Page 184 - Zoo Animal Learning and Training

156 8 Integrating Training into Animal Husbandry

VetBooks.ir to the training process or methods chosen an extended period of time until use of mul­
tiple bridging stimuli can be achieved with
and those in the lead may feel they have min­
imal experience. Depending on the goals of
Regardless of the training methods used,
the training programme, the team may have comfort and confidence.
to look to an outside consultant for assis­ all skills needed must be practiced out of the
tance in getting started down the right path. presence of the animal: it will make a differ­
In other situations, the team may feel that the ence. For example, if the skill is the precision
goals of their training programme are within of throwing a meatball a distance, your team
their reach and their need will be to maintain members should practice the ability to throw
a focus on skill building and making pro­ it into a small bucket from a number of paces
gress. In yet other situations, a leader may be away and in a certain window of time. Such
in a position where they have less training consistent accuracy is important to the over­
experience than someone on their team. This all training of your animals. For example, a
should not minimise the leader’s ability to set team member who erroneously throws a
goals, observe sessions, seek consistency meatball inaccurately will send their animal
within the team, and maintain programme in pursuit of the errant meatball. In a social
focus and progress. No one should be animal setting, this error can cause chaos as
expected to have all of the answers. It is bet­ it may draw the attention of other animals in
ter to have a leader who is secure in what the area who may go after the meatball, as
they do know and who seeks proper input to well. To further exemplify, a specific group of
make decisions than someone who makes tigers (Panthera tigris) needed to station
decisions without the information that is individually in areas of their exhibit in order
needed out of fear of being ‘exposed’. to safely allow remote control doors to close.
The only access to these cats was to throw
them meatballs from a tower high above the
8.4.5 Sharpening Skills
exhibit. It was very important that the han­
Gladwell (2008) studied the concept of being dlers have great throwing accuracy to rein­
an expert in a field of discipline. There is a force the tigers’ behaviour for being in their
repeated theme about building expertise sug­ proper position. An errant meatball could
gesting that to master any skill, you need to cause a fight between tigers or lure them
practice – and not just a little bit. To truly away from their safe position in the enclosure
reach a level of mastery in any skill, it takes when the remote doors were moved. The zoo
approximately 10, 000 hours of focused, pur­ professionals in this example took their train­
poseful practice (Gladwell 2008). Likewise, ing seriously and had pride in their good aim,
building expertise in the field of animal train­ resulting in precision meatball throws.
ing takes many hours of focused and pur­ Training your brain to see the behaviour
poseful practice, both for you as a leader and you or others are training and using a bridg­
for your team. Just as athletes perform drills ing stimulus correctly and at the right time
to develop specific muscle groups or broaden can be practiced, even outside of a training
specific nuanced abilities within a sport, you session. You can be creative and discover
will need to focus efforts on specific areas your own games to work on timing, such as
within animal training. For example, if you or using children’s toys that light up in various
your team have experience with an event colours, show displays, or play music at ran­
marker (e.g. whistle), time needs to be dedi­ dom. You can mark an aspect of a toy’s reper­
cated to building skills with other bridging toire. You can mark actions or phrases that
stimuli, such as event markers, verbal mark­ are repetitive on TV shows. Playing the train­
ers, tactile markers, and/or others that may ing game, by communicating only with the
be appropriate for the animals you work event markers (e.g. whistles or clickers), can
with – and not just for a few sessions, but for be great practice using people on your team