17/05/2026
Back home and reflecting on nearly a week of learning at Paignton zoo. Not everyone agrees with âzoosâ or even training those animals in zoos but when you see the difference kind and ethical training can make to the wellbeing of these animals itâs pretty impressive.
Itâs so important for the emotions and wellbeing of all animals to be considered and shows how really anything is possible with kindness, patience and skill.
If you can teach a tiger a whistle recall, a giraffe to take position for an xray, a large troop of baboons to all recall inside at one time, binturong to follow targets to encourage movement when necessary, caiman lizards to follow a target for movement and positioning for weighing etc. Goats to have their hooves lifted for trimming, giant tortoises (some weighing 220kg) to recall to inside when needed and more. Without the use of aversives - it just shows there really are no excuses. And I feel pretty lucky to have witnessed and or been involved with all of the above.
I didnât really know what to expect from nearly a week training completely different species but the takeaways are endless. And one of the biggest being that Iâll never be convinced that I should choose to train, guide and support dogs and their owners using aversion.
And as always so good to be around great people (keepers and other dog professionals) who were so generous sharing their experiences and knowledge so freely â¨
