Animal Training Academy

* 3:33 – Lori talks about where she first learned about positive reinforcement animal training and shares some stories from the first animals she ever trained. * 9:16 - The importance of having good observation skills is explained. * 16:45 – Ryan asks Lori to talk about how she has managed her own self-care through the years. * 21:50 – Lori shares about her various professional certifications and why she believes professional certifications are important. * 24:43 – Lori talks about the impact of quitting her full time, non-animal related job. * 26:02 – People can visit the Fenzi Dog Sports Academy website at https://www.fenzidogsportsacademy.com/people/786-people/faculty/12632-lori-stevens and/or Lori’s website, www.seattlettouch.com, to find out more about her classes. * 28:20 – Lori and Ryan dive deeper into the discussion about observation skills, including talking about how to teach observation skills to people. * 3:32 – Lori talks about the benefits of using video with clients. * 35:55 – Ryan asks Lori to talk more about why she thinks working with people to change “just one small thing” is important. * 39:43 – Lori talks about how we can help the aging animals in our lives. * 42:41 – How to use our different senses for observational purposes. * 57:07 – The importance of teaching people and dogs how to move their bodies is discussed. * 1:02 - Lori shares what she would like to see happen in the next five to ten years in the animal training world.

* 1:51 – Jesús talks about working with students to design research projects based on “hot topic” training ideas. * 4:38 – Poisoned cues are discussed including a research project done by Jesús and one of his students. * 17: 09 - Jesús says he believes the new frontier of animal training is a deeper understanding of stimulus control and how to use that to solve problems and enhance our work. * 17:33 – Jesús talks about PORTL (Portable Operant Research and Teaching Lab). * 19:09 – Jesús talks about “Jackpots”. * 26:07 – Research projects around rate of reinforcement are discussed. * 30:00 – Jesús suggests googling his name to find his students’ projects or check ORCA’s website (https://orca.unt.edu/) for projects as well. * 31:38 – Ryan asks Jesús to talk about “Keep Going Signals”. * 45:57 – Jesús talks about how he wants to see the discussion and understanding around stimulus control develop in the coming years.

* 1:25 - Ryan introduces Dr. Jesús Rosales-Ruiz. * 3:45 - Jesús talks about where he first learned about Applied Behavior Analysis and what led him to his current work. * 17:58 - Jesús talks about meeting Karen Pryor and Gary Wilkes in 1992 at the Association of Applied Behavior Analysis International. * 20:15 - Jesús was hired by the University of North Texas (UNT) and begins using pets to teach students the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis. * 23:20 - Bob and Marian Bailey volunteer to visit UNT regularly to help the students jumpstart their learning. * 25:30 - A student identifies a socially relevant problem (horse trailer loading) to do her thesis on. The problem was solved and the results were published in Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (JABA). * 27:25 - Eduardo Fernandez comes to UNT and he and five other students create ORCA. * 29:30 - Jesús and his students begin doing work with rescue animals to help make them more adoptable. * 30:28 - In the early 2000s, Karen Pryor visits Jesús at UNT and talks to him about her plans to form Clicker Expo and invites him to be part of this movement. * 40:50 - Kay Laurence suggests creating a new conference at UNT, and the Art and Science of Animal Training Conference was born. * 45:15 - Jesús discusses a couple more published studies including one about a monkey with self-injurious behavior.

* 1:25 - Ryan introduces Chad. * 4:17 - Chad talks about when he first learned of positive reinforcement animal training and shares stories of some of the first animals he trained. * 14:17 - Ryan asks Chad to fill the audience in on the time between his career & his current work - including sharing about some of the amazing people he has had the opportunity to work with. * 20:27 - Chad talks a bit about his work with marine mammals. * 24:40 - Chad discusses his current role as the Senior Keeper of Birds and Herpetofauna at Zoos South Australia and how positive reinforcement animal training fits in with that role. * 27:59 - A story about getting a voluntary blood draw from a 42-year-old tortoise. * 36:47 - Chad shares some stories of a special bird he worked with. * 43:30 - A story about one of the marine mammals Chad worked. * 55:20 - Chad talks about working with two of his rescue dogs. * 1:02 - Ryan asks Chad to share with the audience what he wants to see in the positive reinforcement animal training world over the next five to ten years.

Sarah is the founder of The Cognitive Canine, a dog trainer, dog agility and obedience competitor, and dog behavior consultant.  She travels the globe helping dogs and handlers understand each other better. Her credentials include a bachelors of science degree in psychology from Colorado State University, and more than a decade in the field of dog training and behavior with her special interest area being problem solving for performance dogs. She is committed to education and growth in the field of dog training and attends the innovative training conference, Clicker Expo, every year.  In addition to offering seminars internationally, she coaches teams online and is a faculty member at Fenzi Dog Sports Academy.

1:25 - Ryan introduces Greg. 3:27 – Greg talks about his recent work in Kenya with the Kenya Wildlife Service. 7:50 – Greg’s journey to becoming the Curator of Applied Welfare at San Diego Zoo is discussed. 18:50 – Greg shares how he learned to evolve to create effective change within systems. 24:34 – The reason for the title of “Curator of Applied Animal Welfare” is explained. 27:21 – Ryan asks Greg to share what an average week is like for him. 30:11 – Greg explains the “Five Opportunities to Thrive” model. 46:00 – “The Opportunity for a Thoughtfully Presented, Well Balanced Diet” 49:00 - “The Opportunity to Self-Maintain” 54:29 - “The Opportunity for Optimal Health” 59:29 - “The Opportunity to Express Species-Specific Behavior” 1:02 - “The Opportunities for Choice and Control” 1:09 – Greg talks about what he would like to see happen in the next 5-10 years in the world of animal welfare. 1:13 - Greg directs people to https://www.sandiegozooglobal.org/ and the Institute for Conservation Research at https://institute.sandiegozoo.org/# to learn more. 1:15 - Ryan thanks Greg for coming on the show. 1:16 - Ryan directs people to www.animaltrainingacademy.com to find out more about ATA including membership.

* 1:36 - Ryan introduces Wes. * 5:55 – Wes shares about his experience training chickens with Bob Bailey and how that influenced his decision to further the use of technology in animal training. * 10:28 – Wes talks about his background in engineering and statistics. * 12:18 – Ryan asks Wes to tell the listeners how his background in these fields merged with his interest in behavior science and positive animal training. * 15:30 – Wes talks about how he made connections with others in the positive reinforcement animal training community. * 17:13 – The initial design process, and the evolution of the design of the Pet Tutor is discussed. * 22:07 – Visit www.pettutor.biz  to purchase a Pet Tutor for direct shipping in the United States and Canada.  There is also a distributer in Australia. * 27:27 – Wes shares some stories about how the Pet Tutor is being used to help people with disabilities. * 42:27 – Using the Pet Tutor to reduce barking is discussed. * 48:00 – Wes talks about the unending possibilities of the uses of the Pet Tutor and gives examples of uses with multiple species, and in a variety off settings. * 1:05 – Wes shares his vision for the future, including what he would like to see happen in the next 5-10 years in the world of positive reinforcement animal training and technology.

* 1:30 – Ryan introduces Jennifer Shryock. * 5:17 – Jennifer talks about where she first learned about positive reinforcement animal training and shares some stories of the first animals she trained. * 7:17 – Jennifer talks about adopting Moose, a German Shepherd dog, when she had two small children. * 13:52 – Jennifer shares about the next part of her journey that led her to where she is today. * 18:11 – The importance of persistence and consistence in developing a dog and baby business is discussed. * 19:33 – Ryan asks Jennifer how her early vision matches with where she is today. * 20:56 – Jennifer explains what an average week looks like for her. * 22:50 - Visit www.familypaws.com  to find out more about Jennifer’s work including the Family Paws Parent Educators licensing program. * 24:49 – Jennifer shares some tips for families with dogs. * 32:10 – The idea of “keeping it simple” is expanded upon. * 34:22 – Ryan asks Jennifer to talk about how she utilizes technology for video sharing with clients. * 37:08 – Jennifer talks about avoiding burnout. * 41:02 – The importance of meeting people where they are with their dog awareness is explained. * 46:37 – What makes “bringing home the blanket” such a “sticky” suggestion? * 52:00 – Ways to create more dog aware generations are discussed. * 53:59 – Jennifer talks about how she stays curious. * 57:13 – Jennifer shares what she would like to see happen in the next five to ten years in the animal training world. * 58:47 – Jennifer reminds everyone that they can visit www.familypaws.com to find out more about what she is up to.

* 3:40 – Mary’s behavioural odyssey is shared. * 13:51 – Mary’s journey to getting her Masters degree at the University of North Texas is discussed. * 21:13 – The evolution of the Portable Operant Research and Teaching Lab (PORTL). * 41:39 – And explanation of the PORTL lab manual’s contents and purposes. * 47:19 – Mary talks about PORTL ripples. * 48:52 – Visit www.behaviorexplorer.com to purchase your own PORTL manual and explore other available resources. * 50:19 – Mary talks about how PORTL can be used to move toward a more errorless learning model and shares a story to demonstrate. * 58:25 – Ways PORTL can continue to evolve over the next several years to help more people and animals are discussed.

Bex Tasker shares her behavioral odyssey in positive reinforcement animal training. The importance of learning from experiences and having compassion for others is discussed. Five things positive reinforcement with horses has taught Bex about leading a better life and training other species. The importance of looking for the positive when giving feedback and Bex's vision for the animal training world in the next 5-10 years.