Not all of us have the experience to train our pets. It can be tricky business even deciding what "school" of training method we are going to use. Training classes can often be pricey, and while I consider them a good investment, sometimes they are out of our budget. What about cat owners? (Some of you already know you can train your cat to do all kinds of fun things. Some of you are laughing at me right now..that's okay too.) From pocket pets to horses to dogs and cats, training is such a valuable tool for the both the owner and the pet. It gives our pets a chance to exercise their brains and, often, their bodies at the same time. You might also discover a passion (as I have) and continue on to discover training activities like agility and show.
In that light, I've got a few FREE Animal Training Resources for you to explore. These are only recommendations based on the methods of training that I employ with my pets (and that I learned and used while training animals as a zoo keeper...). Check them out.
Mary Woodward, an animal trainer out of Delaware, offers a very clear and completely free guide to clicker training. She starts off with the very basics (introducing what it even is..) and proceeds on to show you how to use a clicker to establish a variety of behaviors with your dog.
Frequently considered the "queen" of animal training, Karen Pryor's website, clickertraining.com, is a showcase of articles by Pryor and fellow trainers demonstrating training techniques for a range of species-birds, horses, dogs, cats, even rabbits. There is a bit of sales aspect going on but you don't necessarily have to buy anything. Register for a free account and browse all of Pryor and companion's how to articles.
There is also a series of videos available for download called "Click Flicks" (including one demonstrating cat training for all you non believers)
Barbara Heidenreich offers a variety of bird training resources for sale on her website, Good Bird Inc, but you can also view a series of FAQS and sign up to receive a series of free parrot training articles via email.
I would also love to hear from any animal trainers out there. What are your favorite go to resources for pet training?
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