Below is the training philosophy created by a cross-section of Animal Program’s staff. It is meant to provide an example of an institution’s training philosophy. We encourage you to consider developing a similar document for your institution.

1. Safety is always our first consideration in any training initiative (i.e., animal safe, staff safe, equipment safe, process safe, guest safe).

2. The program should cover all taxa represented in the collection.

3. The program should involve all relevant staff members, including directors, curators, veterinarians, scientists, nutritionists, horticulture, and maintenance representatives, as well as keepers; all have a role in providing animals with a proper training program.

4. All keepers and zoological managers are expected to understand and articulate the animal training philosophy that was taught in training methods class. All keepers are expected to be able to articulate and apply animal training techniques to achieve training goals as outlined by their area team.

5. There is no separation between animal training and animal management. All keepers/zoological managers are trainers, all trainers are keepers/zoological managers.

6. Training is one of the many animal management tools that we use to facilitate good animal care. Many of the behaviors trained are meant specifically to facilitate medical care, often allowing us to minimize immobilizations or physical restraint of an animal for treatment. The combination of chemical, physical, and behavioral restraint used during a procedure will be based upon the level of training, the severity/urgency of the illness/injury, and the benefit/risk to the animal and staff. Sometimes it is more beneficial to the animal to use chemical agents to provide analgesia, relaxation, and reduce anxiety, as well as provide added safety and restraint during a particular husbandry/medical procedure. The choice to not use a training technique for a particular situation should never be considered a failure of training.

7. A successful training program should be proactive, and be flexible to accommodate unexpected situations (for example, a new medical treatment or respond to an emergency).

8. Keepers should routinely review past training records for patterns. For example, training records can be used to assess routine causes of periodic aggression, or identify differences in relative success in training various behaviors. Keepers can use these past records to predict situations that may be the precursors to breakdown in trained behaviors. Zoological managers should periodically ask keepers if these reviews have been completed.

9. All keepers are expected to learn about the natural and individual history of the animals that they care for and train. When training, keepers need to assess and understand how the animal’s natural history and individual history affect that animal during the training process. Zoological managers should make sure that keepers have and use this knowledge.

10. Keepers can use a variety of methods to shape behavior. The focus of Disney’s Animal Programs training program is operant conditioning using positive reinforcement as the primary tool. Negative reinforcement (e.g., walking behind an animal to herd) and punishment (e.g., a time out) may also be appropriate in some situations. It is mandatory for the trainer to fill out a training approval and planning form in order to communicate how s/he intends to train a particular behavior. When any method is selected it should be one that will make the most sense for that animal based on its natural history, individual history and the specifics of a particular situation. The zoological manager should make sure that a form is completed and approved prior to the onset of training.

11. When training, keepers need to work together as a team. The measurement of success of a completed behavior is that it is trained to the level that other members of the team can also successfully have the animal perform the behavior. The success should be the animal’s and the team’s, not just the person initially training the behavior. The zoological manager will facilitate the integrated approach.