Back to my bucket. I kept the food on the floor to help prevent any reinforcement for climbing the wire gate. I began directing Priscilla to my left and Elvis to my right. Before I fed them I would tap the tongs on the metal cage bars. This is how I put my recall on cue. Both rested regularly to the right of the enclosure so it was easy to obtain the initial stages of training Elvis to station. I predetermined that Elvis would station to the right and Priscilla would station to the left. With Priscilla, I had to keep calling her further to my left. Three taps on the metal cage bars became their cue to come. Once in position for a station, I paired high rates of reinforcement with conditioning my bridge. Before Priscilla could raise her front feet, I would bridge and reinforce, beginning to target all four feet to the ground. Once I had the initial recall and the target of all four feet on the ground, I began concentrating on another struggle I was having with Priscilla. She was snapping her mouth in all directions searching for the food on the tongs. Predictability has its place and that time was now. I experimented with delivering the food to her from different sides of her mouth as well as the front of her mouth. The area I saw the quickest opportunity for her to learn was by delivery to the right side of her mouth. I would ‘tap, tap, tap’ on the wire gate and immediately place the tongs to the right side of her mouth. With a few repetitions she learned that a small swift move of her head to her right resulted with a piece of food easily delivered in her mouth. Within a few training sessions, all four feet remained on the ground, she stayed in position to my left, and after the ‘tap, tap, tap’ she knew her food would be waiting there with a small movement of her head to her right. I then started bringing in the other trainers to keep these behaviors strong throughout the week. I did not need to train as many behaviors for Elvis but he also learned that three taps meant ‘move a few steps and food is delivered at this part of the enclosure consistently.’ While the other trainers kept the above behaviors on cue, I moved onto the next one, which was the first behavior the zoo veterinarian suggested be taught. It entailed teaching the alligators to accept a noose around their snouts for safety of the veterinarian during exams (and other contexts). I asked myself the question: ‘Are these alligators used to being touched regularly by anything other than one another?’ If not, then I chose this to be the first step in shaping a noose around their mouths. To start with I introduced a target stick to their backs with the intention of getting them used to touch and pressure on their back in the same spot consistently and predictably….for now. Next I moved the target stick within their enclosure to about 1 foot over their head. This was a new environmental event and Elvis started backing up and snapping at the air. Could he not see it? Was this a reaction related to fear? Did he think it was food? I didn’t know. I redesigned my training plan and began shaping a station as the target stick started going into their enclosure. Within one training session, Elvis was stationing as the target stick was moved to the middle of his back. Once it touched his back, I needed to shape the behavior of him staying on his station. Thus, when the target stick moved an inch over his back, ‘tap, tap, tap.’ When he went to move his head for the meat, the target stick touched his back. I repeated this with the target stick
TRAINING
staying on his back for intervals of a few seconds before being removed, getting him used to being touched on his back. I was then able to touch his back, bridge and immediately reinforce. With a few more repetitions, the target stayed on his back a few seconds longer before the bridge was delivered. I was then able to begin putting pressure on his back through the stick. From there, I began moving the stick up his back. Since our last training session, the alligators have been moved to their outdoor exhibit. The first time I conducted a training session with them there I took food with me in anticipation of reshaping all the above-mentioned behaviors. I had, of course, lost my recall cue of ‘tap, tap, tap.’ Not to worry, I have that one planned. I am going to design sorting boards with a lightweight frame and metal fencing. We have found new areas for them to station and once we get these behaviors again in the new enclosure, I will begin moving forward with restraint training. Stay tuned! n Lara Joseph is the owner of The Animal Behavior Center LLC, www.theanimalbehaviorcenter.com, in Ohio. She is also the director of animal training & enrichment for Nature’s Nursery, a wildlife rehabilitation center where she focuses on taking stress out of animal environments. She is the founder of the Parrot Society of NW Ohio and The Parrot Society of New Orleans, as well as professional member of the Animal Behavior Management Alliance, the International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators, and sits on the advisory board for All Species Consulting and the Indonesian Parrot Project. She is also the director of animal training for the Indian Creek Zoo.
BARKS from the Guild/July 2016
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