Animal Training Academy

* 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.

* 1:28 - Ryan introduces Veronica. * 4:47 – Veronica talks about dogbiz University and directs people to visit https://dogbizsuccess.com/ and then click on dogbiz University to find out more. * 10:20 – The move toward online education including challenges, successes and different models is discussed. * 14:05 - Veronica lists eight myths that are common among dog training professionals. * 18:58 – A variety of ways that the myth “we aren’t skilled and knowledgeable professionals” can impact our businesses are discussed. * 21:36 – Veronica busts the myth that clients must train their own dogs. * 24:30 – Veronica talks about the discomfort trainers often experience when trying to sell their services. * 35:43 – Marketing does not have to equal self-promotion, and it can be more about education. * 41:54 – “The more you charge, the more clients you’ll have.” * 48:47 – Veronica talks about how learning marketing skills can remove a lot of the fear of running a business. * 52:09 – Ideas about how to determine success and get students to come back for more are shared. * 57:40 – Veronica suggests people don’t come to trainers to improve the bond between themselves and their dogs. * 1:01 – Veronica talks about her upcoming trip to Australia and New Zealand and what she’ll be doing there.

In this podcast, Dr. Susan Friedman and Ryan Cartlidge discuss the concept of 'most positive least intrusive' in animal training. They also explore the influence of podcasts and online learning, techniques for building duration in behaviors using a two-link chain, and the importance of good observation skills. The speakers also touch on navigating strong emotions and reflect on the podcast's milestone of reaching 100 episodes.

Podcast outline 1:40 - Introduction 3:41 – Pamela talks about when she first learned about positive reinforcement training and some stories from that time. 11:00 – What Pamela is currently up to 14:43 – Some pivotal moments that have shaped Pamela's thinking over the last fifteen years. 24:34 – Pamela Clark’s “Ten Things Parrot Consultants Need to Know in 2019”. 56:42- Pamela’s final words for the listeners on changes she would like to see in the pet parrot world. 59:03 - Pamela can be found online at

* 3:42 – Tim discusses how he came to co-found the ABMA. * 6:36 – Tim’s learning journey and the benefits he has received by taking advantage of a wide variety of learning opportunities. * 15:01 – A couple of stories from Tim’s early days as a trainer. * 19:40 – A few of the biggest things Tim has learned throughout his time as an animal trainer are discussed. * 23:53  - Tim tells listeners about Brookfield Zoo https://www.czs.org/ * 26:34 – Resilience in zoo animals. * 32:25 – Tim shares some about some ways to work with an older animal who is showing signs of decreased resilience. * 38:43 - Tim talks about the gorilla program and some challenges they are working through. * 49:58 – The  power of self-fulfilling prophecies.  1:00  What Tim would like to see happen in the next 5-10 years in the world of positive reinforcement animal training.

Dr. Patricia McConnell, an expert in animal behavior and training, discusses the human-animal relationship, the abundance of topics in dog training, the evolution and divisiveness in the animal training industry, the importance of openness and compassion, the similarities and differences between humans and animals, and the changing acceptance of the emotional capability of animals.

Podcast outline: 1:40 – Introduction of Erin 3:33 – Erin’s behavioural journey 16:11 - Changes in the bird training world over the last ten to twenty years 31:00 – Visit www.torontozoo.org to find out more about Erin’s work including the shows at the zoo 34:06 - Ten steps to train a wild bird of prey 1:02 – Erin’s hopes for the animal training world in the next five to ten years