When I think about the kind of relationship I have with my star miniature horse, S, one word finally comes to mind. It's all about respect. We truly have a working relationship. I respect him and he respects me. It took a few years to build this. Today, I was walking him back to the pasture after our training session, and all I could think about, was how far we have come together. Both of us have gently morphed and changed into the beings we are today. A very respectable, working realtionship. One in which little needs to be said. One in which body speaks louder than words. We have come to realize our ebbs and flows. We recognize how we move. One look can speak many words.
It's an amazing feeling to know that you have created such a strong relationship with another. Now after a few years of hard work, I finally get it. And I treasure it. Nothing could take it's place.
Friday, December 29, 2006
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Dance To Train
I have always had a fascination with the arts... music, dance, painting... I never fully understood why, until recently, it dawned on me. Being able to perform an art is the same as being an animal trainer. It requires precision, timing, and communication.
I have always had a love for dance. More now than ever I want to pursue the art of dance. Not just club dancing.. no... but dance that is sensual. Like ballroom, latin, contemporary or ballet. It requires precision. It requires a knowledge of your body and how it moves. Especially with contemporary dance.
Contemporary dance moves the body in ways you would not think possible. It can push your body to the limits. You have to understand the dance and feel it from within. You have to recognize the movements of your body and remember it. When your body is flexed and formed just right, you have to remember that precise feeling so that you can repeat that dance and get it right. Much like clicker training.
I view clicker training with an animal much the same way. The sound of your clicker is a way of getting your animal to understand what movement of it's body is being rewarded. It requires precise timing in the delivery of the click.
When the animal hears that click, it sends a memory to it's body and brain. The animal stops and registers it's movements. It begins to think.. "ok.. I've just been rewarded to move my body like so... so I will try again." And so it tries to replicate the same act again. Maybe it does.. and you reward again. And so the animal begins to become familair with the placement of it's body. And in practice and continual precise clicking.. that animal will recognize the feel of it's body when preforming the act, and it will exicute the behavior exactly as you want it without fail. As long as you click when it is needed.
Dancing is much the same way. When you go to a class and you must perform a dance step, it's the teacher who reinforces you. They either say, "yes or no." Everytime you hear the yes... your body begins to remember it's placement. As you continue to learn and perform, you get better. You begin to feel the placement of your body. And it becomes second nature. You no longer think about what is required of you.. but rather you feel it. When you feel your body move into that "yes" position, that is when you know you have accomplished what is asked of you.
It is just a thought, but perhaps this is how an animal thinks.. or doesn't think...and perhaps through the memory of the movement of it's body and it's placement, that is how an animal learns.
I want to learn to dance.. I think it will make me a better animal trainer.
animal training, dance, clicker training, contemporary dance
I have always had a love for dance. More now than ever I want to pursue the art of dance. Not just club dancing.. no... but dance that is sensual. Like ballroom, latin, contemporary or ballet. It requires precision. It requires a knowledge of your body and how it moves. Especially with contemporary dance.
Contemporary dance moves the body in ways you would not think possible. It can push your body to the limits. You have to understand the dance and feel it from within. You have to recognize the movements of your body and remember it. When your body is flexed and formed just right, you have to remember that precise feeling so that you can repeat that dance and get it right. Much like clicker training.
I view clicker training with an animal much the same way. The sound of your clicker is a way of getting your animal to understand what movement of it's body is being rewarded. It requires precise timing in the delivery of the click.
When the animal hears that click, it sends a memory to it's body and brain. The animal stops and registers it's movements. It begins to think.. "ok.. I've just been rewarded to move my body like so... so I will try again." And so it tries to replicate the same act again. Maybe it does.. and you reward again. And so the animal begins to become familair with the placement of it's body. And in practice and continual precise clicking.. that animal will recognize the feel of it's body when preforming the act, and it will exicute the behavior exactly as you want it without fail. As long as you click when it is needed.
Dancing is much the same way. When you go to a class and you must perform a dance step, it's the teacher who reinforces you. They either say, "yes or no." Everytime you hear the yes... your body begins to remember it's placement. As you continue to learn and perform, you get better. You begin to feel the placement of your body. And it becomes second nature. You no longer think about what is required of you.. but rather you feel it. When you feel your body move into that "yes" position, that is when you know you have accomplished what is asked of you.
It is just a thought, but perhaps this is how an animal thinks.. or doesn't think...and perhaps through the memory of the movement of it's body and it's placement, that is how an animal learns.
I want to learn to dance.. I think it will make me a better animal trainer.
animal training, dance, clicker training, contemporary dance
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Does Your Pig Have Flakey Skin?
At my place of work, we have a standard farm pig. She is huge and has that standard pink skin. All year round she gets very flakey skin, but it's more of a problem during the summer. She also sun burns very easily. This is a common trait in pigs... so what is a solution that works?
This recipe was giving to me by Dr. Richard L. Giacopuzzi, D.V.M of Humphrey, Giacopuzzi & Associates Equine Hospital.
Mix 1/3 Derma-Clens
1/3 Chlorhexidine (Novalsan Antispetic Ointment)
1/3 Hydrocortizone Ointment
However, I have changed the recipe a bit for my own uses. Hydrocortizone contains steroids and if they were to get into a scratched eye, it could permenantly damage vision. Since I am applying this ointment mix on my pig's forhead, I wouldn't want any to get into her eye in that off chance that it is damaged. So instead... my formula reads...
Mix 1/3 Derma-Clens
1/3 Chlohexidine (Novalsan Antiseptic Ointment)
1/3 Sunscreen (I use sunscreen made for babies and is water proof.)
I apply this mixture every morning along my pig's back and behind her ears as well as her forhead and neck. The Derma-Clens is the product that removes the flakey skin. When applying this product, I go through 14 oz a day. In the evenings, I apply babyoil to the pig.
pig, Giacopuzzi, flakey skin, sunscreen, Nolvasan Antiseptic Ointment, Derma-Clens,Chlorhexidine,hydrocortizone
This recipe was giving to me by Dr. Richard L. Giacopuzzi, D.V.M of Humphrey, Giacopuzzi & Associates Equine Hospital.
Mix 1/3 Derma-Clens
1/3 Chlorhexidine (Novalsan Antispetic Ointment)
1/3 Hydrocortizone Ointment
However, I have changed the recipe a bit for my own uses. Hydrocortizone contains steroids and if they were to get into a scratched eye, it could permenantly damage vision. Since I am applying this ointment mix on my pig's forhead, I wouldn't want any to get into her eye in that off chance that it is damaged. So instead... my formula reads...
Mix 1/3 Derma-Clens
1/3 Chlohexidine (Novalsan Antiseptic Ointment)
1/3 Sunscreen (I use sunscreen made for babies and is water proof.)
I apply this mixture every morning along my pig's back and behind her ears as well as her forhead and neck. The Derma-Clens is the product that removes the flakey skin. When applying this product, I go through 14 oz a day. In the evenings, I apply babyoil to the pig.
pig, Giacopuzzi, flakey skin, sunscreen, Nolvasan Antiseptic Ointment, Derma-Clens,Chlorhexidine,hydrocortizone
Sunday, July 16, 2006
My First Observations
After having the experience of working with animals for 5 years I have made some initial observations. With the continuation of this blog, all observations will hopefully be expanded on.. but for now... I hope to at least get them down on cyber-paper.
1) Patience is the absolute key. Without it.. you will get no where. Let me first begin that I only train using positive reinforcement through the use of a clicker. I ignore what I don't want and reinforce what I do want. Now with that being said.. let me just say that it has taken an enormous amount of patience on my part to not get frustrated when an animal "doesn't get it". Sometimes it takes an entire training session. Sometimes it takes a few days... a few weeks or even a few months... but just know that eventually they will get it. Don't give up on yourself or the animal.
2) Patience is the key, but I mentioned that the animal "doesn't get it" sometimes, that's why you need to be patient. Let's expand on communication. I think it takes several years to really get to know and understand each animal. To understand them as a species and as an individual. I wouldn't train my outgoing mini horse the same way I would train my shy alpaca. So you have to learn how to communicate through voice and body language. Each individual learns differently and you have to figure out how to communicate with that individual in order to get anywhere in training. It isn't as simple as looking them in the eye and saying the word "sit". "Sit" means nothing to an animal that has never heard the word before in it's life. This is where communication in training comes in handy. Knowing your animal means knowing what stimuli it will respond to. Does it learn well using a target? Is it better at modeling? Would it be best to capture the behavior?
3) Just as you learn how to communicate with your animal, your animal must learn how to communicate with you. But most importantly you must learn to listen and realize what they are trying to say to you. Training sessions can turn into a disaster if you choose to ignore what your animal is trying to communicate to you.
4) Use what the animal is willing to give you. That is a huge training advantage! Is your animal more likely to use it's foot more? Try teaching behaviors that way. Or is he more likely to use his nose for targeting? Train with that in mind. Is he always trying to throw a behavior out at you... one that you could capture and then put a cue on? Do they naturally do things? Not only can you capture this.. but then expand on it too.
5) Frustration gets you no where. Sometimes... frustration gets the better of me. I may verbally snap. I may grab the horse by the halter and make him look at me (yeah, like that does any good.) It happens. You get frustrated, they get frustrated. But to feed off of it and escalate the whole situation, is only going to make things worse. Once they see you snap... they lose interest in working with you. If you chose to escalate the situation and it destroys your session... future sessions may be destroyed as well. See, this whole time that you built this relationship of mutual communication, you have also built trust. When you lose your cool... they lose their trust in you. You will have to rebuild that trust. It may only take one training session. It may take months. The point is... you will have to pay for your actions one way or another.
6) One of the first statements ever said to me when I started animal training was.... "It is NEVER the animals fault." Yeah... has it sunk in yet? This one statement is controversial. Many agree, many disagree. What do I think? I agree 100%. If your animal does something completely wrong... is it it's fault? I think not. We animal trainers walk a delicate line in the animal world. If you fail to complete the communication process, that's when you get let down. If an animal "isn't getting it", it is not it's fault.... nor should you think it is all your fault either. Relax, take a break, just realize, somewhere, in the middle, the cues got lost in translation. If an animal blows up and attacks in an aggressive manner (and this is where the controversy lies) it is not it's fault. You didn't see the warning signals. You didn't notice the horse had his ears pinned to the back of his head. It started light at first, but it slowly started to pin them harder and harder. You ignored that his eyes were getting a littel buggy and that you could begin to see the whites of his eyes. You ignored that he started taking carrots out of your hand a bit rougher. You ignored everything until he finally flat out bit you.. or worse, turned around and kicked you. Perhaps I shouldn't have used the word ignore. If someone is flat out willing to ignore these signs, they should be bit... but I think the reason why things like this happen, isn't because you flat out ignored your animal, it's because you didn't know. Time is the key. The more time you get to know a species and an individual, the better off you will be. You will understand how he communicates and you will be able to respond to the warning signs. Most importantly you will be able to avoid an aggressive situation and always "set them up for success."
1) Patience is the absolute key. Without it.. you will get no where. Let me first begin that I only train using positive reinforcement through the use of a clicker. I ignore what I don't want and reinforce what I do want. Now with that being said.. let me just say that it has taken an enormous amount of patience on my part to not get frustrated when an animal "doesn't get it". Sometimes it takes an entire training session. Sometimes it takes a few days... a few weeks or even a few months... but just know that eventually they will get it. Don't give up on yourself or the animal.
2) Patience is the key, but I mentioned that the animal "doesn't get it" sometimes, that's why you need to be patient. Let's expand on communication. I think it takes several years to really get to know and understand each animal. To understand them as a species and as an individual. I wouldn't train my outgoing mini horse the same way I would train my shy alpaca. So you have to learn how to communicate through voice and body language. Each individual learns differently and you have to figure out how to communicate with that individual in order to get anywhere in training. It isn't as simple as looking them in the eye and saying the word "sit". "Sit" means nothing to an animal that has never heard the word before in it's life. This is where communication in training comes in handy. Knowing your animal means knowing what stimuli it will respond to. Does it learn well using a target? Is it better at modeling? Would it be best to capture the behavior?
3) Just as you learn how to communicate with your animal, your animal must learn how to communicate with you. But most importantly you must learn to listen and realize what they are trying to say to you. Training sessions can turn into a disaster if you choose to ignore what your animal is trying to communicate to you.
4) Use what the animal is willing to give you. That is a huge training advantage! Is your animal more likely to use it's foot more? Try teaching behaviors that way. Or is he more likely to use his nose for targeting? Train with that in mind. Is he always trying to throw a behavior out at you... one that you could capture and then put a cue on? Do they naturally do things? Not only can you capture this.. but then expand on it too.
5) Frustration gets you no where. Sometimes... frustration gets the better of me. I may verbally snap. I may grab the horse by the halter and make him look at me (yeah, like that does any good.) It happens. You get frustrated, they get frustrated. But to feed off of it and escalate the whole situation, is only going to make things worse. Once they see you snap... they lose interest in working with you. If you chose to escalate the situation and it destroys your session... future sessions may be destroyed as well. See, this whole time that you built this relationship of mutual communication, you have also built trust. When you lose your cool... they lose their trust in you. You will have to rebuild that trust. It may only take one training session. It may take months. The point is... you will have to pay for your actions one way or another.
6) One of the first statements ever said to me when I started animal training was.... "It is NEVER the animals fault." Yeah... has it sunk in yet? This one statement is controversial. Many agree, many disagree. What do I think? I agree 100%. If your animal does something completely wrong... is it it's fault? I think not. We animal trainers walk a delicate line in the animal world. If you fail to complete the communication process, that's when you get let down. If an animal "isn't getting it", it is not it's fault.... nor should you think it is all your fault either. Relax, take a break, just realize, somewhere, in the middle, the cues got lost in translation. If an animal blows up and attacks in an aggressive manner (and this is where the controversy lies) it is not it's fault. You didn't see the warning signals. You didn't notice the horse had his ears pinned to the back of his head. It started light at first, but it slowly started to pin them harder and harder. You ignored that his eyes were getting a littel buggy and that you could begin to see the whites of his eyes. You ignored that he started taking carrots out of your hand a bit rougher. You ignored everything until he finally flat out bit you.. or worse, turned around and kicked you. Perhaps I shouldn't have used the word ignore. If someone is flat out willing to ignore these signs, they should be bit... but I think the reason why things like this happen, isn't because you flat out ignored your animal, it's because you didn't know. Time is the key. The more time you get to know a species and an individual, the better off you will be. You will understand how he communicates and you will be able to respond to the warning signs. Most importantly you will be able to avoid an aggressive situation and always "set them up for success."
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Introduction
Hello, I guess I should begin with my intentions of this blog. This is merely an online journal. Here I will be able to freely express my experiences of working with animals. I can write about my relationships of working with them as well as my observations on their social structure and training.
I have been working with animals for 5 years now. It has been the most incredible journey.
It all started with me attending the Exotic Animal Training and Management Program of Moorpark College in Moorpark, California.
I now have been working with animals on my own now for 4 years. I currently work at a privately owned facility. I am the only trainer here. It has been a journey I have made solo. Here I work with a camel, alpacas, goats, sheep, pigs, mini horses, mini donkeys, mini cattle and a zedonk.
So let's explore my journey... remember.. it's going to be quite random at times!
I have been working with animals for 5 years now. It has been the most incredible journey.
It all started with me attending the Exotic Animal Training and Management Program of Moorpark College in Moorpark, California.
I now have been working with animals on my own now for 4 years. I currently work at a privately owned facility. I am the only trainer here. It has been a journey I have made solo. Here I work with a camel, alpacas, goats, sheep, pigs, mini horses, mini donkeys, mini cattle and a zedonk.
So let's explore my journey... remember.. it's going to be quite random at times!
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