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ABI Newsletter,
Winter 2008
""Diviner than the dolphin is nothing yet created..." ~ Oppian, Halieutica
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Check out the new opportunities at ABI! In this issue:
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Director's Corner: Additional Accreditation for ABI! |
The Animal Behavior Institute is proud to announce that we are accredited as an Authorized Provider by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET). In obtaining this approval, ABI has demonstrated that it complies with the standards of IACET and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) - widely recognized as the international standards of sound educational practice. The accreditation process required a rigorous evaluation and assessment of all educational practices, including instructor qualifications and training, outcomes assessment, grading, delivery and course construction.
 As a result of our Authorized Provider status, ABI is now authorized to offer IACET Continuing Education Units (CEUs). Each course at ABI provides 6 credits of CEU that can be used for maintenance of professional affiliation with an institution or advancement in organizations. For example, professionals in health care or therapy might use credits provided in our Animal Assisted Therapy program to fulfill their annual continuing education requirements. Sample associations accepting the IACET CEU include:
- American Association of Respiratory Therapy
- American Board of Medical Microbiology
- American Nurses Association
- American Occupational Therapy Association
- American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
Hundreds of professional associations, technical colleges, civic institutions, and community colleges accept the IACET CEU, for a more complete listing see the IACET registry.
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Dolphin & Marine Mammal Training
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 Do you have an interest in training dolphins, sea lions, orcas or other marine mammals? If so, you'll be delighted to learn of our newest course "Behavior and Training of Marine Mammals", taught by Pete Davey (see below) and debuting in April 2008. This class can be used as a course substitute in three of our certificate programs: Animal Assisted Therapy, Animal Training & Enrichment, and Zoo & Aquarium Science (formerly Exotic Animal Management).
In this class students will explore how operant conditioning and training techniques can be used to train a variety of marine mammals, such as dolphins, orcas, sea lions and sea otters. The course will also include a discussion of the field of marine mammal training and tips for breaking into this competitive field. It will be of particular use to students interested in aquarium careers, marine mammal training, and dolphin-assisted therapy.
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Welcome Pete Davey - New Faculty |
We are delighted to welcome the newest member of our faculty to the Animal Behavior Institute, Mr. Pete Davey. Pete brings a wealth of experience to the Animal Behavior Institute, as one of the most prominent marine mammal trainers in the United States and as the author of books on both animal training and on becoming a dolphin trainer.
 Pete's impressive resume includes nearly two decades of experience at major institutions including Mystic Aquarium, Shedd Aquarium, Ocean Journey and
the Dolphin Conservation Center at Marineland of Florida. In addition to training dolphins and other animals directly, he has created training programs for new staff, designed habitat, recruited new trainers, and been responsible for education, enrichment and management of extremely diverse collections. Pete has taught and developed new trainers at all skill levels and is delighted to be joining the Zoo & Aquarium Science program at the Animal Behavior Institute.
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What's in a Name? EAM is now ZAS |
In response to changes in both curriculum and emphasis, the Exotic Animal Management program has been renamed Zoo and Aquarium Science. While the same core of classes will continue to be offered, we will be introducing additional electives this year to provide more opportunities for specialization within the certificate program. Watch for additional aquatics and aquarium courses to be added in the near future! |
Ask the Trainer: Piddles the Puppy |
Q: My "new" puppy Chloe, is a beautiful Boston terrier, now seven months old. I say "new" because we've had her for three months and she's still not housebroken! We've had her in the crate and follow a plan from our trainer, yet accidents still occur regularly; my young son has started calling her "Piddles"! Is there some magical trick to dealing with my stubborn little girl?
 A: Our heart goes out to you, housebreaking can be frustrating particularly in smaller breeds. Unfortunately, Boston terriers have a well deserved reputation for being slower to housebreak than some other breeds.
But for starters, let's not label her as "stubborn", it creates a set of negative emotions, as if your dog was deliberately setting out to irritate you! Keep in mind that Chloe NEVER soils to "get even" or somehow hurt you. There are a number of reasons dogs may housesoil, including fear, separation anxiety, excitement, submission, etc. But since you're dealing with a puppy, let's assume that it's just a matter of training her a bit more.
Proper housetraining is really a question of reinforcing the desired behavior - pooping and peeing outside! We do this by understanding every dog's natural tendency to avoid soiling it's den areas and learning it's patterns. Consistency is key in any training, especially here. You can help the process a good deal by controlling her feeding schedule, controlling her environment (access and supervision) and watching her signs. Puppies have a natural patter of elimination, they tend to go after eating, drinking, playing and sleeping. Through observation, you will learn the time period between an activity and her need to eliminate. Taking her outside to go before you've reached that threshold, and rewarding her cooperation outside, can accelerate her learning.
The other consideration is providing her with confinement or observation at all times. You mentioned that she's crate trained - terrific! Now you must keep her crated OR watch her while she is out (but don't crate her more than 4-5 hours during the day if you can help it - esp. if she feeds in the morning). Watching her means that she is within eyesight 100% of the time! Again, consistency is key. Watching her will allow you to pick up signs that elimination is imminent - sniffing, squatting, circling or sneaking away. Use these signs to quickly move Chloe outside and reward her elimination in the proper place.
As she goes without an accident, gradually increase the amount of time she is out of the crate. Soak any previously soiled areas with a deodorizer to discourage repeat visits. And most importantly, don't punish her for mistakes. If she is in the act clap or make a sharp noise to startle her into stopping without creating fear. Over reacting on your part will just make her more secretive about her elimination and make it far more difficult for both of you. Persevere, with consistency, and "Piddles" will lose her nickname before you know it.
Good luck!
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