In some respects, animal behaviorists came to applied behavior analysis before their counterparts in the field of human psychology. Animal Behavior Research Advanced the State of Applied Behavior Analysis Success would be no surprise to any modern practitioner in the field known as applied animal behavior analysis, which makes use of similar conditioning techniques to train almost any type of animal. But Bailey, and other people familiar with the project, insist that the lore is wrong, and the experiments were successful… although they refuse to confirm whether or not the technology and technique were ever used operationally. The project, known now as Project Acoustic Kitty, has entered public lore as a resounding failure that resulted in the death of the cat and collapse of the initiative. Decades before cochlear implants became common as a treatment for deaf people, the Agency implanted one in the cat, together with a low-power transmitter that enabled agents outside the building to overhear what the cat heard. The CIA (Central Intelligence Agency)-which was where the anonymous visitor worked-had veterinary surgeons take care of the rest. Through the use of operant training techniques, they were able to teach a cat to make its way to a certain area in a building and to sit near people who were talking to one another. The visitor had a proposition for Bailey: he wondered if ABE could train a cat to infiltrate a building and monitor a conversation between two humans.Ĭats are not notoriously trainable animals, but Bailey and ABE rose to the challenge. Animal Behavior Enterprises (ABE) primarily trained animals for the entertainment industry, but had recently hired a trainer named Bob Bailey who had formerly been involved in military intelligence.

In 1967, at the height of the Cold War, an obscure animal training business in Hot Springs, Arkansas received a visit from an anonymous man. Though he may not approve of the methods and the risks, even the “Dog Whisperer” himself would appreciate the ambitious work of those who pioneered the techniques that would move the field from the big top to the big time.

Applied behavior analysis in animal training has a history far older and more consequential than the work of celebrity dog trainer Cesar Milan or even acclaimed animal behaviorist Temple Grandin.

Famous dog behavior trainers