'Love at First Bite'



Was it me? -or was it the apples?

Spending a little time training at the farm provides a nice contrast to working in the wildlife section of the park.  There is a calm routine to the animal's daily comings and goings, even now, during lambing season. 

Upon my arrival at the farm, I head into the kitchen to slice up some apples, pears, and carrots for the upcoming training session, which will involve a goat, 1 extremely large hog, and a friendly little female pig.  I take my bag of fruit, my target stick, and my clicker and go off to meet the head zookeeper.  First up is the goat, and the zookeeper would like me to try to teach him to pull a small cart.  I feel the need to explain that this will take some time, and I'll start by training some easy foundation behaviors first.  I won't ask an animal who has never been trained before to start off with complex behaviors.  It's much easier to teach them some simple behaviors, so they can  #1) get the idea that what they do brings about some pretty tasty treats, and #2) have a repertoire of about 5 behaviors that they absolutely "know" -this way, when we're learning more difficult behaviors, I know I can always shift gears if I need to, and pull up something the animal easily can do so he'll feel successful.

    I find Lena (the zookeeper) working near the pasture.  She points to a large group of white goats and says with a curious amount of certainty, "he's the white male over there."  

    
"Over there (?) ...ahh, that one,"  I say with false confidence as I casually inch closer to  seek a better alignment of her finger with the goat in question.

     "Yes, Mr. Bojangles ...he was neutered a few months ago." -And with that brief introduction, she then heads back to her work.

Identifying a white, neutered male among a herd of around 20 other white goats might not be a problem for some, but I'm somewhat green when it comes to white goats.  It's a simple explanation really.   I was raised in the Senoran Desert -a vast 'goatless' region in the American Southwest. 

Trying to size up the situation, I immediately subtract all the nursing nannies and their kids, which reduces my choices down to 4 goats.  As I walk through the gate, I calculate my chances of survival should I try to 'feel down-under' for recent signs of surgery.  One look at their curled horns, and I decide against it.

While I'm pondering my dilemma, I quickly am surrounded by a multitude of curious little goats who begin  nibbling at my shoestrings and pant legs.  Within seconds, they are trying to climb up my legs.

Varning!!  Cute, but trouble!

As I lean down to gently pry one from my body, several others become interested in chewing  my ponytail  -I'm rapidly losing control of the situation!

Just about the time I'm thinking of abandoning ship, the little ones scatter and I feel a gentle butt on my backside.  It's Bojangles to the rescue -or at least if it isn't, this goat will do!  A small piece of apple is all it takes for him to follow me into the training stall, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Now, Bojangles isn't too sure about that strange clicking sound -but the apples that follow seem to distract him nicely.  I muffle the clicker a bit with my hand and try again.  I'm clicking any movement towards a small piece of cardboard that has been placed on the floor of the stall.  My goal is to have him place all four of his feet on the cardboard.  On the first 2 clicks, he startles and backs away - I move back a bit, muffle the clicker by placing it inside my vest pocket and I wait for him to look in my direction again.  After a few more tries, he's got it.  However, as his enthusiasm builds, I quickly discover that I need to draw some boundaries here!  I step to one side of the cardboard station and sure enough, he comes to me instead of the station.  He waits in vain and looks up at me with those beautiful yellow eyes as if to say, "hey! what gives!"  It's no problem really - in training, the learner needs to make some errors in order to understand exactly what he needs to do in order to produce that little noise and the juicy apple.  My general rule is to allow no more than 2 errors before I resort back to those foundation behaviors and get a little success going again.  We spend about 20 minutes playing the clicker game together, and by the end of our session, he's learned both stationing, and targeting with his nose.  He's feeling a bit cocky ...for the first time in months!

I open the gate so Bojangles can rejoin his friends again, and then I gather up my gear.  As I begin to walk away, I glance back to the stall.  Such a face!  

  Bojangles is in love

Lesson learned:

No more ponytails when training the goats! 

Maybe I should also consider 'lesser value treats'...as this attraction is quite intense!

Animals From Another Time

From the intern's cottage, it's a leisurely 20 minute walk down to the working farm, that is however, unless one takes the long way.  At first, I thought the long way would be a short cut, so I hopped over the old wooden fence that separates our cottage from the pastures and meadows where the sheep typically can be found grazing these days.  On the far side of the meadow, there is a slight opening in the underbrush -marking a path, which twists and turns through a forest of red pine trees, exposed roots, and lilly-of-the-valley that hug the edges of smooth-faced granite boulders.



Taking the long way home



Mid-way through the journey, the trees become so dense that the sun's light is nothing more than  thin shards of gold that  occasionally pierce through a background of dark, primeval green.  It doesn't take a great deal of imagination to feel as if you've just wandered into  Middle Earth, and in truth, there is an odd sense of timelessness.

Animal Tales

Stories from those who have passed this way before are etched in stone, and chapter by chapter they continue their tale until -as if by magic, you are standing once again in full sunlight at yet another meadow's edge.

Lesson learned:

Take the long way home ~ often!

The Menu

One of the earlier lessons I learned when training was that there can be a variety of things that can function as 'reinforcers' -and a good trainer will have taken the time to understand which of these reinforcers have a higher or lesser value to the receiver. 

I felt a renewal of energy today as I left the interns cottage and headed for the park.   I was armed with only my clicker, a target stick, and a complete menu-to-go ~ raw meatballs, a few small pieces of herring, a little tuna blended into a paste-like consistency, 8 apples and 6 pears cut into small, tempting pieces, and several sliced carrots.  Something for everyone! ~and all packed neatly away into a sorely used plastic bag, which yes, leaked.

Passing by the wolves' forest ...who smelled me coming!

With a strong wind at my back, my entrance into the park came as no surprise to the wolves...in fact, the odor from the fish  probably enticed them to crawl out from their dens the moment I stepped outside of my cottage!

Passing by the wolf enclosure every morning reminds me somewhat of those portraits inside Disney's haunted mansion -you know the ones where the heads never move, but the eyes follow you all the way through the ride!

As I approached the wildcat enclosure, I was happy to see a large group of people all straining to catch a glimpse of the elusive little forest creatures.  I felt this would be a good test for both the cats and myself.  Would they come down to me with all those people in front of their enclosure?   I gently rattled the lock on the enclosure's door, opened up the containers of food, and waited.  Nothing moved.  Taking advantage of the silence, I bent down to retrieve my clicker, and in just that small amount of time, at all three cats had magically appeared and were positioned not but 1 meter from my feet.  Their silence is surreal.

Their approach defines 'silence'

Nod was the first to make 'calm' eye contact, so I clicked and dropped a small piece of the meatball through the chain-link fence.  He pounced -good thing  the meat  was already deceased.  Behind Nod, I could hear Winkin growling, while Blinkin was creeping in for his share.  For a brief moment, I wondered how the parental visitors today would ever again explain the concept of table manners to their children.  The competition was fierce, and to the death!  I paused and reminded myself to wait, then click only for calm, silent behavior.  This being said however,  when there is only one trainer and 3 cats, allocating the food and maintaining this 'calm' is challenging.

I decided that a precise delivery of the food would be crucial to maintaining order, and there would be absolutely no bending of the 'silent rule.'  I saw Nod sitting quietly -click, drop.  Winkin was scowling, but at least he was quiet -click, drop.  Nod made a move for Winkin's fish, but Winkin was faster.  He raced off to the bushes with his prize. Blinkin was 3 meters back from where I stood, but at least he was quiet -click, throw!  Nod apparently thinks all fish are his, but Blinkin set him straight in no uncertain terms!  I'm hoping that they will eventually learn the routine -ask any parent ...teaching 'turn-taking' has never been easy.

"Turn-taking can take a bad turn!"

I kept the session short -under 10 minutes.  The cats had told me very clearly what the treat values were.  Herring ranked #1, followed by a close second, the Tuna fishball, and the raw meatball came in at the #3 position.

After the training session concluded, I didn't have the energy to walk the distance over to the farm animals so, I opted instead to stay at the cat enclosure for a bit to chat with some people -thankfully, they were more than happy to speak English.  I had one family tell me that they'd been to the park 7 times before this trip, and yet this was the first time they had been able to view the wildcats.  This type of reaction will make the administrators happy, and I'm glad for that, but my personal goal is to make both the administrators and the cats happy. 

So, I'm anxiously awaiting our first day of enrichment activities for the cats!  In the meantime, more training is required!

Lessons learned: 

Tomorrow, allocate my energy according to the species

 -start with the goats, then Tricky-Woo, and finish with the wildcats

 ...and for heaven's sake, find a decent plastic bag!!

"The Yin and the Yang," or, "Enter, Tricky-Woo"

Tricky-Woo's 'good morning' face!

Just when one begins to think that all the world's a lemon, there appears a teaspoon of sugar,"Tricky-Woo"  ~ life's Yin and Yang are once again in balance.  It's not that I haven't begun to appreciate the subtle, individual personality of each wildcat I've come to know, it's just that Tricky-Woo's mood swings are far less complicated, and as far as I can tell, they only fluctuate between 'extremely happy' and "do not disturb."

This week, the facility has added their Red Panda to my training list.  The behaviors they would like to see in place are as follows:  1) Stationing,  2) Targeting,  3) Stand on a scale, and 4) Get into a transport container.  I think I will add a fifth, a 'high-five' with both the right and the left front paws.  I feel this might be a nice behavior to train, mainly because it's a good one for veterinary care (looking at the pads of the feet) and also, because she looks like she's just plain ready to "high-five!" something!

We'll start with an introductory period, and then move on to stationing.  I'lI need to find out where her taste preferences lie.  I know they eat tons of eucalyptus leaves, but perhaps for something special, she might be tempted by a juicy grape...we'll see.

As for the cat's upcoming week, we have just 3 more days of observation, and then the fun begins.  Out comes the clicker, followed by fish meatballs.  I'll have to be careful where I place the food reinforcers as the cats always seem to be ready to fight with each other.  The last fist fight, if I recall correctly, started when Nod made eye contact with Winkin' -apparently their patrolling paths lined up for a direct hit and neither cat wanted to step aside. 

Anyway, I'll have to make sure the rules are clear -only quiet cats will get a fishball !!  However, if no posts appear on this blog during the next week or two, you'll know someone broke the rules and I ended up in the middle of it all.

Lessons learned 

Make a plan -be flexible in your presentation,

but have a plan and know where you're going!

Plan #1 -Cats:

begin training 'self control.'  Quiet behavior

receives a 'click', followed by a tiny fishball-on-a-stick

Plan #2 - Red Panda: 

Introduce myself.  Spend time in his enclosure -sit quietly- observe her behavior

...and be ready with a soft 'click' and a grape.

Ode to the European Wildcats

Winkin’, Blinkin’, and Nod one day

were introduced to a trainer quite green.

She sat like a dolt on a granite rock,

her purpose has yet to be seen.

She speaks softly, she observes, she takes notes, and she hums,

while cats hiss and spit, sulk and stew…

and occasionally look up with a glare in their eyes,

as if to say, “this is all that we do!”

                                Yes, Winkin’ and Blinkin’ are four scowly eyes

and Nod, “Social Director of Hell,”

and Tail-Up-Straight skulks the perimeter walls

for ways to breakout of his cell.

Now boredom, tedium, and a restless ennui

are perils no cat should endure,

so with a ‘click’ and a treat, I can see in their eyes,

we’re one step away from the cure.

“Cats chill! …Take a break!” ~while your trainer thinks up

all the ways tasty herring will come,

and eventually you’ll learn, “if I do this …I get that!”

Zen!  Enlightenment replaces the glum!

Meet "The Fockers"

Yes, how I wish I could change just one small vowel in this blog's title without influencing my reader's perceptions ~ but I've decided instead to let my co-workers' images speak for themselves.

Meet Winkin', Blinkin', and Nod ~ and if 3 is not enough, add a 4th, "Tail-    Up-Straight" 

(disclaimer: all names have been changed to protect the innocent)




Winkin's 'good morning' face 

   

The alarm goes off at 05:30 every morning ~my roommate's, that is.  It really has no effect what-so-ever on my R.E.M. cycle anyway, as the Swedish mid-summer sun has long ago beckoned the exotic birds in the park nearby to rise and  participate whole-heartedly in their lengthy and very VOCAL mating rituals!

I rise, surrendering to the feathered ruckus outside and to the smell of burnt toast coming from the kitchen.  The warmth from my army mattress will soon be just another memory in this newly acquired ritual that I must concede now defines "my life."  I get up rather slowly these days.  The knees are already anticipating another day in the trenches, and as I make my grand exodus out from behind my bedroom curtain, I note that it's snowing outside.  I curse Sweden's weather pattern, the Swedish meteorologists, my Swedish summer clothes, my Swedish umbrella, and the entire month of May as I make my way into the park towards the wildcat enclosures.

The European Wildcat is a wonderful little species whose numbers are drastically dwindling.  Typically, they all have similar markings, and without a shred of doubt -they prefer to live alone!  I'm well into my second week with the cats, and so far I seem to be the only one adhering to any kind of manners.  Given this somewhat bumpy beginning, I've abandoned some rather over-enthusiastic goals and have given a great deal of time and thought to re-inventing the wheel, so to speak.

As a clicker-trainer, I've decided to temporarily abandoned the device -not because of choice really, but it's more a matter of having to record a 3-week observation period, and any kind of training would most definitely alter the baseline behavior.   I also must admit, that I need this time in many ways to get to know the little critters better anyway. 

I take up my position in the forest behind their enclosures, from where I will do my four-hour-per-day ethology observation.  For those of you who have never participated in an observation with such a scientific title, it's nothing more than simply watching behaviors.  You can practise on your loved ones tonight, if you want ...I'll send you the forms.





Blinkin's 'good morning' face

  

I place my insulated seating pad down on a wet granite rock, get out my notepad and pen, and prop up my umbrella.  I say a warm greeting to my friends (note: a typical response can be viewed to the above), and then I start  the clock.  I look at each cat for 10 minutes, carefully  recording (per minute) the behaviors I see.  After the 10-minute beep sounds, I shift my weight to a more comfortable  position on the rock, and change my focus to another cat.  This process of observing, recording, beeping, and shifting my weight will continue for 3 weeks.  The snow, hopefully will not.




Nod, my personal favorite, ignoring Tail-Up-Straight ...and me!

 

If I look back on my first week here, I must admit that I am making progress.  On days one and two, my presense seemed to disturb the cats greatly -there was a good  deal of running about  enclosure #2 (where the 3 fertile male cats all live together), lots of glaring down from their perches, and a "do not enter zone" of about 15 feet from were I sat.  In enclosure #1, where Tail-Up-Straight (a neutered male) lives alone, there was no activity what-so-ever...just a wide-eyed, crouching animal who preferred to stay hidden underneath his favorite pine tree.

As of today, almost 2 weeks into the observation, the 3 cats in enclosure #2 approach me on a regular basis.  Mind you, they take care to ignore me at all costs, but they are curious and they seem to have accepted my presence as something they must tolerate.  Tail-Up-Straight will come out from underneath his pine tree now, but only very cautiously, and only to visit his friends through the fence that separates the cats' enclosures.  If I had wanted a true baseline behavior, I should have placed myself behind some large bush in the forest, so habituation would not have been in the picture what-so-ever, but I opted for the rock where my view would not be hindered. I still have a good recording of their routines, behaviors, and personalities, so I am ok with my decision.  Besides, for the unaware traveller (and all others who venture into the forests here), the ticks of Sweden are numerous and precautions to avoid them must be taken -one out of three is a carrier of Lyme borreliosis and/or tick-born encephalitis (TBE).

Pick the tasty, Swedish blueberry with caution!

   Lessons learned 

I was advised that if a Swede should ever ask me over to their home for dinner, or any other kind of gathering, I should bring something special with me -always! 

  Next week, I'm packing 

a variety plate of sushi to bring to the Fockers!