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Inside Their Shells: Turning Fearful or Reluctant Animals into Confident Learners With Ken Ramirez

Wednesday, October 15, 2025 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm (PT)

When an animal is hesitant, fearful, or reluctant to engage, trainers face the challenge of building trust and creating a safe, positive learning experience. Where do we begin? Do the strategies differ when working with fearful or reactive animals, or is the approach essentially the same? Should we take an operant approach, a respondent one, or a blend of both? 

In this webinar, renowned trainer Ken Ramirez will share insights from real-world case studies across settings from zoos and shelters to The Ranch. He will explore how thoughtful strategy and flexibility help animals come out of their shells, and you’ll see that while no two situations are exactly alike, there are common strategies that support success across cases.

This free webinar offers a glimpse into the practical insights and innovative approaches that make ClickerExpo a must-attend event for trainers of all levels.

Can't tune in live? No worries! Sign up and we'll send you a link to the recording when it's available.
Website 1 Meet Your Presenter (2)

Ken Ramirez is the Executive Vice-President (EVP) and Chief Training Officer of Karen Pryor Clicker Training (KPCT). There he helps to oversee the vision, development, and implementation of training education programs for the organization.

A 50+-year veteran of animal care and training, Ken is a biologist and animal behaviorist who has overseen or consulted on training projects for many zoological organizations throughout the world. He began his training career working with guide dogs for the visually impaired and continues to work with organizations training dogs for service work, search-and-rescue, bomb detection, and narcotic detection. Ken has also maintained a close affiliation with pet training throughout his career.

Prior to his work with KPCT, Ken served as EVP of Animal Care and Animal Training at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium for more than 25 years. There he developed and supervised animal care and animal health programs, staff training and development, and public presentation programs for more than 32,000 animals. Ken has written for numerous scientific publications and authored countless popular articles. He is the author of the bestselling Animal Training: Successful Animal Management through Positive Reinforcement as well as his newest book, The Eye of the Trainer: Animal Training, Transformation, and Trust.

Ken taught a graduate course on animal training at Western Illinois University for 20 years and has been active in several professional organizations, including as a past president of the International Marine Animal Trainer’s Association (IMATA). He is actively involved in the creation of a certification process for animal trainers in zoological settings. Currently, Ken develops courses and programming across Karen Pryor Clicker Training, including at The Ranch, our National Training Center in Washington, Karen Pryor Academy, and ClickerExpo conferences.

Learn more about Ken on Instagram.

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