WELCOME TO KIRSTEN’S CHICKEN WORKSHOPS
Where Legendary Science - Based Behavioral Technology Meets Tomorrow’s Top Trainers.
Train a Chicken. Change the Way You Train—Forever.
Workshops rooted in the legendary methods of Bob and Marian Bailey, designed for today’s animal trainers.
Whether you work with dogs, dolphins, parrots, horses, or working K9s—this is where your skills get sharper, your timing gets cleaner, and your understanding of behavior deepens.
All with the help of one remarkable teacher: the chicken.
“Kirsten’s workshops are the best learning experience for novice trainers wishing an introduction to animal training fundamentals. At the same time, these same workshops are designed for experienced trainers, testing their ability and willingness to change their behavior…
Chicken Workshops teach trainers to ask: When should I change? How should I change? Can this behavior be taught faster?”
— Dr. Bob Bailey, Former Director of Training, U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program
What Is a Chicken Workshop?
These immersive, five-day workshops are built on the principles of Operant Conditioning, mechanical skill-building, and behavior analysis. They are a direct continuation of the original chicken workshops developed by Animal Behavior Enterprises (ABE) and used by the Brelands and Bob Bailey to train animals for film, military, research, and entertainment.
You will learn
How to observe behavior with precision
How to shape behavior quickly and clearly
How to refine your timing, reinforcement,and decisions
How to train in teams with peer coaching
How to challenge your skills in a controlled environment
This isn’t a lecture. It’s a hands-on, eyes-open, skill-sharpening experience.
What you learn with a chicken transfers immediately to other species. It’s not about chickens. It’s about training.
Why Chickens?
Leghorn chickens are fast, responsive, and unaffected by your intentions. They reflect your actual behavior—not your hopes, assumptions, or story. That’s what makes them such powerful teachers.
The Brelands searched for over 40 years for a better teaching model—and always came back to the chicken.
“We did not train dolphins in this class. We trained chickens… Months later I saw the wisdom of the Brelands’ choosing chickens as their ideal ‘animal model’ for teaching trainers the practice of modern, science-based animal training.”
— Bob Bailey
Kirsten Kraljevic is a professional animal trainer with over 35 years of experience and a B.A. in Sociology and Anthropology from St. Mary’s College of Maryland.
In 2002, she attended all five of Bob Bailey’s original chicken workshops—and everything changed. With Bob’s mentorship, she built “My Chicken Workshop,” a purpose-driven facility in Mobile, Alabama, where she continues this proven training tradition.
Kirsten teaches with clarity, compassion, and scientific rigor—creating an environment where students feel safe to experiment, learn, and grow. Today, Bob Bailey continues to advise and occasionally co-teach with her.
Meet the Instructor
What Students Say
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" I learned how important the timing of the mark and reward is to get an accurate behavior from my animal."
DARLENE PAXTON
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"I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who works with dogs, not just trainers!"
ALYNE MICHAEL
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“how a simple change in your own behavior can increase your training skills ten fold”
CLAUDIA SHENESEY
Upcoming events
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5 - Day Discrimination Workshop
DEC 06 - DEC 10 2025
Open to all trainers — pet professionals, zookeepers,
service dog handlers, competitors, and more.
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5 - Day Discrimination Workshop
DEC 13 - DEC 17 2025
Dedicated Workshop for Law Enforcement K9 Professionals
Marian Breland Bailey
affectionately known as mouse (December 2, 1920 – September 25, 2001)
Learn the methodology that the Brelands and the Baileys used to train 140 species and thousands of individual animals.
The Brelands and the Baileys experienced success in training 140 different species using 5 principles of Operant Conditioning. In addition, they worked with thousands of individual animals and solved real-world training challenges by understanding the power of timing, criteria, and the rate of reinforcement.
My mentor, Dr. Bob Bailey, always says “There is no magic bullet.” The only things that will bring you the success you deserve in your animal training are repetition, muscle memory, improved observational skills, and a desire to be better off tomorrow than you were today.
Success with applying the principles, and your mechanical skills, will never come from an online class. Hands-on training is now. The opportunity is now. You have to show up and do all the hard work to succeed.
I believe the Chicken training workshops are a life-changing experience. It changed mine. I know it will change yours.
“If you reinforce a behavior, it’s more likely to occur again. If you don’t reinforce it, it’s less likely to occur again. Animals are learning all the time, not just during training sessions. And they’re learning with the same principles, and Operant Conditioning is the way that behavior changes in the real world.”
— DR. MARIAN BRELAND - BAILEY
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