Special Presentations Abstracts
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The Power of Choice in Animal Training What is the desired outcome of giving an animal a choice? Ideally the animal chooses as you, the trainer, wants. When that happens; you are happy, you deliver high value reinforcement and thus; the animal is happy. Possibly babies no longer cry, taxes are eliminated and all disease is eradicated from our planet. Okay… maybe not but you and the animal are pleased. But, every time a choice is presented to an animal, with that choice, you are also opening up the possibility of an undesired response from the animal. Here is where life can become less pleasant. If you are not happy with the choice, no reinforcement will be delivered, which means your animal is un-happy. What then? What do these un-happy animals do next? Reward expectancy. It can create rage, it can create shut down but it can also create brilliance. The literature has suggested there are four responses to all animal’s frustration (yes, even us humans). These four responses are genetically predetermined but can be environmentally altered. Have you found a way to make choice work for you in your training or are failure and frustration just two more ‘F’ words that are to be avoided at all costs? During this presentation I will outline these four responses to frustration and demonstrate how making the power of choice a part of your training should not be avoided but embraced as a way to exponentially improve your results!
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Wanted: Animal Training Supervisor! Those Good with Animals Need Not Apply!
The title is somewhat facetious, but this presentation focuses on the myriad of skills besides animal training knowledge needed to be a good consultant, supervisor, manager, or veterinarian. Ken will use stories from his many years as a consultant and supervisor to focus on people skills, problem solving skills, negotiating tools, organizational skills and many more that will help trainers be better prepared for effectively taking on more responsibility. Ken Ramirez, executive vice-president of animal care, animal health and animal training, develops and supervises animal care programs, staff training and development as well as public presentation programs for the entire animal collection at Shedd Aquarium. He joined Shedd Aquarium in 1989. A 35+ year veteran of animal care and training, Ramirez is a biologist and animal behaviorist who has worked in zoos and aquariums in four different countries in his career. He has also served as a consultant to many zoo and aquarium programs throughout the world. He began his training career working with guide dogs for the visually impaired and has maintained a close affiliation to domestic animal training throughout his career. He hosted two successful seasons of the pet training television series Talk to the Animals that compared pet training to the important work done with training and caring for animals in zoological facilities. He has also recently worked closely with several search and rescue dog organizations as well as with bomb and narcotic dogs. Ramirez has been active in several professional organizations, including the International Marine Animal Trainer’s Association (IMATA), of which he is a past president. Ken has also been on the faculty of Karen Pryor’s Clicker Expos since 2004. He also teaches a graduate course on animal training at Western Illinois University. Ramirez has written for numerous scientific publications and popular articles and has authored the book ANIMAL TRAINING: Successful Animal Management through Positive Reinforcement, published in 1999. |