Our Purpose

As caregivers and trainers, we continue to ask animals to mould to our expectations often without understanding how this affects their overall well-being. 

Domestication of animals doesn’t mean they are no less animals with complex needs and behaviours that must be respected. 

The majority of behaviour issues animals exhibit are due to human interaction and, unfortunately, said behaviours are often mismanaged because their caregivers forget that their critter is only acting like the animal they are.

When the behaviour is not corrected according to the caregiver’s expectations, the quest for fixes and alternative solutions begins which can inflict additional stress and associative reactions. 

Objective

Our objective is to remind caregivers and professionals that animals behave as animals and it’s our responsibility to adapt our expectations to better manage their behaviour. 

In fact, it’s not the behaviour that is typically the issue but the caregiver’s reaction that invokes a series of events that become the problem. 

Coaching Philosophy

Our coaching philosophy involves teaching people to pause, assess their motives, take stock of the situation, and ask what can be done to accommodate their critter to ensure they are able to live an enriched life with the least amount of stress possible. Once this has been achieved, the majority of their behaviour issues are resolved without excessive training and modification. 

Memberships

About Lisa

I am an Animal Behaviour Consultant, a Certified Feline Friendly Veterinary Professional, a member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, the International Society of Animal Professionals, the American Association of Feline Professionals, and a Certified Pet Nutrition Coach.

Animals were a huge part of my life growing up and my parents, Linda and Jim, were devoted equine advocates. Together, they developed an equine management and training model that is still in use today by many of their students. 

I was an active horsewoman, dog trainer and handler, but even then, showmanship was secondary to understanding why animals behaved the way they did, and how our expectations influenced their reactions to environmental and social pressure.

Though I stopped riding due to kidney disease, I continued to learn about animal behaviour and training. I was especially interested in cognitive behaviour, and how human-animal interaction affected the bond between caregivers and their critters.

The Mind Science of Success

Over the years, I studied metacognition, the mind science of success, and attained my qualifications as a career counsellor and hypnotherapist. I studied several speciality programs, including the Silva Mind Method, and became obsessed with how our thoughts reflect our quality of life. This uncovered a series of interests in why animals react a certain way and how our expectations and reactions affect the outcome of any event or training.

The correlation between the mind science of success and animal training explained a great deal about why certain animals would react well for my parents and myself, and then supposedly not behave for other trainers and handlers. This prompted me to learn more about animal cognition across years of study and investigation.

My research was ahead of its time because most trainers, professionals, and even caregivers believed (many still do) that dominating an animal was the only method to ensure training success.

Called into Action

The rise of so-called, influencers, whisperers, and animal communicators and psychics sharing misinformation motivated me to create an online academy to coach caregivers and professionals on the importance of the human-animal bond.

We also provide an outreach service to veterinarians to help facilitate behaviour programs through education, resources, and follow-up consultations. This program helps to bridge the gap between treatment and compliance and minimizes the stress between veterinary professionals, caregivers and their critters.

Though the Critter Bond Academy™ focuses on the welfare of all animals, we specialize in feline care and behaviour. If your cat, clinic or rescue requires assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Whether it’s debunking myths about nutrition, introducing a new cat, or decoding the behaviour of an existing one, we can help.

I have specific training and certification in:

• Animal Behaviour and Welfare
• Human-Animal Interaction
• Stress, Fear, and Anxiety
• Dog Behaviour and Cognition
• Cat Behaviour and Training
• Equine Welfare and Management
• Chicken, Cow, and Pig Welfare
• Dog Training
• Equine Enrichment
• Chronic Pain 
• Cat Chronic Kidney Disease 
• Infectious Disease Prevention
• Pet Nutrition Coach Certified (RACE approved)
• Feline Friendly Veterinary Professional Certified (RACE approved)
• Dip. Advanced Feline Behaviour
• Several certificates and vocational experience as a personal and professional development specialist.