Learn Elephant training methods from an Expert!
15 hours of video lessons about Elephant Positive Reinforcement Training
Start today! Online at your own pace
How Do You Train An Elephant To Participate In Medical Care?
The answer: Positive Reinforcement Training
This training is essential for improving captive animal welfare in zoos and rescues. We’re proud to offer one of the only (and certainly the best!) courses available for training elephants with positive reinforcement methods.
In this course, you’ll learn how to build trust between wild animals and the people who care for them, including how to:
- Teach elephants to participate in their own health care! [Elephants drinking their milk]
- Use positive reinforcement training to increase safety for animals, keepers, and veterinarians
- Train a new healthcare behavior, such as an elephant presenting their ear for a blood draw or their foot for a nail trimming
- Prevent and reduce aggressive and stereotypic behaviors
- Use desensitization or counter-conditioning to change an animal’s emotional response to a situation
- Establish the first essential behaviors every elephant needs to participate in its own medical care – the key to having a long and happy life
- Learn training principles based on trust, respect, and freedom of choice that can be applied to any animal
Course Topics
- Operant and Classical Conditioning
- Free Contact and Protected Contact
- Foundational Behaviors
- Planning a Behavior
- Desensitization and Counter-conditioning
- Training a New Behavior
- Troubleshooting Problem Behaviors
- Dealing with Aggression
- Dealing with Stereotypical Behaviors
Who It’s For
These training principles also apply to dogs, horses, and many other animals. People who would benefit from this course:
- Animal keepers and rescue volunteers
- Veterinarians, vet techs, and other animal care staff
- Anyone working in animal behavior, training, zoology
- Students preparing for veterinary school or wildlife conservation
- Elephant enthusiasts
- Pet owners
