Let’s Talk about Sex!…..and Animal Training

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Episode - 10 January 2020

Host: Barbara Heidenreich

What does sex have to do with animal training? Sometimes, everything! Reproductive hormones can have a significant impact on behavior and can sometimes present challenges for trainers. Animals may be less motivated to participate in training sessions, demonstrate territorial aggression, or direct sexual and courtship behaviors toward humans.

So what can we do when reproductive behavior starts affecting training? In this episode, I share examples from a wide variety of species and discuss strategies I've used to work through motivation issues and other behavior challenges. I also explore the other side of the equation—how training can be used to help facilitate breeding success.

Elephants, rhinos, big cats, great apes, parrots, guinea pigs, dogs, horses...I cover a lot of ground in this one. Let's talk about sex, baby!

Here are some links and video examples relevant to this episode:

Solutions for Parrot Behavior Problems Related to Hormones

Sirocco the Kakapo Finds Love in an Unusual Place

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It’s hard to pick just ONE thing to be thankful for but I have to say I am very grateful for the opportunity to work with the awesome people at @santabarbarazoo for all these years! We are about to enter our 10th year working together! These animal care professionals have been the originators of a lot of “firsts” in animal training. However, you may not know it because they are so focused on just doing a great job, they forget to toot their own horn. So, gosh darn it, I am going to do it for them. Here is a super cool behavior that is on it’s way to being on cue….they are training a giant anteater to urinate on cue. I am super proud of this zoo. They were training giraffes like elephants before giraffe training was hardly a thing. They have skinks and monitor lizards that relish going for walks on harnesses for enrichment and educational experiences. They have taken in some of the most sensitive animals and transformed them with training to the point that they can easily inject for sedation when needed for medical care. They were some of the first to train birds for voluntary injections....and the list goes on. Along the way they have helped me grow as well. Thank you, Santa Barbara Zoo! I look forward to many more firsts. #giantanteater #anteater #giantanteatertraining #urinateoncue #santabarbarazoo

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About Barbara Heidenreich

Barbara Heidenreich is a zoologist and animal training and behavior consultant specializing in species managed in zoological facilities. She earned her B.S. in Zoology from the University of California, Davis. Barbara consults internationally with zoos, universities, veterinary professionals, and conservation programs and has worked onsite with more than 90 facilities in 30 countries.

In addition to her consulting work, Barbara serves as an Adjunct Instructor at Texas A&M University and operates AnimalTrainingFundamentals.com, a comprehensive online education program offering hundreds of courses on animal training and behavior. Her work focuses on applying behavior analysis to improve animal welfare through building behavior, contingency analysis, genuine choice, and constructional approaches to behavior change.

Barbara has authored two books, contributed to five textbooks, and co-authored two Fear Free® Avian Certification Courses. She advises the Animal Training Working Group and Parrot Taxon Advisory Group for the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria and serves as Co-Chair and founding member of the Zoological Association of America’s Animal Training Committee. She has contributed to conservation projects including the Kakapo Recovery Program and the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation and has received seven awards from zoological trade organizations recognizing her contributions to the field.

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