Friday, June 20, 2008
I'll sit out on this one because I am no where convinced this is what the public wants
Posted by
Wade G. Burck
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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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9 comments:
Reminds me of an article I read sometime back in a fan magazine. The writer was complimenting a certain trainer for her concern because she had painted jungle scenes on the back walls of the very small cages she had to "help the animals feel at home". LOL
Ian
Ian,
That is not funny at all. Swear to God, she probably thought the was. Worse she had possibly cleared Immigrations as an "animal expert." I knew one who wouldn't wear her 3 ranch raised fur coat's, as she didn't want to give the wrong impression, yet gifted her boyfriends with tiger claw necklaces!!! Don't get the wrong idea that it is a one sex deal. There are a number of males as cockeyed. The only thing that takes less qualification requirements to be an animal trainer in the circus is a clown. And a lot of clowns at least went to clown college to learn how to put makeup on. There is no standard for animal training, so it is not necessary to be qualified. Often it is just a matter of buying an animal to become a trainer, or marrying/living with someone who has them. Easiest of all is to be "cute and charming."
Wade
Okay Gentlemen,are we talking just cat trainers,or all animal trainers? The biggest laugh I get is from the so called "Whispers", and by far my favorite,the animal "head doctors" that tell you Why your dog shit on the floor.Of course it couldn't be that they just had to shit....These people must be in the "cute and charming" category....
Margaret - I agree about the "whisperers". I saw one of the top ones on RFD-TV the other day and was just amazed. I can imagine some backyard, first-time horse owner watching this and then going out and buying a green, young horse and following what they saw on TV. Go in the arena on your green horse, drop the reins and tap him on the side of the face with a stick until he goes where you want him to go. These trainers who are teaching "do-it-yourself" training are putting responsible trainers out of business and probably keeping hospitals in business. I can imagine someone watching a cat training video, buying some big cats, walking into the cage and "whispering" to them. How long would that last?
Jeannie
Jeannie,
My boy Clinton Anderson is pretty sharp, along with one or two others so don't profile them all. As I have explained and it is a by God true fact, it is not even necessary to look at a video to be a circus trainer. You just need to buy/be given the animal and because there is no standard, do what you want and do it like you "assume/think" it should be done and you are a Trainer. Paint some flowers on the cage walls, prune some oak branches to put in the exercise cage, to (that you have, but they really don't need) to "jungle it" up a bit, and you become a Compassionate Trainer, not at all like those bastard Animal Trainers who have the ability to actually train, without force which is a concept way beyond the Instant Trainers realm of understanding.
Wade
Although I don't believe he has called himself a whisperer - yet, the guy that I get a big kick out of is John Lyons. I saw him once at the local equine extravaganza. He chased a supposedly completely green and unmanageable horse around the round pen until it was drenched with sweat, and then proceeded to do almost perfect changes and waltzes with just body shifts. The crowd was in awe and gave him a great ovation.
It was a display like I can imagine the olde tyme lion tamers did.
I bet he cleared a hundred grand that day selling his patented round pens and halters. I can just see all those backyard horse trainers chasing their beasts around their shiny new pens for hours and wondering why they won't waltz or come to them on cue
Every huckster needs his suckers.
Ian
Ian,
John Lyons, one of the originators, got smart when all the charlatans entered the biz, and took a business lesson from Billy Graham, and now does a half assed revival in addition to "whispering", a word that was coined by the worst of the lot Monty Roberts. They are not all "whisperers", just like everybody's not an "Animal Trainer." The couple of valid ones scoff at the word, as the couple of valid ones in this profession scoff at the same made up words they use here.
Wade
LOL, Monty Roberts, I had almost forgotten about him
Ian
Ian,
How can you forget Monty Roberts????? Thats like forgetting Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling in a discussion of Enron.
Wade
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