Pam Hartley

----------
>From: [email protected]
>To: [email protected]
>Subject: [Unschooling-Discussion] Digest Number 3956
>Date: Sun, Aug 31, 2003, 6:45 AM
>

> Has anyone found meaningful ways for their kids to become
> involved with wildlife (not just domestic animals--we've had pet
> rats and a bunny and are planning to get a dog)?

Check with every wildlife rescue and rehab in your area (there are probably
several) and see if there's any way for him to volunteer on any level.
Because of liability issues (and concern for the animals) it may take him
awhile to actually get his hands on the critters themselves, but he may very
well be able to help them with fundraising, do some office gofer work, etc.

He can also start learning everything he needs to know about wild animals by
practicing on his domestics. I.e, get the lad to dog training school. Find
one that works with positive reinforcement methods and explain what his
ultimate goals are, because a dog will work for love but a lion won't.

Read Karen Pryor (Lads Before the Wind, Don't Shoot the Dog) and any dog
training book that says it uses operant conditioning (and especially cat
training books, because cats don't work for love either!).

Once he has a grasp of how positive reinforcement / negative reinforcement /
reward / punishment all work (they're all different things) with his dog, he
can apply that and train his rats and bunny, too.

And once he can train domestics of all sorts (if you can, get him a bird and
not a smart one -- something like a chicken -- to practice on) he may be
able to get "a wild animal" (rescue and raise a baby bird and then train it,
etc.)

The basic rules of animal training don't change between species, just a bit
of the methodology and whether one needs go into the cage armed. ;)

Pam

Julie Bogart

So much great advice from all of you! Thanks.

--- In [email protected], "Pam
Hartley" <pamhartley@m...> wrote:

>
> He can also start learning everything he needs to know about
wild animals by
> practicing on his domestics. I.e, get the lad to dog training
school. Find
> one that works with positive reinforcement methods and
explain what his
> ultimate goals are, because a dog will work for love but a lion
won't.

This is just what we learned yesterday in the cheetah encounter
at the zoo. They showed how to train a domestic cat and I
suddenly saw the value in having a cat rather than a dog. They
only work for food, not love.
>
> Read Karen Pryor (Lads Before the Wind, Don't Shoot the Dog)
and any dog
> training book that says it uses operant conditioning (and
especially cat
> training books, because cats don't work for love either!).

Fantastic. Thank you!! He'll be so excited.
>
> Once he has a grasp of how positive reinforcement / negative
reinforcement /
> reward / punishment all work (they're all different things) with
his dog, he
> can apply that and train his rats and bunny, too.

This is where we went wrong with the rats. I think he was a bit
too young and his patience was limited. Not only that, he didn't
know the techniques so he was pretty random in his attempts to
train them. I thinhk he's now at the stage where he could follow a
plan and actually implement it. Thanks for the good advice.
>
> And once he can train domestics of all sorts (if you can, get
him a bird and
> not a smart one -- something like a chicken -- to practice on)
he may be
> able to get "a wild animal" (rescue and raise a baby bird and
then train it,
> etc.)

He's been begging me for a bird. We had parakeets as a kid. I
wonder what kind would be good. My duaghter wants us to
incubate and hatch chicks. Any ideas how to do that? Any
resources?
>
> The basic rules of animal training don't change between
species, just a bit
> of the methodology and whether one needs go into the cage
armed. ;)

LOL! Yes, we'll hold off on birds of prey a little while longer, I
think. :)

Great advice Pam. Thank you. This list is amazing.

Julie