by Ken Ramirez

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A trainer and consultant for nearly 40 years, Ken Ramirez is well regarded as a leader in the animal training world. In his bestselling book Animal Training: Successful Animal Management Through Positive Reinforcement, Ken has selected and organized almost 600 pages of what in his opinion are the best papers, articles, and presentations on the topic of reinforcement-based training, each making a special point, each worth some serious attention. 

Here’s a chance to really explore the thinking and the training protocols involved in reinforcement-based training—whether it’s your dog or a cranky elephant or a group of killer whales. Contributors include the Baileys, many ClickerExpo faculty members, scientists and graduate students, dog trainers, dolphin trainers, zoo behaviorists, and Ken Ramirez himself. Karen Pryor’s work and references to Don’t Shoot the Dog appear throughout.

This is a year or more of entertaining bedside reading for any training buff, and an important resource for the serious student of operant conditioning. Many of the reprinted articles include data, graphs, training logs, and other background material, and detailed references. 

About the author:

Ken Ramirez is the Executive Vice-President (EVP) and Chief Training Officer of Karen Pryor Clicker Training (KPCT) where he oversees the vision, development, and implementation of education programs for the organization. A 40+-year veteran of animal care and training, Ken is a biologist and animal behaviorist who has overseen or consulted on training projects for zoological organizations worldwide. He began his career with guide dogs for the visually impaired and continues to work with organizations training dogs for service work, search-and-rescue, bomb detection, and narcotic detection. Ken has also maintained a close affiliation with pet training throughout his career. Before KPCT, Ken served as EVP of Animal Care and Animal Training at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium for 25+ years. There he developed and supervised animal care /animal health programs, staff training/development, and public programs for more than 32,000 animals. Ken has written for numerous scientific publications, authored countless articles, and has been active in several professional organizations, including as a past president of the International Marine Animal Trainer’s Association (IMATA). He is actively involved in creating a certification process for animal trainers in zoological settings. Currently, Ken is developing programming at The Ranch, the Karen Pryor National Training Center in the state of Washington.