Beyond the Black Box

A brief message from the hosts. It's been a while, but we are thrilled to be back, and excited to release some new content, coming soon!

Join us as we explore the complex relationship and differences between choice, freedom, and agency in animal training; and delve into whether our current discussions surrounding agency are truly reaping the benefits described in the current literature to empower animals. The science is clear, agency isn't an aspiration, it's a prerequisite and fundamental component of instructional design....

In this episode, we introduce co-host Jenn Dize, self-described dog-nerd, as we recount the story of how Jenn's adorable and reactive pup Chloe, and TikTok prompted her to take a headlong leap into choice-based communication. How the R+2.0 community sparked a friendship fueled by our mutual passion for learning, animals, and science. We hope you all will join us in continuing to explore the bo...

If we acknowledge the probability that animals experience cognitive distortions, how could we possibly apply practical strategies to address it? We don't have to read an animal's mind, we can act to combat the potential for false predictions not by acknowledging what will not be, but rather by modeling what will be. By crafting a learning environment that guarantees safety, and creates a s...