We often assume training a tortoise is the “easy” part of zoo life—until your training works too well. In this video I talk about a tortoise who became a star at targeting, and that success created a new problem: he started stalking the keepers and getting underfoot during habitat service. When an animal learns that following you is how the good stuff happens, you can end up reinforcing exactly the behavior you don’t want. My solution was to introduce stationing: teaching the tortoise to go to a specific place and wait. We used a flat plastic “skate square” on the ground and built a strong reinforcement history for a very specific response—orienting the nose to the station. The details matter. This tortoise had an inclination to bite the edges, so we covered the edges with dirt to make the clean response easier and keep his focus on the color. Then we systematically built duration so “hang out here” became the new, successful strategy. You’ll also see a moment I love: he walks over the station, can’t find it, then problem-solves and puts his head down like, “Oh yeah, I know what I’m supposed to do.” That’s the kind of practical, science-based fine-tuning that turns a rough behavior into a calm, reliable station.