Animal Training Fundamentals with Barbara Heidenreich

Welcome to Look What You've Done!, a brand-new mini podcast series within the Animal Training Fundamentals catalog. This series follows the R.I.A. (Relate, Illuminate, Activate) approach—highlighting the remarkable stories of pioneers in animal behavior science, illuminating their contributions, and providing tangible steps to activate progress in our field. In this inaugural episode, host Barbara...

Welcome to Part 3 of our captivating podcast series, "Freeing the Crabs from the Bucket. Reaching Our Potential by Recognizing Others," from the Global Online Animal Training Series. In Part 1, we uncovered the concept of plagiarism and its benefits to the animal training industry. Part 2 revealed the industry's fallout from plagiarism. And now, in Part 3, we're debunking common myths and misconce...

Welcome to Part 2 of our podcast series, "Freeing the Crabs from the Bucket. Reaching Our Potential by Recognizing Others," from the Global Online Animal Training Series. In Part 1, we explored the concept of plagiarism and its benefits to the animal training industry. Part 2 delves into the repercussions of plagiarism on the industry and the challenges of providing proper attribution. This episod...

Are you a fan of multitasking? I certainly am, and that's why I love audiobooks. They allow me to absorb knowledge while walking my dog or preparing animal diets. In this podcast series, I'm your guide through "Freeing the Crabs from the Bucket. Reaching Our Potential by Recognizing Others." This 24-page article, which I've been working on for nearly two years, has been a source of enlightenment f...

Assent is a new buzzword in animal training. But what does it really mean? My special guests, Anna Linnehan and Awab Abdel-Jalil, help us understand. These experts in nonlinear contingency analysis and the constructional approach have collaborated, along with others, to publish two articles on assent. They share an overview of their articles. They explain how to evaluate assent to participate and...

In this episode we explore how conferences help you unlock the power of connection. We discover how to maximize the conference experience by delving into networking strategies, hidden learning opportunities, staying healthy to go the distance, and the importance of professionalism. From navigating over stimulation to starting meaningful conversations, we explore the pivotal strategies and insider...

Amy Phelps is truly a pioneer in giraffe training. In this episode she shares the inspiring history of training giraffes. This is a rare opportunity to hear directly from someone who was there from the beginning, training behaviors for the very first time that have now become standard in the industry, such as training voluntary hoof care. You will get to hear the origin story of the firehose barri...

The information I share is frequently inspired by the work done in real life creating behavior change. This episode is no exception.   During a recent zoo consultation data collection was essential to address a behavior challenge. Our observations revealed some very interesting results which led to refinements in our intervention. So much so, that we reached our goal in two minutes in our second t...

This episode was inspired by my own personal journey addressing some discomfort over a much-anticipated upcoming event. While helping myself become more relaxed, I was reminded of some parallels in my work with animals. The word uncomfortable can mean different things to different trainers. Therefore, I cover some common scenarios that trainers may describe as uncomfortable for animals. This might...

T he recently published article Increasing Socially Significant Behaviors for Children with Autism Using Synchronous Reinforcement by Stordahl et al. (2023) has inspired this episode. Synchronous reinforcement, episodic reinforcement , conjugate reinforcement, and demand functions can all play a role in animal training. I explore these different reinforcement options and how they are applied, how...

When innovative ideas emerge in the animal training world it can spark conversation. For some it evokes behavior change, for others not just yet, and maybe not ever. When there is resistance to emerging ideas, it can be frustrating for those who have been reinforced by changing their behavior. But as we will examine, resistance can be a very rational response. In this episode we look at some of th...

Are you convinced your animals love it when you talk to them? Or perhaps it is the opposite, maybe it seems like your words mean absolutely nothing. In some cases, it may feel like your voice is helpful and in other cases it may seem like talking to them only made things worse. How can this be? In this podcast I cover a variety of scenarios and explain how talking can impact training in desired an...

Do you have doubts about negative reinforcement? I understand! I sure did. That was until someone took the time to clear up some misunderstandings I had because of what I had been previously taught. That moment changed my life and how I am now able to help improve animal welfare. Many animals are unable to contact positive reinforcement due to competing negative reinforcement contingencies. Often...

Have you been hearing the word "constructional" a lot lately? There is a reason for that! The animal training community is evolving, and it is extremely exciting. It has a lot to do with a different way of looking at behavior change that is known as "the constructional approach". My special guests this episode are Sean Will and Maasa Nishimuta from the Constructional Approach to Animal Welfare and...

My special guests this episode are Dr Jesus Rosales-Ruiz and Mary Hunter. As hosts of the Art and Science of Animal Training Conference, they bring together behavior scientists and animal trainers to inspire both communities and elevate the conversation. The theme of the most recent conference was negative reinforcement. In this podcast we revisit this topic and so much more. Our discussion of neg...

Constructional Aggression Treatment, also known as CAT, first debuted in the animal training community in 2007 when Kellie Snider made the procedure the focus of her thesis. Since then it has been fine tuned, practiced, applied and successfully replicated countless of times with a wide variety of species. Kellie and I discuss what inspired her studies and why it is such an important procedure for...

Do you have a feeling something you are doing or would like to do could improve animal welfare? Have you thought about collecting data, evaluating your results, and publishing it so others can benefit? My guests in this episode are Dr Eddie Fernandez and Rickey Kinley. They share how zoos can participate in scientific studies to improve animal welfare. They give great tips on how to establish cruc...

Working with marine mammals is often identified as the dream job for many pursuing a career in animal training. Although I personally went a different direction to learn about training, I have had a number of good friends gain their training chops working with marine mammals. My guests in this episode are colleagues from my early days in the zoological field who became seasoned pros working with a...

Whether you work with great apes or not you have to listen to this episode! Here is why. This episode is all about making a difference. It is also a great reminder that everyone has the power to make changes that can have a tremendous impact on animal welfare. As you listen to this episode, I encourage you to think about the similarities to training a new behavior. It all starts with what you can...

I am often reminded of all the incredible things animals and training brings to the world. My guest this episode is the perfect example. You are going to love this fascinating interview with zoologist and engineer Dr David Lentink. David has merged his passion for nature and technology to study flight. He runs the Bio-Inspired Research and Design (BIRD) Lab at Stanford University. We discussed tra...

Many animal caregivers seek veterinary advice when their animal is showing undesired behavior. In some cases underlying health issues can be contributing to behavior problems that need to be addressed. However there may be other factors to consider that require the services of a veterinarian who specializes in behavior. Veterinary behaviorists are board certified and specially trained to advance b...

Are you absolutely convinced your dog loves it when you talk to him? My special guest is behavior analyst Dr Erica Feuerbacher. She explores questions like this and more. Her research has looked at whether dogs prefer petting over praise and what consequences function best as reinforcers. In this fun interview we discuss the many things that have been learned from studying dog behavior. We also di...

No matter what your role is when it comes to animal care, at some point you will likely encounter a situation that will cause you to examine the space in which the animal lives. It may be a behavior problem. It may be the opportunity to redesign an enclosure. It may be changes to your animal collection. It may be that your space is not addressing your needs or goals. Or you may have the opportunit...

Elephants have captured the hearts of mankind for centuries, including the heart of Gerry Creighton, Operations Manager for Dublin Zoo and Elephant Care Consultant. As a consultant, Gerry has traveled the world bringing innovation, backed by science to create elephant programs that thrive. Gerry looks to the ethology of the species for inspiration and creating opportunities for elephants to learn...

Discover how veterinary professionals, trainers and animal caregivers are working together to make fear free medicine a reality for avian patients. Every detail from what you can do at home, to how the patient is welcomed into the clinic, as well as what happens in the exam room is taken into consideration. While training in advance is certainly recommended, you will discover training is just one...