Working with animals is like opening a bottle of champagne.
Think of the bubbles as instinct.
Sending the cork into the ceiling is not preferable.
Keeping the fizz intact is what makes the champagne taste best. It makes a lot less of a mess, too.
In other words, the best trainers alternately suppress and celebrate the animals’ natural tendencies as they relate to movement, aggression, speed, etc.
The horse world is full of examples, but here’s a fun one from the dog world.
A competitor has strapped on a Go-Pro helmet camera as he starts with his 10 dogs in a sprint sleddog race with a mass start in Saskatchewan, Canada
That’s right – 270 dogs gunning for the lead.
Check it out! These canine athletes are amazing.
I was particularly interested in the dark-colored ‘wheel’ dog, the one on the right, closest to the sled. Like the rest of the dogs, he seems keen on sprinting but he still takes a few opportunities to “interact” with other competitors.
Working with animals is like opening a bottle of champagne.
Think of the bubbles as instinct.
Sending the cork into the ceiling is not preferable.
Keeping the fizz intact is what makes the champagne taste best. It makes a lot less of a mess, too.
In other words, the best trainers alternately suppress and celebrate the animals’ natural tendencies as they relate to movement, aggression, speed, etc.
The horse world is full of examples, but here’s a fun one from the dog world.
A competitor has strapped on a Go-Pro helmet camera as he starts with his 10 dogs in a sprint sleddog race with a mass start in Saskatchewan, Canada
That’s right – 270 dogs gunning for the lead.
Check it out!
I was particularly interested in the handler’s dark ‘wheel’ dog, closest to the sled. Like the rest of the dogs, he seems keen on sprinting but nonetheless takes a few opportunities to “interact” with other competitors.