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144 8 Integrating Training into Animal Husbandry

VetBooks.ir training programme and with regard to the team who will implement the activities
required to make the programme successful.
direction of the proposal can lead to an
A gap assessment, in its most simple form,
unsuccessful programme for both the people
involved and/or the targeted animals. is the process of identifying your current sit­
When approaching the training of a uation and comparing it to your desired situ­
behaviour, we meet animals where they are ation (your vision). The gap that exists
and approximate them forward to reach the between the two is what you need to fill with
target behaviour. This same approach can new staff, new skill development, focused
be effective with people, as well: meet peo­ staff time, facility modifications, and what­
ple where they are and approximate the ever else is necessary to meet the vision.
team forward to the goal. In many cases, the Because training programmes involve living
success of a training programme hinges beings, they must be dynamic and flexible.
more on the buy‐in of the people than on
the participation of animals. Demanding a 8.2.1 Assessing Your Staff
willingness to participate wholeheartedly as
a team can sometimes feel like the equiva­ When assessing your staff on their current
lent of asking someone to take a bite out of skills, you should take into account their
that hair sandwich. One solution to remedy individual skills about animal training. You
such a feeling for the entire team is addressed must take into account a keeper’s ability to
in Simon Sinek’s book Start with Why communicate and share ideas, as well as a
(2009). Here, Sinek embraces the philoso­ keeper’s ability to approximate a behaviour.
phy that humans are inspired by why they You may also want to consider performing a
do things, not how or what. This applies to team assessment, wherein you will review
animal husbandry professionals as their the team dynamics, formal/informal leaders
buy‐in and inspiration is directly connected in the group, the team’s openness to change,
to the care and welfare of their animals. consistency in training methods both indi­
When introducing new training goals, by vidually and in groups of staff members, and
employing the ‘why’ they are being insti­ success over their career with assessing and
tuted as opposed to just the ‘how’ they will addressing animal welfare using innovative
be done, or even the ‘what’ keepers will have techniques.
to do, a leader can powerfully imbue each The two most challenging individuals to
keeper with the purpose of understanding. lead in a team, in my opinion, are those who
The power of starting with your ‘why’ can do not share the same programme vision
be the guiding principle to the training and those who are not as skilled as they
practices you utilise, the goals you adopt, believe themselves to be. If you are dealing
hiring and training the team to implement with the former, the answer is simple. The
your programme, and as a bar for ongoing offending keeper will be an ongoing drain to
assessment. the effectiveness of your team and should be
guided to an opportunity elsewhere, more
fitting of their interests. In the case of the
8.2 Starting Assessment latter, it can be very difficult for these indi­
viduals, who deem themselves highly skilled,
Developing an action plan and approach to see areas of opportunity to improve them­
requires an honest look at your team, your selves or to hear suggestions from someone
animals, your facility, your resources, and the else. Creating opportunities for self‐assess­
vision for your programme. Throughout this ment, reviewing training resources as a
book you will find guidance on assessing var­ team, and videotaping sessions can be useful
ious aspects of animal learning and training, to guiding these individuals to a truer sense
but this chapter will focus on training the of their ability. Some individuals, however,