Early experiences with exotic animals influenced me a lot as a trainer and I can trace many valuable lessons back to those days.
Behavior Chains – Untangling the Confusion
Behavior chains seem pretty straightforward: it’s when an animal does a series of behaviors in a row, like links in a chain, ending in a reinforcer. Yet, behavior chains aren’t that simple! There is a tremendous lack of clarity in the training community about the definition of the term “chain.” I have researched the origins of the term and hope to clear up the confusion so we can better communicate with one another about chains and their many uses.
Training Multiple Alpacas at Once
During a recent Dive Deep: an Advanced Training Course, Ken Ramirez demonstrated training five alpacas at once. Watch as he is able to get excellent neck tactile with Blanca many times! The animals love the extra attention and training that comes during course week.
Dive Deep: Advanced Training Course
Is Dive Deep: An Advanced Training Course at The Ranch right for you? Here Ken Ramirez shares his thoughts on why it appeals to the training geek in all of us. Learn more!
Salsa, the Untrainable Alpaca
Salsa, the Untrainable AlpacaAlpacas at The RanchI have always enjoyed alpacas and appreciated their gentle nature. About 16 months ago, I heard about a nearby alpaca ranch that had more than one thousand alpacas that were going to be slaughtered for meat later that week. I went to check the place out; I had no plans to adopt any alpacas …
Something Borrowed, Something True: 8 of My Favorite Animal Training Sayings
Something Borrowed, Something True: 8 of My Favorite SayingsThere are plenty of maxims, adages, and popular sayings in the training community. I tend to avoid them, because they can be simplistic, overused, or embraced too fiercely by some trainers. In reviewing my classes at The Ranch and my various seminars, however, I discovered that there are a few sayings that …
Animal Training Recipes, Rules, and Principles
Animal Training Recipes, Rules, and PrinciplesAs a lecturer and coach, my ultimate goal is to teach principles, rather than “recipes” and rules. A solid understanding of principles allows students to solve a wide variety of problems independently. However, I have found that offering recipes, suggesting rules, and imparting principles all have their place in developing skilled trainers. The starting blockI …
Marlin Meets Tulip – A Systematic Introduction
Marlin Meets Tulip – A Systematic IntroductionBy Ken RamirezIn my years working in the zoological world, I have introduced aggressive animals to one another frequently. We moved animals from one zoo to another for breeding purposes, or to facilitate conservation projects. Some species, such as chimpanzees, tigers, and sea lions, can be quite aggressive when first introduced, and some species …
Tulip Joins the Ranch
TULIP JOINS THE RANCHMAREMMA SHEEPDOGSAs 2017 came to a close, I acquired a two-year-old female Maremma sheepdog named Tulip. The Maremma is a livestock-guarding dog, often referred to as an LGD. These dogs were first brought to the United States in the 1970s; they have been used as LGD in the mountains of central Italy for hundreds of years. As …
Training by Any Other Name
TRAINING BY ANY OTHER NAMEALWAYS TRAININGOften, I find myself sharing my belief that training is not a luxury, but an integral part of a good, responsible, and professional animal-care program. I imagine that most professional trainers have clients, friends, and relatives who don’t quite get training. They don’t understand training, and don’t recognize its importance. In other cases, however, training …
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