INTRO TO COWBELL
TEACHING GOATS A RELIABLE RECALL AT THE RANCH
One of our first goals with the ranch animals is to teach them all a reliable recall. This will be particularly important for calling the animals back from the large pastures or to bring the goats into their night stall each evening.
Our first step was to find which reinforcers had the greatest value to each group of animals. With the goats, we found their favorite reinforcer to be branches with leaves from our grape vine or maple trees. This video shows how quickly the goats associated the cowbell with the delivery of their browse. This is only their second time hearing the cowbell and you will notice they immediately run to the sound and go into their night stall.
ENJOY!
KEN
Ken Ramirez is the Executive Vice President and Chief Training Officer at Karen Pryor Clicker Training (KPCT). A trainer and consultant for nearly 40 years, Ken most recently served as the Executive Vice President, Animal Care and Training, at Chicago’s world-famous Shedd Aquarium. He is the author of several books and DVDs, including ANIMAL TRAINING: Successful Animal Management Through Positive Reinforcement, which has become required reading for many trainers in the zoological field. Learn more about Ken Ramirez.