Misunderstanding Motivation
From Coffee with the Critters by The Animal Behavior Center
March 25, 2026 · 19 min
About this episode
The episode discusses the common misconceptions about animal motivation and behavior.
After 20 years working with animals across species, one issue shows up again and again: Motivation is misunderstood. When behavior doesn’t happen, people assume: • the animal is stubborn • the animal isn’t interested • the animal “knows it but won’t do it” But behavior doesn’t happen because we want it to. It happens because, in that moment, it is worth it to the animal.
Topics covered
- animal behavior
- motivation
- training
- understanding animals
- behavior analysis
Keywords
- animal motivation
- behavior misunderstanding
- animal training
- animal behavior
- behavior analysis
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