Training tips similar for pets, zoo animals

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Training Tip: Trainers capture animals’ desired behavior
A wild animal can’t be physically manipulated like a pet can. If a lion won’t sit, it’s a bad idea to try to push its back legs underneath it to give it the idea. These limitations force trainers to use their imagination, and the resulting methods can be useful to pet trainers, as well.

One useful technique is to take a natural action and put a command to it. Laurie Thompson, biologist of primates and pandas at the National Zoo, says this method is used to train the pandas in many behaviors, such as opening their mouths so their teeth can be examined and extending their front legs for blood draws.

Rather than trying to force or elicit these movements, keepers simply "capture” the natural behavior by rewarding the panda when it opens its mouth on its own, and associate a word to the action.

If you’re a dog owner, try this method to potty train your pup on command — a useful skill when you’re late for work or it’s raining. Choose a command, preferably a phrase you won’t accidentally use in the living room, and repeat it every time the dog goes to the bathroom. A food treat isn’t needed (and may distract); the comfort of an empty bladder is its own reward. It may take weeks of repetition, but eventually, the dog will look for a place to go when you say your command.

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