Behaviour, learning and positive training

Behaviour is the animal's response to its internal state and surroundings. When you understand what's behind a behaviour, you can work with the animal instead of against it — and that makes everyday life safer for both animal and keeper.

Each species has a set of natural behavior patterns it is driven to perform — foraging, digging, climbing, social contact, rest and fur care. When the environment doesn't allow for these behavioral needs, frustration, stress and often abnormal behavior arise.

Stereotypes and error development

Repeated, purposeless behavior such as wandering back and forth, excessive licking or feather plucking is called stereotypes. They are often a sign of an environment that does not meet the animal's needs. Enrichment and better facilities are usually the way forward, not punishment.

Animals learn through consequences and connections. Two basic concepts recur in practical animal work:

• 01Classical conditioning — the animal associates two things, such as the sound of a bucket with feeding.
• 02Operant conditioning — the animal repeats behaviour that produces a good result and avoids behaviour with an unpleasant result.
• 03Reinforcement increases a behaviour; a reward right after the desired action works strongest.
• 04Timing is everything: the reward must come the moment the animal does the right thing.

Many facilities train animals to voluntarily cooperate on care and examination — e.g. to stand still for weighing, hold out a paw or allow a closer look. This reduces stress and the need for coercion and restraint.

Reading body language is a daily skill. Signs of unease, fear or aggression vary from species to species, but what they have in common is that an animal almost always signals discomfort before it reacts strongly. Stopping at the early signals prevents bites, injuries and poor welfare alike.

“An animal that gets to cooperate willingly remembers the procedure as harmless — next time will be easier not harder.”