View Post

The 6 Most Overlooked Fundamentals of Successful Training

As a consultant, Ken Ramirez is asked to critique training sessions, evaluate program designs, and help problem-solve. Each client presents unique challenges, whether he’s helping a private client, a working dog organization, or a zoo training program, but his suggestions for improvement tend to be the same. 

What does Ken think are some of the most overlooked fundamentals of successful training? Enjoy this excerpt from the virtual book discussion of The Eye of the Trainer. 

View Post

Training Multiple Animals

How do you train multiple animals at once? During a Live from The Ranch broadcast, Ken Ramirez demonstrated, first working with resident Ranch goats Rottie and Kelpie, then adding Pug, and then Chow. Special guest Susan G. Friedman, Ph.D. shared some commentary after the training session concluded, as did Ken.

View Post

Blanca’s Big Training Session

What a great training session, full of many firsts! During a Live From The Ranch broadcast, Ken Ramirez worked with one of our resident alpacas, Blanca. It was the first time she trained so far from the other alpacas, the first time she responded to a clicker, and the first time she saw a buoy target. Great job Ken and Blanca!

View Post

Goat Walk

During a Live From The Ranch broadcast, Ken Ramirez issued a #KPCTtrainingchallenge to teach the animals in our lives to voluntarily put on a collar, harness, halter, or muzzle. During the episode Ken discussed how we’ve taught our resident goats at The Ranch to voluntarily step into their harnesses when students take them for a walk to find browse. Many participants were curious what this goat walk looked like, so here it is!

View Post

Animal Husbandry: Head and Mouth

We’ve shared some videos illustrating the importance of practicing body and paw tactile to teach our animals how to be comfortable and relaxed for any medical behavior. In this video, Ken Ramirez demonstrates how he works with Marlin on building comfortability around the head and mouth, including wearing a muzzle.

Learn more about tools, concepts, and strategies for the best animal care for any species in The Ranch Experience or Training for Professionals: Across Species