Sweet Animal Transformations at The Animal Behavior Center

Have you ever brought home a new pet only to find yourself overwhelmed by unexpected challenges? The Animal Behavior Center provides expert guidance and training for pet owners who need support navigating the complexities of animal care. Whether you’re a first-time pet owner or facing specific behavioral issues with your animal companion, their professional team offers the knowledge and experience to help transform your pet-owning journey.

Meet Lara

Owner, Lara Joseph, is an internationally recognized animal behavior consultant and trainer, who is passionate about helping people understand and connect with their pets.

She specializes in training birds, pigs, deaf and/or blind dogs, and exotic animals including wolves, alligators, lemurs, and more.

Her training focuses on positively reinforcing the behaviors you want to see increase and to help alleviate behaviors that will cause an animal more anxiety and stress. Much of her training is built on enrichment activities that enhance the animal’s life and positive well-being.

Red Ruffled Lemur Encounter

We had the pleasure of meeting Lara during a Red Ruffled Lemur encounter at the Indian Creek Zoo in Lambertville, Michigan. It was clear during our 30 minutes with these adorably sweet animals that Lara had the perfect temperament for training animals. 

We shared our enthusiasm about animal care and were thrilled to be invited to the Animal Behavior Center for a chance to see the facility and learn more about her training process. 

The Animal Behavior Center

Immediately upon entering the large facility, we were greeted with squawks and whistles from the cockatoos, Rico, Rocky, and Koko, a Laughing Kookaburra, Kooky, and a Turaco, Marula.

These gorgeous birds housed in large, ceiling-high cages were very excited to have visitors. 

Rico, a 19-year-old Umbrella Cockatoo, was Lara’s first bird. She adopted him when he was just 5 months old. Though she initially knew very little about bird care, she quickly sought out the training she needed.

Rocky, The Center’s Mascott

Her experience with Rico gave her the confidence to later adopt Rocky, a Moluccan Cockatoo with behavioral issues, from a shelter where he was facing euthanasia. 

Determined to help Rocky thrive, Lara traveled the country for training and even pursued master’s level courses in Applied Behavior Analysis.

Her dedication paid off – through careful training and endless patience, Rocky transformed into a sweet, affectionate bird who now loves to sing, dance, and be held.

Lara’s work with Rocky inspired her to begin training other animals. In 2013, she opened the Animal Behavior Center in Sylvania, Ohio, and more recently moved the facility to Lambertville, Michigan on the property of the Indian Creek Zoo.

Training

She offers in-person and online training sessions, speaks at conferences worldwide, and is currently writing a book. If your animals are showing unwanted behavior, be sure to check out The Animal Behavior Center’s website for information about her training.

During our time at the center, we got to watch Lara in action. We watched as Rocky calmly allowed her to trim his nails and 50-year-old+ Koko, an Umbrella Cockatoo, happily responded to positive training. 

We filmed snippets of our day at the center and were able to capture portions of training sessions. Check it out…

Bird Training Video

Volunteers and Interns

Lara relies on a dedicated team of staff members, volunteers, and college interns to help care for the animals.

During our visit, we found the team busy with daily tasks – cleaning bird cages, preparing food, and crafting enrichment toys.

Lara and her team devote a lot of effort to creating enrichment options that provide both mental and physical stimulation for the animals. Teams of volunteers spend countless hours creating unique toys for the animals to engage with which keeps them happy and healthy.

More Animals

The training center is a permanent home for the cockatoos and other animals that were raised in captivity, rescued, or surrendered. These animals cannot be released into the wild due to their inability to survive on their own.

Related Article: The Creature Conservancy in Ann Arbor, Michigan

The center is also a temporary shelter for other rescue animals including Bruce, a young American Alligator, and Jellybean, a Curl-crested aracari. 

Currently, the animal behavior center is in the process of expanding their outdoor facilities. Within a year, they should have room for more animals to enjoy the great outdoors.

Training Exotic Animals

Her partnership with the Indian Creek Zoo allows Lara to house her two Timberwolves, Jenks and Naomi, along with her lemurs Chili, Dill, and Lil’ Gherkin in enclosures at the zoo. She goes over for daily training sessions and feedings. We had the unique opportunity to partake in both. 

During our visit, we were amazed to discover the wolves were trained well enough to let us pet them. They thrive on human interaction and love the attention.

Training Wolves

We watched in fascination as Laura demonstrated their target training using a lollipop stick. The path to this achievement wasn’t smooth – Laura shared how one wolf had initially snapped the stick in half and ran off with it on the first day of training.

Undeterred, she adapted her approach, beginning with a large bucket and gradually reducing its size until the wolves finally accepted the stick. Now they respond confidently to this training method.

This training serves a deeper purpose beyond simple obedience. By building trust through these exercises, Laura ensures the wolves will cooperate during necessary medical procedures, from routine wellness checks to blood draws and ultrasounds.

Training Ring-Tailed Lemurs

Our time with the Ring-Tailed Lemurs was magical but it was only possible because of Lara’s skilled training. Just months earlier when Lil’ Gherkin was introduced to the older pair of lemurs, it caused some friction.

Lara’s work helped them develop into a harmonious group. Their comfort level was so high that they happily allowed us to enter their enclosure to feed them.

During the Indian Creek Zoos, summer season (May 1 through September 30), you too can partake in these wonderful animal encounters. https://indiancreek.ticketspice.com/animal-encounters  If you meet Lara, be sure to tell her you read this article on Our Sweet Travels.

Animal Training Opportunities

If you are in need of training for your pet bird, pig, dog, or exotic animal, be sure to check out the Animal Behavior Center’s website for information about online and in-person training. https://www.theanimalbehaviorcenter.com/

There you will find information on training other pets too. Lara hosts a weekly video chat, Coffee with the Critters, where she shares tips on training all sorts of animals. Be sure to check it out on the Animal Behavior Center’s Facebook Page.

Whether you are looking to help train your own pet or are a zoo keeper looking for expertise with a specific animal, you will find Lara’s help invaluable.