Mary Hunter: The Science of Animal Training

In this episode of “In Stride,” Sinead is joined by animal behavior expert Mary Hunter.

Mary Hunter earned a Master of Science in Behavior Analysis at the University of North Texas in 2013 and a biology degree from the University of Chicago. During her time at UNT, Mary spent three years studying animal behavior and training with Dr. Jesús Rosales-Ruiz, with whom she published her first book, PORTL: The Portable Operant Research and Teaching Lab. Mary serves as president of The Art and Science of Animal Training, a Texas based non-profit organization. Mary currently provides animal training and animal behavior services in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and teaches undergraduate and graduate classes in the behavior analysis department at the University of North Texas as an adjunct instructor.

In this episode, Mary discusses various topics related to training and animal behavior, including:

• Using PORTL to teach people how to train behaviors using non-verbal communication.
• The dynamic between the teacher and learner and the shift in responsibility duing the training process.
• Establishing a pattern of planning and doing and why it should be kept separate.
• Problem solving through deconstruction and addressing the missing or incorrect components before putting the pieces back together.

Join Mary and Sinead in this exciting conversation on horse training and behavior analysis.