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164 8 Integrating Training into Animal Husbandry

VetBooks.ir would lay down and remain immo­ of our animals: feeding, close interaction,
meeting medical needs, and other deci­
bile – whilst still being scratched – at the
same time another keeper was able to draw a
and comfort. For the training programme
blood sample from its leg. These sorts of sions about animals’ daily management
accomplishments are great examples of to be successful, a level of agreement about
how keeper/animal relationships (see more the purpose and methods used are neces­
in Chapter 9) definitely are a huge help to sary to achieve consistency. This places
assisting the husbandry of an animal and people in situations where discussions
should not be undervalued; however, inevitably arise about what they think is
because the performance of behaviour in best for the animal. Having meeting agen­
this situation, and other similar situations, das, problem‐solving formats, and com­
relies so heavily on the specific keeper/ani­ munication norms for teams can help
mal relationship and are not under stimulus channel dialogue into appropriate discus­
control, they cannot be considered reliable sions and facilitate open lines of communi­
or trained to the point where they are neces­ cation. Heath and Heath (2011) discuss the
sary for a husbandry programme. The difficulty of changing people’s opinions. A
keeper–animal relationship and behaviours point they make is that people are driven
which can be elicited as a consequence of it, more strongly by their emotions in deci­
can be used as a foundation for the hus­ sions that they care about than about the
bandry programme. These behaviours can knowledge content. It is important to rec­
be retrained introducing formal cues associ­ ognise that just laying out a list of bul­
ated with the behaviour, and other steps leted facts about why something should or
taken, to enable other team members the should not be done may not sway your
ability to cue behaviours successfully. A team when you need everyone on board.
transition can be made to take a series of You may need to dig to understand what is
behaviours beneficial to animal husbandry, at the heart of their concerns, and the emo­
which could only be achieved by certain tions involved, if you are interested in
team members or only under certain narrow influencing their decision‐making.
conditions, to behaviours that can be suc­
cessfully and reliably cued by all necessary
team members, and thus meet more of the 8.8 Conclusion
animal’s husbandry needs.
A commitment to a husbandry training pro­
gramme takes an investment in programme
8.7.1 It Is Personal
planning, staff training, facility design, and
Leading or being a participant in these ongoing maintenance and leadership. We
training programmes usually means that have yet to determine or measure the many
some challenging discussions may be a part ways these training programmes benefit our
of a team’s future. Husbandry training is a animals. The goal of this chapter is to be a
slice of animal care that some people tend resource to initiate a training programme or
to take very personally. It involves many reignite a training programme in which you
elements that are equated with the welfare take part or lead.

References

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York: Crown Publishers. Ethic. New York, NY: Free Press.