Animal Training Academy

In this episode of the Animal Training Academy podcast, Ryan Cartlidge is joined by Julie Smith — Associate Professor in the Zoo Animal Technology Program at the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo, where she teaches courses focused on animal husbandry, coordinates the animal training program, and mentors new trainers preparing for professional animal care careers. With more than 20 years of experience in animal care and a special interest in positive reinforcement training, Julie has worked with a wide variety of species across three AZA accredited facilities. Together, Ryan and Julie explore the changing landscape of animal care careers and the importance of developing resilience alongside technical skills. Julie shares her own career journey, from an internship at the Minnesota Zoo and her first animal training experiences at Zoo Miami, to her current role at Santa Fe College. She also discusses how the teaching zoo gives students extensive hands-on experience, while helping them develop communication, teamwork, feedback, and other skills that are essential when entering the animal care profession. The conversation then turns to resilience and the challenges that can come with caring deeply about animals and their welfare. Julie explains why she sees resilience as a practice and a set of skills that can be developed over time, rather than something that some people simply have and others don't. Together, Ryan and Julie explore practical ways to build those skills, including understanding what the job involves, creating safe environments where people can make mistakes, understanding your personal and organisational "why", knowing and using available resources, and making time for days off and activities outside of work. Julie also shares practical examples of how these ideas can be incorporated into everyday life and workplace culture, from encouraging open conversations and useful feedback to practising adaptability through small challenges and having Plan A, B, and C. The conversation highlights the importance of recognising your own progress, making space for difficult feelings, and treating yourself with the same kindness you would offer a colleague or teammate. Throughout this episode, we discuss: ✅ Julie's career journey from her internship at the Minnesota Zoo to her current role at the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo ✅ How the Santa Fe College Zoo Animal Technology Program prepares students for hands-on animal care careers ✅ The changing role of animal training within professional animal care ✅ Why communication, teamwork, feedback, and foundational workplace skills matter alongside animal-care knowledge ✅ What resilience means for people working with animals ✅ Why resilience can be viewed as a practice and a set of skills that can be developed ✅ The importance of understanding what you're getting into when working in animal care ✅ Creating safe environments where people can ask questions, make mistakes, and learn from them ✅ Understanding your personal "why" and the reasons behind organisational decisions ✅ Knowing and using the resources available to you, including support from colleagues, employers, mentors, and other professionals ✅ Practising adaptability through everyday challenges and preparing Plan A, B, and C ✅ Stepping outside your comfort zone and "doing it scared" ✅ Making space to experience difficult feelings and developing skills to sit with them Whether you're preparing for a career in animal care, already working in the field, training animals in a professional setting, or simply caring deeply about the animals in your life, this episode offers practical ideas for developing the skills and practices that can help you navigate the challenges of this work. Julie's experiences provide a valuable reminder that resilience can be built over time, and that taking care of ourselves is an important part of being able to care for others. Links Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo : https://www.sfcollege.edu/zoo/ AZA: https://www.aza.org/ Julie Squires: https://www.juliesquires.net/ Julie's Instagram for the cats: @loki_the_wondercat Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo Instagram: @sfteachingzoo

In this forward-thinking conversation, Ryan Cartlidge is joined by Joey Golden — curator of animal behavior programs at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, where he oversees behavioral husbandry programs with a focus on extending behavioral husbandry across the full 24-hour cycle. Joey's work centres on building scalable systems for behavioral and environmental data collection, and using data-driven reports to connect that information to welfare decisions. Inspired by Hal Markowitz, he also leads an engineering program developing automated habitat features that allow animals to earn outcomes on their own schedule around the clock. Together, Ryan and Joey explore how data, technology, engineering and animal behavior can come together to create new opportunities for animal care. Joey shares the evolution of his "observe, interpret, improve" approach at the Maryland Zoo, including the development of camera infrastructure, animal behavior volunteer programs, data collection systems and an engineering lab that has brought around 30 engineers into the zoo to develop automated habitat features. The conversation highlights how these systems can help teams understand what animals are doing when keepers aren't present, identify meaningful patterns in behavior, and use that information to guide environmental changes. The conversation also dives into some of the practical realities of building these systems, including limited resources, developing new skills, working across departments, learning through failure, and starting small. Joey shares stories from the Maryland Zoo's grizzly bear and lion programs, including how years of data helped identify changes to a grizzly bear habitat that resulted in the bears using a previously neglected pool far more frequently. He also describes the development and testing of the "carcass claw", an automated system designed to allow lions to engage with carcass feeding in a more dynamic way. Looking towards the future, Ryan and Joey discuss artificial intelligence and its potential to reduce one of the biggest bottlenecks in behavioral data collection: the enormous amount of time required to review footage and turn observations into usable data. Joey explains how the Maryland Zoo is already building the infrastructure and resources that could support this kind of technology in the future, while emphasising the importance of thinking in longer timeframes and developing systems that can grow over time. Throughout this episode, we discuss: ✅ Joey's journey from the Disney College Program and zookeeping into his current role at the Maryland Zoo ✅ Hal Markowitz's influence on Joey's thinking about technology and dynamic environments ✅ The "observe, interpret, improve" cycle and how it guides decision-making at the Maryland Zoo ✅ Using cameras and behavioral data to understand what animals do across the full 24-hour cycle ✅ How teams can start collecting useful data without needing to tackle an entire organisation at once ✅ Building an engineering volunteer program and developing an engineering lab within the zoo ✅ The development of automated habitat features, including the polar bear device and "carcass claw" ✅ What the Maryland Zoo has learned from both successful projects and failures ✅ Using behavioral data to evaluate habitat configurations, enrichment and husbandry practices ✅ Thinking about technology as a way of applying existing tools in new ways for animal care ✅ The potential role of artificial intelligence in analysing animal behavior and reducing data-collection bottlenecks ✅ Why developing a broader understanding of disciplines such as engineering and technology is more accessible than it might initially seem Whether you're working in a zoo, shelter, kennel, companion animal setting, or another environment where understanding behavior and welfare matters, this episode offers plenty to think about when it comes to using data, systems and technology to better understand the animals in our care. Joey's experiences also provide a practical reminder that you don't need to know everything before you begin — you can start with the resources available, build your skills as you go, and take the next approximation towards the bigger vision. Links [email protected]

In this engaging conversation, Ryan Cartlidge is joined by Tabitha Kucera — a registered veterinary technician, veterinary technician specialist in behavior, Karen Pryor Academy certified training partner, certified cat behavior consultant, and one of only around 30 veterinary technician specialists in behavior worldwide. Tabitha shares her inspiring journey from volunteering with rescue organizations as a teenager to building a career dedicated to helping people better understand the companion animals they share their lives with. Together, Ryan and Kucera explore the vital importance of effective, compassionate, and evidence-based communication between behavior professionals, veterinary teams, and pet caregivers. Tabitha discusses her passion for improving animal welfare through education, low-stress handling, and fear-free care for both dogs and cats. They also delve into Tabitha's new mentorship program, "Better Together: Advocating for Dogs and Cats at the Vet," which officially opened for early access on July 21st to help behavior consultants, trainers, groomers, and veterinary professionals bridge communication gaps and collaborate more successfully as part of a unified care team. The conversation highlights common emotional challenges in the profession, such as navigating professional disagreements, managing ego, overcoming imposter syndrome, and moving away from harmful "us versus them" mentalities. Tabitha shares practical reflections on how treating caregivers and allied professionals with empathy and framing observations into actionable, supportive insights can transform animal care outcomes. Throughout this episode, we discuss: ✅ Tabitha's background as a registered veterinary technician and specialist in behavior ✅ The inspiration behind Tabitha's new mentorship program, "Better Together: Advocating for Dogs and Cats at the Vet" ✅ How to bridge communication gaps between trainers, behavior consultants, groomers, and veterinary teams ✅ Why a collaborative, multi-disciplinary care team approach is essential for animal welfare ✅ Overcoming professional friction, ego, and the harmful "us versus them" mindset in the animal care industry ✅ Navigating compassion fatigue, imposter syndrome, and the emotional weight of behavior work ✅ Practical strategies for turning clinical observations into clear, supportive, and actionable guidance for caregivers Whether you are a trainer, veterinary professional, groomer, or behavior consultant looking to enhance your collaboration skills and build stronger care networks, this episode offers an empowering roadmap for putting the animal's best interest first through teamwork and empathy. Links Small Paws Website: https://small-paws.ca Better Together Mentorship: https://small-paws.thinkific.com/products/courses/kucerabettertogether Tabitha's Website: http://chirrupsachatter.com Chirrups and Chatter Socials: @chirrupsandchatter (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube) Small Paws Socials: @smallpawsedu (Facebook, Instagram)

In this episode of the Animal Training Academy podcast, host Ryan Cartlidge is joined by special guest Irith Bloom — a certified professional dog trainer, behaviour consultant, and co-founder of Carefree Companion. Together, Ryan and Irith explore the profound role that language, word choice, and communication play in animal training and human coaching. Irith shares her fascinating behavioral odyssey, starting from her childhood obsession with animals and training large Rottweilers using verbal cues and minimal force, to discovering positive reinforcement in the early 2000s. Drawing on her background as a polyglot who speaks multiple languages fluently, Irith discusses how experiencing life as a linguistic and cultural outsider has shaped her deep empathy and intentionality around communication. The conversation dives into the nuances of how trainers talk to human clients, examining why shifting phrasing—such as describing a dog as exhibiting "fearful behavior" rather than labeling the animal as "fearful"—can completely change a client's mindset, prevent limiting assumptions, and open the door to positive change. Irith and Ryan also discuss the importance of approaching human clients with the same curiosity, grace, and understanding that trainers naturally offer to non-human animals. They unpack the psychological biases that lead us to view human behavior as strictly intentional while giving animals more leeway, and how cultivating self-awareness and practice helps professionals become more effective coaches. The episode closes with a look ahead at what Irith hopes to see in the industry over the next five to 10 years: a future where routinely looking for both assent and consent from non-human animals becomes completely normal. Throughout this episode, we discuss: ✅ Irith's behavioral odyssey from childhood dog training to becoming a multi-certified professional behavior consultant ✅ How speaking multiple languages influences Irith's perspective on communication across species ✅ The strategic power of language and why avoiding rigid labels like "fearful" helps keep client minds open ✅ Re-examining the use of force and language when describing traditional training methods ✅ Why trainers should approach human clients with the same curiosity and grace extended to animals ✅ The role of continuous practice, self-awareness, and embracing mistakes in professional growth ✅ Irith's 5-to-10-year industry vision: making the routine seeking of assent and consent second nature Whether you are a professional trainer, behaviour consultant, or passionate pet owner, this conversation offers empowering insights into how better communication with both humans and animals can create a more harmonious, choice-rich world.

In this candid and practical conclusion to their two-part conversation, Ryan Cartlidge and Sara Brueske shift from the training field to the front office to discuss the business of animal training. Sara shares an "in the trenches" look at her journey into facility ownership and the evolution of her business, Happy Dog Lodge. The conversation centers on a service model often debated within the positive reinforcement community: Board and Train. Sara offers a transparent look at the ethics, logistics, and communication strategies required to offer this service in a way that prioritises client education, successful skill transfer, and the wellbeing of the dog. Beyond the specific service, Ryan and Sara discuss the broader challenges of entrepreneurship, from the weight of managing a team to the art of marketing to both clients and professional peers. Sara's insights provide a valuable roadmap for any trainer navigating the complexities of making their passion a sustainable profession. Throughout this episode, we explore: ✅ The shift from solo sport trainer to facility owner and team leader ✅ A deep dive into the Board and Train model from a positive reinforcement perspective ✅ Strategies for ensuring successful training transfer from trainer to client ✅ The vital difference between marketing to your clients and marketing to your peers ✅ The real-world challenges and ethical considerations of running a training business ✅ How to build a service that meets market demand while upholding your training philosophy Part two is a must-listen for any training professional, offering an honest look at the sometimes uncomfortable but crucial business side of what we do and how to do it with integrity and foresight. Links Happy Dog Lodge - Boarding, Training, Grooming in Cambridge, MN www.happydoglodge.com Fenzi Dog Sports Academy www.fenzidogsportsacademy.com Facebook page: www.facebook.com/brueskesara

In this reflective and wisdom-filled conversation, Ryan Cartlidge welcomes back Lori Stevens, canine fitness, movement, and behavior specialist, creator of the Balance Harness, and long-time leader in the world of positive reinforcement training. As Lori marks her retirement from the professional speaking circuit, she takes us through the lessons that have defined her teaching philosophy and the perspectives that continue to guide her today. Drawing from decades of experience, Lori shares how her background in dance and movement shaped her keen eye for posture, balance, and subtle physical cues, and how these factors profoundly influence both behavior and wellbeing. Together, Ryan and Lori explore what it really means to be concise and precise as teachers, not just with our animal learners, but with the human ones too. From refining observation skills to simplifying feedback and setting learners up for success, Lori's insights reveal the quiet power of doing less to achieve more. Throughout this episode, we discuss: ✅ Why movement, posture, and physical comfort are critical variables in behavior and learning ✅ The art of teaching with clarity, and the difference between being concise and being precise ✅ How giving "one to three things" to focus on can transform learning outcomes ✅ The importance of slowing down, observing deeply, and trusting the process ✅ Lori's reflections on mentorship, gratitude, and the evolving landscape of positive reinforcement training Whether you are a new trainer just finding your feet or a seasoned professional reflecting on your journey, this conversation is an inspiring reminder that every small, thoughtful step forward can be life-changing for both our learners and ourselves.