Best Clicker Training Podcasts (2025)

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WH145 | Using clicker training to support your equine manual therapy with Dr. Barbara Parks 57:16

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20d ago57:16

57:16

What a perfect way to finish off season 8! This episode with Dr. Barbara Parks was fun, fascinating and fully geeky - my fave. We turned over a lot of stones, discussing clicker training - why many people think it doesn't work, what can go wrong and how to move into a place of understanding and success with this very helpful tool, especially in the…

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4:15 - Safe Outdoor Adventures for Indoor Cats: Enrichment Without the Risk 8:31

14d ago8:31

8:31

Not every cat is ready for leash walks, and that’s totally okay! In this episode, I share a variety of ways to give indoor cats safe access to the outdoors. From catios and window boxes to backpack carriers and pet strollers, I cover options for cats who may be shy, fearful, or just not interested in harness walks. I also talk about why outdoor enr…

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Speaking R+ with different dialects and the R+ Horse Summit 17:10

20d ago17:10

17:10

Reward-based training isn’t just one way of working with horses — it’s a whole world of ideas, techniques, and creative approaches. Here Hannah Weston, Do Groen and Angelica Hesselius talks a little bit about their views on dialect in your practical training and why that enriches the world :P We also go into our mutual project: https://www.rplushor…

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4:14 - How to Find a Reliable Pet Sitter for Your Cat 56:33

28d ago56:33

56:33

Leaving your cat home alone for days is never a good idea—but how do you find a trustworthy sitter? In this episode, I chat with professional pet sitter Tiah Rodriguez of Super Tech Pet Care about what to look for in a pet sitter, the red flags to avoid, and the essential info you should provide to set your sitter (and your cat!) up for success. 👉 …

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Episode 136 - THE NEW BOOK IS OUT! 10:51

1M ago10:51

10:51

🙃 Text me (Jo) at Hold the Line 🙃 Yes, finally, it's here. The long-awaited sequel to *The Fundamentals*, the new book is called *Force-Free Gundog Training: Precision and Progression" and it's available in Amazons everywhere. Whoop whoop!By Jo Laurens

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4:13 - Is My Cat Too Old for Harness Training? Busting the Biggest Cat Adventure Myth 8:09

1M ago8:09

8:09

Think your cat is “too old” to start harness training? Think again! In this episode, I share my personal experiences training cats from kittenhood through senior years, plus survey results from the KittyCatGO community that prove cats of ANY age can succeed. Learn why personality and patience matter more than age, and get practical tips to start yo…

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WH144 | On the shoulders of giants + with the wisdom of elders with Dave Collins 1:00:43

1M ago1:00:43

1:00:43

We're finishing out this seasons mentorship series with one of my most essential mentors, the one, the only, Dave Collins. Founder of the BC College of Equine Therapy and so much more. 22 years ago, almost to the day, I arrived at the BC College of Equine Therapy as a student thinking I knew it all. Well, that illusion was about to be lovingly shat…

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Episode 300: Follow Your Bliss (with everyone, including your Mom) 51:44

2M ago51:44

51:44

In this super secret, extra special bonus episode (actually episode 281, but Chris needed a good round number to end on), Ari rallied as many of Chris’s colleagues, friends, and family as she could, with help from his wife Bethany, to share messages of congrats on his new role as Executive Director of the Virginia Zoo, and a little about how he’s i…

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Episode 280: Thank You All For Everything (featuring EVERYONE!) 51:19

2M ago51:19

51:19

This is it, the last official episode of the NEI TEC Talk Podcast (at least for now)! With Chris headed off to his new position as Executive Director of the Virginia Zoo, he and Ari decided it was time to sunset the NEI TEC Talk Podcast. After nearly 300 episodes, countless incredible guests, and so many conversations about training, enrichment, an…

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Episode 279: Big Changes in TEC Land (with Dr Grey Stafford, Zoo Logic) 31:06

2M ago31:06

31:06

Some announcements are so big that you have to bring in another podcast to help make them. Chris and Ari join Dr Grey Stafford on his incredible show, Zoo Logic, to talk about some big personal changes and what they will mean for our show. We want to thank each and every listener who's been with us since we started this thing in 2020, and hope you …

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4:12 - Cat on Deck: What It’s Really Like Living Full-Time on a Sailboat with a Cat 1:04:12

2M ago1:04:12

1:04:12

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live on a sailboat full-time — with your cat? ⛵🐈 In this episode, I chat with Shane and Maryvonne La Peyre, who live aboard their sailboat with their cat Rigby. They share how they’ve made their unique lifestyle work, including safety tips, how they’ve cat-proofed their boat, the compromises boat life…

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Starting to trot with your reward based horse 46:35

2M ago46:35

46:35

This episode is a recording from the CT Club, where I had a great conversation with Hannah Weston, followed by a Q&A for our active members. We talk about how to set up those very first trot transitions from the saddle, and what we each focus on to make it work. A lot of it comes back to: Checking that the trot is well-prepared from the ground Re-t…

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Episode 278: Kids These Days Say The Darndest Things (with Michael Van Horne, Natural Encounters, Inc.) 40:37

2M ago40:37

40:37

Ari sits down with NEI's own Michael Van Horne this week to chat about what it's like being a young person in the field. Michael talks about his time at college and his philosophy to help him focus on his own growth while supporting his teammates. He also helps Ari with some Gen Alpha slang and they wrap it all up with the latest NEI team building …

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WH143 | Hoof care fundamentals with Nicole Jory 1:03:06

2M ago1:03:06

1:03:06

There's a good reason why I asked hoofcare professional Nicole Jory to contribute her online course Hoof Care Fundamentals to Outside the Box Equine - she knows her stuff! Nicole is my main hoofcare support for my herd and has been an invaluable resource for myself and my equine community for over a decade and I'm so pleased to be able to introduce…

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A Reward Based Riding School 10:17

2M ago10:17

10:17

Angelica and Do talk about how the first school term, the future and why the basics are so important for the reward based trainer. If you wanna learn more, join or read about upcoming school terms, have a look here: https://www.rewardbasedridingschool.com/By Angelica Hesselius

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Episode 277: All Animals Can Speak, We Just Need to Learn to Listen (with Sarah Bonser-Blake, Wild Welfare) 50:47

2M ago50:47

50:47

Ari and Chris are joined by their first guest who's had David Attenborough attend their graduation (at least as far as we know): Sarah Bonser-Blake, Animal Welfare Field Manager with Wild Welfare! Sarah shares the journey she's taken from getting paid to point at whales to her current role making real change in people that makes change for animals,…

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WH142 | It’s in the safety that things fall apart - a Raven Moon farm update with Alexa 24:21

2M ago24:21

24:21

Second lone wolf episode this season! Easy to get inspired sitting out amongst the trees and horses especially when big thigns are shifting here at the farm. This short 20 minute pod is an update on the herd and myself now that we have officially "landed" here and settled in our forever home, as things start to arise to be worked with. Would love t…

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Episode 276: The Art and Science of Outcome-Based Animal Welfare (with Jessica Sheftel, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance) 51:50

3M ago51:50

51:50

Ari and Chris continue their journey of collecting more amazing people from around the professional animal care world to add to the "NEEU" (Natural Encounters Expanded Universe), and are pleased to be joined by Jessica Sheftel, Applied Wildlife Welfare Manager at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance! Jessica shares her path from collecting behavior data…

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Episode 135 - The New Book is Nearly Ready! 36:23

3M ago36:23

36:23

🙃 Text me (Jo) at Hold the Line 🙃 Amazingly, my new book (Force-Free Gundog Training: Precision and Progression) is nearly ready. WHOOP!! It should be out in a few weeks....By Jo Laurens

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Episode 275: Fly-Aways, Swim-Offs, and Reboots (with Ryne Ferguson and Ayrton King, Animal Talk Podcast) 47:14

3M ago47:14

47:14

Ari and Chris are absolutely chuffed to be joined by two amazing gentlemen from South Africa, Ryne Ferguson and Ayrton King, co-hosts of the rebooted Animal Talk Podcast! Ryne talks about his long history with NEI, how our podcast inspired him to start his own, and how the idea to reboot the show with a new aquarist cohost came about after a 5 year…

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4:11 - My Cat Doesn’t Like Treats! 5 Ways to Boost Food Motivation for Training 13:12

3M ago13:12

13:12

Is your cat totally uninterested in treats? Struggling to make progress with harness or clicker training because your kitty just doesn’t care about food rewards? You’re not alone — and the good news is, there are ways to turn that around! In this episode, I share 5 practical strategies to help increase your cat’s food motivation. From switching to …

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In conversation with Irith Bloom 1:06:55

3M ago1:06:55

1:06:55

In conversation with-Irith Bloom certified professional trainer, behavior consultant and TAGteacher. I hope you enjoy the conversation I had with friend and colleague Irith about training and behaviour including, parallels between horses and dogs and much more.Irith Bloom, author, presenter, trainer, and teacher, owns The Sophisticated Dog, a compa…

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WH141 | Regenerative ranching, an exploration in attunement, capacity and connection with Robin Waugaman 49:56

3M ago49:56

49:56

Wow, this conversation with Robin Waugaman truly had my mind crackling with connections and ideas! Her way of drawing the connections between stewardship of land, horses, and her own body and being is powerful, and I had a few big aha's during our chat, as you'll hear, including an epiphany on why we might use force with horses (even if we don't wa…

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Episode 274: Let's Hope They All Talk About This Over Dinner Tonight (with The Reptile Department of The St Augustine Alligator Farm) 1:01:58

3M ago1:01:58

1:01:58

With Chris out of commission after being a pressure washing hero at work and mayyyyybe overdoing it a bit, Ari takes the helm and is joined by Dan Carvalho, Lydia Dresel, Jordan Garella, Steven Sibley, and Luis Cortes from the Reptile Department of the St Augustine Alligator Farm! The team talks about their amazing dynamics and inside jokes, and th…

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Can we shape behaviour using negative reinforcement? 27:50

3M ago27:50

27:50

We often think of behaviour produced with positive reinforcement as the only behaviour that can be shaped but of course behaviour produced using negative reinforcement can be shaped too. In this episode, I explore what constructional training is, how CAT protocols use R- to build functional skills, and where R- stops serving the learner and starts …

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Episode 273: I Guess I'm Gonna Do Fish Stuff (with Melissa Paynter, Georgia Aquarium) 38:52

3M ago38:52

38:52

You KNOW we love talking about training animals that people don't always think of when they think about animal training, so we are thrilled to welcome Melissa Paynter to the show! Mel shares the path that took her from the Moorpark Program to her current role as Assistant Curator of Ocean Journey at Georgia Aquarium, why fish training right now is …

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Episode 134 - the come-in whistle, ticks and canine pregnancy 21:10

3M ago21:10

21:10

🙃 Text me (Jo) at Hold the Line 🙃 This is a ramble of an episode (both subject-wise and literally) covering ticks, the come-in whistle on retrieves and early canine pregnancy.By Jo Laurens

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4:10 - How to Play With Your Cat: Tips from Animal Behaviorist Mikel Delgado 1:04:47

3M ago1:04:47

1:04:47

Think you know how to play with your cat? 🐾 You might be surprised! In this episode, I chat with cat behaviorist Dr. Mikel Delgado, author of the new book Play With Your Cat, all about the right way to play — and why it’s one of the most important things you can do for your cat’s physical and mental health. We talk about the science behind play, ho…

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Can we build 'giving a break' into a reinforcer 25:42

3M ago25:42

25:42

As humans we might perceive many reinforcers in our world from edible delicacies to buying new clothes but often we feel limited with finding different reinforcers for our horses. This is a hypothetical discussion about using a 'time to relax' or 'giving a break' as a reinforcer. https://www.equine.training/my-courses/ for my courses.…

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WH140 | The impact of "hidden" injuries + how horse-keeping intersects with manual therapy with Equine Osteopath Allie Plaschka 50:31

3M ago50:31

50:31

Season 8 has been one of my faves so far - and this chat with Equine Osteopath Allie Plaschka is no exception. As you'll hear at the beginning of this episode with Allie of Triple V Therapy, we found out in real time that we both went the BC College of Equine Therapy! What are the chances? In this geeky conversation, filled with coincidences and co…

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Episode 272: If You Want Them To Care, They First Have To Know You Care (with Dan Blair) 43:57

3M ago43:57

43:57

Chris and Ari are thrilled to be joined on the show by NEI Alumnus Dan Blair! Dan catches us up on his current zoo role as Curator of Birds, and shares his thoughts on the two kinds of respect, what's surprised him most about transitioning from the role of animal trainer to curator, the unique challenge of being brought in as a new cog in an existi…

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Episode 271: Happy Jamón Day! (with the Bird and Mammal Team, St. Augustine Alligator Farm) 53:40

4M ago53:40

53:40

Are SEVEN people too many to have on a podcast?? Not when it's the Bird and Mammal Team from the St. Augustine Alligator Farm! Chris and Ari are joined by Hannah Caster, Jessie Stull, Jordan Hoover, Ramon Castillo, and Shelby McBride to talk about what makes up a cohesive team, the unsung role of the swing keeper, and figuring out the best ways to …

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Episode 133 - Trying to time a breeding (aka the right stuff, in the right place, at the right time) 35:36

4M ago35:36

35:36

🙃 Text me (Jo) at Hold the Line 🙃 In this episode, I recount our incredibly stressful race against the clock to get the right stuff, in the right place, at the right time. Phew.By Jo Laurens

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4:9 - Keep Your Cat Cool: Summer Safety Tips for Adventuring Outdoors 13:45

4M ago13:45

13:45

Adventuring with your cat in the summer can be fun — but it also comes with serious safety risks. In this episode, I’m sharing essential tips for keeping your cat cool during outdoor adventures in hot weather. You’ll learn how to prevent overheating and heat exhaustion, how to recognize the early signs of overheating and heat stroke in cats, and wh…

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Episode 270: The Portal, The Tube, and The Assisted Lift (with Anaka Nazareth, National Aquarium) 45:22

4M ago45:22

45:22

Chris and Ari are joined by fellow training enthusiast Anaka Nazareth, Behavioral Husbandry Coordinator at the National Aquarium! Anaka shares the path that took her from America to Austria (a few times) before settling back on the East Coast and eventually into her current role in Baltimore, where she oversees the training of a lot of our favorite…

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Episode 132 - working tests (the good, the bad, the ugly) 16:31

4M ago16:31

16:31

🙃 Text me (Jo) at Hold the Line 🙃 What are the pros and cons of working tests?By Jo Laurens

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WH139 | Let the horses show you the way with Sandra Wallin 57:58

4M ago57:58

57:58

I spend this episode with my mentor Sandra Wallin riding waves of emotion - as you'll hear in our chat, this is our first time connecting for a good chat in almost a decade and it felt so good to be back in her depth of presence, the very same presence that supported me so essentially during my year as her student almost 20 years ago. What an honou…

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Episode 269: The "Ponies, Sparkles, and Rainbows" Side of HR (with Dr Taylor Gilley, Houston Zoo) 41:05

4M ago41:05

41:05

Chris is joined by NEI's new (but also not really new) Director of Staff Development, Training, and Shows - Ari Bailey - to welcomes Dr Taylor Gilley back to the show! Taylor shares the path that took her from the education world to her current role as Director of Staff Learning and Development at Houston Zoo, and guides us through a great conversa…

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4:8 - Catification 101: Enriching Your Home for Your Cats with Kate Benjamin 44:37

4M ago44:37

44:37

What is catification — and why is it so important for your cat’s health and happiness? In this episode, I’m joined by Kate Benjamin, catification expert and founder of Hauspanther, to talk all about creating enriching spaces for your cats. We discuss what catification really means, why it matters for your cat’s physical and mental well-being, and h…

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Episode 268: A Podcast About A Podcast (Radical Candor's "Leading Through Chaos With Stephanie Chung") 38:37

4M ago38:37

38:37

In another in our series of podcasts about other podcasts, Ari and Chris share their thoughts on a recent episode of the Radical Candor podcast with Kim Scott, featuring their guest Stephanie Chung. Chris recently started reading her book "Ally Leadership: How to Lead People Who Are Not Like You," which gets a great overview in the podcast, and giv…

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Episode 131 - marking vs steadiness and moving recalls off the long-line 28:31

5M ago28:31

28:31

🙃 Text me (Jo) at Hold the Line 🙃 This episode is an outdoor ramble (verbally and physically!)....By Jo Laurens

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Episode 267: Observe, Interpret, Improve (with Joey Golden, Maryland Zoo) 50:44

5M ago50:44

50:44

Ari and Chris are back together and excited to be joined by Joey Golden, Curator of Animal Behavior Programs at Maryland Zoo! Chris and Joey both attended the recent ABMA and ISZAW conferences, and we wanted to bring him on to chat about the great presentations he gave about his zoo's progress towards "24/7 welfare" for all their animals. We chat a…