Hello and Welcome!

I’m Roger Abrantes, an ethologist, a philosopher, and a citizen of the world at heart.
After a lengthy professional career, I’m now retired, meaning I don’t get a salary but a pension. However, I’m as active as ever, researching, writing, and producing educational material.
I created this website to share the knowledge and experience I acquired throughout my life with those interested in it. If you’re reading these lines is because you took an interest in my work. I wholeheartedly welcome you.

Below is an overview of my professional background and what you’ll find on this website.

For the Record

Roger Abrantes, born September 4, 1951, in Portugal, is an ethologist (Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology and Ethology, and BA in Philosophy, DHC, MAPBC) belonging to the school of ethology founded by Konrad Lorenz, Nico Tinbergen, and Karl von Frisch.

He is the author of 32 books in English, German, Spanish, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Italian, and Czech, and numerous articles on animal behavior. He is probably one of the most versatile ethologists in the world. His work ranges from teaching at the Ethology Institute and guest lecturing at universities worldwide to giving popular talks, marine environmental management, and training police officers, SAR teams, and the famous landmine detecting rats (Apopo, Tanzania).

He has lived in Portugal, Denmark, UK, Thailand, Tanzania, and Australia, and visited the USA for longer periods several times.

 

Tomar-Portugal
Tomar-Portugal

Roger Abrantes’ family, now spread worldwide, has its roots in Tomar, Portugal, and Macau, 澳門.

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Roger Abrantes And Cocker Belle 1

Career Summary

Roger Abrantes is mainly known for his meticulous approach to the study of behavior with concise definitions and logically sound argumentation.

He’s also known for his view on social behavior and its application to the understanding of pet behavior; and his purposeful working methods, a functional merging of Ethology and Behaviorism. He is the creator of SMAF, an artificial programming language to describe learning processes accurately.

Before he retired in 2016, he lectured in ethologyanimal learning, and epistemology (theory of knowledge). He worked with dogs, horses, cats, wolves, foxes, Guinea pigs, and the Giant Gambian Pouched Rats (he instructed and certified Apopo’s landmine-detecting rats), besides various marine species. He also trained and certified ART’s (Alpine Rescue Team, Switzerland) SAR teams. He has been an instructor at CNCA (California Narcotic Canine Association, USA) and a special advisor for the GNR (Special National Police Force, Portugal). In addition, Roger Abrantes participated in various marine environmental management projects; he’s also a certified Divemaster, Rescue Diver, and Sea Captain.

He is a DHVE’s Scientific Advisory Board (Germany) member and a WEN (Wild Equus Network) Science Ambassador. In 2018, he was inducted into the IACT International Hall of Fame.

Writing

Roger Abrantes has written popular books, theoretical scientific dissertations, and over 100 articles and blogs, and he has been a popular guest on TV and radio programs in various countries.

His English books, “Dog Language–An Encyclopedia of Canine Behavior” and “The Evolution Of Canine Social Behavior” became hits when they reached the US bookshelves. He often lectured in the US. His most recent book, “Animal Training My Way—Merging Ethology and Behaviorism,” revolutionizes animal training as much as his first book “The Dog, Our Friend—Psychology rather than Force” (original title in Danish, “Hunden vor ven—Psykologi fremfor magt “) did in 1982. While the former merges ethology and behaviorism, the latter was one of the first books on animal training based on scientific principles; it introduces many of the common elements in modern animal training, e.g., guiding signals, food treats, and a whistle, the precursor of the popular clicker, as a conditioned positive reinforcer. It is also in this book that Roger Abrantes introduces his famous “dygtig.”

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Book Covers
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RAAdiving

Private

Roger Abrantes is truly a world citizen, and if you ask him where he lives, he will answer you, “Planet Earth.” He speaks nine languages, English, Portuguese, French, Spanish, Danish, and Swedish (fluently), Italian, German, and Thai (less fluently).

He has been a keen sportsman, having raced cars for many years, and played roller hockey in the German Bundesliga, where he captained his team as the first goalkeeper until his fifties. Nowadays, he plays billiards (8-ball, 9-ball, rotation), sails, dives, jogs and dedicates himself to his two life-long passions: reading and listening to music (Blues, Rock, New-Age, Opera).

Bibliography

Roger Abrantes has written nummerous books. Some are printed while others are available as online flip-page books. 

Printed Books

  1. Abrantes, R. (1984) Psykologi fremfor magt (bind 1). Lupus Forlag.
  2. Abrantes, R. (1984) Psykologi fremfor magt (bind 2). Lupus Forlag.
  3. Abrantes, R. (1986) Hunden, vor ven. Copenhagen: Borgens Forlag. 3. ed. 2006. ISBN 9788721012151.
  4. Abrantes, R. (1986) Hundens ankomst til hjemmet. Copenhagen: Borgens Forlag. ISBN 978741878841.
  5. Abrantes, R. (1986) Hunden er alene hjemme. Copenhagen: Borgens Forlag. ISBN
  6. Abrantes, R. (1986) Hunden er aggressiv. Copenhagen: Borgens Forlag. ISBN 9788741878867
  7. Abrantes, R. (1986) Hunden er angst. Copenhagen: Borgens Forlag. ISBN 9788741878874.
  8. Abrantes, R. (1986) Hund og barn. Copenhagen: Borgens Forlag. ISBN 8741878884.
  9. Abrantes, R. (1987) Hundesprog. Copenhagen: Borgens Forlag. 4th ed. 2010. ISBN 9788721036188.
  10. Abrantes, R. (1988) Hundens språk från A till Ö. LTs förlag. ISBN 9136027839.
  11. Abrantes, R. (1994) Hunden—Ulven ved din side. Copenhagen: Borgens Forlag. ISBN 9788721001193
  12. Abrantes, R. (1997) Min første hundebog. Copenhagen: Borgens Forlag. ISBN 9788721003319.
  13. Abrantes, R. (1997) The Evolution of Canine Social Behavior. Naperville: Wakan Tanka Publishers. (Also available in Italian and Czech). ISBN 0966048415
  14. Abrantes, R. (1997) Dog LanguageWakan Tanka Publishers. (Also available in Danish, Swedish, German, Italian, Spanish and Czech). ISBN 0966048407.
  15. Abrantes, R. (1997) Hunden alene hjemme. Copenhagen: Borgens Forlag. (Also available in English). ISBN 9788721003333.
  16. Abrantes, R. (1998) Hundehvalpen: hvalpens ankomst til hjemmet. Copenhagen: Borgens Forlag. ISBN 9788721003326.
  17. Abrantes, R. (1999) Dogs Home Alone. Naperville: Wakan Tanka Publishers. (Also available in Danish and Norwegian). ISBN 0966048423Edition online 2015.
  18. Abrantes, R. (2022) Animal Training My Way—Merging Ethology and Behaviorism. Wakan Tanka Publishers (to be published in 2022).
  19. Abrantes, R. (2022) The Tail that Wagged the Dog. Wakan Tanka Publishers (to be published in 2022).

Online Books

  1. Abrantes, R. (2006) Mission SMAF— Bringing Scientific Precision Into Animal Training. Wakan Tanka Publishers.
  2. Abrantes, R. (2009) Evolution—An Introduction. Wakan Tanka Publishers.
  3. Abrantes, R. (2009) Ethology—The Study of Animal Behavior in Its Natural Environment. Wakan Tanka Publishers.
  4. Abrantes, R. (2010) Animal Learning. Wakan Tanka Publishers.
  5. Abrantes, R. (2010) Measuring Behavior. Wakan Tanka Publishers.
  6. Abrantes, R. (2013) The 20 Principles That All Animal Trainers Must Know. Wakan Tanka Publishers.
  7. Abrantes, R. (2013) Os 20 princípios que todos os treinadores de animais devem conhecer. Wakan Tanka Publishers.
  8. Abrantes, R. (2013) Los 20 principios que todo entrenador de animales debe saber. Wakan Tanka Publishers.
  9. Abrantes, R. (2013) Les 20 principes que tous les entraîneurs d’animaux doivent connaître. Wakan Tanka Publishers.
  10. Abrantes, R. (2013) I 20 Principi Che Tutti Gli Addestratori Di Animali Devono Conoscere. Wakan Tanka Publishers.
  11. Abrantes, R. (2014) Canine Scent Detection—The Practical Manual. Wakan Tanka Publishers.
  12. Abrantes, R. (2014) Dogs and Children. Wakan Tanka Publishers.
  13. Abrantes, R. (2016) Animal Training My Way—The Merging of Ethology and Behaviorism. Wakan Tanka Publishers.
Writer (painting)

Leonid Pasternak’s 19th century painting “The Throes of Creation.”

Book Covers

Some of the printed books in English and Danish since 1984. Some books are also available in Spanish, Italian, Swedish, Norwegian, and Czech.

About this Website

This website offers a wealth of study materials for those seriously interested in animal behavior and learning. This is not a site for the casual pet owner and animal trainer. The graduate-level, advanced online courses need focused reading and reflection. Beginners and undergraduates will also gain from these courses, albeit they will have to put in more effort to make up for whatever essential knowledge they may miss. If you are a beginner, do not be discouraged; I provide references for you to consult in each session. If you’re willing to put in the extra effort and are sufficiently engaged, you’ll catch up fast.
Although they discuss topics at a far higher level than what you’ll find on social media and most websites, the videos are appropriate for all skill levels. They are often the perfect introduction to a topic you may wish to investigate.
There are two types of articles: basic (more like a blog or news item) and advanced (academic papers). Both provide you with sources when needed so you can check my findings and learn more.
This website contains only information that has undergone rigorous scientific research.
In the courses involving animal learning (training), I share with you my way of going about it, which takes its foundation from countless hours of research. I’ll explain a technique and offer you some advice, but as a rule, I won’t give you a final and unique solution. Therefore, you must be able to plan and think independently, in contrast to merely following trends and pre-made recipes.
In short, I share with you the knowledge and experience I’ve been so fortunate to acquire throughout my long career, and you do with it what you find best for yourself and the animals your manage.

Free Course

We invite you to enroll in the free online course “Evolution,” which is an introduction to this vast topic. Understanding evolution is crucial to understanding behavior, learning, and life on Earth. If you like my approach and way of going about it, you may want to subscribe to my website to gain unrestricted access to all available study materials both now and in the future for as long as you keep your subscription. If you don’t like my approach or find the courses too difficult to follow, no worries, you’ve learned about evolution, which will serve you well anyway, and I’m sure you’ll find other websites more to your liking.

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We provide you with a variety of subscription options, ranging from one-off on-demand items to complete access to all of my website’s content, including updates, for a period of your choosing. Please choose the one that best suits your interests and needs.

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Abrantes