Lions, Giraffe, Parrots, and Dogs, Oh My! Understanding Off-Contact Training.

We CAN do better. Many animals don't like being touched. It can cause a lot of stress or maybe the animal would enjoy being touched but doesn't know how to accept it, meaning they don't understand the intentions yet. These intentions could be from just not yet having a history of it or having one that needs counterconditioning. 

Click here to listen to a podcast on understanding off-contact training
and where to begin with an animal that could hurt you.

This is Koko, our 30+-year-old, wild-caught, rehomed numerous times cockatoo we took in two years ago from a zoo. Let me show you the power of off-contact training. Off-contact is where there is no physical contact with the animal. Here I am training Koko to step onto a perch so I can move him from point A to point B. I had to begin with counterconditioning (retraining) him to accept an object in the form of a stick nearby. This long perch will help me move him while keeping him a distance from my face and hands, which both cause overstimulation or fear in close proximity.

I have to deliver the treats with a spoon, because I am not comfortable with my hands this close to his beak without protective contact, aka cage bars. All of this is done with his choice. He chooses to engage in the interaction. My point is, even if we cannot touch the anima,l if using positive reinforcement training, studies show it is the animal's preferred form of enrichment. I did a live stream yesterday in our Level II Membership showing how he is now willingly stepping on and staying on the perch.

For more information on our animal behavior and training help and services, take a look at our online Memberships & Projects.

When we know better, we do better. Understanding how and when to use off-contact training helps me do better by the animals.

Join us every Sunday morning at 9 AM EST on The Animal Behavior Center's Facebook page to get your animal questions answered. Have a question, let me know.

When we know better, we do better. Let's do better!

Lara Joseph, staff, and the Critters of The Animal Behavior Center