Operant conditioning is defined by placing an animal into a situation, where they will most likely offer a particular behavior that can be reinforced by being given a reward. That is to say it is a way of learning, in which behavior is altered by the consequences that follow. For example, every time a dog walks through a door when being called by name, he receives a reward. Very soon, the dog will go in and out of the door, with the belief that he will be rewarded. Training dolphins is a science that requires the trainer to utilize certain tools.
Primary reinforcement is described as anything an animal needs to live.
In a dolphin's life that is food, water, and air. What is critical during the training process is the timing of the reinforcement. As mentioned above, the trainer can have precision in his or her timing by teaching the dolphin a bridge, so the message can be conveyed at the exact moment that the correct response was given. Simply put, an object the dolphin is conditioned to touch, in order to lead them through a behavior. Seriously, dolphins and whales are taught to follow targets in order to swim through gates, perform flips, remain at a station so that a veterinarian examine them, and so on.