Bait Aversion Pty Ltd, developed by our partner company Animal Ark Pty Ltd, is a team of wildlife educators and trainers.
We specialise in aversive behavioural conditioning to mitigate wildlife to human conflict. We implement strategies to reduce risk and harm. Bait avoidance training can help us and our canine companions to co-exist with wildlife and vermin control toxins.
Animal Ark pioneered Snake Avoidance Training for Dogs in Australia and are the only organisation offering bait aversion training for dogs based on successful scientific research project methods.
I have lived with dogs all my life. My grandad’s wire-coated Jack Russell almost a first memory for me, also growing up with a standard poodle as a family pet in London and then my first own dog Graham, a chow/collie cross. Now years later in Perth we have a Jack Russell’s aged 15.
Like many people I think I always got on better with dogs (and other animals) than people. I also happened to spend some 20 years in the UK media, film, and TV industries handling, training and supplying a vast range of animals from leeches to rhinos, and numerous breeds of dog.
During our snake avoidance training we have worked with many hundreds of dogs, working, and pet, and nearly 200 different breeds and cross breeds. Every dog is different, all are individuals, and their behaviour and the effectiveness of the training can vary depending on age, experience, breed, and temperament.
Whilst delivering snake avoidance training for dogs we have been asked continually if we could deliver something similar for bait. Especially for individuals and their dogs living in the South-West where bait is present on land from years prior, and dogs die frequently from its ingestion. Hence we developed this Bait Aversion Dog Training with input from bait developers and researchers.
David Manning
Author, including several language editions.
Cert IV T&E Training and Assessment.
Fellow ZSL London, Churchill Fellowship 2012.
AMSA Oiled Wildlife Training – Modules 1-3.
Registered Wildlife Rehabilitator.
Animal Consultants and Trainers Association (ACTA) (UK) 1984 – 2006.
Kurt has been working for Animal Ark since 2021 as a lead trainer for Snake Avoidance Training for Dogs and delivering Fauna and Venomous Snake Handling & Relocation Training courses.
Kurt grew up in New Zealand where he gained extensive farming experience cementing his love of animals and conservation. Once in Australia Kurt volunteered for various wildlife conservation groups building his extensive experience working with native Australian animals.
Kurt has his Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and is finishing his Bachelor of Science in Conservation and Wildlife Biology part-time. These give him the skills to deliver our current courses with enthusiasm and knowledge, bringing his own teaching style and understanding of current conservation and management techniques.
Kurt travels around WA to train dogs, and has proved to be a valuable asset for us in all parts of the business, and is a very enthusiastic and capable trainer. He is a family man with 3 children and a rescue American bulldog called Mirabella.
David Manning and Jenny Seymour started Animal Ark Pty Ltd in Australia in 2006. Previously in the UK the organisation was a specialist media consultancy, advising on, providing, training, and handling all sorts of creatures for film, television, and the wider media. The company has established itself as a leading wildlife education and training provider in Australia for major corporations, shires, and individuals.
They have been innovators with the highly successful Snake Avoidance Training for Dogs. This new venture, Bait Aversion Training for Dogs, is built upon strong foundations of considerable skill, expertise, and experience in behaviour modification training.