Coffee with the Critters

We pay attention to what animals can see, touch, eat, climb on, move toward, and move away from. But what about sound? A newly published review examined research on human-generated noise and zoo animal welfare. The findings do not give us a simple rule that noise is always harmful. They do raise an important question: What changes in an animal's behavior when the acoustic environment changes? I'll talk about how sound may affect behaviors such as alertness, resting, foraging, social interaction, hiding, enclosure use, and participation in training. We'll also look at why saying an animal is “used to it” doesn't tell us very much unless we're actually observing and measuring behavior.

For this special Coffee with the Critters, Lara is joined by: • Dr. Jason Crean, biologist and Principal Investigator with the Animal Nutrition Laboratory at Saint Xavier University • Dr. Tatiana Tatum, geneticist and Principal Investigator with the Animal Nutrition Laboratory at Saint Xavier University • Dr. Jamie Abete, avian veterinarian at Niles Animal Hospital They’ll talk about avian nutrition beyond simply asking what belongs in the bowl, including nutrition and health, whole foods, wild feeding ecology, foraging, behavior, reinforcement, the avian microbiome, and what current evidence can and cannot tell you.

Lara is joined by Dr. Lauryn Benedict, Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Northern Colorado. Dr. Benedict studies animal communication and social behavior, including how birds use vocal signals in different social and environmental contexts. She is also part of the Many Parrots Project, an international research team studying parrot vocal learning and cognition. We’ll talk about what scientists are learning from companion parrots, including recent research examining whether parrots may use names as vocal labels, and how observations from people who live with parrots can contribute to research.

In this episode, Lara discusses a recent study published on target training 48 rats. Target training may support welfare beyond what the food reinforcer alone can.

Join us for a conversation about helping animals participate more willingly in handling, grooming, veterinary care, and other necessary procedures. Deb will bring her extensive dog-training experience, while I’ll share examples involving parrots, pigs, deaf and deaf-blind dogs, zoo and shelter animals, and wildlife education animals. We’ll discuss: ​ What cooperative care actually looks like ​ How animals communicate willingness, hesitation, and discomfort ​ How to break procedures into manageable steps ​ What remains consistent across species and what must be adapted ​ Common mistakes that can slow progress or damage trust

Training does not have to be long, complicated, or overwhelming to make a difference. In this episode, we’ll talk about how short, intentional training moments can help prevent behavior problems, modify unwanted behavior, build trust, and give animals clearer ways to get what they need. Whether you work with animals professionally or share your home with them, the animals under our care are learning from you every day. Let’s make those moments count.

We are discussing animal stress in relation to quality care. This could include veterinary care, grooming, socialization and more.

We are continuing our conversation on empowering animals. We’ll look at how purposeful enrichment can help animals that find people, proximity, or touch stressful and how confidence can keep growing between training sessions. Join me to learn what hesitation looks like and how to design enrichment that encourages exploration, choice, and success.

Confidence is not something we demand from animals. It is something we teach. We’ll look at how fear can show up in different ways, why labels can limit what we see, and how training can help animals move from avoidance to participation through clarity, predictability, choice, and reinforcement.

Before we label an animal as aggressive, stubborn, anxious, hormonal, difficult, or “just being bad,” we need to understand what the behavior is doing for the animal and what the animal may be learning from us. In this live-stream, we will take a powerful look at the definition of a label, and explain why using them hinders changing behavior concerns.

Behavior problems do not happen for no reason. Before we label an animal as aggressive, stubborn, anxious, hormonal, difficult, or “just being bad,” we need to understand what the behavior is doing for the animal and what the animal may be learning from us. In this live-stream, we will take a powerful look at why behavior matters, how animals learn from their environment, and why we may accidentally reinforce the very behaviors we are trying to stop.

Lara answers followers questions about behavior, training, and enrichment!

In this live episode of Coffee with the Critters, we’re breaking down what it actually means to build calm behavior, not suppress it. We’ll explore: • Why many behavior concerns are actually regulation problems • The difference between suppressing behavior and teaching calm • How to identify and reinforce observable calm behavior • What to measure if you want calm to become reliable If you’ve ever struggled with reactivity, overstimulation, or an animal that “can’t settle,” this conversation will change how you approach it.

After 20 years working with animals across species, one issue shows up again and again: Motivation is misunderstood. When behavior doesn’t happen, people assume: • the animal is stubborn • the animal isn’t interested • the animal “knows it but won’t do it” But behavior doesn’t happen because we want it to. It happens because, in that moment, it is worth it to the animal.

In continuation of celebrating 13 years in business, our next episode of Coffee with the Critters will be discussing Reinforcement History. • Every behavior an animal exhibits carries a history. • Behavior continues because it has worked before. • Reinforcement leaves a history. • That history shapes what animals do next.

In continuation of celebrating 13 years in business, our next episode of Coffee with the Critters, we'll be discussing Data Collection. People believe they understand behavior. But very few people are measuring it. If you’re not measuring behavior, you’re guessing. When you evaluate behavior, are you collecting data?

Part Two to Lara’s throwback episode from 2023! Listen as Lara delves deeper into Positive Reinforcement.

When you evaluate enrichment, what variables are you actually measuring? After working with wolves, birds, primates, reptiles, and numerous species for the past two decades, one lesson continues to surface: Not all enrichment improves welfare. In this episode, Lara talks about when enrichment increases arousal instead of meaningful engagement. Busy does not equal beneficial. Intensity does not equal appropriate enrichment. Overstimulation does not equal welfare.

In this two part throwback episode from 2023, Lara breaks down Positive Reinforcement.

This week, I am joined by Chrissy Pratt, President of Elephation, a non-profit focusing on compassionate, sustainable solutions to the multiple issues that affect captive elephants, the people who care for them, and the communities in which they live.