About Us

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Nicky has an extensive background in animal behaviour management, having worked in zoos and aquaria across the world for 20 years.  Nicky has trained a huge variety of species, and has significant experience in teaching positive reinforcement training skills to zookeepers. Shaping Behaviour always uses the most positive, least intrusive methods to teach you, your team and your animals desirable behaviours. Nicky is a graduate of Dr Susan Friedman's LLA (Living and Learning with Animals), a Certified Professional Bird Trainer - Knowledge Assessed by the International Avian Trainers Certification Board (www.iatcb.org )  and holds a BSc. 

Nicky has presented and published her work on managing behaviour utilising positive reinforcement to international audiences at conferences worldwide and via Zoom.

Nicky has worked with leading industry professionals such as Steve Martin (www.naturalencounters.com ) and Chirag Patel (www.domesticatedmanners.com )

Nicky sits on the Board of Directors of the International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators (www.iaate.org) and is a mentor through the Professional Development Committee run by IAATE.

Want to teach your animals to cooperate in husbandry behaviours like crating, weighing, recall, shifting on cue, interacting with enrichment or stationing on view? We can help. Want to have animals voluntarily participate in their own veterinary care? We can help you teach positioning for hand injections, hand/foot or other body part presentation, open mouth, even voluntary blood draws and ultrasounds!

By choosing Shaping Behaviour to work with your team you are taking a step forward in cooperative husbandry and the management of your animals, educating your staff and allowing them to develop better partnerships with the animals in their care. This will empower your animals and keepers, improve relationships and welfare whilst continuing to conserve species.

Previous and current clients include WAPCA (West African Primate Conservation Action), in Ghana; Old MacDonald's Farm, Brentwood; ZooMarine, Algarve, Portugal;  Mid Kent College; WILD! Zoological Park in the Midlands, and Hemsley Conservation Centre in Kent.

Shaping Behaviour currently offers  3 or 5 hour zoo consulting sessions (which can be weekly, monthly, quarterly or as required) which involve working with staff on existing behaviour management, in house staff workshops, one to one coaching as required within the business and can also offer support via Zoom or email once behaviour management protocols are established after initial consultation.

Behaviour management protocols will be written and sent to the collection, and can be uploaded to ZIMS if required.

Start up behaviours for shows and problem solving for specific issues on request.

For any other needs, a tailor made package can be discussed.

Please email Nicky@shapingbehaviour.com