After many years of training many different species I found that there are only a couple techniques that really makes a change when training hoofstock. As we all know hoofstock species are almost always in groups. This comes with some challenges along the way. Working with groups in general is Read more…
There are a variety of different strategies to train a brand new behaviour. In this article we will talk about Free Shaping. If you want to know more about the other techniques please read this article. There is a variety of ways we can use this technique to solve challenges Read more…
As trainers we are focused a lot on which behaviour or approximation we like our animals to preform. We ask, they do, we apply a reinforcer. I believe there is more to it than reinforcing a behaviour. Since we are working a lot with applying successful recalls we are continuously Read more…
In the past years of coaching animal care professionals about how to train their animals in zoological settings I get asked very often, Where do you even start? Many keepers are stuck because of this question. Overwhelmed might be the right word to use. Even for me it is not Read more…
Many zoological facilities are continuously looking better the care of their animals. As animal caretakers we want to make sure that the species we look after thrive in their ca-give environments. This is not just about giving them large enclosures, it goes much further than this. Animal group make ups, Read more…
After listening to all the fantastic presentations at the Cooperative Care Conference 2021 a lot of new ideas came through which I thought I should focus on in my training. CER is one of them. CER stands for Conditioned Emotional Response. There are 2 important parts when we train our Read more…
The time when an animal is not trained is as important as when we train our animals. Maybe it is even more important to give the animal a chance to practice behaviours which fit in their species appropriate repertoire. Animal training is enriching I think we can al agree to Read more…
Within my marine mammal career I slowly started to understand that relationships are more than giving a fish to an animal. Especially when I started my work with these magnificent killer whales. I came in and had the chance to do what I always wanted. But before this really started Read more…
Only half way through my career I learned a valuable lesson about behaviour. Which actually came from on trainer I met during my career in Spain. She told me whenever I find a moment to observe the animals outside a training session. Observe what they do and who they do Read more…
Dogs as well as humans need a certain amount of activity. But it’s important to find a balance of activity and inactivity, so the dog does not get stressed by under- or over activity. Walking is a great activity, but dogs also need mental stimulation. All dogs need to use Read more…
