to understand behavior, manage it, and modify it as needed—and behavior modification goes both ways.

Emotional Signals:
Teaching you how to read your dog better; and even read your own self better.

Enrichment:
Teaching you how to fulfill an animal’s needs in life.

Cues:
Teaching your dog, and you, the cues you both need to best communicate together.

✨My 4 Training Values:

Patience:
With yourself, with your dog, and with the training process.

Empathy:
Putting yourself there. And using that to guide your decisions and interactions.

Compassion:
Recognizing what an animal is discomforted or pained by, and using that to guide your approach.

Love & Dedication to Your Dog:
Without it, we’ll only make it through two weeks of training total.
With it, we will best be able to achieve all of your goals.

✨My 4 Training Principles:

Force-Free Methods

Positive Reinforcement-Based

Clicker Training Karen Pryor Clicker Training

High EQ (Emotional Intelligence)

✨My 4 Favorite Dog Handling Supplies:

Round leashes from Mendota. Always round. Your hands will thank me later when you switch from flat nylon!

Freedom Harnesses from 2 Hounds Design. Precisely engineered, and as an added bonus, they design the coolest colors and patterns of any harness supplier.

Martingale collars, also from 2 Hounds Design . The cinch they create keeps a dog from slipping out of the collar.

Clicker Training Musts: Clickers from shop.clickertraining.com, and treat bags from Doggone Good Clicker Company.

OVERTIME BONUS 🏀

✨My 4 All-Time Favorite Basketball Players:

Michael Jordan #23
Kobe Bryant #8 #24
Scottie Pippen #33
Shawn Kemp #40
😎

Matt Chan, KPA CTP, CAWA

03/28/2024

Swipe to find out! >

Collected here are some of the Reviews from my student-clients, plus a special message at the end.

These are the student-clients who persevered. 💪 Who dedicated themselves to making life better for their dog, their family, their community, their neighbor, their own selves.

It isn’t easy. I have started the training for at least twice as many as the clients featured here who only made it for a week, two weeks. And I really don’t know what happened for them after that. I can say:

It takes longer than that! Commit yourself to longer than that. Those who do—they come out the other side, and enter a whole new world they didn’t know was even possible.

Let your friends know: Life-changing dog training is here, in Central California. 🌵

Matt Chan, KPA CTP, CAWA
CEO, Los Lukes

03/22/2024

Tomorrow is a VERY SPECIAL DAY…

It’s the 1-Year Anniversary of LOS LUKES! 🍾 I’m so excited to celebrate this special landmark and wanted to personally share my gratitude with you.

THANK YOU for making Los Lukes so successful this past year. I’ve had too many amazing clients than Instagram even lets me tag here, so I’ll just say: If you’ve been a
student-client of mine, THANK YOU. If you’ve been a fan of Los Lukes, THANK YOU! We accomplished a lot together, we made life more enriched and fulfilling for your dogs and cats, we made it more peaceful for your family–and you made
Los Lukes the enormous success that it is.

To my fans and friends all over the country–from Virgina, to South Carolina, to Texas–thank you for all of the many ways you have supported me this past year.

You have helped make Los Lukes what it is: a way to provide positive reinforcement-based, force-free training to anyone who has asked for help with their dog, and sometimes cat.

I also want to say a special thanks here to my dog training mentor, Nan Arthur, and to Karen Pryor Academy (KPA). Nan was my Faculty Instructor at KPA, where I formally learned dog training and graduated in 2021. I owe so much of my knowledge in dog training & behavior to Nan and what she taught me during the year that I studied under her tutelage. And I owe so much of Los Lukes’ success to KPA and the expertise, formal education, and standing in animal welfare and animal training that they imbued me with.
Thank you Nan, and thank you KPA.

I’m so thankful for this opportunity I have to help my community members in Santa Maria, CA and our surrounding areas. Please continue to support Los Lukes through sharing, whether by social media or word of mouth.
Let the Central Coast know–help is here! It doesn’t have to be a struggle.

I’ll help you solve whatever the issue for your dogs and cats, before it becomes unmanageable.

Here’s to another amazing year! 🤘🏽

xoxo
Matt Chan, KPA CTP, CAWA

📷: With my kids Luke & Mercedes. I had to make sure to include at least one pic where Mercedes was scowling for the camera.

Karen Pryor Clicker Training Beacon of Hope Dog Behavior and Training

03/14/2024

Posted now at Waller Park City of Santa Maria Recreation and Parks. The poster says it all. Watch my Reel from February 20th, 2024 for the backstory.

03/01/2024

Yesterday was Maverick’s big Graduation Day! 🎓

It’s been so much fun helping Maverick acquire well-rounded life skills, including being around other dogs and strangers, and being confident in a wide variety of environments.

I want to thank his mom Christina , who has been so dedicated to his training to ensure long-term success.

That makes all the difference! •The client-students who are committed are the same ones who succeed with their dog.•

The converse is true as well; you can’t succeed without the commitment.

It takes more than a couple weeks, and it can take more than a couple months. Every dog, every person is unique.

It’s been a blast Maverick! Congratulations on your big day!! I’m SO PROUD of you little guy!! 🤍🎉🥳

02/15/2024

UPDATE! Stryder has been adopted! THANK YOU to everyone who shared our post!

✨Special Adoptable Dog Post! ✨

One of my incredible training clients is fostering adoptable Stryder here. Read below to hear more about Stryder and contact his foster!

I’ve had a chance to spend a lot of time training Stryder, and he is an AMAZING boy!! He is so loving and makes such a personal connection. And he learns ridiculously fast—he makes it TOO easy! Read on here! 🐕

What’s your secret? I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours!

I’m Stryder, and I’m a 3-year-old, neutered male, German Shepherd ready for a new home!

I’m an affectionate, loyal boy who loves to keep life entertaining. (For proof, just watch me play catch with myself!)

I love my people. I love to listen to you talk; and I love it when we walk. I don’t even need to go that far~I’d rather take it easy with you.

I love my car rides, playing with my doggy friends, and following you around the house. I’ll be your cool, not-so-mysterious shadow.

I’ve been awesome with most dogs I’ve met in playgroups, and I’ve enjoyed meeting people of all ages too.

Most of all, I just love being with people and basking in the attention. I’ll go wherever they are—shopping centers, restaurants, parks—and seek out people to complement my handsome looks.

And if we don’t even go anywhere? Fine—all the more time to cuddle with you.

I’m also vaccinated and microchipped, and come with a package of training sessions to help you get started. You’ll even get to meet my trainer during your meet and greet with me!

Contact my foster mom Darlene at [email protected] to learn more and meet me!

Address

Santa Maria, CA
93458

Telephone

+15402902293

Website

http://loslukes.com/

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Videos

Some of my BEAUTIFUL students (everything makes you beautiful 💗) In order of enlarged appearance: Tony Michi @conejo_nate1911 Leyla @conejo_nate1911 Chai @jobieyarn Hershey @jobieyarn Asherah @i.am.julie.ann @pismodetailing Shelby @janataka1969 Lucie @janataka1969 Cookie @aye_b_ Dobby @indigohoyt Daisy Reno Music by @onedirection #dogtrainer #clickertraining #dogtraining

Behind the Scenes: Training for Calm! #dogtrainer #clickertraining #dogtraining

HAPPY BIG 18!! This past weekend we celebrated my girl Mercedes’ 18th birthday with some rock climbing in San Luis Obispo. 🍰 I’m so forever proud of her. She is my Helper Cat in training, helping me train my clients’ dogs on calm behaviors around cats. She has survived megacolon, and the subtotal colectomy surgery we performed to help save her from it (thanks to @vetsurg_ventura and @drcourtneydvm! 🥳). She’s lived with diabetes for a full 10 years now, and thrived. And she has been with me in every mountain-climbing step of the way since 2006, when I adopted her from the Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA @caspca in our home state of Virginia. (We do say Virginia is for Lovers after all. ♥️) Mercedes is proof that you can overcome the most challenging of odds with an unrelenting spirit for it; and you can do what no one else thought was possible. xoxo MC #cattrainer #clickertraining #cattraining

A Behind the Scenes look at one of the methods I train with to dissuade dogs from Resource Guarding. Note: We are several steps in already here, so this is not where we would start if you have two or more animals, and Resource Guarding is an issue in your home. In this exercise, we’re teaching Beanie, on the right, that if her sister Sookie is getting high-value food, she can be more relaxed about it, because she will also receive food for that calm behavior we’re capturing and shaping. Eventually, we will reinforce her with pets and praise and not food—sometimes someone else might have food that we don’t. This exercise is being supervised and performed by a professional—please don’t practice on your own. / Una mirada detrás de escena a uno de los métodos que enseño para disuadir a los perros de la protección de recursos. Nota: Ya hemos dado varios pasos aquí, por lo que no es por donde empezaríamos si tienes dos o más animales y la protección de recursos es un problema en tu hogar. En este ejercicio, le enseñamos a Beanie, a la derecha, que si su hermana Sookie recibe alimentos de alto valor, puede estar más relajada al respecto, porque también recibirá alimentos por ese comportamiento tranquilo que estamos capturando y moldeando. Este ejercicio está siendo supervisado y realizado por un profesional; no practiques por tu cuenta. #dogtrainer #clickertraining #dogtraining

💥 My Fireworks Desensitization Protocols! 💥 What I love about these is that they are a modification, rather than a medication, to address the behavior. These help change how your dog or cat responds to a stimuli that causes Fear, Anxiety, and Stress. These Protocols do something that medication doesn’t quite do, and it’s a major distinction. As well, sometimes both are needed. I recommend working with myself or other Certified Dog Trainers who can help you prepare your dog or cat for July 4th. There is much more nuance to them than we can fully demonstrate here. We still have time! 💪 / 💥 ¡Mis protocolos de desensibilización de Fireworks! 💥 Lo que me encanta de estos protocolos es que son una modificación, en lugar de un medicamento, para abordar el comportamiento. Estos ayudan a cambiar la forma en que su perro o gato responde a un estímulo que causa miedo, ansiedad y estrés. Estos protocolos hacen algo que los medicamentos no hacen y no pueden hacer. Recomiendo trabajar conmigo o con otros entrenadores de perros certificados que puedan ayudarlo a preparar a su perro o gato para el 4 de julio. ¡Todavía tenemos tiempo! 💪 #dogtrainer #clickertraining #dogtraining

Some of my star students from the past week! Love getting to help make life more peaceful for you and your families! 💗 Chip Frank @amydolan1212 Chai @jobieyarn Cass & Levi Jeter @melias_1990 Tater #dogtrainer #clickertraining #dogtraining

Love my amazing students!! You are all coming so far! 🤘🏽 Lucy @janataka1969 Vinny Ella Canella @lindsey.salto Shelby @janataka1969 Val xoxo, Matt

A few of my amazing, beautiful, and brilliant students! Charli Toby @janet_ox Callie @janet_ox Mamba @janet_ox Fishlee @princess_kortni Lucy @princess_kortni 💗 you guys!! xoxo Matt #dogtrainer #clickertraining #dogtraining

A few of the beauties I’ve been working with this past week, including what we’re working on! Elsa, well-rounded life skills and social confidence @melias_1990 Sprocket, walking skills and advanced cues @jacquesuejensen Aster, appropriate dog-dog play @zorrosmommy Cookie, well-rounded life skills @blankishhhhh1 Vinny, confidence with dogs, pedestrians, and visitors Such a pleasure to work with you and your parents! 💗 You are each so special! #dogtrainer #clickertraining #dogtraining

Get excited! 🔥 LOS LUKES Book Update! Coming Summer 2024 🔥 #dogtrainer #clickertraining #dogtraining

Posted now at Waller Park @santamaria_recandparks. The poster says it all. Watch my Reel from February 20th, 2024 for the backstory. #dogtrainer #clickertraining #dogtraining

Just a few of my ✨beautiful✨students from the past week! I feel so thankful to have the chance to be part of each of these dogs’ lives and make a difference, and to work with each of my student-clients and help them communicate with and understand their dog better. 💗 Lucky Chai @jobieyarn Mia @violetl02 @krystalluna03 Buddy @jackeyhendryx Shy ¡Te veo pronto! #dogtrainer #clickertraining #dogtraining