Scott Robins, Head Trainer for Scott Robins Edutainment, Inc.

I am frequently called upon to help people resolve problems with their pet birds. One of the biggest challenges any pet owner can have is the ability to communicate effectively with their pet. It does not matter whether it is a dog or a bird. If your pet is not given the opportunity to understand what you want, need, or expect, then the relationship breaks down.

For years, many animals were trained using dominance based training techniques. Choke collars on dogs are a prime example. When a dog does not listen, a punishment occurs (tension on the choke collar) until the dog more or less gives in. There are two schools of thought here. Some say that it is dominance training where the dog succumbs to the owner’s demands and others believe that you are simply establishing the pack order and the dog must have the structure to follow the leader of the pack. Personally, I hate to see any companion animal act completely submissive upon the sight of its owner. That to me is not a relationship. I like to see smiling owners, tail wagging dogs with bright eyes, and a willingness to work together as a team.

Years ago, Marian Breland-Bailey and Bob Bailey used the science of Applied Behavior Analysis to animal training. Using operant conditioning and shaping, the Bailey’s were able to train many types of animals for Hollywood and commercial applications. Using positive reinforcement they established the foundation of training techniques that are used by the best animal trainers in the world today. And for the record, the Bailey’s trained the first Parrot Show for Parrot Jungle in Miami, Florida many years ago.

For years, the only way you really learned to train animals professionally was through apprenticeship. There were no real schools. And if you were fortunate, you learned the secret to gentle animal training. And then…… along came a woman by the name of Karen Pryor. Karen trained dolphins at the Sea Life Park in Hawaii. Through her years of experience, she, for the first time, wrote a book called “Don’t Shoot The Dog”. Karen wrote a book that explained how applied behavior analysis works with the principals of operant conditioning. The book was written in a manner that just about anyone could understand. This book has now become a must have for any animal trainer.

Using the principals of ABA and Operant Conditioning, we can eliminate all aspects of fear and dominance training. We have a simple and inexpensive tool that we use to help establish a positive method of communication. Once it was an inexpensive children’s toy, and now it is my secret to building relationships with the parrots, dogs, and other animals that I work with…. a clicker. Would you like to see some examples? Head over to my website at www.scottrobinsedutainment.com. On my home page, you can see a quick one minute video clip of one of my macaws playing basketball. I also post some random clips at www.youtube.com/scottr751.  Do you want to know more? Leave us some feedback. And thanks to Windycityparrot.com for all of your support.

Best Regards,

Scott Robins