Thursday, January 29, 2009
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A Blog designed for discussion of topics related to, but not limited to, Circus, Zoos, Animal Training, and Animal Welfare/Husbandry. Sometimes opening up the dialog is the best starting point of all. And if for nothing else when people who agree and don't agree, get together and start discussing it, it will open up a lot of peoples minds. Debate and discussion even amongst themselves opens a window where there wasn't one before.
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5 comments:
Thanks Wade. For those that don't speak French Nadja was saying that she once saw some photos of a trainer at the St. Louis Zoo and that gave her inspiration....... (just kidding).
Roby's act is terrific. If you watch it closely you can see a few mistakes but you also see that he doesn't reinforce the sea lion a lot -- that's good. It shows a well trained animal that's comfortable with the trainer. You normally don't see sea lions worked at this pace with a lot of different behaviors. Buckles described it as sea lions working like the Berosini orangutans --- except faster with more behaviors. Another point, this isn't just an exceptional animal, several have been trained to do a similar routine over the years.
Roby's acrobatic skill certainly adds to the act. I was going walk on my hands along with my sea lions but didn't have anyone to hold up my ankles.
Jim,
You are kidding me. Amore is not French for Alexander? How about the big old bull head butts her like Hulk Hogan. Nothing like a kiss 0 death. That looks like a rearing behavior for a horse. Evey time the vet bent over to check the flipper the sea lion shot in for the kiss. LOL
We are trying to learn here. What few mistakes? You saved me asking about the little reinforcement I saw. I would think eventually you could eliminate a lot of reward, and only use it sporadically. I am saddened when I see tigers that have worked for 10 years led off their seats with meat, or from behavior to behavior.
Wade
Jim,
When Adolf(was that the sea lions name?) balanced the ball on the stick, is it harder to balance the stick on the chin or the nose?
Wade
Two mistakes, or behaviors that weren't performed properly: 1. Had to be cued twice for the drop dead trick. 2. Ball rolled off his nose when he pushed off the stick -- the traditional trick keeps the ball on the nose. Really being picky, that might reduce the grade to an "A" from an "A+". As to the balancing on the chin, maybe it's a Patagonian sea lion thing. I've always thought the "whiskers" or vibrissae gave the sea lion the information to keep the object balanced -- maybe Patagonians have some around the chin.
As to reinforcement: There's a difference between reinforcement and "baiting". Roby gives the sea lion something after he performed the behavior. Some of the cat acts I've seen dangle a piece of meat on a stick to lead a cat to a seat or into a sit-up. If the cat sat up and then the trainer pulled out a piece of meat -- that's reinforcement. If you offer the reinforcement on an intermittent basis (after the behavior is trained) the behavior, and the whole routine usually become more reliable and faster -- like Roby's act.
The kiss trick is a mixed blessing. It's easy to trained and the public likes it but..... It's so easy the sea lion will often offer it hoping for a quick fish.
Jim,
Possibley the Patagonian has a broader chin, unlike the Californian, making it an easy place to balance a stick.
Great insight into your world. I mistakingly thought the sea lion was interpreting the bending over as the que for the kiss 0 death. Wanting a reward for doing something extra/simple makes more sense in the context of sea lions.
Wade
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