Legacy Canine - Chicken Camps by Terry Ryan

Chicken Camps by Terry Ryan

CLICKIN’ CHICKENS

“On-the-job experience is often the first means of education for animal trainers: “Learning and training simultaneously has the potential to weaken the effectiveness of both. There are better ways.”
- Marian Breland-Bailey

A series of five four-day chicken training camps will be held on a semiannual basis starting in March, 2009. These workshops will be taught by Terry Ryan and staff at the Legacy Canine Behavior and Training Center in Sequim, Washington.

Using chickens as a training model, each course will focus on different principles of classical and operant conditioning. These camps are taught along the lines of, and with encouragement from, Bob Bailey of Animal Behavior Enterprises. Several curriculum changes have been made including the direct application of course work to dog training.

Marian Breland-Bailey pointed out that on-the-job experience is often the first means of education for animal trainers: “Learning and training simultaneously has the potential to weaken the effectiveness of both. There are better ways.”

WHY DOG TRAINERS SHOULD TRAIN CHICKENS.

Trainer’s are not “bonded” to their chickens. Chickens do not have big brown eyes. Trainers do not have bad (or good!) chicken training habits because they’ve never trained a chicken before, thus avoiding the baggage often taken to dog training workshops. You will not be showing your chickens at the next performance event, nor will you be taking them home, so there is no pressure on what will happen in the future. You probably do not have a library full of chicken training books and dvds to influence you, much less televisions shows on chicken training.

Training a chicken is a stretch and a boost to your mechanicals skills. The average chicken is faster than the average dog, giving us a chance to improve our coordination and timing.

Chickens will freeze or fly away if they don’t like the way you are training them. Unlike dogs, you will know immediately if you are taking advantage of a chicken or pushing too hard too fast. Chickens don’t give their trainers a second chances as often as our dogs do.

Read what Don Hanson, former president of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, has to say about chicken training

THE HISTORY OF LEGACY’S CHICKEN TRAINING CAMPS

Legacy has been hosting dog training camps since the 1980’s. In the old days the camps had 120 participants, many from overseas. Terry decided that a convenient on-site training model should be provided for people flying in and unable to bring their dogs. For several years Legacy campers trained rats in Skinner boxes. In the early 90’s Ingrid Kang Shallenberger (Sea Life Park) and Terry Ryan, began using bantam chickens as training models at Legacy camps. The students rotated several times a day among various instructors and topics. The “other” species section was a popular rotation enjoyed for many years by Legacy campers. In 1994 Terry asked Marian Breland-Bailey and Bob Bailey to share their years of animal training experience with Legacy campers. For several years Marian and Bob taught the chicken unit at Legacy Camps. Terry has included chickens in her current instructor’s courses “Coaching People to Train Their Dogs” and conducts two-day “Poultry in Motion” chicken training workshops. Bob Bailey retired in 2008 from teaching his continuing education series of U.S. based chicken training workshops.

Local Attractions & Information

THE CHICKENS

Legacy has a resident flock of standard Leghorn chickens. Each student will have two chickens to handle and train using a clicker and food pellets. Students will work in pairs, taking turns training their own chickens and coaching their partner.

CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDIT

Legacy obtains CEU approval from The Certification Council for Pet Dog Trainers and provides proof of attendance to CPDT’s ( Certified Pet Dog Trainers). If you belong to another professional organization, Legacy can provide you with the documentation needed for CEU approval. This process needs to be done in advance of the workshops.

CAMP I – DISCRIMINATION

Exercises include observing and graphing (ethogram) chicken behavior. We’ll explore how chickens acquire, store and process information. We’ll practice mechanical skills with special attention to timing and eye-hand coordination. Lessons include systematic desensitization, capturing a behavior, shaping a behavior and the use of targets. We’ll work on a three or four-component discrimination and conduct extinction trials.

Prerequesite: An above average interest in training.

Four Days $900.00

March 6 - March 9, 2009

Register Now For Camp I March 2009

October 3 - October 6, 2009

Register Now For Camp 1 October 2009

CAMP II - CUEING

You’ll practice making quick decisions based on rapidly changing behavioral criteria. You’ll work on stimulus control. You will explore a variety of effective cueing techniques, work on good timing and learn appropriate ways to install cues.

Prerequesite: Completion of Bailey or Legacy Discrimination workshop.

Four Days $900.00

March 12 - March 15, 2009

Register Now For Camp II March 2009

October 9 - October 12, 2009

Register Now For Camp II October 2009

CAMP III – CRITERIA

We’ll work on task analysis There will be exercises in reinforcing discrete responses (black and white points of reinforcement) and non discrete responses. We’ll cover the intricacies of latency and fluency.

Prerequesite: Completion of Bailey or Legacy Cueing workshop.

Four Days $900

March 18 - March 21, 2009

Register Now For Camp III March 2009

October 15 - October 18, 2009

Register Now For Camp III October 2009

CAMP IV – CHAINING

The chickens are taught to perform a chain of behaviors executed on complicated apparatus including ladders, plateforms and a balance beam. Trainers can then be creative when selecting behaviors for additional links of the chain.

Prerequesite: Completion of Bailey or Legacy Criteria workshop.

Four Days $900

December 4 - December 7, 2009

Register Now For Camp IV December 2009

CAMP V - TEACHING

Instructional formatting and teaching skills will be covered and practiced with a new twist: You won’t be training your own chickens, your partner will! Learn how to give clear, effective and user-friendly instructions to your partner who will then teach your chickens how to navigate an obstacle course. Review the skills learned in Courses I, II and III. Learn how to give simple, clear, effective instructions to another trainer. Treat your student in the same friendly, motivational manner you have been using on the chickens—the use of markers and rewards. Then test your ability to accept direction from another trainer and carry out those instructions with minimal distortion. This is a great course for those who are on chicken training withdrawal and a must-do course for interpersonal communication.

Prerequisite: completion of Bailey III or Legacy CampIV.

Four Days $900

December 10 - December 13, 2009

Register Now For Camp V December 2009

Cancellation/ Refund Policy-Important-Please Read

When you register online for one of our workshops, you will be asked to read and agree to our Cancellation policy. The general terms of the Cancellation policy are stated below. If you have any questions about this policy, please contact us BEFORE you register for one of our workshops.

Cancellation Policy

If you choose to cancel your registration for one of our chicken camps, you must notify us in writing (e-mail, fax, letter). Cancellations received no later than 45 days before the first day of the camp will receive a refund of 50% of the registration fee. Cancellations received no later than 30 days prior to the start of the camp will receive a refund of 25% of the registration fee. No refunds will be issued for cancellations received less than 30 days before the first day of the camp. This policy is without exception.

TYPICAL DAY AT CAMP

Activities start at 9:00 and end at 5:00 each day, except the last day which ends at 4:00. Lunch, 12:00 – 1:00, is catered and served at the training center. Other than providing a non-meat option, we cannot accommodate special dietary requirements. A ten-minute break will take place approximately every hour. Morning and afternoon snacks will be provided. Water, soft drinks, tea and coffee are available all day.

About 50% of the coursework is hands-on training with chickens. Interactive exercises, power point, lecture and video comprise 30% of each day. The remaining time is Q & A and application of the chicken exercises to pet dog training. Legacy’s library of over 500 books, videos and dvd’s, will remain open for students during lunch hours.

DOGS

Chickens are not happy when predators are nearby, therefore dogs are not permitted at these workshops.

COME PREPARED TO HAVE FUN!

Have you ever played chicken BINGO? Danced the chicken dance? Played the chicken jeopardy game? We’ll be singing Poultry in Motion and Leader of the Peck. Using finger paint, we’ll get the birds to stomp out some chicken feet art for your personalized souvenir.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Online Registration begins November 1, 2008.

You will be notified by e-mail whether you have/have not made it into the class. Please note, we are not maintaining a waiting list. Announcements of future chicken training workshops will be made on our website and on our mailing lists.

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We are indebted to Bob Bailey and the late Marian Breland-Bailey for all they have taught us.
- Terry Ryan and the Legacy Staff

“The science and technology of operant conditioning are more than sixty years old. They began with B. F. Skinner in the 1930's. His graduate students, Keller and Marian Breland-Bailey first applied the technology commercially in 1943” - Bob Bailey.

“Training is an art, a science and a mechanical skill.” - Bob Bailey