If you peruse the internet for animal training advice, you’ll see a lot of information that seems to make sense, but if you know the science behind how animals learn you know that these statements are misinformed. For instance:
A zoo trainer might claim, “It’s difficult to train our lions because they are overly motivated for food. They get so excited that they can’t focus on what we want them to do.”
A dog owner might state, “I ignore my dog when he jumps and reward him when he sits, just like that book I read says, but he still jumps to greet me anyway. I’m doing everything exactly right. It’s been a month already, maybe it just takes longer?”
A cat rescue volunteer explains, “My foster kitten meows too much, scratches us, and has so many other bad habits, but I can’t really do anything about it because cats are too hard to train. I’ll just have to find a home that will put up with this bad behavior. Maybe a farm?”
If you don’t know what is incorrect about these statements, how do you find out?
Watch Dr. Yin’s DVD: Pet Dogs, Problem Dogs, High Performance Dogs: How Science Can Take Your Training to a New Level
Whether you’re a trainer, veterinary behaviorist, pet owner, police, military or scent work trainer, learning more about the science of animal learning can help you dramatically improve your training efficiency and success. In this live-recorded seminar, Dr. Yin, veterinarian, applied animal behaviorist, explains clearly and vividly the essential foundations and practical applications of the science of animal learning.
Known for her humor and ability to make complex topics both simple and fun, this set of lectures will keep you mesmerized.
Says Dr. Juanita Ashton, “Dr. Yin makes the science easy to understand and teaches practical applications that can be used every day.”
Not only that, even if you’re a seasoned expert at integrating the principles of science into your training, this DVD will show you how behavior analysis has cut down the training times in half or more for those professionals that use it.
States Nancy Abplanalp, CPDT-KA, CNWI, “Dr. Yin’s new DVD advances the knowledge of research based, force free animal training for professionals and lay people alike.”
What Will You Learn?
Topic 1: What Giraffes, Dogs, and Chickens Have in Common: Training Techniques that Work for All Creatures (1hr 38 min)
Ninety percent of all animal training, regardless of the species or complexity of the task, relies on a strong understanding of the science-of-learning basics. In this lecture, you’ll learn what these foundation principles are and find out how to apply them to everyday training. You’ll see how for the most efficient, effective training, it’s equally important to reward appropriate behavior and to remove rewards for unwanted behavior. You’ll also discover the importance of timing, using the correct motivator, and understanding how your body movement influences the message you are conveying to the animal. By the end of this lecture, you’ll have the information you need to modify behavior in your dog or cat, not to mention in your horse, your housemates, or even hippos!
Topic 2: From Missile-Guiding Pigeons to Spy Dogs: How to Use Applied Behavior Analysis to Drive Huge Improvement In Your Training (1hr 52 min)
Find out how animal behavior started as a set of just-so stories and developed into a respected science. In this lecture, you’ll learn how B.F. Skinner’s principles of operant conditioning were used by the most successful animal training company in history to train 140 species and 16,000 individuals to perform behaviors for commercials, shows, and military spy missions. Find out how today, some groups continue to use a process developed by scientists in order to improve their training two- and three-fold. Lastly, you’ll hear about some fascinating case studies that illustrate how behavior can be measured and data analyzed to make huge improvements in behavior modification and training techniques in record time.
Gain valuable CE units!! You can also download free discussion questions to help ensure you learned the take-home points. You may obtain CE units and a certificate of completion by passing a test at Low Stress Handling.
Biography
Dr. Sophia Yin, a 1993 graduate of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, is the author of numerous books and DVDs including The Small Animal Veterinary Nerdbook and Low Stress Handling, Restraint, and Behavior Modification of Dogs & Cats. She earned her Master’s in Animal Science with a behavior emphasis in 2001 from UC Davis. She currently lectures and teaches workshops internationally, sees behavior consults, and creates educational DVDs and products. For more information and animal behavior, visit her web site at https://cattledogpublishing.com/.
