Coffee with the Critters

Where Dinosaurs, Reptiles & Wildlife Education Meet!

What happens when you combine dinosaurs, live reptiles, science, and hands-on wildlife education? You get Dino Buddies. I’m joined by Tiffany Johnson, founder and owner

They’re Used To It! But How Would We Know?

We pay attention to what animals can see, touch, eat, climb on, move toward, and move away from. But what about sound? A newly published review examined research on huma

Avian Nutrition: Beyond the Bowl

For this special Coffee with the Critters, Lara is joined by: • Dr. Jason Crean, biologist and Principal Investigator with the Animal Nutrition Laboratory at Saint Xavie

What Parrots Can Teach Us About Communication

Lara is joined by Dr. Lauryn Benedict, Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Northern Colorado. Dr. Benedict studies animal communication and social behav

What Does Training Give an Animal Beyond the Reinforcer?

In this episode, Lara discusses a recent study published on target training 48 rats. Target training may support welfare beyond what the food reinforcer alone can.

Cooperative Care with Deb Jones

Join us for a conversation about helping animals participate more willingly in handling, grooming, veterinary care, and other necessary procedures. Deb will bring her ex

Two Minutes to Better Behavior!

Training does not have to be long, complicated, or overwhelming to make a difference. In this episode, we’ll talk about how short, intentional training moments can help p

Have You Ever Delayed Veterinary Care Because of Stress?

We are discussing animal stress in relation to quality care. This could include veterinary care, grooming, socialization and more.

Building Confidence Through Enrichment: From Hesitation to Exploration

We are continuing our conversation on empowering animals. We’ll look at how purposeful enrichment can help animals that find people, proximity, or touch stressful and ho

Building Confidence

Confidence is not something we demand from animals. It is something we teach. We’ll look at how fear can show up in different ways, why labels can limit what we see, and

Labels Don’t Solve Behavior Problems

Before we label an animal as aggressive, stubborn, anxious, hormonal, difficult, or “just being bad,” we need to understand what the behavior is doing for the animal and

If We Can’t Describe Behavior, We Can’t Change It

Behavior problems do not happen for no reason. Before we label an animal as aggressive, stubborn, anxious, hormonal, difficult, or “just being bad,” we need to understan

Q&A with Lara

Lara answers followers questions about behavior, training, and enrichment!

Calm is a Skill: Teaching Regulation, Not Suppression

In this live episode of Coffee with the Critters, we’re breaking down what it actually means to build calm behavior, not suppress it. We’ll explore: • Why many behavior

Misunderstanding Motivation

After 20 years working with animals across species, one issue shows up again and again: Motivation is misunderstood. When behavior doesn’t happen, people assume: • the

Reinforcement History

In continuation of celebrating 13 years in business, our next episode of Coffee with the Critters will be discussing Reinforcement History. • Every behavior an animal ex

Data Collection

In continuation of celebrating 13 years in business, our next episode of Coffee with the Critters, we'll be discussing Data Collection. People believe they understand be

From The Vault: Understanding Positive Reinforcement Part 2

Part Two to Lara’s throwback episode from 2023! Listen as Lara delves deeper into Positive Reinforcement.

When Enrichment Increases Arousal

When you evaluate enrichment, what variables are you actually measuring? After working with wolves, birds, primates, reptiles, and numerous species for the past two deca

From The Vault: Understanding Positive Reinforcement Part 1

In this two part throwback episode from 2023, Lara breaks down Positive Reinforcement.