I’m Jirka Vierimaa, M.Soc.Sc. and Expert in Behavior Analysis. As a professional, my specialization is in animal training and multispecies interaction. I am also a doctoral researcher, examining the work and education of professional hoomans working with their therapy and service dogs. And because everyone moonlights somehow, I study university pedagogy with the attempt to continuously develop my expertise and skills.
I serve as one of the lead trainers in the Tampere University’s Animal Training Program Based on Applied Behavior Analysis and I’m one of its founders. The program is unique in Finland and will be launched for the sixth time in 2025.
Over 9,500 dogs and more than 20 different animal species have participated in my trainings. As a trainer, I try to do practical exercises with the animals as often as possible, as demonstrating can make it easier to understand the training phases. Training is also a great way to learn how dogs learn new things.
For me, animal training is about interaction and hands-on work with them. It follows the plans and goals set by humans, but at the same time, the interaction needs to provide something good for both parties. That’s why I am particularly interested in developing training methods and understanding animal learning in itself.