ABC'S: ANIMAL BEHAVIOR

CONCERNS & SOLUTIONS

A Question & Answer Forum For Animal Professionals

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Welcome to the ABC's! Animal Behavior Concerns & Solutions is an animal behavior column written by animal behaviorist and animal trainer, Diana L. Guerrero. This section is dedicated to animal training techniques for all animals and pets, and topics related to operant conditioning and reinforcement. This column is about California Sea Lion (Zalophus californianus) behavior and sea lion training. For pet training please visit the pet sections, see our pet behavior booklets in the shop, or click here for enrollment information for classes and teleseminars.

California Sea Lion(Zalophus californianus)
Behavior Evaluation & Sea Lion Training

QUESTION:
I am the newest trainer on a sea lion. She has been exhibiting some problem behavior for about five months. Currently she hesitates or refuses to return up into a hallway. Do you have any suggestions?

PROBLEM BACKGROUND
The animal has been at this facility for over seven years. She is in her early teens and is housed with six other sea lions. Her history shows multiple trainers and housing at one other facility (where she was born).

This animal was initially responding well to her new trainer and was beginning to learn new commands. She then refused to travel the complete distance through a hallway to a holding pool, which is at the end of an tunneled incline. There is also new scale that has been placed into the end of the hallway.

In addition, she is not very amiable to being touched by her trainer. She exhibits more security in the water and bolts back to the pool when uncomfortable. Attempts to get her up through the incline and hallway to the other holding pool have temporarily been aborted.

OTHER
In many cases, most training efforts edge forward too quickly. In this situation, the animal was initially responding well to directives and did go through the tunneled incline, through the hallway and into the holding pool area. The animal showed signs of being uncomfortable, but performed according to directives. When the scale was placed into the area, the animal was not acclimated to the new variable and refused to cooperate further.

SUGGESTED STRATEGIES
Go back to basics.
Since you are a new trainer on this animal, review and strengthen those behaviors you already have. Work both land and water behaviors. If you do not have water entry and exit under stimulus control, train that. Once under stimulus control, you can choose the timing to control this behavior before the animal decides to.

Use a seat or target mat to teach "place" or condition a "safe" position. Give this animal a sense of security other than your normal target or the water. Ideally, this object will be mobile and you can move it from one location to another. Put the seat, or location mat, in an area where this animal exhibits more relaxed behavior. Reward the stationary behavior on this object, and then the relaxation. Work your normal behaviors there.

Desensitize to touch.
Once you have accomplished the stationary behavior and relaxation, begin to reward close proximity and touch. You will be using short duration behavior responses and be looking for relaxation, when you get it reward it. Move to different locations on her body. Initially, you will probably need to give her a target for her nose while you do this.

Establish a trust bond.
In stress situations, most animals will respond to your directives if they are given behaviors they are secure with and if you can get them to relax. The trust bond with you can be strengthened through this type of training, and this will help you take her through the stress situation instead of having her bolt.

Desensitize in general.
Perform strongest behaviors and introduce slight variables in location. Once your seating or place behavior is solid, move the seat into a different location and work stable behaviors, reward for performance but also for relaxation. You want to be able to get the relaxation in other areas.

Desensitize to mock scale.
Once your seat behavior is stable then you can bring a mock scale somewhere near the seat. Reward for relaxation and toleration. Also move the animal closer or have another trainer move the mock scale closer. Reward as the desensitization escalates. (The animal ignores and ceases to react to the mock scale.) You will then want to work at moving the animal onto the object and reward heavy for toleration. End the session on a good note. Avoid the temptation to move forward too fast.

Mobile target.
Using your normal targeting device, review and strengthen this. Give the animal some variables to work on. For instance, use a nose target and move the animal into different body positions in a stationary location --keeping the target touch intact. Try also to move the animal into a new location while she is on the target.

Combine strategies.
Once you have the seat or mat behavior stable, you will want to approximate using it up to the incline, and then through it. Take small steps and work the most stable behaviors while doing so. How fast you can span the distance will depend on the animal. Take it slower rather than go too fast. Then add the other variables of going over the scale and into the holding pool on command. You could also use the mobile target to approximate up.

Conspecific relationships.
If this animal's best buddy does not have a problem with the desired behavior, you may want to consider using her and her trainer as an influence or to create a drive to instill more confidence in the procedure. Having them at the end of the incline or in the holding pool area, in some instances, could assist you in advancing your efforts more rapidly. Be sure to also be alert to dominant animals or perceived threats from those animals.

A to B movements.
Using your seat or place and the mobile target, you could start training A to B work (This is moving an animal from "Point A" to "Point B.") and approximate up into distance work. Another trainer could assist you in this and eventually you could incorporate this strategy into the incline to the holding pool.

Other
Always look at the situation from the animal's perspective. Ask why the animal is refusing, since there usually is a good reason. (Not always one we feel is a good one, but the animal does!) Sometimes the reason can be a mere perception or instincts, while at other times it can be due to an incident or another influence.

Ask questions for the animal. Is there something that visually looks threatening? What is the lighting like through the tunneled incline? Are there places she could be trapped by another animal? Was there a step missed somewhere and then regression? Any subtle influences within the group of animals? A past bad experience you did not know about?

Again, keeping a log of behavior and related situations surrounding training can help immensely. It gives you a good solid foundation to move forward with and can assist you in easily pinpointing causes and events (both past and present) that can advance or hinder your progress.

Are you a reader with a question? Be sure to submit it--and good luck in all your training endeavors!

About the columnist: Since 1978 Diana L. Guerrero has worked professionally with both wild and domestic animals. Guerrero has been affiliated with, and certified by, a variety of animal programs in the USA and Europe. Based in California, she writes, consults, and speaks. Information on her animal career programs, training courses, and her books {What Animals Can Teach Us about Spirituality (SkyLight Paths, 2003), Blessing of the Animals (Sterling, 2007), Help! My Pet is Driving Me Crazy (Guerrero Ink, 2007), Animal Disaster Preparedness for Pet Owners & Pet Professionals (Guerrero Ink, 2007)} can be found in this web site and in the shop. Questions for Guerrero should be submitted via the blog comments or membership forum.