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passionate about improving animal welfare with force free training?
The Definitive Virtual Learning Program for Professionals
SUSAN BROWN // DVM
Barbara has always cared deeply about making training and human animal relationship building information accessible to everyone. She has both beginning and advanced information on her website but even the advanced information is given in such a way that it is easy to understand for everyone. Her short tips and videos are particularly precious and useful. I have used her materials not only for myself but for teaching others. Her tips and videos make great topics of conversation and further exploration when running an ongoing training program when trainers can get "stuck" or frustrated.
Barbara's enthusiasm for what she does and her obvious deep concern for the animals as well as the people who care for them is evident in every thing she writes or films and makes her material even more enjoyable. Additionally as an exotic animal veterinarian for over 40 years, her videos have helped my clients with exotic pets form better relationships through her training information.
Barbara's website, for me, is hands down the most useful, most accessible and most fun to use of any I have accessed on the internet. Thanks Barbara for caring as much as you do! We appreciate it!
Does This Sound Like You?
Quality Content From a World-Renowned Experienced Animal Training Consultant
Would you appreciate an easy to understand, user-friendly learning experience?
Customize the learning experience to meet your needs, from 1-minute morsels to full blown courses. Listen to interviews and Q & A sessions on the way to work. Grab a 10-minute lesson as time allows. Sit in on a live training session or catch the replay later. There are multiple user-friendly ways to get answers to questions and enhance your knowledge.
For a fraction of what it costs to attend a conference or workshop you get access to the content rich program
Conferences and workshops are great! Imagine a program that offers that type of learning, enthusiasm, and networking all year long for a fraction of the cost. Imagine content that addresses all your needs and offers new inspiring material regularly to keep you motivated and on the cutting edge of progressive animal training. You get that and more, including instant access to all content.
Learn and get inspired by new ideas and resources added regularly
Enrollment options include monthly rates, annual rates (with a substantial savings) and facility rates. Facility memberships offer an excellent way for organizations to provide continuing education to staff members in an extremely cost-effective manner. (Enrollment is risk free. See the Membership Pause, Cancellations, Refunds and Returns section of our Terms and Conditions page for details.)
CHRIS SHANK // Cockatoo Downs
KRISTEN WIENERS // Senior Mammal Keeper and Training Facilitator - Santa Barbara Zoo
Thank you so much for talking and sharing about tough subjects, one of them being euthanasia. Your course on training for euthanasia was incredibly helpful and inspiring since I work with an older population of animals. It is something in the animal field that we all have to deal with and you have brought to the forefront the idea of planning for it and training for it.
Thank you for pushing the community and showing us what all can be done. Your creative/quick/calm training style has inspired me immensely and I hope to one day be half as good of a trainer as you! At least with the website I can see "what would Barb do" on several subjects and that is extremely helpful! It is super easy to share with and inspire my co-workers as well!
BARBARA HEIDENREICH // Animal Training Consultant
Barbara is an animal training and behavior consultant specializing in avian, exotics and zoo animal training. She lectures and consults worldwide working with zoos, universities, veterinary professionals, companion animal owners and conservation projects. She has worked onsite with over 90 facilities in 27 countries. She is an adjunct clinical instructor at Texas A & M University. She has produced numerous instructional videos, authored two books and guest edited and contributed to four veterinary text books.
Barbara started her career as a zookeeper and is still primarily focused on the zoological community with much of her work focusing on training animals to cooperate in medical care, solving complex behavior problems, making day-to-day care easy and developing caregivers training skills. Her degree is in Zoology from the University of California at Davis.
Barbara is thrilled to have had the opportunity to train thousands of animals, from rabbits to rhinos. She is passionate about teaching excellent practical application training skills. Her goal is to leave behind a legacy of kindness to animals by sharing her expertise.
What You Get When You Join the Animal Training Fundamentals Community
Courses - Award winning courses that cover the basics of practical application to advanced principles of behavior science. These feature extensive video clips from Barbara’s consulting work around the world.
Problem Solving - Step-by-step solutions to common behavior problems, as well as unique challenges. Watch amazing videos of transformation. Solutions for extreme fear responses, aggressive behavior, repetitive behavior and much more.
Shaping Plans - Library of downloadable pre-written shaping plans to walk you through the process of training a variety of behaviors from the start. Video examples included.
Live Q & A - Get direct access to Barbara with regular online interactive sessions in the "YOU be the Behavior Consultant" series live stream and Zoom "Tower Talks".
Guest Experts - Barbara has an extensive network of professionals in animal training and related fields. Shhhhh. She is sharing her favorite secret sources often unfamiliar to the training community.
Community - All members get instant access to our Forum where you can share your training successes, report your progress, get inspired, get support, share ideas and much more! The Force Free Family is awesome!
Training Supplies - The right tools can make a huge difference and after many years in the industry, Barbara has tried quite a few. She provides reviews, recommendations, instructions to build and links to buy just what you need to make sure you have the right tool for the job.
Recognition - Learners can track professional development with verifiable Open Badges awarded for completion of specific courses and specialty tracks. The badges are shareable on resumes, social media, with supervisors, with professors, for CEUs, and on performance evaluations.
MICHELE GREEN // Fresno Chaffee Zoo
I have been working with you for over 10 years, and watched you work and give feedback to over 30 different trainers. Each time you make them feel confident and make sure that they learn something, and walk away eager to train and work with you again. I appreciate you can work with trainers at any experience level, and with any personality. Over the years another thing I have come to greatly respect about you is that you can help trainers overcome any situation. I have seen you work through so many training challenges and have never once let facility design, management style, time management, or behavioral history get in the way ever. I am on your website every week. Please keep the great content coming!
ANNETTE PEDERSON // Training Coordinator Copenhagen Zoo
Thank you so much for the best exotic animal training website…ever! The mix of both practical application and behavioral science content is amazing and makes it an ongoing inspirational resource for our training development here at Copenhagen Zoo. It's always useful whenever we need a quick tip for a training situation right away, guidance in the more long-term planning, or just looking for new ideas! It is wonderful to see such an experienced animal trainer as you, Barbara, always willing to share ALL your knowledge with us, always ready to guide us personally in our animal behavior challenges and questions and always keeping up on newest science and trends in the animal training world.
This website is a great tool for us and for anyone looking for ways to enhance the welfare of their animals, from exotics to pets.
Keep Yourself Motivated and on the Cutting Edge of Progressive Animal Training!
Barbara Heidenreich is providing her own original course materials based on her years of experience as a professional consultant previously only reserved for her clients.
Get 10 days of full access to courses, problem solving, shaping plans and more for just $1. Choose a membership option below and enter the code 'Try10Days'
monthly individual
Recurring payment - cancel anytime in just 2 clicks!
$39
annual individual
Almost 20% savings compared to monthly option!
$399
facility annual
Provides access for multiple team members under one account!
$699
30 Day No Questions Asked Money-Back Guarantee
If you join and decide the Membership isn't right for you, just let me know. I will happily cancel your membership and refund your money.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will I get access to Barbara?
Yes! Barbara is available for scheduled live-stream sessions, scheduled live events, virtual experiences and Zoom chats such as our regular Tower Talks. Times and days vary to accommodate an international audience and based on her travel schedule.
I'm just getting started, will this program be too advanced for me?
This is a great resource for those new to training. Barbara loves to work with those just getting started in the world of training and has plenty of courses designed for the beginner included in this program. Even better is that you will be starting with quality information from the get go. You will also get intricate details that will help you fine tune your practical application skills so you will be off to a good start.
I'm an experienced trainer, will I be challenged enough by the material?
Barbara has a reputation for innovative approaches to animal training and encouraging conversations that push animal training in progressive directions. She has been a pioneer in making changes to how trainers evaluate and create motivation, especially for free flight. Because of her broad network in other academic communities she is fortunate to find great minds who shed new light on traditional thinking when it comes to animal training. She loves to share these insights with trainers excited to explore what's next when it comes to animal behavior and learning. These are the kinds of discussions you will find in the Conversations area of the membership program.
I am a behavior manager at a facility, will this be a good resource for me and/or my team?
Absolutely! It was designed with people like you in mind. It can be challenging to find ways to provide continuing education to a whole crew easily. And sometimes you only need a resource to focus on a specific topic. The idea is you can find the exact teaching tool you need in the program and deliver to the right people on their terms. (For example, squeezing in a ten-minute lesson in between keeper talks, or listen to a live-stream episode replay while prepping diets, or analyze a training session with Barbara during a lunch and learn) This program also allows behavior managers a way to experience and learn from others via several features in the program such as the Tower Talks, Conversations and the Community.
Is the material always the same inside once I get access?
No! That is what is really exciting. Yes, there is a baseline of material that will always be available to you. You can learn from this material at your own pace. However, we are always adding to this baseline. The library of resources is constantly growing. Additionally, there are live events such as the YOU be the Behavior Consultant series, live streaming of training sessions, live streaming from conferences and workshops and more. And don’t forget your opportunity to socialize with other in the forum and chat group. You can also tell us if there is something you would like to see added to the program.
Is the content available right away or does it get sent to me a little at a time?
You do get access to pretty much everything right away. However, we will send you additional special resources throughout the course of your time as a member. We will also send you weekly emails when something new is added to the program or if live events are coming up you can attend virtually as a member.
What if I find the program is not for me? Or financially this is not a good time?
We understand. If you loved the program but found that financially now is not a good time, you can put your subscription on hold and come back later. Maybe you had a change in career paths and no longer see yourself growing this skill, or perhaps virtual learning is not your favorite medium. In any case, it's totally fine and you can cancel at any time. (See terms and conditions for more information on how to cancel.)
Can I access the content once I cancel my membership?
No. Your membership entitles you to enter the members area and access the content there released prior and during the duration of your membership. If you cancel or do not renew your membership you will no longer be able to access the content inside the site.
CAROLINE CREVIER-CHABOT // Cat shelter volunteer and amateur cat trainer
This membership has been such a great opportunity to learn and discover new ways of doing things! From the PPCC procedure and the C.A.T. training process for fearful animals to injection training and the many courses to improve your training skills. It's a great ride! Whatever animal you are training, there is loads to take away from any course. I especially like the fact that all courses have videos of real training sessions and progress with a variety of animals. I train domestic cats. I tried all the online education offers from dog trainers and I find I learn more from trainers who work with exotics.
This membership has been an absolutely wonderful discovery! It motivates me to do more and to do better! Thanks so much for all the material you've created!
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