Building A Future
REMEMBERING The Past
From: John S. Baranchok, Ph.D.
Medically Retried Counseling Psychologist
To: Those Considering Jessica Nicely Oncken’s Qualifications as a World Class Dog Trainer.
It is with extreme pleasure that am writing this endorsement for Jessica Nicely Oncken as a World Class Dog trainer! I am a Ph.D. Counseling Psychologist with specialties in Neuropsychology, Pain Psychology, Behavioral Medicine, and Trauma Therapy. I have enjoyed decades of clinical practice in numerous Neurological Rehabilitation Hospitals throughout the US, a 19-year Private Practice in Neuropsychology, Pain Psychology, and Counseling, prior to ending my career with a two-year position at the Rome, VAMC Outreach Clinic as a Clinical Psychologist. During this time, I have served as an expert witness on a variety of brain injury and capacity cases. For the first time in 50 years, I successfully testified to reverse a finding of “Competent to Stand Trial” in a GA circuit court. I have been forced to retire from my VAMC position due to Stage 4 Prostate and Spinal Cancer, Currently in Remission. During this 43-year career, I have supervised and worked with many exceedingly competent Ph.D. level Psychologist. I have yet to meet anyone with the scientific behavioral knowledge and practice experience of Jessica Nicely Oncken!
Jessica and I met on a web-site, where our relationship began debating B. F. Skinner origins, or lack thereof, in “The Four Quadrant” model. Since that time, we speak on a weekly basis about her clients. Although she refers to me a “mentor”, any mentorship relationship we have developed is mutual. Through her voracious appetite for the readings of Pavlov and Skinner, as well as experimental design and statistics; she has remined me of many behavioral principals I had long forgot and an equal number that I had never learned! Our relationship is truly equally beneficial and enlightening for us both!
I find her extremely knowledgeable in the behavioral sciences and their flexible application, while training the most challenging cases. She is very professional, quickly bonds with her human and dog clients, effects rapid behavioral change in her animal clients, and easily teaches behavioral science to empower their handlers. This should be no surprise, considering she began her own training at a tender age, under the tutelage her father; a scientifically-based, forensic, behavioral dog training expert! Through this, she has worked training countless K-9 dogs, prior to offering her world class training skills to the general public. She has saved the life of my own dog, through her expert consultation! I cannot imagine a more qualified behavioral trainer to work with. Her concerns for her clients should always be taken seriously and be given considerable weight during consultation!
With Sincerity and Pleasure,
John S. Baranchok, Ph.D.
Medically Retried Georgia Licensed Psychologist
License Number “On Hold” 2010
JESSICAS’ STORY
Born to a K9 MP at the famed Lackland AFB, the center for training MWDs (Military Working Dogs), some have said that Jessica was destined to train dogs. She shares her father’s intense passion for training dogs. Her love for dogs has been a part of her life since she was a young girl, and it has only grown stronger with time. Jessica’s biggest compliment came from a client who had observed her training and said, “Doing this brings you peace, doesn’t it?” This comment left her breathless for a moment since she had never thought of her passion for training dogs in that way before. But the client was right, for Jessica finds peace in training dogs.
JESSICA AND K9 “REX” AT HIS GRADUATION. REX WAS THE FIRST K9 JESSICA WAS INVOLVED IN THE TRAINING OF
When they returned home after a long day at the kennels, Jessica’s mother once told her and her father that they had the luxury of living to work while she worked to live. Her drive to be the best dog trainer does not come from a need for followers or recognition from other trainers but rather from her love for dogs and their owners. She has always been fascinated by the way dogs think and act. Jessica’s approach to dog training is based on science, but she understands that science is only a guide and is useless if she cannot read the dog’s behavior and apply the science in a way that both the dog and the owner can understand. Jessica understands that every dog is different and tailors her training to suit each dog’s needs. She takes the time to read the dog’s behavior and applies the science so that the dog and its owner can understand.
JESSICAS’ BELOVED ZEUS. HE WAS HER FIRST DOG THAT WAS NOT A WORKING K9. HE HAD THE COAT OF A LAB AND THE HEART OF A LION.
Her father stressed that the day one thinks they know everything about dog training is when they become bad trainers. Therefore, Jessica is always studying and learning, never ceasing to improve her 39-year-old craft. She is a voracious reader and always keeps herself on the path of learning and honing her skills. Jessica wakes up every morning, inspired by her father’s love, memory, and values, to be the best trainer she can be.
JESSICAS’ 2ND NON WORKING DOG ELLIE. JESSICA ENJOYS ELLIES DRIVES AND SPIRIT AS IT ALLOWS THEM TO DO HER FAVORITE PART OF HER K9 CAREER, SCENT DETECTION
Jessica is making her own new chapter by providing the best training for dogs and their owners based on science and over 3 decades of training dogs. Her father was not just her inspiration but also her mentor and guide. Though he has passed, the values and wisdom he imparted to Jessica continue to influence her daily. Her mother often reminds her that he would say, behind closed doors, that she had surpassed him in many ways and that he fulfilled his goal of teaching her all that he knew. While he is missed daily, his legacy lives on through Jessica’s work. She carries his love, memory, and values with her in every training session, ensuring his teachings are never forgotten.
JESSICAS’ DAUGHTER KATELYN AND ELLIE/ JESSICA AND K9 “BELLE” (MOTHER AND DAUGHTER AND BOTH DOGS EXACT SAME AGE AT TIME PICTURE WAS TAKEN
HER MENTOR – HER HERO –
HER FATHER
THE LEGACY BEGINS
The story of Jessica’s father is truly inspiring and worth remembering. He began his career as an MP K9 handler for the Marine Corps, working at the now legendary Lackland AFB, which is widely considered to be the premier training center for military working dogs. After serving in the Marine Corps, he became a K9 officer for over a decade in this role. However, his true passion for working with dogs led him to leave the police force and pursue a career in training K9s and their officers.
He quickly gained a reputation as one of the best in the business. He became a judge for the United States Police Canine Association (USPCA) and was called upon to serve as an expert witness in state and federal court cases involving K9s as far back as the early 00s. In addition to these achievements, he also acquired a BS in Behavioral Science from Texas State University, was published in journals, and gave lectures around the world, including the National Training Center in Holland, sharing his knowledge and insights into behavioral science and how it can be used to create better K9s and detector dogs.
Perhaps most importantly, he was a devoted father who wanted to pass on his knowledge and love for dogs to his daughter. He began teaching Jessica how to train dogs when she was just eight years old, and by the time she was 13, she was already learning to handle K9s herself. Her father was her mentor and hero, and even though he is no longer with us, he continues to be her driving force to carry on his legacy of maintaining high standards as a trainer and bringing out the best in every dog. The story of Jessica’s father is a testament to the power of passion, dedication, and hard work, and it inspires Jessica to make a difference in the world for these beautiful creatures.
GALLERY
