ABC Animal Training Testimonials

"ABC Animal Training was an experience I will never forget, the amount of knowledge and experience I gained was mind blowing and watching first hand how the Marine Mammal Specialists care for the animals goes to show how much they love them. It was great to see things that public don't get to see like morning health checks for all animals and doing the food prep. The highlight for me personally was not only leading about animal training in the classroom but also putting what I learnt into action when getting in the water interacting and bonding with the different species. A massive thank you to Shelley Wood and the Dolphin Discovery team for the awesome experience, memories and new friends that I have made throughout the basic and advance workshop."

-Stephen

 “I had a wonderful 2 weeks during the ABC animal training workshop this past summer.  I’ve taken several training workshops before at a few different facilities, but learning from Shelly offered so many new perspectives and applications on concepts I thought I was already pretty familiar with. The knowledge and experience she brings is invaluable, and the amount of hands on, learning by doing really took the training to the next level.  It was also incredible to be part of a diverse group that ranged in age from 15 to 60, and all career paths including professional dog trainers!  I created lifelong friendships with some amazing people that share the same passion and love for animals. I look forward to taking her workshops in the future!” 

-Kate

"Participating in ABC Animal Training was an experience like no other. I was fortunate to participate in both the beginner and advance course. Shelly Wood and Roque had so much knowledge about training animals it was a pleasure to learn from them and along side them. I was able to learn from and work with bottlenose dolphins, rough toothed dolphins, seals and sea lions, and stingrays. I was able to observe tortoises learning a new behavior as well as birds. The amount of hands-on experience ABC Animal Training gives you is priceless. It was beneficial to be able to learn about behaviors and training in class and then get the opportunity to practice them with animals and later reflect on our training sessions with the animals. The staff at GulfWorld in Panama City were welcoming and the trainers had lots of knowledge and answered any questions we asked them. I cannot thank Shelly Wood, Roque and the staff at gulfworld for an incredible and unforgettable experience."

-Abby

"ABC Animal Training was a dream come true for me and my career. I spent two weeks learning everything there was to know about training animals using positive reinforcement. Shelley was amazing and taught me so much. Since her training I was able to push further and land a job with an aquarium! Thank you Shelley for everything!"

-Dallas Marie

 "My experience with ABC Animal Training was nothing short of amazing. Not only was the whole experience fun but, extremely educational. As an existing professional dog trainer with experience in training animals professionally , I learned SO much more that I was able to take home and apply to my dog training and clients. The caliber of my training has risen greatly since my time at ABC Animal Training, and I and my clients are all better pet owners because of it! I would do it several times over."

-Megan 

" Animal Training’s beginner and advanced courses are exceptional!  They are structured to bring the lecture information to life with many hours of hands on work with the dolphins, sea lions and a myriad of other animals at the facility.  The support from Shelley, Roque and crew of trainers was  positive, fun and confidence building!  As  a dog trainer, these courses were instrumental in improving my training skills and understanding of how to work with any animal.  I am ready to do it again, it was an experience of a life time!"

-Jan