Welcome to Look What You’ve Done!, a brand-new mini podcast series within the Animal Training Fundamentals catalog. This series follows the R.I.A. (Relate, Illuminate, Activate) approach—highlighting the remarkable stories of pioneers in animal behavior science, illuminating their contributions, and providing tangible steps to activate progress in our field.

In this inaugural episode, host Barbara Heidenreich dives into the groundbreaking work of Charles Henry Turner—a scientist whose research on animal cognition, particularly in insects, was decades ahead of his time. Despite facing immense societal barriers, Turner pioneered studies in insect learning, navigation, and Pavlovian conditioning, shaping the way we understand animal intelligence today.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

🐜 Turner’s Revolutionary Research: How he debunked the notion that insects act purely on instinct and proved they can learn and adapt.

🐝 Honeybee Cognition: His experiments showing bees distinguish colors and patterns—paving the way for modern studies on insect vision.

🎶 Pavlovian Conditioning in Moths: How he demonstrated associative learning in insects, a discovery that shattered existing behavioral theories.

🐜 Ant Navigation Studies: How ants rely on memory and environmental cues rather than mere instinct to find their way.

🪳 Cockroach Learning & Long-Term Memory: His findings on how cockroaches retain learned avoidance behavior for weeks, challenging early notions of memory in insects.

Turner’s legacy isn’t just about science—it’s about resilience, curiosity, and pushing boundaries. His work reminds us that scientific discovery isn’t about titles or institutions—it’s about passion, perseverance, and the courage to seek truth.

How You Can Take Action: To honor and build upon Turner’s work, we encourage you to support diversity in behavioral science:

✅ Support Diversity in Science – Check out organizations like the Animal Behavior Society’s Diversity Fund: 🔗 Diversity Fund Student Registration Fee Award

✅ Donate to Scholarships & Grants – The Charles Henry Turner Award helps underrepresented students pursue careers in behavioral science: 🔗 Turner Award

✅ Support Underrepresented Voices in Science – Explore books like Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion in Veterinary Medicine, edited by Dr. Kemba Marshall: 🔗 Get the Book Here

✅ Join Community Groups – Get involved with groups like the Applied Animal Behavior Special Interest Group (AABSIG): 🔗 Join the AABSIG Facebook Group   / aabsig  

✅ Mentor & Uplift Emerging Scientists – Connect with initiatives like 500 Women Scientists, which helps elevate diverse voices in STEM: 🔗 Mentorship & Advocacy https://500womenscientists.org/

Welcome to Part 3 of our captivating podcast series, “Freeing the Crabs from the Bucket. Reaching Our Potential by Recognizing Others,” from the Global Online Animal Training Series. In Part 1, we uncovered the concept of plagiarism and its benefits to the animal training industry. Part 2 revealed the industry's fallout from plagiarism. And now, in Part 3, we're debunking common myths and misconceptions about attribution, exploring different types of attribution, and providing practical tips on correctly attributing intellectual property. We wrap things up with some inspiration on what is possible based on examples from other industries. Remember, you can access the course and download the visually appealing article for free at ATGOATS.com.

Here is the abstract for the article for more information about this topic.

Freeing Crabs from the Bucket: Reaching Our Potential by Recognizing Others.

The metaphor of "Crabs in a Bucket" vividly depicts the practice of hindering others' progress or success to propel oneself forward, which ultimately holds back the entire group. This metaphor is particularly relevant to the training and behavior industry. This in-depth commentary discusses the importance of crediting intellectual property, defining plagiarism, and highlighting its impact on individuals and the industry. It also addresses common challenges and misconceptions about proper citation and credit options and provides valuable resources to help individuals learn how to attribute intellectual property appropriately. By freeing the crabs from the bucket and allowing them to fulfill their potential, practitioners can advance the animal training industry and freely contribute to a diverse world of information sharing. Learn how promoting ethical practices and supporting the work of our predecessors can create a brighter future for animal trainers and the industry.

Recommended Citation:

Heidenreich, B. (Producer/Writer). (2024, March). Reaching Our Potential with Proper Attribution Pt 3. [Audio Podcast]. Animal Training Fundamentals with Barbara Heidenreich.

Welcome to Part 2 of our podcast series, “Freeing the Crabs from the Bucket. Reaching Our Potential by Recognizing Others,” from the Global Online Animal Training Series. In Part 1, we explored the concept of plagiarism and its benefits to the animal training industry. Part 2 delves into the repercussions of plagiarism on the industry and the challenges of providing proper attribution. This episode is a bit more personal and sensitive, but I believe it will resonate with many of our listeners. Remember, you can access the course and download the visually appealing article for free at ATGOATS.com. And if you're eager for the next episode, I recommend visiting ATFGOATS.com for instant access.

Here is the abstract for the article for more information about this topic.

Freeing Crabs from the Bucket: Reaching Our Potential by Recognizing Others.

The metaphor of "Crabs in a Bucket" vividly depicts the practice of hindering others' progress or success to propel oneself forward, which ultimately holds back the entire group. This metaphor is particularly relevant to the training and behavior industry. This in-depth commentary discusses the importance of crediting intellectual property, defining plagiarism, and highlighting its impact on individuals and the industry. It also addresses common challenges and misconceptions about proper citation and credit options and provides valuable resources to help individuals learn how to attribute intellectual property appropriately. By freeing the crabs from the bucket and allowing them to fulfill their potential, practitioners can advance the animal training industry and freely contribute to a diverse world of information sharing. Learn how promoting ethical practices and supporting the work of our predecessors can create a brighter future for animal trainers and the industry.

Recommended Citation:

Heidenreich, B. (Producer/Writer). (2024, March). Reaching Our Potential with Proper Attribution Pt 2. [Audio Podcast]. Animal Training Fundamentals with Barbara Heidenreich.

Are you a fan of multitasking? I certainly am, and that's why I love audiobooks. They allow me to absorb knowledge while walking my dog or preparing animal diets. In this podcast series, I'm your guide through “Freeing the Crabs from the Bucket. Reaching Our Potential by Recognizing Others.” This 24-page article, which I've been working on for nearly two years, has been a source of enlightenment for me. I believe we can foster industry collaboration and advance our practices by sharing this article. You can access the course and download the beautifully designed article for free at ATGOATS.com. And if you're eager for the next episode, I recommend visiting ATFGOATS.com for instant access.

Here is the abstract for the article for more information about this topic.

Freeing Crabs from the Bucket: Reaching Our Potential by Recognizing Others.

The metaphor of "Crabs in a Bucket" vividly depicts the practice of hindering others' progress or success to propel oneself forward, which ultimately holds back the entire group. This metaphor is particularly relevant to the training and behavior industry. This in-depth commentary discusses the importance of crediting intellectual property, defining plagiarism, and highlighting its impact on individuals and the industry. It also addresses common challenges and misconceptions about proper citation and credit options and provides valuable resources to help individuals learn how to attribute intellectual property appropriately. By freeing the crabs from the bucket and allowing them to fulfill their potential, practitioners can advance the animal training industry and freely contribute to a diverse world of information sharing. Learn how promoting ethical practices and supporting the work of our predecessors can create a brighter future for animal trainers and the industry.

Recommended Citation:

Heidenreich, B. (Producer/Writer). (2024, March). Reaching Our Potential with Proper Attribution Pt 1. [Audio Podcast]. Animal Training Fundamentals with Barbara Heidenreich.

Assent is a new buzzword in animal training. But what does it really mean? My special guests, Anna Linnehan and Awab Abdel-Jalil, help us understand. These experts in nonlinear contingency analysis and the constructional approach have collaborated, along with others, to publish two articles on assent. They share an overview of their articles. They explain how to evaluate assent to participate and how you can monitor assent throughout a training session. They dissect the difference between genuine assent and apparent assent. Animal trainers have long presumed positive reinforcement is associated with assent, but as we dive into this topic, we discover that procedures that appear “voluntary” can indeed be coercive. As we aim to be compassionate animal trainers, we can use assent to help us improve our procedures. But as my guests remind us, assent is only part of the equation. Enjoy this podcast interview to gain valuable insights into what genuine assent looks like and how it can provide information to improve your training program.

In this episode we explore how conferences help you unlock the power of connection. We discover how to maximize the conference experience by delving into networking strategies, hidden learning opportunities, staying healthy to go the distance, and the importance of professionalism. From navigating over stimulation to starting meaningful conversations, we explore the pivotal strategies and insider tips that transform the conference experience into an opportunity for personal and professional growth. Whether you're a seasoned attendee or a first-time conference-goer, this podcast aims to equip you with the tools to amplify your networking prowess and make conferences memorable milestones in your professional journey.

Amy Phelps is truly a pioneer in giraffe training. In this episode she shares the inspiring history of training giraffes. This is a rare opportunity to hear directly from someone who was there from the beginning, training behaviors for the very first time that have now become standard in the industry, such as training voluntary hoof care. You will get to hear the origin story of the firehose barrier so commonly used today, and its pros and cons. What is also significant is that Amy’s journey has progressed and continues to evolve. She shares exciting advances that have allowed her teams to expand far beyond a handful of behaviors. Amy also shares tactics to move past “doing things to giraffes while they stand there and tolerate it” and why this is so important to supporting assent-based training programs. This interview is packed with useful information for trainers of all species, not just giraffes. I am confident you will enjoy learning from Amy as much as I did.

Recommended Citation:

Heidenreich, B. (Producer/Writer). (2023, September 3). The History of Giraffe Training with Amy Phelps. [Audio Podcast] Animal Training Fundamentals with Barbara Heidenreich. https://animaltrainingfundamentals.com/podcasts/the-history-of-giraffe-training-with-amy-phelps/

The information I share is frequently inspired by the work done in real life creating behavior change. This episode is no exception.  During a recent zoo consultation data collection was essential to address a behavior challenge. Our observations revealed some very interesting results which led to refinements in our intervention. So much so, that we reached our goal in two minutes in our second training session! In this episode I cover reasons to consider collecting data for animal training. I also cover what information is helpful to collect, as well as how much information is beneficial. I provide options for how to take data, where to enter it for future reference, and several resources to help use the data to develop interventions and/or reach behavior goals. Listeners can find links to additional resources on the episode webpage.

Recommended Citation:

Heidenreich, B. (Producer/Writer). (2023, August 20). The Details are in the Data [Audio Podcast] Animal Training Fundamentals with Barbara Heidenreich. https://animaltrainingfundamentals.com/podcasts/the-details-are-in-the-data/

This episode was inspired by my own personal journey addressing some discomfort over a much-anticipated upcoming event. While helping myself become more relaxed, I was reminded of some parallels in my work with animals. The word uncomfortable can mean different things to different trainers. Therefore, I cover some common scenarios that trainers may describe as uncomfortable for animals. This might be cooperating in certain medical behaviors, or holding positions for duration, or doing behaviors in new environments.  This also requires describing observable measurable behaviors that can give trainers information that an animal might be uncomfortable. Most importantly, I cover some strategies to consider to prevent or address discomfort. I hope you enjoy listening to this episode and the real-life examples that illustrate the behavior science and its application.

Recommended Citation:

Heidenreich, B. (Producer/Writer). (2023, August 12). This is Uncomfortable...... [Audio Podcast] Animal Training Fundamentals with Barbara Heidenreich. https://animaltrainingfundamentals.com/podcasts/this-is-uncomfortable/

The recently published article Increasing Socially Significant Behaviors for Children with Autism Using Synchronous Reinforcement by Stordahl et al. (2023) has inspired this episode. Synchronous reinforcement, episodic reinforcement, conjugate reinforcement, and demand functions can all play a role in animal training. I explore these different reinforcement options and how they are applied, how they are different, and when one strategy or combination might be better than another. Listen to this episode to learn how these reinforcement tactics can help you achieve your training goals. 

Recommended Citation:

Heidenreich, B. (Producer/Writer). (2023, July 30). Reinforcement Tactics. Different Types, What They Look Like, and How You Can Use Them. [Audio Podcast] Animal Training Fundamentals with Barbara Heidenreich.https://animaltrainingfundamentals.com/podcasts/reinforcement-tactics-different-types-what-they-look-like-and-how-you-can-use-them/