Wild About Pets: Understanding Clicker Training

Certified clicker trainer Laura Monaco Torelli explains the concept of positive dog training. She then gives us the details on one type of positive training, clicker training, including how it works and how you can learn to use a clicker to train your dog.

Wild About Pets: Working With Clickers

Laura talks about the importance of getting the whole family involved with clicker training, and how to deal with a dog who rejects the training and gets aggressive. Then, she tells us about how she helps clicker train recently adopted shelter dogs.

Wild About Pets: Clicker Training & Other Animals

Laura tells us how clickers can be used to train other animals, and gives some examples from her time working at various zoos around the country. She also shares some of her experiences working at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium.

Look While You Listen!

Click here to view the photos Susan and Laura are discussing

Laura Monaco Torelli

Laura began her professional animal training career in 1991 with the John G. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. As a Senior Lead Trainer, she trained beluga whales, dolphins, sea otters, seals, river otters, and penguins. In 2000, Laura moved from marine to terrestrial animals, working for the San Diego Zoo and Brookfield Zoo as a Supervisory Keeper. She has trained a wide variety of species, including primates, large cats, birds of prey, horses, parrots, macaws, tree kangaroos, red pandas, and dogs while in the zoological community. Laura\'s experience with horses has provided numerous opportunities to teach them to cooperate in their daily care.
Laura\'s belief is that training should be fun, exciting, and educational for both people and their animal companions. Her unique professional background, which encompasses animal training, public and outreach programs, and educational seminars, allows her to create a dynamic and engaging environment for each client class. Laura\'s personal philosophy and unique skills keep her clients coming back for more training.
In 2005, Laura created a partnership with Chicago Animal Care and Control (CACC), offering free training and management advice seminars for dogs and the new family members who have adopted them from CACC. Her determination to build a positive educational forum for rescue dogs and caregivers was driven by the desire to decrease the number of dogs returned to shelters.
In August of 2008, Niabi Zoo (Niabi Zoological Society) invited Laura to be their Animal Training and Behavior Consultant, bringing her career full-circle and back to applying positive reinforcement training with exotic species. She is collaborating with Niabi Zoo staff, focusing on training programs with the primates, large cats, Arctic foxes, and reticulated giraffes.
The APVMA (American Pre-Veterinary Medical Association) invited Laura to speak at the 2009 Symposium hosted by the University of Illinois College Of Veterinary Medicine in Champaign-Urbana, and the 2010 Symposium hosted by Purdue University. She presented papers and provided interactive hands-on Labs for students to learn about positive reinforcement, marker-based training.
She currently serves as the Student Application Coordinator for Karen Pryor Academy.
Laura continues as a volunteer for the Shedd Aquarium as a SCUBA diver for the Wild Reef exhibit. She holds a TAGteach Level 1 Certification, and is studying toward earning her Graduate Degree in Biology. Laura also volunteers as a Delta Society Pet Partner, and a Doggone Safe \"Be A Tree\" Presenter.
Laura and her husband share their lives with spirited, energetic, and entertaining Rhodesian ridgebacks and lively cats.




Click here to visit her website.

Learn More About Laura