Authors: Karen Pryor
ISBN-13: 9780743297769, ISBN-10: 0743297768
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group
Date Published: June 2009
Edition: (Non-applicable)
Karen Pryor wrote the first edition of Nursing Your Baby in 1963. A biologist by training, she currently writes and lectures on the art of positive reinforcement training.
A Celebrated Pioneer In The Field Of No-Punishment Animal Training, Karen Pryor is responsible for developing clicker training-an all-positive, safe, effective way to modify and shape animal behavior-and she has changed the lives of millions of animals. Practical, engrossing, and full of fascinating stories about Pryor's interactions with animals of all sorts, Reaching the Animal Mind presents the sum total of her life's work. She explains the science behind clicker training, how and why it works, and offers step-by-step instructions on how you can clicker-train any animal in your life.
In the 1960s, Pryor worked with her husband to build an oceanarium and research facility on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. Drawing on newly emerging behavioral concepts, most notably by B.F. Skinner, she was given a golden opportunity to use his conditioning principles to develop a one-of-a-kind dolphin-training facility, with public performances that went beyond anything anyone had done before. Pryor later wrote the groundbreaking Don't Shoot the Dog! (1985), in which she introduced the concept of positive reinforcement training, first developed for marine mammals, and applied it to canines. Here, Pryor presents anecdotes and observations collected over her 40-plus years researching and practicing these techniques, most notably "clicker" training. Her 12 chapters cover such concepts as shaping, creativity, attachment, fear, and emotions. The beauty of Pryor's writing is that it is clear and understandable even to novice and would-be animal trainers. The techniques she has pioneered and promoted work on an amazingly wide variety of animals, including humans. VERDICT Backed by the author's impressive credentials and readable style, this is highly recommended for both pet lovers looking for training advice and students of animal behavior.—Edell M. Schaefer, Brookfield P.L., WI
A Note from the Author on Clicker Training ix
1 Reaching Minds 1
2 Shaping 17
3 Communication 40
4 Feelings 62
5 Creativity 80
6 Attachments 96
7 Fear 119
8 Conversations 140
9 Questions 155
10 Answers 171
11 People 189
12 Intention 213
Find Out More! 229
Glossary 238
Do It Yourself 243
Thanks 257
Index 259