Training: A breakdown of steps

One of the biggest mysteries of animal behavior is the actual breakdown of steps a trainer would take in order to teach a behavior to an animal. Each animal species can require a different technique in order to train the animals, but the most common one used for dolphins is operant conditioning and positive reinforcement. First, let's start with some definitions...

   Operant conditioning: modifying the animal's behavior by providing it with (in our case positive       reinforcement. The animal learns that a consequence arrises because of a behavior that occurs.

   Positive Reinforcement: A reward given to the animal to strengthen the behavior to happen in the future. In the case of dolphins, it usually comes in the form of food, toys, rub downs or energetic attention from a trainer.

There are five major aspects to training a behavior:
1) Hand signals
2) The target
3) A whistle
4) Rewards
5) Time-outs

Hand Signals:

 

In the video above, the trainer demonstrates a basic hand signal in the beginning, for the dolphin's attention, and then for the dolphin's nose to follow his hand movement so that the guests may pet the dolphin.

Hand signals are important aspects of training. These are the swift, easy hand movements made by a trainer to tell the dolphin which behavior the trainer wants them to do.

Targets:
Targets are the trainer's friend in that it can A) be any object and B) shows the dolphin how and where to execute a behavior. For example, a buoy attached to the end of a pole is used as a target. The dolphin is shown (by touching the buoy to the mouth/nose) that the trainer wants the nose to be the body part that moves first. Then, the trainer will move the buoy in a circular motion which tells the dolphin to spin in a circle.

The whistle:
This one is more straight forward, the trainer will blow the whistle in order to tell the dolphin that not only has the behavior been done correctly, but to end the behavior as well.

Rewards:
The rewards given to the dolphins ensure that a behavior will occur again. The dolphins learn that if they do what a trainer wishes them to do, they will get something they love in return. In most cases, the reward is food and trainers use feeding and training time synonymously. However, the rewards do sometimes need to be changed up for monotony purposes. Therefore, the dolphins receive toys such as basketballs or hula hoops, an animated response from a trainer or a pet from a trainer.

These rewards can also differ based on the personalities of the dolphins. Some like the attention from trainers while others prefer food.

Time-outs:
These are less of a negative thing and more of a neutral response to an incorrect behavior. Typically what occurs during a 'time-out' is that the trainer will turn around and ignore the animal for approximately 5 or more seconds. This allows for both animal and trainer to think about what went wrong during the training process.

All training aspects begin with targeting. In the very beginning, when a dolphin is young and learning, they are taught to target their rostrum (or nose) to the buoy simply by having the trainer place it to their nose, blowing the whistle, and rewarding them. This process will be repeated several times until the connection is made. To test the process, a trainer will then place the buoy several inches above the nose and see if the connection is made, if it was, the dolphin will move out of the water towards the buoy and touch their nose to the it. From there any other behavior can be taught because of the incredible intelligence of dolphins and their capability to mentally jump from one step to another.

History of Dolphin Training: Why do we train animals?

Training animals, dolphins in particular, has two main reasons; one is to ensure proper caring and feeding the dolphins, and to show the way animals can connect with humans and to educate the public about these animals in order to work on conservation.

Reason 1: Ensuring proper animal husbandry
Naturally, there are things that dolphins do in the wild that are going to be different when in captivity. For one, when they eat in the wild, the majority of their water consumption comes from their food. The major difference between that and captivity is that dolphins are fed frozen fish and a lot of the water naturally found in the fish is gone. To compensate for this loss, husbandry staff need to "water" the dolphins or place a funnel and tube into their stomachs and give them fresh water using the tube/funnel system. The dolphins do not have gag reflexes and this does not harm, nor bother them in any way. However, in order to accomplish this task, trainers must establish a connection with the animals through training and allow them to be comfortable with the task through numerous training steps.

"Watering" the dolphin

Another important reason that we train dolphins is for medical reasons. When a dolphin needs a checkup or shots from a veterinarian, it can be scary for them. Through the training, a trainer can accomplish a dolphin lying still on a mat, making the procedure much less stressful. Even though training helps in the process, the biggest aspect of getting these procedures done successfully and worry-free, is due to the relationship between dolphin and trainer. Without a doubt, training from a patient and kind person will always build a relationship that is trusting from the dolphin's perspective as well as the trainers. A lot of aquariums and programs keeps the trainers and dolphins paired so that this relationship can be built.


Lying still on the mat for a check-up



Reason 2: Educating the public
It goes without showing that many people do not know much about wildlife. This also means that sometimes, when you don't know about things, you tend to care less about them. If you know little and care less about the plight of dolphins and whales, the possibility of your interactions with them in the wild may be harmful to them. It seems harmless, but feeding animals in the wild only strengthens their attachment to humans, making them more likely in the future to go up to people and be friendly. In some cases this could lead to them getting hurt or even hunted.