Over the years, my team and I have learned that while fly offs can be daunting, they also offer unparalleled opportunities for growth and learning in bird training. Fly offs happen for many different reasons, and it’s important to assess what you can and can’t...
There is a very well known debate in psychology as to whether nature or nurture informs our behavior. It turns out, this debate is common among animal behavior scientists as well. It turns out, both nature and nurture, or ethology and learning history, inform the...
At our recent AvOCET conference, attendees were treated to an enlightening presentation by Sean Will and Maasa Nishimuta, founders of the Constructional Approach to Animal Training. Their talk focused on incorporating function-based training and degrees of freedom into modern animal training practices. What is function-based training...
Are you tired of seeing animals struggle with outdated training methods? Are ear tags causing more harm than good? Today, I want to talk about the challenges we face when we encounter outdated information about caring for our birds and how we can progress beyond...
This year’s Avian Online Conference for Education and Training (AvOCET) was the jolt of behavior science inspiration and collaborative juice I know I really needed. From AvOCET newcomers such as Emily Davenport of the Rocky Mountain Wildlife Alliance, Annette Pedersen of the Copenhagen Zoo, Joe Whitehead...
What would you do with four to five hours each day to train your birds and problem solve? This is the question our workshop guests get to answer, and answer, they did!...
As a bird trainer and caregiver, you are likely aware that the behavior-response feedback loop is one of the most critical components to maintain communication with the bird in your care. It's one thing to pay attention to a bird's body language, it is a...
The challenges faced by facility owners and non-profit leaders can be as diverse and intricate as the avian world itself. Advancing toward more sophisticated training behaviors, motivating teams, ensuring consistent record-keeping, and fostering a supportive environment despite varying levels of avian familiarity—these are hurdles that...
Each opportunity for continuing education teaches us something new about science, animal behavior and training, and the peers we share our work with. This season’s workshops were no different, as we reflect on the powerful conversations we had this past fall at the Bird of...
What do you get when you cross parrot lovers from California, bird of prey educators from Wyoming, thirty birds, a few hooftstock and chickens, and a hailstorm all in one workshop? A whole lot of mind-expanding fun! The Animal Training and Behavior Workshop at our...