Learning, motivation, and social interaction in modern dolphin training

This is a Preprint and has not been peer reviewed. This is version 2 of this Preprint. You must log in to post a comment. There are no comments or no comments have been made public for this article. This is a Preprint and has not been peer reviewed. This is version 2 of this Preprint. Add a Comment You must log in to post a comment. Comments There are no comments or no comments have been made public for this article. Dolphin training is widely practiced in zoological facilities for performance, husbandry, research, and daily management, yet many of its practical principles remain insufficiently formalized in the scientific literature. This Perspective aims to provide a citable academic framework for modern dolphin training by synthesizing trainer-based practical knowledge within established concepts from learning theory and animal behaviour. Major components of modern dolphin training include reinforcement-based learning including shaping, social interaction and observational learning, and exploratory and play-like interaction. Cooperative husbandry training is also considered a welfare-oriented practice that enables voluntary participation in medical and management procedures. By organizing practical training knowledge within an academic framework, this Perspective aims to bridge the gap between field-based expertise and scientific description and to provide a foundation for future work on animal welfare, comparative cognition, and applied animal behaviour in socially complex species. https://doi.org/10.32942/X2J66X Life Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences dolphin training, animal training, reinforcement, social reinforcement, voluntary participation, husbandry training, animal welfare, applied animal behaviour Published: 2026-04-30 09:56 Last Updated: 2026-05-02 15:00 CC-By Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Conflict of interest statement: None. Data and Code Availability Statement: Not applicable. No data or analytical code are associated with this Perspective paper. Language: English