Don't Shoot the Dog! : The New Art of Teaching and Training

A very good book for learning the fundamentals of operant conditioning. Great knowledge for any animal trainers

Relax: the title is a joke. Karen Pryor is the foremost expert on operant conditioning as it applies to non-human animals. Very interesting read, and pretty much all directly applicable to whatever animal you're training. Including the human ones.

A previous coworker recommended this book, among many others, when I was coming into my interest in canine behavior and training and it's definitely a worthwhile read, or reference book, for those interested in training anything, or anyone. Karen Pryor created an easy to read book breaking down positive reinforcement training, as well as other types of training and how they can be applied not only to animals, but to the people around us, within our work and school environment and pretty much in our day to day life. She explains how positive reinforcement provides better results over alternative methods of training by making plenty of comparisons to punishment based training methods as well as negative reinforcement training methods. I loved the incorporation of her personal stories, and training sessions, in order to emphasis certain drawbacks to punishment, and specific benefits to positive reinforcement training. There was plenty of material in this book that overlapped with the novice clicker training course that I had taken a month ago which it allowed me to breeze through some parts but enough new material to keep me engaged and actively reading till the end. Overall, a worthwhile read for those interested in pursuing training of any kind (or are looking for healthier ways to improve the relationships in their lives).

Easy to understand then author losses it and writes like a scientist & not easy to read latter on as if she was discussing with colleagues not readers at home. Otherwise great book. Pet Peave: it’s slightly feministic as in showing many examples how to train your husband but not showing how to train your wife. The info is helpful to all families so femalecentricness is not balanced. I think author should re-rewrite and sell more copies with updated version. One of my female customers recommended me this book when I was speaking how to train myself better for normal life tasks and she told me her husband bought it, put it under his wing and then tripled there families income while becoming littetaky nicer to everyone around him and she loves him even more now... I was like “LETS DO IT”... bought book ASAP and can see the value!

I've read this book three times. It contains so much practical knowledge that most people would benefit from. It's very useful in animal training, but has just as much to say about how to change your own behaviors. It helped me realize that everyone has unconscious theories about how to change behaviors in themselves and others, and most of them are wrong! Taking a hard look at the research, and running it through the sieve of years of application and practice in the field, Pryor offers a compelling manual to behavioral psychology, full of concise theory that clarifies common errors and shows the simpler path to change. It's a great book and an easy read. Well worth checking out and revisiting often. I'd trust this stuff over the superstitious content of most animal training guides any day!

If you really want to know how to change bad habits in yourself or how to influence those you care about or even those you don't like, then take the time to read this book! This book is a real gem. Hard to find anything else that's as good as this even though it was written long ago.

One of the very few books that present a truly balanced approach for training your dog... or cat... or wife... or husband or your pet tiger. Yes, I am not making that up. That's right from her introduction. Just like children, "raising" a companion animal has to be a balance of both negative and positive responses to behavior. It's not all positive and definitely not all negative...and run away from any book that says otherwise. Ms. Pryor is a legend in the field and is most famous for her work with dolphins. (Try her, Lads Before the Wind for her experiences with Dolphins.) I work with Huskies and Malamutes and they are famous for their intractability. It's not that they can't learn, it's that they don't choose to perform simply because someone is asking. So you have to "encourage" them. And sometimes it's a treat and sometimes it's a scold. But it's never ever angry. Not sure she invented "shaping" but she provides an excellent discription. (if you've seen Eight Below, you've witnessed dogs that are performing actions that were taught as a series of simpler actions that were stacked as they were learned. Incidentally, although I use clicker training, I don't use a clicker. I lose stuff. I use a short word and use that word only in training. I also use thin parachute nylon chokers that are carefully fitted to just barely slip over the dog's head and rest high up, just behind the ears. You never take them off. I like them much better than choke chains, which can be dangerous if used incorrectly and MUST be removed especially in a multi-dog household. If you only had one book on training, this arguably would be the one. And for those wondering whether to buy the "white cover" or the "blue cover" editions, they appear, to the best of my abilites, to be almost identical. The difference (other than the color of the cover) is the last page. The "new" edition lists Ms. Pryor's web page. You could get that simply by googling... who'da thunk that google would become a verb.

I greatly enjoyed this book. The author's writing style was very good and she gave a lot of real life examples which put what she was talking about into perspective. I really recommend this book even if you don't own dogs.

Fascinating book. Shows you how, not only to train your dog, but also kids, partners and even dolphins (amongst others). It's based on Skinner's ideas but is nice and easy to read. It uses the clicker training method, which, I must admit, I decided not to bother with - seemed to much of an effort (sorry) but I still got some good ideas, and yes, I have tried it on the kids - works quite well!

An absolute MUST read for dog owners. It gives you a perspective in dealing with your dogs and even with human beings around. Simple techniques, if followed methodically shows clear results with behaviors as we would like them (shaped).

Dommage que ce livre n'existe pas en français car il est une vulgarisation dans le meilleur sens du terme de ce qu'est le behaviourisme. Il ne jargonne pas et présente les concepts clés sans toutefois s'arrêter là et rester dans le théorique. Karen Pryor a passé l'essentiel de sa carrière à approfondir, chercher et mettre en application les techniques d'apprentissage issues du behaviourisme ou comportementalisme. Elle est une des fondatrices de l'éducation comportementale bien connue des propriétaires de chiens mais également de parents qui utilisent l'ABA (Applied Behavioural Analysis) utilisée pour traiter les TED (Troubles Envahissants du Développement)de leurs enfants. Karen Pryor était à la base biologiste. Elle s'est très vite intéressée aux dauphins et à leur capacité à apprendre. Je n'aime pas le terme dressage qui d'ailleurs n'existe pas dans ce texte, puisque Pryor utilise le terme 'training' et 'teaching' qui n'ont pas cette connotation si péjorative. Karen Pryor a été la première à apprendre aux dauphins, puis à toute sorte d'animaux à faire des tours, à sauter sur demande. Elle a donc travaillé, testé et donne ici le fruit de sa vie professionnelle, et de toute sa connaissance et sagesse. Car le behaviourisme change notre vision des autres de notre relation à autrui, de comment interagir tant avec les hommes que les animaux. Le behaviourisme vous apprend d'abord et avant tout, et vous fait comprendre que pour changer un comportement, il faut commencer par changer soi même. C'est l'un des enseignements de Karen Pryor dans cet ouvrage. Ainsi qu'elle l'écrit, tout dresseur d'animal fait le constat que vient un moment où il n'est plus possible de dire qui éduque qui du chien ou du maître. Ces techniques d'apprentissage fonctionnent avec tous les animaux évolués, et donc avec les hommes également. Notre pays si épris de psychanalyse a beaucoup de mal avec cette idée. C'est un fait, que cela plaise ou non. L'éducation d'un enfant est bien souvent sans le savoir, la mise en oeuvre des techniques détaillées et analysées en profondeur par Karen Pryor dans cet ouvrage : s'extasier devant les premiers pas de votre cher bambin, c'est renforcer positivement son comportement. Donner une claque à un enfant, c'est infliger une punition pour faire disparaître un comportement. Ces réflexes éducatifs sont replacés par Karen Pryor dans leur cadre conceptuel. Ce sujet a fait l'objet de travaux scientifiques très fouillés et très rigoureux qui sont à la base des techniques thérapeutiques pour les enfants autistes qui ont fait leurs preuves. J'ai adoré lorsque Karen Pryor explique que la violence physique et la punition corporelle ne sont pas la solution pour éduquer, et enseigner. Elle prend l'exemple du dauphin, qui peut s'étendre à nous autres êtres humains. Si le dauphin ne fait pas ce que je veux, je peux le frapper mais alors, le dauphin s'enfuira et je ne le reverrai plus. Je n'obtiendrai pas ce que je demande. Le behaviourisme n'est pas le dressage coercitif que ses détracteurs (qui ne l'ont souvent pas lu, y compris bon nombre de psychologues) l'accusent d'être. Au delà de l'éducation et ses techniques, Karen Pryor pose bien évidemment la question difficile de la communication et du langage. Le behaviourisme pose cette question en filigrane, et les expériences de Pryor sur ce sujet sont fascinantes. Comment dire à un animal ce que vous attendez de lui ? Comment communiquer avec lui ? et de même, comment faire comprendre à votre belle mère que vous aimeriez qu'elle cesse de se plaindre et gémir en permanence ? Cet exemple, ce problème est traité en détail par Karen Pryor qui relate sa difficile relation avec sa propre mère dans ses dernières années et comment elle a fait pour améliorer les choses. Je ne vous en dis pas plus. A lire, relire et méditer. L'auteur a beaucoup d'humour. le résultat est un livre très agréable à lire. Un régal que je rouvre régulièrement et en particulier la partie sur comment changer un comportement et ses 7 techniques. La première a donné son titre au livre : pour que votre chien arrête d'aboyer la nuit, l'abattre est une solution mais vous n'avez plus de chien, alors quelles sont les méthodes alternatives ? Ce livre est plus profond et dense que la première lecture, et le ton léger de l'auteur peuvent le laisser croire.

One of the best books to have you can train more than just animals.