This course was developed as part of the 3-course series: ‘How to Train Any Animal, Anything!’
Have you ever seen an animal perform an impressive behavior/’trick’ and wondered ‘how the heck did they train that!?’
Do you seek out step-by-step instructions of how to train certain behaviors you can’t seem to figure out on your own (or perhaps have never thought to try before)?
Does imposter syndrome stop you from experimenting in new areas or subsets of behavior/skills? How about transferring your existing skills to use with a new species?
Are you interested in gaining the knowledge, skills, and confidence(!) to be able to come up with your OWN unique approach to producing brand new behavior in animals?
Stop asking—and start answering!—‘how the heck did they train that?!’
‘How to Train Any Animal, Anything!’ sets out to deliver precisely ‘what it says on the tin;’ exploring what knowledge, skills, and considerations one needs to possess or know how to make in order to be able to ‘train any animal, anything!’
Part 1/3: Know Your Learner
What does it mean to train an animal? What is involved? What makes a good animal trainer? What do they know, or know how to do? Learn how to identify, analyze, and manipulate factors of an animal’s motivation in order to teach them new behavioral contingencies i.e. perform the behaviors you want, when you want them/’on cue!’
Who would benefit from this course series?
- Anyone thinking about or wanting to become an animal training professional
- Cross-industry pet professionals (groomers, vets, caretakers, etc) who want to add new behavior production in animal training to their skillset
- Hobbyists, sport enthusiasts, and anyone with previous experience in animal training who may be stuck on how to teach new skills they haven’t taught or received instruction on how to teach before
- Pet owners and practitioners with all species of animals who want to know how to teach new behaviors, and who may or may not have difficulty finding species and/or skill-specific instruction/support (we’ve got you covered!)
- Anyone wanting to challenge themselves towards developing ‘wow factor’ levels of behavior precision and fluency from the start
Thinking about starting here (Part 1/3: Know Your Learner)?
This course is suitable for students brand new to animal training and beyond who seek a must-have concrete theoretical foundation to begin to answer the question of what knowledge is necessary to know ‘how to train any animal, anything!’
What will you learn from this course (Part 1/3: Know Your Learner)?
In Part 1, we will cover topics including…
- How animals learn (associative and operant conditioning)
- What makes a strong behavior (reinforcement history/law of effect)
- How to identify motivation for behavior including consequences, value, ’distractions,’ and motivating operations
- What is reinforcement? What reinforcement is for your particular learner, and ways to discover it
- What is contingency? The ABCs of behavior patterns
- The bridge and meta-analysis of patterns to behavior/ABCs
- Stimulus control AKA putting behavior on cue (so that it may happen when you want it)
- The power of reinforcement strategies; how your delivery affects your end goal behavior and overall approach to establishing contingency
- Species-specific considerations; what questions to know how to ask, and answer
- Consent, choice, engagement, and other holistic considerations for best learning/training results