Clicker Training Blog

Shelters overrun with family pets during economic downturn

By Miranda Hersey Helin on 11/19/2008

You may have heard that animal shelters across the US are seeing an unfortunate increase in "owner releases" due to home foreclosures and other economic difficulties. In addition, animal adoptions are on the decrease, as potential pet owners feel the budget squeeze and decide that now is not a good time to take on the expense of caring for an animal. The equation of more animals entering shelters and fewer animals finding homes means that many organizations are overrun at the moment. As reported by the New York Times and other media outlets, the problem is serious.

In response to this crisis, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has just issued a third round of shelter grants. From the HSUS website:

To help keep families and pets together through foreclosures and financial crisis, the Humane Society of the United States has created a grant program for shelters and rescue groups.

Pets have been among the voiceless victims of the current economic downturn. Animals have been left behind in foreclosed homes, and shelters are reporting that families are struggling to keep and feed pets.

To ease the current hardships, The HSUS is offering grants to animal shelters, non-sheltered rescue/adoption groups and animal care and control agencies to help establish, expand, or publicize services or programs that assist families in caring for their pets during the current economic crisis.

Grants range from $500 to $2,000 per organization. Collaboration is encouraged, and preference will be given to organizations that have a cooperative agreement with other agencies in their community such as a food bank or other community service agency.

Individuals can help keep pets and their families together by donating directly to this important fund.

"Dealing with a financial crisis is scary enough," said Stephanie Shain, director of outreach for Companion Animals at the Humane Society of the United States. "We hope to ease the burden in some way for families by helping their local shelter help them keep their pet home and part of the family."

If you can, please help.

Clicker trained Komodo dragon celebrates birthday at London Zoo

By Miranda Hersey Helin on 10/22/2008

A celebrated Komodo dragon turns ten at the ZSL London Zoo. From the zoo's website:

Raja, ZSL London Zoo's adult dragon, is getting his nails cut in preparation for his birthday and National Reptile Day which are both on Saturday.

Being a Komodo dragon, and one of the world's heaviest living lizards, you might think that Raja could be a bit of a ‘old dragon' when it comes to being pampered - but this just isn't the case!

The birthday boy has been target trained since he was three years old which means he is an old hand when it comes to being groomed.

During target training Raja is encouraged to focus on a white ball on the end of a stick, keepers then use a clicker and give Raja food each time he touches the target so he learns to associate this with a reward.

This enables Raja's keepers to work with him safely and means that essential grooming and veterinary procedures can be carried out without causing him unnecessary stress and resorting to general anesthetic.

The dragon is a popular animal with visitors, who love to watch his dramatic eating habits. With his long, yellow, deeply-forked tongue and stealthy approach Raja certainly makes a meal out of his dinner!

Circus Cats of Chicago perform October 11!

By Miranda Hersey Helin on 10/08/2008

If you live in the Chicago area, don't miss the Circus Cats! These fantastic domestic felines (clicker trained, of course) will amuse and amaze as they ride skateboards, roll barrels, ring bells, push carts, walk the high wire, climb ropes, jump through hoops, and more! The cats finally have a stage to purrform on, complete with lights, sound, and a set-up so the audience can see from any seat in the house. Meet new cast member Neo, as well as all your favorites. These cats even play in a band: The Rock-Cats are a trio of talented felines on drums, guitar and piano.

Samantha Martin's Acro-Cats have appeared on 190 North, WGN, America's Got Talent, CBS and more. Don't miss your chance to meet them live and in purrson. Limited seats available Book your tickets early.

Purrforming live Saturday, October 11 at 4:00 and 6:00 p.m.

Gorilla Tango Theater

1919 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647
773-598-4549

If you want to learn more about Samantha and her Amazing Acro-Cats, read our profile: Herding Cats in Hollywood.

New Veterinary Behavior Technician Scholarship Program for Karen Pryor Academy

By KPCT on 10/06/2008

The organizing committee for the Academy of Veterinary Behavior Technicians (AVBT) and the Society of Veterinary Behavior Technicians (SVBT) scholarship committee are proud to introduce the AVBT "Faith" Scholarship to the Dog Trainer Program at Karen Pryor Academy for Animal Training & Behavior.

The scholarship is named after Faith, the service dog trained using clicker training methods for Julie Shaw's son Dylan nearly 14 years ago. Faith died of lymphosarcoma at the age of six, but her memory will live on through the recipients of the "Faith" scholarship.

Two or three scholarships will be awarded annually, each valued at $2,500. The SVBT scholarship committee, along with the AVBT board of regents, will select a recipient who has demonstrated a commitment to advancing the role of the veterinary technician in the discipline of animal behavior and has a desire and the ability to pursue his or her Veterinary Technician Specialist-Behavior (VTS-Behavior) credentials.

For application details, click here.

TAGing a Husband

By Denise Lacey on 10/01/2008

It all started with a forgotten grocery bag.

Lights, Camera, Action! The Canis Film Festival is back

By Aaron B. Clayton on 09/02/2008

Show the world the best of clicker training! The Canis Film Festival is back.

Clicker trained "wonder rats" save lives in Africa

By Miranda Hersey Helin on 08/12/2008

In Mozambique, clicker trained rats save the day--and save lives. From Ireland's Corkman:

Landmines are a huge problem in Mozambique. The country's villages, farming land and roads are a patchwork of minefields, planted by both sides during the 16-year long civil war. The mines remain active, despite the fact that the war ended many years ago. They continue to kill and injure Mozambicans, preventing normal daily activities like farming and movement through the countryside.

Landmines are remarkably difficult to remove. Armored mine-clearance vehicles are only effective on level, smooth surfaces. Metal detectors locate any metal object, leading to numerous false alarms. Dogs are good at detecting the explosives in landmines, but they are heavy enough to trigger the landmines themselves, and they tend to get bored with the repetitive work.

The idea of using rats as mine detectors is brilliant. Rats have a highly developed sense of smell and are easy to tame and train, as my ten year old rat-owning daughter will tell you. They are small, cheap and easy to maintain and transport. They are very adaptable, living comfortably in all sorts of environments. And once they have been taught a task, rats love to perform repetitive tasks. They are more easily transferred between trainers compared to dogs, since for rats, the key motivating factor is the food reward rather than the social kudos of impressing their owner.

Read the whole article here.

Meet at the Training Frontier

By KPCT on 08/05/2008

Explore the training frontier and find out why so many people say ClickerExpo is the most valuable conference they have ever attended! Mark your calendars for ClickerExpo, 2009’s must-attend program for training professionals and enthusiasts.