Teto and Complementary Training:

      A memorable scene in the film is when Nausicaa first meets the fox-squirrel, Teto, which will soon become her closest companion in her journeys. As the story goes, Nausicaa's sensei, Master Yupa while on his journey back to the Valley of Wind finds Teto being attacked by insects and rescued him. Yupa placed the unconcious creature in a pouch, only to let him out when meeting up with Nausicaa. Teto, being very agitated and confused, bristled his fur, barred his teeth and hissed at his captors. Nausicaa, seeing that the little creature was very upset, put out her hand towards him in a comforting gesture. Acting faster than the speed of thought, Teto leaped forward and bit down on Nausicaa's finger, drawing blood.

      This is an unexpected action, especially for one who is not accustomed to Miyazaki's films. When I watched this film in the theate at the Museum of Modern Arts, everyone who cooed moments before at seeing the cute little animal, gasped when Teto bit her.

      However, instead of hitting Teto or flinging him off her finger, Nausicaa bravely grits her teeth and talks to him gently until he lets go. Nausicaa's reasoning behind this, is clearly that Teto did not bite her to be malicious, nor did he do it with the intent of hurting her. He acted purely out of fear and confusion and was simply trying to defend himself. Nausicaa felt that there was no need for punishment or retaliation for something that was done by a little animal with no ill intentions.

      Teto did let go of her finger once he realized that he was not in any danger and soon became an inseparable friend to Nausicaa. This scene is a perfect example of what positive reinforcement is all about. It is not about punishing the animal when it does something that you don't want it to do, it is about rewarding them when they do the right thing.

      This is a special state of mind that Nausicaa maintains. An aspiring trainer must first train themselves to think in this manner as well. Before even starting, one must first commit themselves to using these special methods, since it might not always seem like the easiest path to take. However it is the most positive way to go since violence can be addictive. Negative actions will start a downward spiral in the teaching process as well. If the horse seems to constantly require punishment it will soon start to look foolish in the eyes of the trainer, as if it deserves to be hit. And of course in the eyes of the horse, the trainer will be frightening and someone who can never be fully trusted.

      The bottom line is, many times, punishment is unessessary and uneffective. The animal,    if hit or threatened, will not make the connection of their behavior to your reaction. They will only know that they are in danger and it only make them more confused. The best solution is to gain a good understanding of your student and start to recognize what it's quirks are and what they are capable of doing during a training session. Think like Nausicaa, use complementary training so that eventually problems won't arise.

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All text and artwork, unless otherwise specified, by Griffin Waldau. Updated December 20, 2000.

e-mail: griffin@waldau.com

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