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DON'T SHOOT THE DOG: THE ART OF TEACHING AND TRAINING
by Karen Pryor (See other books by author)
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Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Edition: 2019 Paperback
, 240 pages
ISBN: 9781982106461
Item: DTB116
Summary: Despite its name, Don't Shoot the Dog by Karen Pryor is not exclusively dog training book. In addition to being effective for training dogs, the behavioral training techniques, covered within can work on people and other animals as well. End undesirable behavior by learning the 10 laws of shaping behavior through affection training. One of our best selling teaching and training books!
| Price: $16.00 |
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Expanded Description:
Karen Pryor’s clear and entertaining explanation of behavioral training methods made Don’t Shoot the Dog a bestselling classic with revolutionary insights into animal—and human—behavior.
In her groundbreaking approach to improving behavior, behavioral biologist Karen Pryor says, “Whatever the task, whether keeping a four-year-old quiet in public, housebreaking a puppy, coaching a team, or memorizing a poem, it will go fast, and better, and be more fun, if you know how to use reinforcement.”
Now Pryor clearly explains the underlying principles of behavioral training and reveals how this art can be applied to virtually any common situation. And best of all, she tells how to do it without yelling threats, force, punishment, guilt trips—or shooting the dog. From the eight methods for putting an end to all kinds of undesirable behavior to the ten laws of “shaping” behavior, Pryor helps you combat your own addictions and deal with such difficult problems as a moody spouse, an impossible teen, or an aged parent. Plus, there’s also incredibly helpful information on house training the dog, improving your tennis game, keeping the cat off the table, and much more!
“In the course of becoming a renowned dolphin trainer, Karen Pryor learned that positive reinforcement…is even more potent that prior scientific work had suggested…Don’t Shoot the Dog looks like the very best on the subject—a full-scale mind-changer” (The Coevolution Quarterly). Learn why pet owners rave, “This book changed our lives!” and how these pioneering techniques can work for you, too.
Karen Pryor is a behavioral biologist with an international reputation in marine mammal biology and behavioral psychology. She is a founder and leading proponent of “clicker training,” a training system based on operant conditioning (isolate wanted behaviors and ignore the unwanted) and the all-positive methods developed by marine mammal trainers. Pryor is the CEO of KCPT/Sunshine Books, Inc., a publishing, training product, and online company. In addition to her bestselling Don’t Shoot the Dog, Pryor wrote Nursing Your Baby (more than 2 million copies in print) along with several other books and many scientific papers and popular articles on learning and behavior. She has three grown children and lives in Boston with two clicker-trained dogs and a clicker-trained cat. |
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| Customer Reviews |
| Average Customer Ranking: |
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| Write a review for this product! |
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| , March 27, 2003 |
| Reviewer: Laura Rescoe |
| This book really opened up my eyes to the use of positive reinforcement. Not only did I completely switch to using only positve reinforcement with my own dogs, but at the time I had been working as a teacher at a daycare center and took a lot of what I had learned from Karen's book and applied it to the children. Wow! What a difference it made! This was 3 years ago. Since that time I have left childcare to become a dog Obedience instructor. |
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| Awesome info, July 22, 2006 |
| Reviewer: Nancy Hedberg |
| This is one of the best books for dog training that I have found! It helps open your eyes to the world around you and not only teaches you to train your dog, you can use this info for every relationship in your life |
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| Everyone who trains should read this book, December 12, 2006 |
| Reviewer: Sophia Stevenson |
| This book was one of the first books I read on dog training. Although I have delved into many texts on the same subject since then, this one still stands out in my mind as one of the best. It is packed with lots of practical information and takes a positive approach to problem solving and training. It does contain some behavioral terms that may be somewhat foreign for the everyday pet owner, but the book does a good job of clarifying them when they appear. A must read! |
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| , February 1, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Lindsay |
| This book is a classic! It's an excellent overview of operant conditioning. While this book is not a 'dog training' book, it is invaluable in explaining the OC theories that are put into practice every day as we train our dogs. |
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| Not Just For Dog Trainers, April 25, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Jenny Chun |
| Karen Pryor offers terrific insight into the human-canine relationship and then takes you beyond that. Learn to train a chicken, a cat, your mother, your father, your significant other... the list goes on. Now I understand my human-human relationships almost as much as I do my human-canine relationships... |
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| Loved learning the theory, August 15, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Marian |
Having just gotten a Dogue de Bordeaux who is going to be 150 pounds, my husband and I felt we needed a formal training class. Our local trainer uses positive reinforcement only so her class was a clicker training class. I really enjoyed the concept but I'm the kind of person who wanted to know more about how/why it works. So I got this book.
The book explained the concepts behind operant conditioning in a very easy-to-understand manner. I liked how the author compared and contrasted the different methods one could deploy to train a dog (or handle other relationship situations). Her use of a chart with several scenarios and how each method would be used to handle the scenario was both clever and clarifying. It also convinced me that I like the idea of clicker training better than punishment/correction. I recommend this book to anyone who likes to gain an understanding of the theory behind training methods. |
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| Disagree; only for pet trainers, September 28, 2007 |
| Reviewer: RUTH |
| I disagree. I think that this book is only for pet trainers because it is not in layman's terms for your average pet parent. It is more scientific in explanations and terms. I do agree that it's contents can be used for relationships and not just pet training, but as I always say if it's not for a child any age, then it's mostly going to be for someone more 'surrounded' and 'engulfed' in dogs and training. |
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| Best training book I've ever read, August 9, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Crystal Saling |
| This is the most amazing book on behavior that anyone could read. I often recommend it to people who don't understand the power of positive reinforcement or don't want to try non-punishment-based training methods. Very easy to read and understand, extremely well-written and just as applicable today as it was the day it was published. If you read nothing else, read this book. |
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| , September 27, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Virginia D. |
| This book was not my first or last book I've read about clicker training/positive reinforcement/operant conditioning, but it built a nice foundation for me. Having learned the theory that is eloquently expressed in this book I was better able to understand other more advanced books on the subject. It's a good read and highly recommended. |
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| Best book on training theory!, January 7, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Erin |
This book is full of scientific information relating to training/learing theories. If you don't quite believe that positive reinforcement works- read this book. It gives a fair explaining of multiple training theories and goes into depth in how they can be used. Don't Shoot The Dog is not just a book on dog training, its information can be used on any species, whether human, whale, hamster, cat, or parakeet.
It's slightly harder to read if you want to read it all at once. But it's great to pick up and read any time you have a chance. I HIGHLY recommend this book- especially to any wannabe trainers. |
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| Best Training Book EVER!, January 22, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Sarah Walker |
| I loved this book so much. Although I already used positive methods, this book really opened my eyes to exactly why they are so effective. This book is not just for dog trainers or owners, either. If you live with or interact with any other living being, you need to read this book. It explains how we learn things, and why we act the way we do in certain situations. I find endless ways to apply this knowledge every day. |
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| , November 19, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Michelle Grimes |
| I read this book at the beginning of my 'dog career' 6 years ago and just recently re-read it. What a great refresher, even for a seasoned Trainer. With so many things to remember as a Trainer, there are times the smaller things escape your memory. Generally the most simple of things. What a great tool to have on hand, a quick read and a great way to wake up the little things in the back of your mind that you know are there, but you've maybe put up on the shelf because you don't use them as often. |
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| Great Book, June 7, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Simone Clark |
| This is a great book on theory and learning but I wouldn't suggest it as a first read for someone new to positive reinforcement or clicker training. For anyone wanting to go beyond the basics of practical training though it is a must read! |
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| Classic!, October 21, 2010 |
| Reviewer: DogCatcher |
| Before undertaking any training project, this book should be required reading. It's a quick overview of everything about operant conditioning and it really opens the door to understanding without overwhelming the reader with terms that can be scary. You don't need to understand terms like 'positive punishment' and 'no reward marker' to understand everything about how they work. Besides, you can train your granny and husband just be reading this book. |
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| training simplified, January 4, 2011 |
| Reviewer: ChristinaB |
| I LOVE this book. I've been involved in dog training for a couple of years but have often gotten bogged down by terminology - reinforcers, cues, markers, etc. Susan Pryor makes all these things seem simple and teaches the reader how to not only train their dog, but also improve themselves and those around them through positive reinforcement. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to get involved in dog training. |
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| Worth your time!, March 26, 2011 |
| Reviewer: helps |
| This book is a-must-read. It's easy to understand and it takes you into the depth of clicker training and operant conditioning. I know I've learnt a lot from this one. |
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| , July 14, 2011 |
| Reviewer: Serena |
I didn't think this book would be that interesting to me, but my library had a copy so I gave it a try... I bought it that same day, and I haven't stopped talking about it yet.
This book really opened my eyes on operant conditioning and positive training, for my pets and for my family as well! It's an invaluable resource, a great book for everyone, pet lovers or not (Well, if you are a pet lover it's a MUST read). Now I know the same things that work on my cat work with my family, neighbors and friends - well, of course the cat learns better ;-) |
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| Good Book ever, January 30, 2012 |
| Reviewer: Mark Jason |
The fourth chapter “Untraining: Using reinforcement to get rid of behavior you don’t want” was one of my favorites when I first read Don’t Shoot the Dog and is still one of my favorites. Karen Pryor explains 8 totally different methods for getting rid of unwanted behaviors, everything from punishment and shooting the animal to more humane methods, such as changing the animal’s motivation or training an incompatible behavior.
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Sticker Printing |
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| It's just okay, February 22, 2012 |
| Reviewer: Jody Freeland |
| I had a tough time reading this book. It jumps around and was very confusing in places. Not one of my favorites. |
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| good stuff, March 20, 2012 |
| Reviewer: khuf lessey |
| Found it to be quite engaging and informative. airplane games. Could have been just a little more specific on certain issues though. |
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| A great intro to the science of positive reinforce, February 26, 2013 |
| Reviewer: Don Hanson |
SUGGESTED AUDIENCE: Individuals wanting to have better and happier relationships with all around them, including people, and who want to learn the principles of operant conditioning from a practical viewpoint.
First published in 1984, this book is not so much a 'dog training' book, but a book on changing the behavior of people and animals around you, through the science of positive reinforcement. Whether training your dog to sit or getting your spouse to pick up dirty laundry off the floor, this book explains why you will be more successful rewarding desirable behavior than in punishing unwanted behavior.
The author of this book, Karen Pryor, is an experienced dolphin trainer and has been one of the people leading dog trainers and zoo keepers into the modern world of clicker training.
FAVORITE QUOTE: 'Any creature-a dog, a horse, a polar bear, even a fish-that you shape with positive reinforcers and a marker signal becomes playful, intelligent, curious and interested in you.'
If you want a better understanding of terms like positive reinforcement, and negative punishment, then this is the book for you. However, and more importantly, if you want to get along better with your friends, family and pets you need to read this book! |
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Zorro lives in Montreal QC and is a American Dingo.
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