Live Drop-In Animal Behavior & Training Classes
Practical, science-based help for the behavior challenge you are facing right now.
Live online classes | $30 per person | Seven-day replay included
You do not always need a long course to take a useful next step. These online animal behavior classes provide focused, practical education for caregivers, trainers, students, and professionals.
The Animal Behavior Center’s Drop-In Classes are focused, one-hour online classes created for animal caregivers, trainers, students, and professionals who want practical help with a specific behavior or training concern.
Each class includes approximately 45 minutes of teaching followed by 15 minutes for questions and discussion. Lara Joseph will help you look beyond labels, observe what is happening around the behavior, and identify responsible first changes you can make.
These are educational group classes, not individual behavior consultations. You will leave with a clearer way to observe the problem and a practical direction for what to do next.
Who Online Animal Behavior Classes Are For
- Animal caregivers who feel stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure where to begin.
- People who have tried several strategies but the behavior keeps happening.
- Parrot and pet-pig caregivers seeking species-appropriate guidance.
- Trainers, students, behavior professionals, animal-care staff, fosters, and volunteers.
- People who want to understand why behavior is happening instead of relying on labels or quick fixes.
- Anyone who wants practical, positive-reinforcement-based education without committing to a longer course.
You do not need professional experience or prior behavior-analysis training to attend. Examples and explanations will be presented in clear, everyday language.
Why Attend Live?
Every registration includes a seven-day replay, but attending live gives you additional value:
- Learn the material in a focused setting without trying to piece together conflicting advice.
- See how the same behavior principles apply across real situations and species.
- Ask questions during the live question-and-answer period.
- Hear questions from other caregivers and professionals that may help you notice something new.
- Leave with a manageable first step instead of another long list of disconnected ideas.
The live class is educational and cannot provide a complete assessment of an individual animal. When a concern requires a closer review of the animal, environment, history, safety, or health, Lara will explain when an individual consultation or veterinary evaluation may be the more responsible next step.
Seven-Day Replay Access
Cannot attend live? Your registration still includes access to the class replay for seven days.
The replay link will be sent to the email address used for registration after the live class. Access ends at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the expiration date listed with each session below.
The replay gives you time to review the lesson, revisit your notes, or watch the class if you miss the live session. If your schedule allows, live attendance is encouraged so you can participate in the question-and-answer period.
Online Animal Behavior Classes: August 2026 Schedule
Saturday, August 8 at 11:00 a.m. ET
Stop Guessing: Why the Behavior Keeps Happening – and What to Change First
Live online | One hour | $30 | Replay through August 15
Thursday, August 13 at 7:00 p.m. ET
Stop Guessing: Why the Behavior Keeps Happening – and What to Change First
Repeat session with the same class content | Live online | One hour | $30 | Replay through August 20
Saturday, August 22 at 11:00 a.m. ET
When Your Parrot Won’t Stop Screaming: Find the Pattern and Change the Response
Live online | One hour | $30 | Replay through August 29
Saturday, August 29 at 11:00 a.m. ET
Your Pig Is Bored, Screaming, or Getting Into Everything: Build Enrichment That Works
Live online | One hour | $30 | Replay through September 5
Before registering: Please review the refund, cancellation, transfer, and no-show terms.
Stop Guessing: Why the Behavior Keeps Happening and What to Change First
Saturday, August 8, 2026
11:00 a.m. Eastern Time
Live online class: approximately 45 minutes of teaching plus 15 minutes of questions
Price: $30 per person
Replay access ends Saturday, August 15 at 11:59 p.m. ET
Class Description
“I’ve tried everything.” “Nothing is working.” “I don’t know where to start.”
When a behavior keeps happening, it is easy to jump from one strategy to another. But if you are changing the wrong part of the situation, even a well-intended strategy may not help.
In this class, Lara will show you how to step back and observe what happens before the behavior, what the behavior actually looks like, and what changes immediately afterward. You will learn how those details can help you identify what may be maintaining the behavior and choose a more useful first step.
Examples may include parrots, pet pigs, dogs with sensory impairments, and other animals so you can see how the same behavior framework applies across species.
This class provides an observation and decision-making framework. It does not diagnose an individual animal, promise a specific behavior outcome, or replace an individualized behavior assessment when one is needed.
What You Will Learn
By the end of the class, you will be able to:
- Replace broad labels with clear descriptions of observable behavior.
- Identify useful details about what happens before and after a behavior.
- Recognize how attention, access, escape, environmental changes, routines, and reinforcement history may affect behavior.
- Spot common reasons repeated attempts may not be working.
- Choose one responsible first change to test and observe.
- Recognize when an individual consultation, safety plan, or veterinary evaluation may be needed.
Registration
Registration is $30 per person and includes the live class plus seven-day replay access.
Your registration is for the Saturday, August 8 session. The August 13 class covers the same material and has a separate registration button.
Stop Guessing: Why the Behavior Keeps Happening and What to Change First
Thursday, August 13, 2026
7:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Live online class: approximately 45 minutes of teaching plus 15 minutes of questions
Price: $30 per person
Replay access ends Thursday, August 20 at 11:59 p.m. ET
Class Description
“I’ve tried everything.” “Nothing is working.” “I don’t know where to start.”
When a behavior keeps happening, it is easy to jump from one strategy to another. But if you are changing the wrong part of the situation, even a well-intended strategy may not help.
In this class, Lara will show you how to step back and observe what happens before the behavior, what the behavior actually looks like, and what changes immediately afterward. You will learn how those details can help you identify what may be maintaining the behavior and choose a more useful first step.
Examples may include parrots, pet pigs, dogs with sensory impairments, and other animals so you can see how the same behavior framework applies across species.
This class provides an observation and decision-making framework. It does not diagnose an individual animal, promise a specific behavior outcome, or replace an individualized behavior assessment when one is needed.
What You Will Learn
By the end of the class, you will be able to:
- Replace broad labels with clear descriptions of observable behavior.
- Identify useful details about what happens before and after a behavior.
- Recognize how attention, access, escape, environmental changes, routines, and reinforcement history may affect behavior.
- Spot common reasons repeated attempts may not be working.
- Choose one responsible first change to test and observe.
- Recognize when an individual consultation, safety plan, or veterinary evaluation may be needed.
Registration
Registration is $30 per person and includes the live class plus seven-day replay access.
This is an evening repeat of the August 8 class. The class content is the same, so choose the live session that works best for you. Each date requires its own registration.
When Your Parrot Won't Stop Screaming: Find the Pattern and Change the Response
Saturday, August 22, 2026
11:00 a.m. Eastern Time
Live online class: approximately 45 minutes of teaching plus 15 minutes of questions
Price: $30 per person
Replay access ends Saturday, August 29 at 11:59 p.m. ET
Class Description
Is your parrot’s screaming controlling your routine, disrupting your household, creating tension with neighbors, or leaving you unsure how to respond?
Responding only to the volume can make it difficult to see the pattern surrounding the behavior. In this class, Lara will help you observe when the screaming happens, what occurs immediately before it, how people respond, and what the parrot may gain or avoid afterward.
You will examine caregiver-controlled variables such as routines, attention, activity, environmental arrangement, enrichment, foraging opportunities, and reinforcement of alternative behavior. The goal is not to promise a silent parrot. The goal is to help you identify the pattern and make more informed, responsible changes.
This class does not diagnose or treat medical causes of a sudden or significant behavior change. Veterinary evaluation is an important next step when health, pain, or welfare may be contributing. Cases involving serious safety concerns, complex histories, or a need for a customized plan may also require an individual consultation.
What You Will Learn
By the end of the class, you will be able to:
- Describe the screaming pattern using time, place, activity, people present, and observable behavior.
- Identify common antecedents and consequences that may affect vocal behavior.
- Notice how caregiver responses may unintentionally strengthen a pattern.
- Evaluate routines, attention, activity, foraging, enrichment, and environmental arrangement.
- Identify appropriate alternative behaviors to teach and reinforce.
- Choose a practical first change without promising silence or suppressing normal parrot communication.
- Recognize when veterinary evaluation or an individual behavior consultation may be needed.
Registration
Registration is $30 per person and includes the live class plus seven-day replay access.
Your Pig Is Bored, Screaming, or Getting Into Everything: Build Enrichment That Works
Saturday, August 29, 2026
11:00 a.m. Eastern Time
Live online class: approximately 45 minutes of teaching plus 15 minutes of questions
Price: $30 per person
Replay access ends Saturday, September 5 at 11:59 p.m. ET
Class Description
Is your pig screaming for attention, getting into everything, searching constantly for food, destroying household items, or struggling to stay appropriately occupied?
Enrichment is more than handing a pig another toy. Effective enrichment supports species-appropriate behavior, choice, movement, exploration, rooting, foraging, problem solving, and appropriate interaction with the environment.
In this class, Lara will help you connect enrichment with antecedent arrangement, training, reinforcement, and prevention of behavior problems. You will learn how to look at the pig’s daily environment and activity patterns, select enrichment for a purpose, and observe whether the activity is actually being used.
This class focuses on practical environmental and enrichment planning. It is not an individualized plan for charging, biting, aggression, or other serious safety concerns. Those cases may require an individual consultation, management plan, or veterinary evaluation.
What You Will Learn
By the end of the class, you will be able to:
- Identify observable signs that your pig may need more appropriate activity, choice, or foraging opportunities.
- Evaluate how the current environment and routine may contribute to screaming, destruction, frustration, inactivity, or attention-seeking behavior.
- Select species-appropriate activities that support rooting, foraging, exploration, movement, and problem solving.
- Use antecedent arrangement and positive reinforcement to make appropriate behavior easier and more likely.
- Distinguish between simply providing an item and building enrichment the pig actually uses.
- Create a manageable starting plan for rotating activities and observing results.
- Recognize when a behavior concern requires individual or veterinary support.
Registration
Registration is $30 per person and includes the live class plus seven-day replay access.
What Happens After Payment
Registration is completed through PayPal using the button for your selected class date.
After Payment
- PayPal will provide your payment receipt.
- Your class confirmation and live Zoom access information will be sent to the email address used during PayPal checkout, normally within 24 hours of payment. If you register within 24 hours of the class start time, your access information will be sent as quickly as possible and before the class begins.
- You will receive class reminders before the live session.
- After the class, the replay link and relevant follow-up information will be sent to the same email address.
- Replay access will end at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the expiration date listed for your session.
Before You Pay
Please double-check the class title, date, and time before completing payment. Each session has its own registration button. If you do not see your class information, check your spam or promotions folder before contacting The Animal Behavior Center.
Lara Joseph is the owner of The Animal Behavior Center and a professional animal trainer, behavior consultant, and public speaker. She works across species and teaches practical applications of behavior analysis, positive reinforcement, enrichment, antecedent arrangement, shaping, and choice-based training.
Her work helps caregivers and professionals move beyond labels such as “stubborn,” “jealous,” “aggressive,” or “attention-seeking” and begin observing what the animal is doing, what is happening around the behavior, and what the environment may be teaching.
Lara works with companion animals, animals with visual and hearing impairments, and animal organizations of all sizes. She works with all species of animals, from giraffes, raptors, and alligators to multiple-species households. Her teaching focuses on clear observation, ethical and functional behavior change, easy to learn and understand steps, and respect for the individual animal and the people that care for them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Class Format and Access
Are these classes live?
Yes. Each Drop-In Class is presented live online through Zoom and includes approximately 45 minutes of teaching followed by 15 minutes for questions and discussion.
What if I cannot attend live?
Every paid registration includes seven-day replay access. The replay will be sent after the class and will expire at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the date listed with your session.
Why should I attend live if a replay is included?
Live participants can take part in the question-and-answer period, ask for clarification, and learn from the questions raised by other attendees. The replay is included as a backup and for short-term review.
Are the two Stop Guessing sessions different?
No. The August 8 and August 13 sessions cover the same class material. They are offered at different times so you can choose the session that works best for you. Each date has a separate $30 registration.
How much does a class cost?
Each class is $30 per person. Your registration includes one selected live session and seven-day access to that session’s replay.
Do I need experience with animal training or behavior analysis?
No. The classes are appropriate for caregivers as well as trainers, students, behavior professionals, and animal-care staff. Concepts will be explained in clear, practical language.
Individual Questions and Registration
Can I ask about my own animal?
There will be time for questions during the live class. Lara may offer general educational guidance related to the class topic, but a group class cannot provide a full assessment or individualized behavior plan. If your situation needs a closer review, Lara may recommend an individual consultation.
Will this class solve my animal’s behavior problem?
No specific behavior outcome can be guaranteed. These classes are designed to help you observe the behavior more clearly, understand relevant environmental variables, and choose a responsible next step. Results depend on the individual animal, environment, history, consistency, health, safety, and implementation.
Does a Drop-In Class replace veterinary care?
No. A Drop-In Class does not diagnose or treat medical conditions. Sudden behavior changes, possible pain, health concerns, or welfare concerns should be discussed with an appropriate veterinarian. Veterinary care may be an important part of responsible behavior planning.
Is a Drop-In Class the same as an individual consultation?
No. A Drop-In Class teaches one focused topic to a group. An individual consultation allows Lara to review one animal’s behavior, environment, history, safety concerns, and caregiver goals in greater detail.
How will I receive the Zoom and replay links?
Your class confirmation and live Zoom access information will be sent to the email address used during PayPal checkout, normally within 24 hours of payment. If you register within 24 hours of the class start time, your access information will be sent as quickly as possible and before the class begins. The replay link will be sent to the same email address after the live class. Use an email address you check regularly and review your spam or promotions folder if the message does not appear in your inbox.
Can I share my Zoom or replay link?
Your registration is for one participant. Please do not share private class or replay access information. Each person attending should complete an individual registration.
Can I transfer my registration or request a refund?
Refund requests must be received at least 48 hours before the scheduled class start time. No refunds will be issued within 48 hours before the class starts, after the class has started, or for no-shows. If you cannot attend live, your registration still includes seven-day replay access.
Registrations cannot be transferred to another person, class topic, or session. If you are eligible for a refund, request it at least 48 hours before the class starts and register separately for the preferred session.
If The Animal Behavior Center cancels a class, registrants will receive a full refund. If a class is rescheduled, registrants may attend on the new date or request a full refund.
Continue Learning After Your Drop-In Class
A Drop-In Class can help you identify a useful first step. If you want continued education or individualized support, The Animal Behavior Center offers several next-step options.
Membership Learning
Foundations Membership
Continue learning practical behavior, training, enrichment, reinforcement, observation, and problem-solving concepts across species. This is the recommended next step after Stop Guessing and Pig Enrichment.
Explore Foundations Membership
The Parrot Project
Continue with parrot-specific behavior, training, enrichment, foraging, implementation support, and ongoing education. This is the recommended next step after Parrot Screaming.
Consultation Support
Individual Behavior Consultation
Choose an individual consultation when your concern requires a closer review of one animal’s behavior, environment, learning history, safety, health-related screening questions, or caregiver goals.
Request an Individual Consultation
Organizational Consultation
Organizations, animal-care teams, shelters, rescues, and professional facilities can request support with staff education, behavior observation, training plans, enrichment, handling, or organization-wide behavior practices.
Choose the behavior topic and live time that fit your needs.
Each August Drop-In Class is live online, focused on one practical topic, and priced at $30 per person. Seven-day replay access is included.
August 8 at 11:00 a.m. ET: Stop Guessing
August 13 at 7:00 p.m. ET: Stop Guessing: Evening Repeat
August 22 at 11:00 a.m. ET: Parrot Screaming
August 29 at 11:00 a.m. ET: Pig Enrichment
Use the PayPal registration button within your selected class section to reserve your place.