About this episode

Ryan Talbot discusses his journey from computer engineering to animal training at Wolf Park, exploring the intersection of engineering thinking and behavior analysis.

In this first part of our conversation with Ryan Talbot , Behavioral Enrichment and Training Manager at Wolf Park, we dive into the winding and thoughtful path that brought him from computer engineering into the world of applied behavior analysis and cooperative care. Ryan shares how a formative visit to Wolf Park opened his eyes to the power of relationships built through understanding another being's umwelt, setting him on a path of lifelong learning in behavior science. Across the episode, Ryan reflects on how engineering thinking and behavior analysis intersect in his work. He discusses debugging software versus analyzing behavior, the parallels between instrumentation and communication, and how these concepts helped shape his approach to training wolves with clarity and compassion. Ryan also describes the early cooperative care efforts at Wolf Park, from reducing reliance on human wolf bonds to developing voluntary, transferable husbandry behaviors with the help of colleagues and mentors. Together, Ryan and host Ryan Cartlidge explore themes of motivation, imposter syndrome, community, and what it means to contribute to a field from an unconventional starting point. From…

People in this episode

Host: Ryan Cartlidge

Guest: Ryan Talbot

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Wolf Park, applied behavior analysis, cooperative care

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