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From Sea Lions to “Spicy” Dogs: How Marine Mammal Science Shapes Houston’s Most Innovative Training Program

By Heather Crane, M.S. Wildlife Science



Most dog trainers start their story with puppies.


Mine started with sea lions.


Long before Sea Dog Animal Training (SDAT) existed, my days began on floating docks with animals weighing hundreds of pounds, capable of incredible power, intelligence, and emotional nuance. California sea lions don’t respond to force, dominance, or intimidation — and neither do dogs.


They respond to precision, predictability, trust, and choice.


Those early years working with marine mammals didn’t just shape my career. They fundamentally shaped how I understand behavior — across species.


Where It All Began: Learning Behavior from the Ocean’s Most Charismatic Personalities 


My zoological foundation came from experiences like: 

  • Volunteering with the Oklahoma City Zoo’s Training Department, assisting with operant conditioning of California sea lions, harbor seals, and a small collection of parrots.

  • Working as a marine mammal keeper at the Houston Zoo 

Training animals using voluntary, positive-reinforcement methods that shaped my lifelong philosophy.


Those principles now guide every behavior plan we create at SDAT.  

Learning Behavior Where Mistakes Matter


Marine mammal training is unforgiving in the best possible way. If your timing is late, the animal tells you immediately. If your criteria aren’t clear, learning stalls. If your emotions are inconsistent, trust erodes.


Why Timing Isn’t Just Important — It’s Everything; I Once Taught a Sea Lion to Chase Me With a Bat: Read the full story

When the Animal Tells You Instantly That Your Timing Is Late


One of my favorite stories from my years working with pinnipeds — and the one I often use to explain just how unforgiving timing can be — involves a female California sea lion named Kamia.


Kamia is brilliant. No-nonsense. Exceptionally intelligent. She has always been known to have little patience for trainers who were still “finding their timing,” and she made that very clear. Kamia thrives on novel, complex tasks that challenge her problem-solving skills. That level of advanced training isn't optional for her — it is essential enrichment for a sea lion with a mind like hers.


At the time, the sea lion department at the Houston Zoo was developing a baseball-themed presentation designed to showcase teamwork while delivering conservation messaging in a way that truly engaged the public. Teaching sea lions to play baseball took months of thoughtful planning, shaping, and rehearsal before it ever became a polished show.


For a sea lion, swinging a bat looks a little different — after all, they don’t have hands. Instead, we leaned into their natural history. Sea lions have powerful necks, so we trained them to hold a lightweight plastic bat by the handle in their mouth and swing it using a side-to-side neck motion.


Kamia mastered the early pieces quickly. Holding the bat. Swinging the neck. Generating power. From there, I selectively reinforced only the strongest, fastest head swipes. Once those foundational skills were solid — and there are many components to something as seemingly simple as swinging a bat — it was time to introduce contact.


Instead of a ball on a tee, I initially held out a flat hand so Kamia could learn the sensation of making contact with an object using the barrel of the bat. It was the final training session before my lunch break, and Kamia was fully committed. With the full force of her sea lion neck, she was swinging accurately and enthusiastically — repeatedly hitting my hand squarely with the bat.


Next, we worked on lining up her body to the tee, pairing accurate positioning with a clean, powerful swing. Then I reintroduced my flat hand as the target for contact again.


And this is where the lesson came.


One single time, I accidentally bridged — marking the behavior with “good” — for hitting my arm rather than for the extraordinary neck motion I had intended to reinforce. I didn’t even follow it with fish, but for an animal like Kamia, self-reinforcement is a powerful force all its own.


That single, poorly timed bridge created a crystal-clear misunderstanding.


Kamia concluded that what I really wanted was for her to chase me down and beat me with the bat — as hard as she possibly could.


All from one late marker.


It took months before I could safely ask for that behavior again, and I had to completely rework my training plan to undo the association. That one moment delayed the behavior by several months — and left me with a very memorable reminder of just how fast learning happens when timing is off.


So yes, that’s the story of how I unintentionally taught a sea lion to chase me around and beat me with a toy bat.


I learned an invaluable lesson that day and grew immensely as a trainer. Timing is not a detail. It’s the foundation.


I also went to lunch covered in welts — and had the distinct pleasure of explaining to my colleagues that I’d been beaten with a bat…


By a sea lion.

Watch Kamia swing for the fences!

This video shows the final version of the behavior after months of problem-solving, careful shaping, and refined bridge timing — a powerful example of how precision and communication transform complex training goals.


Kamia, a female California Sea Lion, plays tee ball

There are no shortcuts.


Every behavior must be built thoughtfully. Every reinforcement must be earned. Every interaction must respect the animal’s autonomy.


This environment taught me skills that later became invaluable when working with fearful, reactive, or misunderstood dogs — what many people now call “spicy” dogs.


Because when an animal feels safe, understood, and empowered to make choices, behavior changes.


Graduate Research in Alaska: Seeing Behavior in Context


My graduate work took me north to Alaska, where I earned my Master’s degree in Wildlife Science from Texas A&M University while conducting field research on wild sea otters.


Field research strips away assumptions.


In Alaska, behavior isn’t abstract — it’s survival.


Days on the water meant tracking otter behavior, studying social structures, and learning how environment shapes emotional responses. That work deepened my understanding of: 


  • Stress and coping mechanisms 

  • Behavior in complex group dynamics 

  • How animals make decisions under pressure 

  • The subtle signals that appear long before aggression


Those lessons now guide how I approach dogs struggling with:

  • reactivity

  • anxiety

  • resource guarding

  • multi-dog household tension

  • fear-based aggression


Dogs don’t “snap out of nowhere.” Sea otters don’t either.

Behavior always tells a story — if you know how to read it.


Why Marine Mammal Science Translates to Dogs So Well



Here’s the truth most pet owners don’t hear:

Behavior is behavior. Species change — principles don’t.

The same science that governs learning in marine mammals governs learning in dogs.


Whether it’s a sea lion or a fearful rescue dog, behavior follows the same scientific principles.


Behavior Is Behavior — Across Species

Marine mammal training taught me to rely on learning theory, shaping, desensitization, and positive reinforcement, not dominance or force.


Timing & Precision

When your learner weighs 600 pounds, your timing better be perfect. Dogs benefit immensely from that same clarity.


Voluntary Participation

Marine mammals must be trained using choice-based systems. That philosophy now guides our dog training programs — especially for anxious, fearful, or over-threshold pets.


Safety & Welfare First

My training includes:

  • Animal Welfare Professional certification — San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance

  • Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)

  • SALT Mass Casualty Triage Training

This expertise ensures SDAT operates with a level of preparedness uncommon in the pet industry.


A Career Rooted in Welfare, Science, and Service


My work has always centered on animal welfare and ethical training practices, including:

  • Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network — Volunteer responder supporting rescue and rehabilitation of stranded dolphins along the Texas coast

  • Oklahoma City Zoo — Training Department Volunteer — Early hands-on experience observing operant conditioning of sea lions and harbor seals

  • Houston Zoo — Senior Sea Lion Trainer — Voluntary participation welfare-focused marine mammal care and husbandry

  • Mindy’s Memory Primate Sanctuary — Welfare-focused exotic animal care

  • International Marine Animal Trainers’ Association (IMATA) — Associate Editor for Soundings, contributing to global professional standards in animal training and welfare


These roles reinforced a simple truth: Welfare and behavior are inseparable.


Publications & Media Features

My work and training philosophy have been featured by:


Why This Matters for Pet Parents

At Sea Dog Animal Training, your dog’s behavior plan isn’t based on trends or quick fixes.

Our programs are built on:

  • Marine mammal science

  • Behavioral science

  • Veterinary collaboration

  • Cooperative care principles

  • Cross-species training experience and communication

  • Precision shaping and desensitization

  • Graduate-level behavioral research

  • Welfare-first ethics and philosophies


Because whether you’re working with sea lions…or with spicy dogs…

Training saves lives. And every animal deserves the chance to thrive.

 
 
 
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© 2025 by Sea Dog Animal Training, LLC. 

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