Precision Animal Training

In this episode of Precision Animal Training, host Kirsten Kraljevic welcomes acclaimed trainers Bob Bailey and Phung Luu to explore how merging instinctual and systematic approaches leads to transformative animal training. Phung shares his inspiring journey from rural Vietnam to leading bird shows and consulting for top zoos. He highlights his pivotal shift from intuitive, shooting from the hip m...

Show Notes On this episode, Kirsten Kraljevic and Dr. Bob Bailey sit down with longtime student and class assistant Mimmi Pacerek to explore the unique and transformative experience of participating in chicken training workshops. They highlight why these programs deliver such powerful value for animal trainers at every level. At their core, the workshops are designed to train people, not just anim...

In this episode, Kirsten Kraljevic and Dr. Bob Bailey sit down with Simon Prins , a pioneering animal trainer from the Netherlands. Simon shares his remarkable journey, from his first encounters with Bob Bailey to the challenges of introducing science-based training methods in Europe. He explains the shift from traditional approaches to more efficient, data-driven techniques that are transforming...

In this episode of Precision Animal Training, Kirsten and Dr. Bob Bailey reflect on their recent workshops with trainers from around the world. They highlight the importance of challenge and rigor in quality animal training education. The discussion explores the pitfalls of oversimplification, the rise of “knockoff” workshops, and why effective programs must push participants to build genuine mech...

In this episode of Precision Animal Training, Kirsten Kraljevic and Dr. Bob Bailey explore the evolution and global impact of modern animal training. They discuss the Baileys’ and Brelands’ pioneering workshops, the challenges of traveling with chickens, and Marian’s health struggles, which eventually led to Dr. Bob Bailey taking the lead at Animal Behavior Enterprises.  The legacy of their method...

In this episode of Precision Animal Training, Kirsten Kraljevic and Dr. Bob Bailey dive into the wild logistics and rich history behind taking chicken training workshops on the road across North America. Dr. Bob Bailey shares stories of hauling 42 chickens, tons of feed, and custom-built equipment from coast to coast. He navigated complex state and international animal inspection rules while keepi...

In this episode, Kirsten Kraljevic and Dr. Bob Bailey dive into the origins and evolution of their renowned chicken training workshops. Kirsten highlights the foundational role of observation and behavioral change in animal training, and she explains the workshops’ lasting impact on trainers across the industry. Dr. Bob Bailey shares how he and Marian developed these workshops, how they selected d...

In this episode of Precision Animal Training, Kirsten Kraljevic and Dr. Bob Bailey take a deep dive into the groundbreaking days of Animal Behavior Enterprises in the 1970s. They explore the innovative systems first developed by Keller Breland and later refined by Dr. Bob Bailey himself. The conversation highlights some truly remarkable training feats - ravens that carried loads, vultures in live...

In this episode of Precision Animal Training, Kirsten Kraljevic and Dr. Bob Bailey delve into the evolution of modern animal training, tracing its roots from the Brelands’ pioneering work to its influence on institutions like SeaWorld and military projects. Dr. Bob Bailey shares insights on systematized animal care, the importance of observational skills, and the unique role of chickens in foundat...

In this episode of Precision Animal Training, Kirsten Kraljevic and Dr. Bob Bailey explore the innovative scaling and automation that defined Animal Behavior Enterprises (ABE), founded by Marian and Keller Breland. They discuss how the Brelands revolutionized animal training in the 1940s and 1950s by integrating automated reinforcement equipment, developing standardized training manuals, and creat...

In this episode of Precision Animal Training, host Kirsten Kraljevic and Dr. Bob Bailey explore more of the life and journey of Marian and Keller Breland, pioneers in animal behavior and training. The episode details Marian’s rise from poverty to a scholarship at the University of Minnesota, her accidental introduction to Keller and the pivotal meeting with B.F. Skinner. Listeners learn about thei...

In this episode, Kirsten and Dr. Bob Bailey explore the origins and impact of the "Skinner box" and the pivotal contributions of Keller and Marian Breland to animal training. They discuss how the Brelands, inspired by their work with B.F. Skinner, moved beyond the rigid confines of academia, experimenting with operant conditioning and the introduction of the bridging stimulus, today's clicker or m...

In this inspiring episode of Chicken Workshop, host Kirsten Kraljevic sits down with her mentor, Dr. Bob Bailey, to reveal the untold history behind animal training’s evolution, especially the foundational Chicken Workshops. Dr. Bob Bailey shares fascinating anecdotes tracing the workshops’ roots to the 1940s and the Brelands’ pioneering work systematizing operant conditioning with chickens. Kirst...

In this episode of Precision Animal Training, Kirsten Kraljevic and Dr. Bob Bailey explore the rich history of animal training through the legacy of Keller and Marian Breland, two pioneering psychologists who worked alongside B.F. Skinner. Dr. Bob Bailey shares how the Brelands influenced his career, their revolutionary use of operant conditioning, and their role in training pigeons to guide bombs...

In this pilot episode of Precision Animal Training, Kirsten Kraljevic introduces animal training legend Dr. Bob Bailey, sharing stories from his childhood curiosity with ants to pioneering dolphin training for the U.S. Navy. The conversation dives deep into the science of behavior change, the value of precise observation, and the origins of the famous Chicken Workshops. Dr. Bob Bailey reflects on...