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In this session of our Behavior Makeover Series, we work with a rehabilitated non-releasable raven that is showing a lot of avoidance behavior around his trainer. We create a behavior shaping plan using non-coercive negative reinforcement instead of counter conditioning or systematic desensitization to build the raven's trust. This works on all species, from parrots to eagles and mammals too. As always, follow your local and federal laws when working with native and exotic species and we do not condone rescuing wild birds without proper permits. For more bird training and behavior tips: ► Having issues with your bird not stepping up on your glove or approaching you? Take the free 7 day fearful and aggressive Challenge https://avianbehaviorlab.com/fear-and-aggressive-behavior-challenge/ ► Learn the Fundamentals Of Animal Training https://avian-behavior.org/39-2/ ►Shop our Amazon Store for bird supplies https://bit.ly/3QWjjJR  ► Join a community of passionate bird owners and learn from hundreds of hours of science and behavior based on demand courses and live trainings - FREE for 2 weeks! https://avianbehaviorlab.com Connect with Hillary on Social Media  Instagram: https://instagram.com/avianbehavior  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/avianbehavior  Podcast: https://avian-behavior.org/podcast Subscribe to Avian Behavior here: https://www.youtube.com/avianbehavior Our mission at Avian Behavior is to strengthen the connection between animals and the humans that care for them with the most progressive and positive reinforcement techniques.

In this final part of our series with Dr. Scott Echols, board certified avian veterinarian, we cover A LOT of ground in terms of avian health and welfare. If you want the straight science about how to get your bird exercising, even in terms of rehabilitated wildlife, diet management, and osteoporosis, we talk about it all. Dr. Echols is as always, so generous with his time and information, and we are forever grateful. To sign up for AvOCET 2023, the Avian Online Conference in Education and Training and learn more from Dr. Echols and other incredible minds in avian science, check out our conference page. Join the Avian Behavior Lab with a Premium Membership with all of our features, including a bottomless library of courses, a private forum for expert feedback, and live classes with a free trial using the coupon code AVIAN. If you want to discover more of our courses and challenges, you can find them here

Working with rehabilitated birds of prey as education ambassadors is rewarding work, but it can be fraught with challenges as well. From working with unruly (and opinionated!) audiences to dealing with heartbreaking avian losses and health issues, it can feel thankless at times. In this episode, we focus on two big issues: working with a volunteer staff and sensitive birds coming from a place of trauma. Volunteers are the backbone of many wildlife rehabilitation centers, and their work is crucial to the survival of so many birds. But managing a volunteer staff can have unique obstacles when it comes to working with sensitive education birds as well. We still have spots in our Bird of Prey workshop at the beginning of March 2023 Our virtual conference AvOCET is at the end of March '23 and is filled with incredible speakers! Join the Avian Behavior Lab with a free 14 day trial with the coupon code AVIAN

The Problem Solving Paradigm teaches you how to manage really complex and sometimes uncontrollable variables when trying to train your bird, so you actually can realize real change.   Because let's just be honest here - trying to train new skills in a busy household or work environment is REALLY hard.  Life happens! Uncontrollable variables like family members, other trainers, and outside influences - like the mailman, construction, random crows flying above - can get in the way of your progress.   We go through three specific phases as well as how and when we apply them. Ready to solve your toughest bird behavior problems? Want a deeper dive? ►The course! For more bird training and behavior tips: ►Try out our free Bird Behavior Toolkit! Loads of videos for free! ► Take the free 5-day Go Home Challenge and teach your bird to go home voluntarily!

Board certified avian veterinarian Dr. Scott Echols discusses some pretty intense concepts in veterinary and wellness technology. He covers how new technology is discovering diseases we never even knew existed and how we are able to diagnose and treat them. We also talk about how CT scans are able to help us identify issues that blood screening and biopsies aren't catching, which for me is has come up when I take a bird to the vet because I know something is off but we can't find anything wrong. We discuss feather destructive issues and avian bornavirus y'all, in ways that really help us understand what is an underlying issue and what is not. If you are just not getting enough avian information in your ears, fear not! We have a virtual conference coming up! TheAvian Online Conference for Education and Training  (AvOCET) is coming up in March 2023. You can submit a paper, discuss amongst peers and professionals, and network like a boss! Don't forget, Lab Member, you get a discount! It's inside the Lab and in your weekly emails.

Bonus release from our earlier interview with Jon Rossi of the Rossifari Podcast. We talk free flight training and how it relates to our leadership philosophies, being a woman in leadership, bird nerdin' and so much more. You can check out our swapped episode on mentorship on Jon's Rossifari podcast page and so much more on zoos, conservation, and animals. If you are loving our ethos on animal training, teaching and working with humans and non-humans, check out the Avian Behavior Lab and you can take advantage of our free trial for 14 days with the code AVIAN.

Using food as a contrived reinforcer to train our parrots is often fraught with emotions and tension. And not without good reason. But we can discuss the differences in contrived reinforcement and natural reinforcement and how both are important components in building strong relationships and decode our interactions with our birds. These concepts can uncover why our birds might stop doing what they used to do, what skills they need to build to be successful in our homes and lives and how we can become better buddies together. Show notes cite our references here. As always, let us know what you think on our social media and in the Avian Behavior Lab community forum as a Premium Member. Join the Avian Behavior Lab for a free 14 day trial with the code AVIAN Check out our Patreon

Training free lofted birds of prey can be an incredibly enriching program for trainer and bird, but it can also lead to an unnecessarily protracted program that brings all parties a lot of stress. Bird of prey trainers that are interested in this type of training need to assess a number of environmental conditions, including their own skills and support system in their assessment prior to commencing a project such as this. This is because a lot of stress can be transmitted, either in over management of weight or in rehearsal of fear patterns while we plod on, footloose and fancy free of deadlines. We highlight two case studies of two very different birds we recently worked with free lofted, as well as discuss the costs and benefits of free loft training It's MemberFest at the Avian Behavior Lab this week! We have our special for premium annual memberships, a limited release of our sold-out  mentorship program, behavior makeovers, and much more! Our 2022 workshops are also completely full and we will be announcing our 2023 workshops this month.  

Why does science in animal care matter? My bestie Barbara Heidenreich and I sit down - this time in person - for a conversation about what it actually means to be scientific in animal care and behavior. And why that's important. We talk about natural behavior, species differences, the constructional approach, and so much more. Resources for the Avian Behavior Lab (it's growing, people! We have big things on the horizon!) can be found on the link. You can check out Barbara's Animal Training Fundamentals Program, of which I am a proud member and affiliate, also here.

ICYMI, petkeeper is a derogatory term in a niche community like falconry. This episode explores the roots of some falconry disagreements and why it's so important to find a supportive community that fosters curiosity and an ethical training paradigm that fits you and your bird's needs. https://avianbehaviorlab.com Our Patreon  The weekend effect in wildife Decline in hunting is a crisis in wildlife conservation funding   

Whoa baby, y'all, this is another incredible interview that gives you a whole 'nother paradigm to the think about in animal training. Let's blow the lid off of the way we think of operant conditioning and dive deep with Maasa Nishimuta and Sean Will of CAAWT, or the Constructional Approach to Animal Welfare and Training. This conversation will have you rethinking the four quadrants, what the consequence(s) of your animal's behavior might be, and how you think about problem behavior.  CAAWT website and membership Donate to help more shelters learn the humane and effective constructional approach The CAAWT Podcast Register for the CAAWT Conference Interested in some of the non-linear and constructional discussions we are having in the Lab? Try out a Premium Membership with the coupon code AVIAN for 14 days at the Avian Behavior Lab

Our second interview with Dr. Scott Echols, Diplomat- ABVP - Avian Specialty, nutrition expert, and, geez, there so many epithets we can tag on here. In this episode, we talk about avian dietary supplements, Omega-3 fatty acids, the ol' pellets versus raw diet debate, and a few other questions within this topic. You might want to bring a pen and paper to this one. Our Avian Behavior Lab members and Patreon patrons get to ask questions for our expert here, as well as binge on these multiple part interviews, which will cover many topics. The webinar we mentioned sponsored by Lafeber is right here Join the Lab for a 14 day free trial with the coupon code AVIAN here! Our September 2022 Bird of Prey workshop is open for registration. The Advanced Animal Training and Behavior Workshop has a waitlist with registration opening in May of 2022 Support the podcast through Patreon for just a few dollars a month.

Owl ambassadors can be tough to train, but in our opinion, so worth it. They are powerful conservation ambassadors for myriad of topics. We topic about two key things that we look at when we set ourselves up to train an owl ambassador. Our Owl Ambassador Masterclass gets really deep on this subject, and you can purchase it on demand at the Avian Behavior Lab. If you are looking to brush up your skills with your bird of prey educators, try out a Premium Membership at the Avian Behavior Lab for free for 14 days with the code AVIAN Our Workshops for the fall of 2022:  The waitlist for the Advanced Animal Training and Behavior Workshop:  Registration for the Bird of Prey Workshop is open!

Screaming is a big deal when you live with parrots, and boy do we know it. We just dropped the final lessons of our Screaming Masterclass in the Avian Behavior Lab. Eleven meaty lessons and worksheets filled with in depth how-to's and comprehensive approaches to this issue. We get you started in the right direction with this episode. Check out https://avianbehaviorlab.com with the coupon code AVIAN for a free trial. More free resources at https://avian-behavior.org/podcast

What do trials for human's capacity for G force have to do with animal training? Turns out, the alleged beginnings of Murphy's law at Edwards Air Force Base in California by Colonel Stapp's team had its beginnings not in pessimism but practicality. Our episode explores how we can use this mindset can turn our understanding of animal behavior into mastery. Tangents include integrity in the animal training world, popcorn, and cat purrs. Resources https://avianbehaviorlab.com 14 days free with code AVIAN Fall 2022 Avian Behavior Advanced Training Workshop Curriculum and Waitlist   Decoder Ring Episode Murphy's law   

In our interview with self-proclaimed bird nerd and parrot lover, Melanie Canatella, Founder of Fluff and Feathers, we chat about working with birds with special needs and creating a more harmonious environment and relationship with them. This is an in-depth conversation about how minimizing fear and stress responses can weave tight the fabric that connects us with the animals in our care. Melanie is a treasured member of the Avian Behavior Lab! Our Patreon is https://www.patreon.com/avianbehavior Join the https://avianbehaviorlab.com  for animal behavior and training expertise  

Animal training mentors, role models, and teachers can be incredibly impactful for our growth. This was a concept I actively sought when I knew I wanted to learn as much as I possibly could about animal behavior.We talk about: Is a mentor a necessity or a luxury? What to look for in a mentor/role model What bad relationships teach us Why it's ok to eclipse your mentor's learning journey What does your mentor want out of the relationship? 14 day free trial of our training and behavior membership with code AVIAN https://avianbehaviorlab.com Go to our Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/avianbehavior For show notes https://avian-behavior.org/41

How do you train your dragon? If you have been on the earth for a hot minute, you know that everyone has an opinion for how you need to train the bird of prey in your care. Let's go over the methods, well most of them. Or some of them. We analyze the environmental conditions that inform our decisions, jess free or no, free lofting, tethering, strobes and all kinds of tools we can choose (or opt out of). With minimal tangents this time (whew!) and only a few rants. Lucky you! Buzzwords include pride, stress, weight management and pluralism. https://avianbehaviorlab.com https://avian-behavior.org/event/animal-training-workshop/

In this episode, we talk about how our training ethos shapes every interaction we forge with the birds in our care. There are some great ways that we can build our foundation through a firm understanding of the animal training fundamentals, so let's get into it! How do you start training before you even start **training**?? On the show notes page, we have our Black Friday coupon codes for those that are listening upon release and the links for Patreon and our free workbook for the fundamentals course. Check out your free guide to where you are with your fundamentals https://avianbehaviorlab.ck.page/fundamental https://www.patreon.com/avianbehavior 

In Part 2 of our live recording of our podcast from MemberFest 2021, we cover some serious ground! We talk about aspergillosis and the importance of force free veterinary training, field a few questions about training with negative reinforcement and the constructional approach, and end up with a bit of a sciency chat about spiders! You can check out our newest courses up on the Avian Behavior Lab using the coupon code AVIAN for 14 days free with any membership!