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! Animals with reproductive hormones in overdrive can present challenges with motivation for participation in training sessions. They can also present undesired behaviors such as territorial aggression. Some will direct sexual and/or courtship behaviors towards humans. I’ve got some great examples of ways you can get past motivation issues with a wide variety of species as well as address behavior challenges. I also discuss how you use training to 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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