27: The Many Applications of Target Training with Grace Sullivan, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

This episode Grace Sullivan, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo , discusses another one of the most fundamental yet powerful training tools: Targets. There are so many applications for target training and Grace breaks down some of the practical applications of targets and how this "simple" behavior can enhance dialogue and give animals' control in their management. This episode is full of tons of practical examples to help get started with target training and then transition that behavior to more complex ones. Stay tuned in for Grace's "Training Tale" about a collaborative win that lead to a really unique target behavior for some ring-tailed lemurs! For questions or suggestions about the podcast email [email protected] and to reach Grace contact [email protected]  Let's talk some training! 3:00 Intro to Grace Sullivan 7:25 Definition and practical application of targets 10:40 Training a target behavior 18:40 Why target training is a great, early fundamental behavior for novel learners 23:00 Why is target training important? 28:35 Replacing a baiting strategy with target training 30:40 Training duration of a target behavior 39:15 Using target training to train more complex behaviors 42:55 Training targets to other body parts 46:10 Distal targets 51:50 "Training Tales"