THE Mystery of The Field: How To Become A Trainer (Part 2)

Last week, I started talking about ways to help yourself get a job in the field.  If you missed it, here is Part One.  We talked a little bit about the best ways to get feedback on: resumes, work performance, and information on swim tests.  We talked about asking for and actually comprehending constructive criticism from colleagues and bosses.

This week, let's focus on the application process of getting your first animal training job.  There are a lot of questions and misconceptions surrounding the application process alone, so it merits its very own blog post!

YESSSSS

I'd also like to reiterate something I mentioned a few times in last week's entry.  While I stand by what I'm writing, also realize that this is my opinion.  It is an educated opinion backed by a lot of experience, but not everyone sees the world the way I do (and hey, that's a good thing or the world would be very boring).  These are general guidelines to consider, but the only resources that will benefit YOU individually are the ones who know you the best.  No book, blog, or Facebook thread is going to coach you appropriately on your best path.  So make sure you forge good working relationships with your bosses at your internships, your summer jobs, professors and anyone else who knows YOU well.

Okay, with that said, let's get started.  Here are some tips for the application process.

1) Cast your net wide!

For anyone here who is like, really literal

"I'm only looking for jobs in California."

"I don't want to work in Miami."

"I'm only applying to jobs working with dolphins."

Every time I hear someone limit themselves in their job search, I'm compelled to yell, "BUT WHYYYY?"

Here's the thing when you're first starting out; if you limit yourself to a city, state, one species of animal, or tell yourself you never want to work in certain places, you are going to have an extraordinarily hard time landing an interview, much less a job.  

Okay lookit, I know that there are circumstances when you really are limited to where you apply for a job.  Life gets in the way.  But that doesn't change the facts: no matter how good your reasons are for not applying to lots and lots and lots of jobs with lots of different animals in many, many locations, you are at a really massive disadvantage.  I'm sorry for those of you who really are stuck in a location.  It's not impossible, but it will be much, much harder.  It's better you know the truth though.

That's the way the cookie crumbles, folks.

For the rest of you who are going, "Wellllll....the reason I'm being so picky is because I just don't WANT to go to some places, or I only WANT to work with sea lions", it's time to change your tune.  

You know this: the field is competitive.  What does that mean?  There are very, very few job openings at the entry-level.  And there are a lot of people vying for those limited positions.  Not just a lot of people; a lot of people who have experience just like you.  You can differentiate yourself all you want, but even if you are a fantastic amazing wonderful hard-to-find candidate....you are not alone in your eliteness.  There are tens of elite candidates hoping to get the one job you applied for.  That's the nature of competitive industries.  Some people have worded this to say that you're basically replaceable.  I personally hate that idea, because you're not.  You aspiring trainers are not a dime-a-dozen; you all have something unique and wonderful to offer.  But that's not easy to see in every single candidate, and sometimes there are so many great candidates but one has something that's best for our particular facility.

What that means is that your best chance at landing an interview is to apply EVERYWHERE.  Increase the odds that your incredible application and unique persona will pique the interest of someone hiring.  Applying to five jobs gives you almost no chance that that.  Applying to 50?  You've got a fighting chance.  100 job applications (phew!!), now we're talking!

"100 job applications? There aren't that many marine mammal jobs! Are you crazy??" you may be asking me.

Bahahaha, a little crazy math humor.

Nope.  You could easily apply to 100 animal training jobs in one year.  Easily.  Of course, if you limit yourself to one state, or one taxa, then yeah that's pretty much impossible.  

Yes, you probably want to work with a particular group of animals.  I'd be willing to bet that most people reading this blog would prefer to work with a species of dolphin, but I know there are many others who love sea lions, primates, wolves, big cats, etc. etc.  It's ideal to land a job working with the species you're most interested in, but it's not critical.  In fact, there are some really fantastic animal training programs out there, so don't get snobby about the animal.  Want to work with elephants?  Guess what, there are some pretty great elephant training programs out there who want good behaviorists and have hired primate and dolphin trainers.  Many zoos have pinnipeds; what if you get hired in hoof stock, get lots of great experience with them and impress your bosses and the zoo's curatorial staff, and are the first pick when an opening in the pinniped department comes around?  Don't just apply for jobs with your preferred species.

I've known people to flat out refuse to apply for a job with sea lions, because they just wanted to work with dolphins.  Or people who would not apply to any jobs other than at SeaWorld.  One person said they could never, ever live in Miami.  Another said they didn't want to live in a cold climate anymore.  They all had a very difficult time landing an interview (some still do not have jobs).  It is unreasonable to be so picky, especially when you're just trying to get a foot in the door.  

That's one sultry-looking foot in the door

Now that I've said to cast your net widely, let me add a caveat.  It's okay to have some guidelines for the jobs you apply for; just make sure they aren't severely limiting.  For example, if you live in the U.S. and you would rather not work outside of the States, I think that's a perfectly reasonable limitation.  Why? Because you've got lots and lots of potential jobs here.  Or let's say you really want to be an animal trainer, so you decide you'll only apply to animal TRAINING jobs, not just any and every zookeeper or aquarist job.  That's totally fine and makes sense, because again there are still lots of potential opportunities in just animal training alone.  

But don't be picky.  In fact, that brings me to my next tip...

2) You can't be picky until you get a job offer

Yeah, Clover! 

This was the single best advice I was given when I was starting out, both in my internship journey and when I was trying to get my first paid job as a marine mammal trainer.

It is so easy (and completely normal) for all of us to daydream what it'd be like if we got a job interview, then offer, and then what it'd be like to work at a certain place.  We send our application and immediately think about what it'll be like to work there.  But there are lots and lots of things that have to happen between the Application and the Job Acceptance phase.  Notably: interview and job offer.  

Being picky is an extension of NOT casting your net widely.  Here are some hypothetical examples:

Person A: I didn't apply to that job in Arizona because they only have sea lions and that's not going to give me the experience I need with dolphins.

Person B: I'd hate living in Denver.  I'm not applying to jobs there.

Person C: I've heard things about XYZ Zoo's method of training their new keepers and I think they move them too slowly, so I'm not going there.

Guess what?  Neither Person A, B, or C has anything to worry about.  Why?  Because they never got job offers, so they never have to worry about working with only sea lions, or hating their life in Denver, or disagreeing with management at XYZ Zoo.  They never had the choice to work there, so why on earth did they think they could be picky when there was nothing to pick FROM?

You decide.

Here's the other thing this ill-placed over-the-top selectivity does: it makes you think you're psychic.  It's incredible how easily it is to go from, "Well, there's a job at Oceans of Fun working with seals and sea lions!" to "Eh, I don't want to work there because I only want to work with killer whales.  There's no way I'll get the experience I need to achieve my dream."  What's hilarious about this is that you can't possibly know what kind of experience you'll get.  In fact, here's what will PROBABLY happen if you, an aspiring orca trainer, take a job at a pinniped facility:

1) You'll get experience with marine mammal training...
2) ...led by one of the gurus in this field
3) You will get pinniped experience, which is a HUGE perk on any resume
4) You will probably LOVE working with pinnipeds, even if you do decide to pursue a career with orcas

An awesome place!

Guess what?  Not applying to Oceans of Fun means you have this much chance at getting any of the aforementioned four AMAZING benefits:  Zero.  Zero chance.  You shot yourself in the foot before you even got out of the gate.  

You aren't psychic, and especially when you're new to this field you really don't have any idea how much experiences with different animals, at different facilities, and in different locations translate into making you a better, more appealing trainer.  You just don't get it...because you haven't been immersed in the field long enough.  It's not a knock on your intelligence or your hard work.  I had zero clue, and I was picky, picky, picky.  And I got no interviews.  Then, I was told what I'm telling you now, and boom, I got interviews.  Not only that, I learned so much from that interviewing process that it got me my first job.  And my first job was not the job I'd always wanted: I wanted to be a research trainer.  I wanted to work for the Navy marine mammal program.  But I wound up getting fantastic training experience at Miami Seaquarium....and the skills I learned there still help me with my job TODAY so many years later.

For those of you who are picky about where you live...stop it.  Just stop it.  NOTHING is permanent.  You've got the wrong priorities in order if you're really worried about living in a climate that's not ideal for you, or you aren't a city person, or you just hate living in Alabama.  Sorry, that's so not going to get you your first job.  Get your foot in the door, get good experience, learn how to be the best animal trainer and caretaker you can, and earn yourself a great reputation.  THEN, you'll be able to move around a lot more easily in the field.  You can start to be a little more selective about types of jobs, species, location, management style, etc.  But not so much (er, not at ALL) in the beginning.

3) Think of your resume as a fishing lure

Hell, I'd bite that

How long should your resume be?  Okay, let's not focus on length.  Let me give you a quick list of facts about resumes, and you can make your own decision from there.

* There are tens to hundreds of other people sending in resumes to the same person (or small group of people) you're sending it to

* There are tens to hundreds of other people with the exact same experience as you applying for the same job

* Sometimes, it's an HR representative (not a trainer) who is scanning resumes before it gets to animal training staff

* Whoever is reading your resume is probably looking at it for about 10 seconds, if that.

Those four things may not be the case at every single zoo or aquarium, but it'd do you well to assume that they are.  Assume that you have ten seconds to sell yourself to someone who has been reading hundreds of resumes for the past hour.  How do you make yourself stand out (in a good way)?  Hint: it is not: colored paper, glitter, photos, or crazy fonts.  

...photos are not going to help.

Your resume is not the culmination of Who You Are As A Person.  It's a teaser, a movie trailer.  It's meant to lure someone into going, "Hmm...that's interesting, I want to interview them to find out more."   What about each of your experiences are relevant to the job for which you're applying?  What things can you HIGHLIGHT (not opine on!) that make you stand out from the hundreds of other applicants who did marine mammal internships?  

So many people want to put on every single job, class, and volunteer opportunity they've done to show the breadth of their experience....but it doesn't actually differentiate you from the others.  It just creates clutter.  Don't become emotionally attached to your resume; it is not an extension of you and the awesome stuff you have to offer.  It's just there to hook into a prospective employer, so make it crisp, clean, and really interesting.  And of course, make sure everything is spelled correctly and is totally honest (no embellishing or lying!!! You will get found out!).

4) Relax and Learn

Take a load off

Applying for jobs is exciting and terrifying, especially at the beginning of your journey.  After you've sent out a bunch of applications, you may start to feel a little deflated or even downright bummed.  That's normal, so don't panic.  

You will probably not hear back from most of the places you apply to (not even a rejection letter).  The sooner you know this, the better off you are.  Don't waste your time making a judgment on how fair or unfair that fact is; just know it's part of the deal.  And while it is like torture to wait for days or weeks to hear back from a prospective job because you're just dying for an interview, don't follow up a hundred thousand times.  If you do follow up to see if someone got your application package, just do it once.  You may still not hear back from them...and if that's the case, just let it go.  

Learn from the experience, too.  You'll get rejected.  You'll get interviewed or swim tested, and you'll get turned down.  Yes, it's normal to feel sad about that.  It's okay to feel sorry for yourself for just a little bit, but then you need to get back in the game and glean what you can to better your chances the next time.  Don't get vent about it on Facebook or get upset and bitter at the facility who turned you down or never responded.  Just move forward and know there are plenty of other people out there going through the same exact thing you are.  And don't forget, those of us employed in this field went through the same exact emotional rollercoaster, too!

That's all the tips for this week, dear aspiring trainers!  Stick to your guns and don't get crestfallen, just keep at it.  Your hard work and high level of emotional maturity will pay off!  Tune in next week for part 3!

It's what I'm wishing you!

THE Mystery of The Field: How To Become A Trainer (Part 1)

*This is part one of a series*

I've written a lot about elements of becoming a new trainer.  I know there are a lot of you out there reading this blog who are probably like YES BUT I WANT MORE.

Oh, I'll give you more Mr. Cage.

Well, if you're relatively new to the Middle Flipper, you may not know that I've written a fair number of entries on this topic.  But because I am totally inept at the whole web design thing, plus I am a poor dolphin trainer who likes free things, I know it's not totally easy to navigate through Blogger to find some of those entries.  So first and foremost, here you go:

Swim test entries:  My Miami swim test here and my Sea World San Diego swim test here

How to destroy your chance at a job in step? Wonder why you're having trouble getting jobs and think maybe you have a toxic relationship with overshare on social media? You should read this blog: Check it out here

My failures as an aspiring trainer? Oh, I've got lots.  Here's just one entry about them.

The Middle Flipper Guide to Good Interning Part 1 and Part 2

But really, let's get down to it.  Some of you are just starting out: you're looking to get your first internship.  Others of you are just dying to get your first job (ohhhhh believe me, I've been there and remember that feeling VERY well).  And some of you are really ready to give up. 

Here's the thing; I can't possibly go through each of your individual situations and tell you exactly what you need to do in order to land a job in this field.  I wish I could, because you, dear readers, are awesome and I would love nothing more than to help you.   But I can't do that, even if I had all the time in the world and knew each of you very, very well.   What I can do for you all is be very honest, so that you don't reach the end of this blog with the wrong idea.  So why can't I help each and every one of you?  There are two reasons for that:

1) Not everyone's life path is destined for this job....and that's not my place to judge that (it's yours)

2) Most importantly, YOU are the only one who has the power to decide your fate in this field.  

Channel your inner Bruce

In fact, number 2 is what I want to focus on.  It is not a cop-out answer to the series of questions I've gotten from aspiring interns and trainers.  I'm being genuinely true with you all, because I've seen now hundreds of people try to make it in this field and almost every one of the successful ones shares a common trait:

They create their own luck.

There is not a single book, person, or blog who can outline for you how to become a marine mammal trainer.  There isn't.  But there are a few things that everyone can do that give themselves the best chance possible at getting their first job.  So let's take a look at those things.

1.  Do your own work

Yyyyyup

What does that mean, you ask?  Like d'uh, you are obviously going to be doing your own work at an internship right?

What I mean by that is to stop asking general questions about things regarding your career choices.  Here are some examples of questions that you should STOP asking on Facebook, IMATA, and in general to forum-like websites: 

* Can someone look at my cover letter/resume?
* How many internships should I do?
* How do I prepare for a swim test?
* Do I have enough experience for this job?

Okay, if you're totally freaking out right now because you've done that, it's okay! Don't worry, I made the same mistake...multiple times, mostly on IMATA forums.  And hey, I've got a job!  So again, chill and don't sweat it if you are someone who tends to do that.  The point is, stop now!  Why?

First of all, when we ask those general questions in a mostly anonymous setting, we are unintentionally making ourselves seem lazy.  The best way around this is to ask pointed and direct questions.  Here's an example:

General Question: Can you look at my resume?

Pointed Question: Can you take a look at my resume and let me know if my experience with manatees stands out?  I'm applying for a job working with manatees and I want to make sure that that part of my resume really grabs my prospective employer.

When we ask the general "hey, can you look at my cover letter" type of question to someone we don't (or barely) know, we are basically indicating that we wrote the thing, now someone else look at it.  You may be shaking your fist at your computer screen yelling, "But that's not why I'm doing that!!"  And I shake my fist back at you and say, "But it's coming off that way and that's all that matters!!"

Asking these broad, non-specific questions and favors does kind of give the wrong impression, but it also cripples you in another way.  By not asking for specific feedback, you won't get actually get any, but more on that later.

Don't be lazy.  It's only cute if you're cat.

Secondly, when we do our own work, that means we are putting ourselves at the mercy of someone we respect.  So instead of me going on IMATA.org and asking, "Hey is it okay that I once had melanoma? Can I still be a trainer?" (which...I actually did) and potentially making future employers go, "Uh....maybe this chick is a liability" or "Why is this girl sharing this very personal medical information on THE INTERNET?", I could've talked to my mentor at my internship and asked her.  

Why didn't I do that?  

Well, at the time, I thought I was canvasing a broader audience.  But how could that broad audience really help me, especially if they didn't know me?   Plus, I could get 10 responses, 8 of which said "you're screwed" and the other two may have said "oh, you're fine".  Where am I at then?  I don't really have an answer.  But had I asked my mentor, someone who saw me in action for 6 months, who has hired countless trainers and interns and knows many other trainers in the field, she may have said, "Don't sweat it.  Plenty of people deal with that.  But some advice? That was pretty stupid to put that on the IMATA forum."

It would've been harder to hear that advice from someone I respected and wanted to impressive, but it would've meant more...because she knows me, see what I'm getting at?

Ya feel me?

Do your own work also means search for your own networks.  Instead of asking a general audience about swim tests, ask the facility itself.   Again, when we just go, "Uh hey, can 'somebody' tell me something?" it makes us look like we aren't willing to find the answer on our own.  What does that say about our work ethic?  And in this competitive field where we as employers are LOOKING for hairs to split, I am way way way way way more impressed by someone who emails me directly and says, "What are the requirements for your swim test?" then I am seeing someone post on a forum "Hey anyone know what xyz's swim test is?"

This is especially true on IMATA's forum, which has tomes of information on swim tests.  I mean, there are seemingly endless threads on the topic.  Talk about a wealth of information!  Asking specifics about the test is one thing; but to ask just the general, "Hey, what's Sea World Orlando's swim test like?" makes it look like maybe you didn't feel like doing a forum search for an answer that's right there. 

Let me clarify something though, in case anyone is still freaking out.  It's different to ask a question that makes it clear that you've done a lot of research on your own.  Asking questions, especially on the IMATA forum or something like that, is a good idea.  It gets your name out there.  But make sure you're asking smart questions that show you in your best light.  

2. Make a personal connection

And if you make it with caffeinated beverages, that's even better.

This piggy-backs off of the last point.  Forums and Facebook groups are great resources for exposure to different people in the field.  It can really help you connect with someone or an experience that you wouldn't have known about before.  But it is a dangerous place if you just stop at the "Oh okay, there are a bunch of trainers reading these threads, so I'm going to see who can give me general career advice."

Making a personal connection with someone is critical.  The best place to do this as an aspiring trainer is at your internship (or internships).  That is why we say that internships are like a three/four month long interview; you are really laying groundwork not only in your OWN experience, but in your marine mammal network.  If you go through your internship without talking to someone who knows about hiring trainers...meaning the people who may intimidate you a little bit because they've got "senior" or "supervisor" or "curator" in their job title....you have really missed a great opportunity.  

Making that connection gives you PRICELESS insight in your job performance and how you are perceived as a prospective employee.  Even if you make huge mistakes in your internship (to a degree, of course), if you are someone who has a great attitude, LEARNS from your mistakes, actively seeks out criticism for self-improvement, you are way ahead of the person who did well in their internship but only asks for general advice on Facebook.  Way ahead.

Ohhhh yeah.  Thumbs way up for you, Hasselhoff.

A person or a group of people who have seen you in action can really, really help you with resumes, especially at the entry-level job phase.  Why?  Because they know what you've done.  They know what your strengths are, combined with the fact they've probably seen a zillion resumes before yours. They can look at your CV and say, "It's too wordy, and you also totally left out that time you helped us with that rehab loggerhead after hours!"

IMATA does this awesome thing at their annual conference: a resume review.  The way it is formatted allows for an experienced member of this field to not just glance at your resume, but get to know YOU and your experience.  While it isn't necessarily as personal as asking your internship mentor or the senior trainer you worked most closely with, it's a pretty good second, because you've got 15 minutes to relay information that an IMATA member can help you tease out in your resume to really make it shine.

Here's a good example: I did the resume review this past IMATA conference.  I met a lot of really cool people doing that.  And I was baffled at how little people put on their resume; because they did a lot of really cool stuff!  One girl didn't highlight that she'd worked with sea lions free contact at one of her internships.  That is a huge, huge deal.  That would catch my eye immediately.  And when I told her that, she said, "Oh! I never thought of it as being that big of a deal!"  

Had she just posted her resume on a forum and said, "Hey, can someone look at this?" she may have gotten some pointers.  But no one would've known about the really rare and cool experience she had with sea lions at one of her internships.  So they wouldn't have told her, "Dude, you need to put that on there.  Get rid of the fish prep stuff; we know you do fish prep as a intern.  Put that you worked with sea lions free contact in a supervised setting!"  And wouldn't you know, that very fact got her an interview (and ultimately, a job).

Mmmhmmm that's right

The personal connection is key.  You are setting yourself up to potentially hear some things about yourself that aren't very flattering, too.  It is a worthy risk though; knowing your strengths and areas of improvement are the only way to DO THE WORK to improve yourself.  And guess what improving yourself does, especially if you work very very hard at it?  Yeah, it gets you a job.  But most critically, it makes you a better animal trainer.

So the next tip should come as no surprise....

3.  Seek out constructive feedback....and implement it

Well it shouldn't be like this, but...sometimes it is...and it can still be helpful.

I would write about this for ten million years if I could*.

I'm going to write this in bold and in giant letters because I really like font formatting but ALSO because I really, really, really believe this to be true:

THE BIGGEST REASON PEOPLE DO NOT GET A JOB IN THE FIELD IS BECAUSE THEY ARE UNWILLING TO HEAR, ADDRESS, AND AMEND THEIR PERSONAL AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT

Those reasons are plentiful, so I can't possibly list them all.  But what's the silver lining?

NONE OF US ARE PERFECT. 

But he is damn close.

We all have things that we have struggled to improve (and...are still struggling to improve).   Here are some of my weaknesses:

1)  Asserting myself.  You can imagine how much I have had  to work on this
     to become a supervisor

2)  I talk way too much (um, can you tell by how wordy my blogs are??)

3)  I am really bad at keeping track of details about things like dates, times,    
     responding to emails, etc.  I think, "Oh yeah, I'll do that when I have more
     time" and then POOF the thought leaves my brain.

4)  I have a hard time telling someone when I am upset with them until I am
     really frustrated

Those aren't all of my weakness, but they are a few.  And guess what, I have to work on them all the time.  I've been called out on them, especially as an intern and new trainer.  I've gotten some really, really good feedback (and not always delivered in a kind way, but it was still accurate).  I have two choices to make when I face my weaknesses: get defeated by them, or power through the embarrassment and despair I feel when I am going through that and figure out how to make it better.

The best candidates for marine mammal trainers (and jobs everywhere, really!) are the ones who recognize their areas of improvement, SEEK OUT feedback about those things KNOWING FULL WELL that they may hear they did an awful job at them, and THEN power through and improve them.

Fist pump! Power through!

So many times I hear people get defensive about things that they can control.  Some people ask me why they can't get a job in the field, and I tell them that they aren't applying to enough jobs.  Part of trying to get your foot in a very competitive field is being willing to travel almost anywhere for that first job.  That's a fact; it's not a comment on if you are able to do it.  It's a fact that you have a much higher chance at getting your dream entry level job if you are willing to move out of state.  If you aren't, then you will have a harder time.  When I mention this to some people, they get defensive and give me all the very logical reasons why they can't do that.  And I understand those reasons, and sympathize with them....but it doesn't change the reality.  Some of those people become so upset that they give up, instead of getting their head in a different game (e.g. "Okay, maybe it'd take me 1 year to get a job if I could get up and move anywhere.  But I can't, so maybe I'm at a 5 year game plan.  Not ideal, but dag nabbit I'm going to work that much harder to get what I want.")

Others have had poor attitudes at internships, or had bland or difficult-to-read resumes, or said too many not-so-good/mature things on Facebook.  When I've pointed these things out, some people get defensive about that stuff.  Most of those people still do not have jobs.  The people who have said, "Oh....okay...so if I make this change and that change, do you think that puts me on the right track?", many of them have jobs or interviews right now.

Exactly.

It is really, really hard to lay yourself out to be criticized.  Part of my job is to provide feedback to my employees, but no matter how many times I give feedback and think to myself that all that matters is if the person takes it and makes a really valiant effort to implement it,  I still really really really dread asking for feedback from my boss.  Not because he's mean, or because he doesn't want to help me; he is great.  But because it is ALWAYS hard, no matter WHO you are or what level you're at, to hear your shortcomings.  But guess what?  It is WAY worse to ignore them.  And you can't afford to ignore them, especially if you're trying to get an entry-level job.

So, if you are someone who knows you're defensive (which is great, because you realize that about yourself!!), take a deep breath.  Remember, no one's perfect.  All you have to do is start listening and implementing from this moment forward.  You may hear some things that make you upset, or make you think things are unfair....but think of that information as empowerment.  You now clearly know what you have to do to give yourself the best chance (and you didn't have that information before...so you had that much LESS of a chance).  It's a fantastic thing long term....which is well worth the few hours or days of feeling bummed out or embarrassed because of the mistakes you've made.

So that's enough for this part (like I said, I talk a lot!).  Next week we'll go over three more things you can do to help yourself get a job in this field. 

If you are at the end of this feeling disappointed or discouraged because you feel you haven't done any of the things I've mentioned, or you've made some of the mistakes I've used as examples, it's okay.  Maybe that's your constructive feedback for the day: you know now what not to do.  Move forward, knowing that EVERY trainer who has a job right now made a whole bunch of blunders trying to get hired.  They just did the work, made and utilized their personal connections to get some really insightful feedback on resumes, cover letters, work performance, and overall career advice to help them get over their personal hurdles.  You can do the same thing (but only you!).

Like I've always said, Full House has the best life advice.

See you awesome people next week!!


_________
* But I can't, because I mean, I don't think I'll live that long.  At least not with the number of donuts I'm eating on a weekly basis.  Just a fact.

Working With Baby Animals (a.k.a. The Best Thing Ever)

Baby animals.

*melt*

OMG, right?  What's cuter than baby animals?

Even this guy doesn't know.

Nothing.

The end.

Thanks for reading!

Ha ha, just kidding, that's not the end.  But seriously, let's talk about young's   

Training baby animals is one of the coolest experiences a trainer can have, for a number of reasons.  And like most cool experiences, it comes with its fair share of frustrations and insecurities.  It's hard to separate the "cool" from the "unglamorous" aspects of working with very young animals, because I genuinely feel that they are not mutually exclusive.  I have worked with a few dolphin calves from the moment they gave a hoot that I existed, and I'm now working with three one-year old California sea lion pups.  Not only do I learn from my direct experiences, but I also have the honor of helping other trainers learn how to train and get to know brand new animals.  

So what are my favorite things about working with baby animals?  Here's a little list!

1) Babies are an unknown quantity

You don't know ME!

When they're born, they don't even know who they are.  Their own moms don't know who they are*.  And if you're any kind of decent trainer, you know that getting to know an animal as an individual is the first key to establishing a fantastic training program.  We say all the time to colleagues and laymen alike that Relationship Is King.  Some of us mean that sincerely; we don't just mean we have a rapport based solely on food.  We get to know what intrinsically motivates the animals.  We figure out what kind of temperament the animal has; are they quick to spook? Naturally curious? Completely laid back to the point where they could ignore mild-to-moderate nuclear warfare?**

But babies present us with a challenge in this relationship-department on two levels: a) we don't know anything about them, and b) they probably don't want what we're serving.  If you work with mammals, your baby animal friends are pretty happy drinking milkshakes all day instead of eating whatever slop you've got in a bucket.  So where do you start?

Of course, like any challenge, this presents some incredible opportunities for growth for us trainers.  If you get the opportunity to work directly with a young'un, you learn very quickly not only how to establish a meaningful relationship from nothing, but I think you also appreciate more what hard work and tremendous love and dedication it took to establish relationships with your older animals.  And for those of you who haven't had the chance yet to work with babies, I'm not saying your relationships aren't special, nor am I implying that you didn't have to put a lot of time and effort into building a meaningful bond with the animals for whom you care.  But it is a different type of experience working with a baby; they have no concept of us Weird Hairless Creatures giving them anything they want.

Um, okay, not this hairless creature.  Question: is there such a thing as a cute baby blobfish?

We got our three naturally-weaned sea lion pups from another facility.  They had some training before they came to us, but only a few months worth.  The trainers at the other facility did amazing things which gave us a head start; they already ate fish, they did well with following trainers, and they knew how to crate.  However, they didn't know targets, and they didn't know the fundamental behaviors we (both sea lion and human) need in order to safely interact in the type of habitat they are in.  

Answer: Yes.  Baby blobfish ARE cute.***

I remember when we first got them and did our first training sessions, I looked at their cute little faces and thought, "Who are you guys?"

Over the past few weeks, I've gotten to know them more on a temperament level (as they have with me).  Our littlest is the sassy, too-smart-for-her-own-good who is more motivated by learning four hundred different things at once than she is with the fish she eats.  When she eats, it's like she's swallowing it to get it out of the way.  Like, "Okay, I swallowed that thing, can we get back to the targeting now puh-lease?"

When will we get to the advanced lessons, like astrophysics?

Another is a mild-mannered, very tentative sea lion who has a serious stubborn streak I thought was only found in things such as: my dog.  My dog, the one who tries to eat poisonous toads despite how it makes his mouth foam and burn...over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over.....  She is Gandhi-like in her stubbornness, though.  She went through a period of time that just the presence of a target pole rendered her unable to come within a 10 foot radius of her trainer.  It wasn't just being scared of it; it was a dramatic flop back into the water, and then several attempts to station with other trainers, completely ignoring or refusing to sit with her original trainer no matter what we did.

Just slap some flippers on her and you've got it.

Our bigger male, well he's just not too happy about his fun training session ending.  "Dude, NO" he seems to say when we try to leave.  He will sample just about any behavior if it superstitiously got us to come back in the habitat.  He'd be great at free-shaping, that's for sure.  And boy, does he test us.  "What if I do THIS?!" his eyes say as he sniffs our boots.  "Or THISSSSS?" as he crawls along the ground with one flipper up on a wall.

I wonder what they think of all of us, too.  Because it's a two-way street.  I bet each one has their own opinion of me.  Like would they describe me as the hulking yellow-hair who doesn't shut up and bares her teeth all the time?

You know, cuz I'm smiling.

Still, the sense of accomplishment you get after you figure out WHO the kid is is unlike anything else. It requires an open mind and compassionate mindset.

2) Babies are blank slates

LOOOKKK AT HIMMMM (or herrrrr....IDK does it matter?!)

Isn't that an understatement!

Like humans, many baby animals have extreme mental plasticity.  They learn skill sets at alarming rates, both in the natural world and in a training sense.  When it comes to many of the species we work with in marine mammal facilities, we are working with non-precocial kiddos.  They are not born knowing how to just be a dolphin or a sea lion.  They've got mad skillz to learn; hunting, avoiding predators, and (just as importantly) social skills.  Without all of those three skills, a marine mammal is in deep trouble.  

In the training world, once a baby shows interest in his/her trainer and has learned the basic building blocks of operant conditioning (like bridges, targets, etc), there is a major power curve in trained behaviors.  This is one of the main reasons I personally feel it is critical to try to engage a baby marine mammal as early as the mother will allow, because sometimes I feel we spend too much time and energy trying to get the kid to eat fish.  

Exactly.

One of our standard industry answers to the question, "When do you start training the babies?" is, "When they start eating fish."  Well, in my experience at least, most of the dolphin calves I've gotten to work with from a young age did not start showing an interest in fish, but showed an interest in other things like ice cubes, toys, and rub downs.  If you've got something they want, you can train them just the same.  The fish can come later...so imagine if you can start your training with a calf at two months old instead of 8 months!  

I know every situation is different, but in general, I think it's a good idea to optimize the amount of time you get when their little brains are just big ol' sponges, ready to learn!  Hey, if they only want snacks, okay.  But it's worth trying other possible reinforcing things instead of just waiting for them to show interest in fish, right?

But even if your relationship with a calf or pup is solely food (as it is with our little sea lion pups right now!) for whatever reason, you know that those little guys are learning, learning, learning.  

What could POSSIBLY be bad about this?

Baaaaad habits!

Well, they learn everything.  Not just what you intended.  They are retaining so much, and observing so astutely all of your little quirks.  All your little mistakes.  Those big, adorable eyeballs? They see all of your flaws, and they will capitalize on it.  

In fact, training a baby is like playing an old school, side-scrolling video game.  You know, like Sonic or Contra.  You can be really, really good at it but the fact is, there are no save points.  When you mess up, you have to start the level all over again.  And that's what it's like training baby animals.  One little mistake can unfurl your entire training program. You might be the most seasoned Mario player in all the land, but one little mistake and BOOM you're back at the beginning.  As terrifying as this sounds, it's again important to remember that a) these babies are not software; they don't just learn in a steady upward trend and b) they will learn as much from their mess ups (and yours!) if you know how to rally.

Old school gamers rejoice: you probably can handle training baby animals.

I got so excited one time that this little dolphin calf was making such zealous progress in his lateral layouts that I was taking early approximations and getting really animated when I reinforced him with rubs and footballs.  I thought I was really on a roll with teaching this guy critical husbandry behaviors.  But what did he learn?  Oh, he learned that lateral layouts lasted 1.4 seconds, and you should come out of them at warp speed creating as much water disturbance as possible.  It took me twice as long to calm his crazy self down as it did to teach him the basic layout.  It made me realize how extremely careful I had to be with my criteria, bridge points, reinforcement and ENERGY with a little brain sponge as babies tend to be.   And hey, it made me be that much crisper (i.e. predictable and fair) with the other, older animals!

3) Babies test the limits

What if I do....THIS?

This is probably the biggest point of insecurity and woe of trainers everywhere.

Yes, babies are blank slates.  They learn fast...right or wrong things.  The really bright, really motivated and/or really sweet babies always give you time after time of warm fuzzy feelings.  You connect with them, you fly through behaviors, and you feel the connection.  You feel validation in your career path as a trainer, because you're training a BUTTLOAD**** of behaviors and you've got this little nugget who just so excited to see you and find out what today's lesson will be.

But then at some point, you are boring.  I mean, c'mon.  We are adults.  They are kids.  It doesn't matter that you come from an entirely different lineage than them.  You are still slow and stupid and boring and an adult.  Kids is kids.  You can't possibly keep every baby animal, especially of the marine mammal variety, interested in you every single moment of every single session.  And what does a curious, eager and sassy calf, pup or cub do?

I declare!

Mess with your a##.

This is probably the biggest pitfall of working with babies, especially if it's your first time.  Let me give you two real-life examples.

Our male sea lion pup really has a problem with his trainer ending the session.  We have a training plan in place for this, which occurred after we realized we had a serious blocking problem.  Okay, we thought.  This is the problem, we are trainers, we can handle this.  

There he is, far left.

So we implement the plan.  Within two days, we saw significant improvement in Big Guy's behavior (because you know, his sponge brain).  His primary trainers felt really good; you could see it in their faces and hear it in their voices as they recanted the sessions to other trainers.  Oh, isn't working with babies so much fun?

And then, the Big Guy decided the game of letting us leave needed some new rules.  He started testing us.  He'd jump out, he'd stand on the wall, he'd swim in the water with his left flipper in the air.  He'd bark.  He'd try to mouth our boots.  He'd go in the water headfirst.  He'd go in the water butt first.  And I could see his trainers' confidence wane.  What HAPPENED since the last two days, they thought?

"I THOUGHT I TRAINED THATTTTTTT"

Not that older animals don't test the ropes, but babies do this like it's their job.  I had to remind the trainers that while we must stick with predictable behavioral principles so our little troublemaker pup knows what to expect, we also have to remember that he is learning as much from his failures as he is from his successes in these "testing the waters" moments.  Any reaction he gets from his trainers with any of his random sampling is logged in his brain and will be used again later for better or for worse.  That's what kids do.

In fact, the other example I have of this was with one of the sweetest, smartest little dolphin calves I've ever known.  I mean, this guy is LITTLE.  He's just a short dude who is still healthy and happy, but as a calf he was a Tiny Tim.  He started showing interest in trainers at two months old.  His mom was pretty laid back, so he ended up learning full shallow-water interactive programs before he was one year old.  Like, he could do the entire 18 minute program.  He was a little genius (er, still is).  

The subject of our story.

You'll understand then, that he was basically everyone ever's favorite.  The maintenance staff loved him, guests loved him, and every trainer loved working with him (or couldn't wait until the day they'd be allowed to work with him).  He was very snuggly, interactive, and loved to play outside of session.  Did I mention he was little?  Like, so little he was even CUTER than the cutest dolphin calf you can imagine?  Perfect little dolphinchild.

And then, this precious cherub used his brains for evil.  Well, not really evil, but you know what I'm getting at.  He tested us.  How?

Well, when we were standing on this underwater ledge, he'd suddenly leave his trainer, sink to our feet, and then BOOM.  Hit our instep with his rostrum, KAPOW.   

Push puppets! I didn't know that's what these were called until five minutes ago.  Thanks, Google!

You know those weird push puppets? The jointed toys that are on top of a little box and when you squeeze the underside of the box, the entire toy collapses?

That is exactly what happened to us.  This little dude would bop us point blank on this pressure point and down we'd go, collapsing into the water.  Oh, think of how much fun this looked to a baby dolphin.  Over and over he'd do it.  We'd have perfectly good sessions, where we thought this dude was really having a great session, and we were doing a good job of keeping his focus...and then boop! You'd feel the hit and down we'd go!

Pretty much just like that.

Eventually, we worked through this and he stopped.  But even the Gold Star baby animal will go through a phase of testing his/her limits.  So don't let it get you down, or make you think you're a bad trainer.  Think of it as a milestone for both you and the calf or pup; and it's an opportunity for you to teach them something.  Not just that, it's something you should seriously consider writing down and logging how you navigated through it.  It'll probably make for a funny story, but it'll also remind you (and other staff members you work with down the road who work with babies for the first time) of a unique time that really boosted your trainer knowledge.

4) Sometimes, you get to see births

Awesome!

In the case of our pups, we didn't get a chance to see their birth or their life with their moms.  But the trainers at the facility they were born at sure did.  And with most of the dolphin calves I've worked with, I've personally seen their births.  I've only worked with babies who were born in human care, and I can tell you I'll never, ever get sick of seeing them born, or watching them hit developmental stages on their own and with their mothers.

It is an experience that, like so many we are privileged to have as marine mammal trainers, makes you grow as an animal caretaker.  No birth is the same, no baby is the same, and the process of being born and growing up from both the baby and the mother's perspective is one that all animal care professionals should be familiar with.  It is one of the most important events in an animal's life, and trainers should know what that natural process entails for better or for worse.  If you have the opportunity to witness it, don't miss it.

5) Babies is cute

Bahhhhhhh!!!!!!!

This is never a bad thing.  Oh good lord, they make you melt.  And most babies, once you have their trust (and the trust of their mothers, if they are still with their moms) are usually at the most snuggly part of their lives.  Some of our otters are still pretty cuddly, but not like I'm told they were when they were kits when they first arrived at the place I'm working now (which was before I started working there).  I've had the same experience with dolphin calves; a few are just as into toys and rubs, but others grow to like other things (and no, not just fish).  They mature and change, just like any of us do.  So if you get the chance to work with babies, make sure you don't take it for granted.  Even if you've done it 45 times; it is a precious experience that should be cherished.

Don't take us for granted!

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* Are you reeling from my "anthropomorphic" lingo?  Get over it. :D

** All of us could ignore severe nuclear warfare, because I suppose we'd all be um, no longer alive.

*** 

And they make adorable cupcake decorations.

And even adorable blobfish stuffed animals!!!!!  Want one? Go here!

**** I have yet to find any standard quantifiable measure of Buttload, but I think it's like 90 pounds.