I saw the following post on Facebook recently and it reminded me of something that I believe every animal owner is apt to forget, and that is that we are ALL trainers ALL the time
I’ve had birds all my life, though admittedly no parrots larger than a cockatiel. I tend to be permissive and I don’t think in terms of training birds so much as learning to read their body language and making friends with them. I think it’s very hard to make a bird do anything…rather, you win it over with gentleness, consistency and rewards. – Cathy Kendall
At the time I read the above quote I commented that is was a wonderful description of training; in it Cathy expresses the essence of what I strive for in my classes, workshops, seminars, and training. I have written about this previously in the article “Ethical Training as a Way of Life.”
Every time we are in the presence of another sentient being we will make some change in the behavior of that being, albeit often times a subtle one. Therefore if we wish to have a good relationship with any animal, and I include Homo sapiens here, we need to be conscious of our interactions at all times. We have all heard of living “La Vida Loca”, now is the time to live “La vida ética.”
Sid
