Training Predators

A betrayal of the worst kind.

A horrible tragedy, made worse because children witnessed it. Tilikum reportedly grabbed the pony tail of his trainer, Dawn Brancheau, pulled her under water, and Brancheau was drowned.

Is it possible that the tickling of the trainer's hair on the orca's nose triggered a feeding reflex? Or the latest murder of one sentient being of another?

Training predators is not like training omnivores or prey animals. Part of my practice frequently involves evaluating behavior to determine its intent and its cause - and getting it wrong sometimes goes very badly. There are few companies that insure dog trainers, and fewer still that offer riders for dangerous dogs - known biters. It never ceases to disappoint me how many people will state "no bite history" during the intake interview, then later reveal "oh, he nips all the time" when I observe some behavioral clue inconsistent with the history.

I get bitten every couple of years by a client's dog; it's part of the risk package I accept in doing this work. I've once been dragged off my feet with a bulldog clamped to the ankle of my pants, been bitten several times on the leg, a couple of times on the arm (thank heavens I always overdress: heavy jeans and long-sleeved shirts), and once in the face (I looked like I'd come out on the wrong end of a bar fight). And I've had one, a golden with *too* much toy drive, grab my ponytail. Twice. (The second time I reflexively smacked him - he never did it again.) In virtually every case, the dog's bite history was incompletely revealed to me by the owner. I'm a LOT more careful about the language in my waiver (all dog bites I witness will be reported to the State), and I give the owners' reports little weight. I count on my own skepticism and observations to keep me safe.

Dogs bite. They have teeth. Even a stable dog will bite if sufficiently provoked - the rules of self preservation apply. Because there are so many undiagnosed unstable dogs out there, it's best to be really really careful. They over-react to benign provocation, and the results can be disastrous. I love working with dogs, but let's not pretend they are robots. A good dog is a treasure, a bad one is a danger. Sometimes knowing the difference is obvious; sometimes it takes skill.

And sometimes we just get it wrong.

I know nothing about training marine mammals. I do know they use R+ methods, as I do. So the loss of a fellow traveler in the world of training predators is keenly felt. By all reports, Brancheau died doing what she loved. Cold comfort. My heart breaks for her family and colleagues.