Monday Abstracts

​Breaking Down Barriers:
​What Dog Trainers Can Learn from
​Zoo Animal Trainers
​
Anna Oblasser-Mirtl,
​AnimalTrainingCenter


Watch Video 
​(Login required)​​ ​

Full Abstract

Worldwide there are approximately 6 million dogs living in our homes, some of which do amazing things like guiding blind people or detecting mines. Dogs are without a doubt intelligent creatures that have great learning abilities and deserve force-free and respectful handling. Even though there has been an increase in positive reinforcement training in the dog training world, almost all medical and most husbandry procedures are done without giving the dog a choice. Very often they are forced into stressful and painful situations, which compromises the dog’s welfare and can severely harm the individual human-dog relationship. Inspired by the training done with many zoo animals, we decided to train dogs to participate voluntarily in medical and husbandry procedures. We created a program utilizing a variety of easy-to-train cooperative behaviors that give dogs choices and control in scenarios where previously they had none. Our training has been very successful and is a great example, both of how different types of animal trainers can learn from each other regardless of what species they typically work with, and how this learning can significantly improve an animal’s welfare.​​

​
​Weight Management Is Not
​a Four Letter Word
​
Cathy Schlott and Nicki Boyd,
​National Aviary and San Diego Zoo


Watch Video 
​(Login required)​​ ​​​​

Full Abstract

Weight Management: There is a lot of discussion currently about the pros and cons of using weight management in animal training. We have heard the critiques: “Don’t starve the animal, feed all the food every day, don’t rely on weight to get behavior” and so on. Weight management, done correctly, is one of many tools in a trainer’s toolbox. We want to focus on the benefits of using weight management and enrichment to maintain animal health throughout its life in captivity. By carefully balancing body scoring, proper diets, behavioral observations, and monitoring seasonal trends, you can keep your animals in a state of proper welfare, optimum health and receptive to training and enrichment. This paper will cover scenarios in which weight management, regardless of training goals, has benefited animals in captive husbandry settings.​

​
​Advantages to Tuning
​Your Guitar (Fish)
​​
Blake A Schembri,
​Disney’s The Seas with Nemo and Friends


Watch Video 
​(Login required)​​ ​​

Full Abstract

Training in an underwater environment has been a rewarding task. Giant shovelnose rays (Glaucostegus typus) have a life history of being bottom dwellers, therefore often making them less visual to guests and aquarists. To help overcome this in a 5.8 million gallon main environment at The Seas, we developed two separate training plans. The first plan was a targeting behavior to enhance the visibility of the animals to our guests. The second plan was a voluntary capture behavior, which guests were able to view, that helped make medical procedures less stressful for everyone involved, most importantly the animal. Underwater communication between trainers and competition in a mixed species setting were two of the biggest challenges. After overcoming those challenges and finding success with these training plans, we noticed that the guitarfish have been more confident swimming around our large environment and do not seem to have the same fearful behaviors. With these positive sessions, we have been able to build their confidence, in turn increasing their visibility to our guests, and enhance their health and husbandry by better managing their diets and accomplishing capture with ease.​

Big Cats Inspiring Conservation by Demonstrating Natural Behaviors on Cue 

Amy Schilz and Rachael Hahn,
​Cheyenne Mountain Zoo


Watch Video 
​(Login required)​​ ​​

​

Full Abstract

Many zoos, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (CMZ) included, have been doing animal demonstrations for years. At CMZ, keepers were challenged to take these interactions one step further and really stay true to our mission statement: connect guests with wildlife and wild places. We knew our animals were extraordinary; we saw their amazingness every day. We started challenging ourselves to think outside of the box and create opportunities for our guests to see our animals the way we do. CMZ began pushing the limits with what we refer to as “Natural Behavior Shows”. During these shows, guests get to experience what it would be like to see our animals in the wild by training them to perform the behaviors they’re built for and to show people what helps the animals to be successful within their natural environments. For our big cats, we have put behaviors like running, jumping, chuffing, hiding and “hunting” on cue. Our training is paired with exciting, educational dialogue which we hope inspires people to go home, take action, and save our felid friends. The goal of each show is not necessarily to fill guests’ heads with tons of natural history facts, but instead to break down barriers and connect them with our animals. We want to give our guests new possibilities and opportunities to learn more about big cats. During this presentation, we will cover how we trained some of these innovative behaviors, how we put novel spins on classic behaviors, and show how you can do the same. ​

A Challenging Past With a Promising Future: Successful Management of African Great White Pelicans Through the Use of Operant Conditioning

Tiffany Burns, Heather Statz, 
and Brooke Bowersox,
Clearwater Marine Aquarium


Watch Video 
​(Login required)​​ ​​

Full Abstract

In 2012, to support the mission of the Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA), two African great white pelicans (Pelecanus onocrotalus) were provided with a permanent residence. Upon acquisition, it was evident that the pelicans would present us with a unique challenge. Commonly practiced classical conditioning techniques were initially ineffective due to the pelicans’ diverse training history. The pelicans also appeared to have a history of aversion and avoidance behavior associated with the presence of trainers. In order to provide the highest quality of care for all resident animals our goal was to develop a trusting relationship that would allow us to successfully manage the pelicans through operant conditioning. In the span of 3 years the pelicans have made significant behavioral progress. The success of the program was due to the utilization of primary trainers, proper desensitization practices, positive reinforcement training, and significant interaction time. Some of the notable outcomes include established husbandry behaviors and exercise alternatives. By using the fundamentals of training one can break down even the biggest of barriers with any species to ensure their well-being in human care.​