This holiday season, I’ve decided to share twelve books with you. At the bottom of this post, you can enter for a chance to win a copy of this book. You can also visit this page to find the entire list of books and giveaways. When I first seriously began exploring the world of animal […]
Have you seen the Temple Grandin movie yet? I finally got a chance to see it early this week. I thought HBO did an excellent job chronicling Temple Grandin’s many accomplishments, as well as some of the huge obstacles she has faced throughout her life. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Temple Grandin, […]
Animals like knowing that something good is coming. Think about how excited children get when they know a reward is coming–the kid squirming in his chair 5 minutes before the final school bell rings or the anxious child 2 days before Christmas. Expectations and anticipation can make rewards even more exciting than they might be […]
Regarding finding valuable reinforcers: “One keeper I met learned that an elephant will perform for a single miniature marshmallow.” This is from Temple Grandin’s latest book, Animals Make Us Human. (I also blogged recently about her discussions on introducing scary objects and stereotypical behaviors.) I find many people object to adding a clicker to their training […]
Some horses are afraid of everything and every horse seems to be afraid of at least something! Plastic bags on the ground, a rain jacket or poncho, leaves blowing in the wind, water bottles, tarps, umbrellas, bridges, a new jump in the arena, his own shadow….the list could go on forever! This can be extremely […]
Stereotypical behaviors (abnormal repetitive behaviors) are commonly seen in animals kept in captivity. Polar bears and other large carnivories are notorious for repetitive pacing type behaviors. Grazing animals kept in unnatural or confined environments often resort to chewing on bars or fences or obsessive licking. Other animals rock back and forth, obsessively groom themselves or engage […]
