Northern Tails Dog Training

10/01/2025

Brags! So, I have some students with a young puppy who has not yet completed her vaccine series. When they asked Dr. Harris at Deer Park vet to sign the veterinary release form for class, he said, "I will sign this because it is Lisa. She does a good job." Ahh, to have earned that kind of respect, I'm almost speechless.

But not so speechless that I won't say this, "My puppy classes are epic. If you have a puppy, I hope to see you here!" ;-)

06/01/2025

So, working as I do with dogs and their humans brings immeasurable blessings. I am constantly inspired by people who are willing to make changes on behalf of their animals. Sometimes those changes are HUGE, like switching jobs and moving. Sometimes people make changes in their daily routine and habits as they learn how to make things better for their pets. Today I am inspired by the pure determination and creativity of my clients who have two female dogs that are fighting. Seriously, injuriously fighting. Big vet bills.

While we are in the process of training, and establishing boundaries and order in the household, these girls must be kept separated unless they are muzzled. So, Arch built "gates" to divide up the house. However, one of the dogs kept jumping the gates. And, voila! You see what they came up with here in these photos! It works. No more jumping. I'm in awe :-)

05/01/2025

This is Jax. Isn't he gorgeous? 5 1/2 months old. He is in my Prep class. His peeps are awaiting the results of his DNA test, but most likely Staffy x Pit mix with a splash of something with big EARS ;-)

01/01/2025

Take a guess at what this conversation is about :-)

19/12/2024

Calling all tricksters! There is a trick dog class in January in Clayton. Wednesdays at 10:00 starting on the 15th. You can work your say through titles, if you wish - Novice, Intermediate, Advanced.

Have fun with your dog! Engage their brain. Build their confidence. Teach them impulse control. Strengthen your bond.

03/12/2024

If you have any dog friends who struggle with an obsession with flying insects, you will find a few tips in this article I just wrote!

Why some dogs become obsessed with flies and how an animal communicator can help you better understand your dog and how to help them!

22/11/2024

Hi Friends,

I have started an Instagram Channel. I will be posting inspirational stories about pets, as I travel along this Animal Communication journey. I will also be posting tips to help you become more sensitive to the messages your animal friends are sending to you!

Tomorrow, you will get to read Penelope's story. It is kind of guaranteed to make you raise your eyebrows and go, "Wow!"

Please join us :-)

18/11/2024

Dog training is easy peasy when you start young and work it into every day life. This is Katie. She is 15 weeks old. We are out for a little stroll. Doin' a little training.

23/10/2024

Here we go. I'm offering a new service. Intuitive Animal Communication. This has been a long time in the making and is the result of 20 years working with dogs and their people. Thousands of dogs and twice as many people. I've gotten to the point of "just knowing." I walked into a new client's house last month. I was there because they had spent a lot of time and money with another trainer and the dog would not do ANYthing when asked. Barely a sit. As soon as I walked in and looked at the dog, I knew. He was a very sensitive soul who desperately wanted to please his people. The harsh, old school training methods he had been subjected to confused and frightened him. So, he just shut down. Frozen, really. Just afraid to do anything. When I explained this to his humans while still standing in the entryway, they looked at me with wide eyes and said, "This makes perfect sense. How did you know?" Because I felt it in my core. We turned things around by rewarding and encouraging him for tiny baby steps until he started to trust the process.

For years when I started training, I studied and debated all the methods. I got good at the methods. I studied all the behavior modification techniques and am good at those too. But what I have learned is that when we truly understand the animal's perspective, everything is easier. The trick is quieting the mind and putting aside preconceived notions and truly listening to them. I "felt" the gentleness and sensitivity of my client's dog. And in that moment I almost heard him say, "Please help. I want to be a good dog. I just don't know how" and I could feel that harsh training methods would frighten him. I didn't question it. We just went with it and everything got better.

So now I am offering my services to intuitively tune in to our animal friends to bridge the communication gap. The results have been surprising even to myself. Behaviors shift quickly because we truly understand things from the dog's perspective.

Here is one more story. I know a dog who becomes completely undone at the sound of a fly. Not bees or yellow jackets. Just flies. If she is inside and hears a fly she becomes obsessed with finding it. And nothing can deter her. It was extreme. My dog trainer brain went to thinking it might be OCD behavior. But, I tuned in and discovered that that particular sound sends her nervous system into over drive. It was a sensory thing. We decided that applying pressure when she is in that state, like a Thunder Shirt might help. Well, the next time there was a fly episode, her human put the dog between her legs and applied pressure. Five minutes later, the dog was able to cope. It had worked.

Had I not tuned into the dog to feel what she was feeling, I would have suggested desensitization or focus training. Which would have been much time and money, if they were paying me. A vet may have suggested anti-anxiety medication. All of these things would have been not what she needed. She needs a little pressure and help calming her system down. That is what I got from her and it seems we got it right :-)

There is more information in the link below. I am excited to be helping in this way. I think I can help more of our animal friends and the people who love them. This is my hope, anyway.

Connect deeply with your pets through Lisa Lucas, an intuitive animal communicator. Discover telepathic communication that reveals your pet’s thoughts, emotions, and behavior, helping create harmony and understanding. Book a Zoom session today!

31/07/2024

AKC CGC certification. Ever wondered what it is? There is a CGC class on my schedule, starting September 9th. There will be test on the last day of class. If you pass the test, you will be awarded an official AKC CGC title :-) The test items are listed here

https://s3.amazonaws.com/cdn-origin-etr.akc.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/06120546/cgc-test-items.pdf

27/07/2024

Play Group Today! If you've spent time with me in "training" scenarios, you know that I place HIGH value on socialization and relationship. (relationship between dog and handler) When a dog is socially confident AND has been taught how to be polite with other dogs, life flows smoothly, both off the leash and on. There are three intact male dogs in this group. NO problems. Their humans have learned when and how to effectively intervene before there is a problem. In fact ALL of the people in the group have learned how to accurately read dogs, when to give praise and when to intervene and re-direct. This does not happen at dog parks. Most of these dogs started my puppy class. A few are were adopted as adults. But all of them have attended my group classes, where I can get an accurate read on their general personality.

24/07/2024

Hey all, update here. I've reinstated my AKC evaluator status. Which means, I can evaluate dog/handler teams And award titles for Canine Good Citizen (CGC) and Trick Dog. I'll be posting the requirements for those titles over the next couple of weeks. The novice levels are extremely achievable. Plus, if your dog has earned a CGC title, it counts towards the Trick Dog Title.

The schedule for Trick Dog class is in the link below. CGC schedule is on the way!

Have fun with your dog! Engage their brain. Build their confidence. Teach them impulse control. Strengthen your bond.

15/06/2024

Jemma and I did something new today. We attended an AKC Fetch trial in Rathdrum. It was our first such thing. But, Jemma's breeder and Jemma's mom (Dior) coached us along. In this event, the handler throws a ball 30 feet between boxes. The dog needs to wait for the ball to stop moving and bring it back for another throw. This is not how Jemma and I play fetch. Out fetch game is crazy and creative. Not precise and controlled. When we practiced this new way of fetching in preparation for this event, she always went and picked up the ball, but her route back to me was full of detours, if you get my drift.

So, today I was nervous. And it was pouring rain and I was wearing light clothing and my teeth were chattering. While waiting my turn I was preoccupied. Watching other teams, hearing the roar of a train across the street, talking to a few people. I looked down and saw this face. She wasn't worried about anything. My stomach instantly relaxed, as I felt her say, "Don't worry mom. We got this." In my mind I said, "Okay, this is how this needs to go...and I visualized her getting the ball and coming STRAIGHT back to me.

Our turn arrived. I made six throws. She made only one slight detour on one run back. Otherwise, perfection. She earned her novice fetch dog title. It really is possible to communicate with our dogs on deeper levels than most are aware ;-)

12/05/2024

I've been hearing that at many dog training schools in our area, socializing between dogs is discouraged. The reason given, is because it interferes with the dog's ability to focus on the training skills in class. I am perplexed by this. Annoyed, even. Group training class is an opportunity for dogs to learn how to successfully interact with other dogs of different breeds. And it is also an opportunity for the class instructor to help the humans accurately read their dog and learn how to manage successful social interactions. Today in puppy class, puppies and humans were outside for 15 minutes for off leash socialization. And inside for 45 minutes working on lessons.

These photo's are from the advanced class this morning. This particular group of dogs are all well-matched in personalities. It was a cool morning starting a warm day. Everyone wanted to start outside. So, we did. All dogs began under control in a sit stay. And were released to go play AFTER remaining relaxed in a sit/stay. A perfect training moment.

We had a special visitor today - the 10-year old grandson of one of the students. So, the dogs got extra socialization with a youngster, who took the dogs on a walk through the pathways in the yard around the training building.

08/04/2024

Back to THIS, now that winter is leaving! Social hour/play groups. A perk when you take a class here at Northern Tails Dog Training. One hour of socialization and fun. Currently scheduled for Sundays at 3:30. Every week. Until old man winter sends us back indoors ;-) Dogs making friends with dogs. Humans making friends with humans. And dog love all around.

03/03/2024

Canine trauma can stem from various sources, including abuse, neglect, accidents, brutal training methods, or significant environmental changes. Traumatised dogs might display behaviours like excessive barking, cowering, or aggression, which are indicators of their emotional distress. Recognising th...

27/02/2024

If y'all are feeding Purina, please stop

From “rumor” to an investigation, pet owners made sure this current concern in pet food got noticed by regulatory authorities.

09/02/2024

Beware of what you eat and what you feed your dog. It is becoming a Frankenworld. Home prepared food is best for you and your pet.

The first two metric tons of an animal protein created through fermentation is a step toward commercializing this technology for pet food applications.