Book: Don't Shoot the Dog

[sammydog]

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

Hello, Has anybody read this book? I am thinking about purchasing, and just wanted to find out what people thought. From what I have heard it is about operant training/positive motivation/clicker training. Also that is gets into applying these techniques not just to dogs, but life in general. Any insights are appreciated.

I found this in the books database, but there were really not good comments about it.

Thank you!!! :)

[Brandy and Charlie's Mom]

I haven't heard about this one. If you buy it, I'd definitely be interested in hearing if it's worth the investment.

I just finished The Other End of the Leash. It's so packed with concepts that I'll need to re-read it to grasp them all.

And if someone can recommend a book about how to keep a young fieldy's mind occupied 24/7 -- I'd be extremely interested!

[sammydog]

I checked Amazon, that looks like an interesting book too. There is just so much to learn! :)

Kind of ironic when I was reading the description of The Other End of the Leash on Amazon this was at the bottom of the page...

What do customers ultimately buy after viewing items like this?
37% buy Don't Shoot the Dog!: The New Art of Teaching and Training by Karen Pryor

[Brandy and Charlie's Mom]

Even if it has just a few pearls of wisdom, it will probably be useful. Brandy is so darned intelligent that I'm constantly looking for ways to channel her energy and take positive advantage of her zest for anything new.

[sammydog]

Have you ever tried shaping with Brandy? Its pretty fun. There is always great articles in my agility magazine, and also a wealth of info online. A popular game is "101 things to do with a box". The basic idea of the game is you bring Brandy in a room with just a cardboard box. At first you reward her for any interaction with the box, but you only reward the same behavior a few times. You want more interaction and different interactions and you want to get your dog thinking about how to get rewarded. I know lots of agility people who do this, and you can do it with any object.

[Brandy and Charlie's Mom]

I've never heard of shaping but it does sound like fun!

It's amazing how I can feel her energy whenever the agility course is changed to its next set up. She gets so excited and I'll swear she's paying as much attention to the instructor as I am!

[sammydog]

That is cute! Sammy gets excited watching other dogs before him. His ears get all perked and when they finish he will look at me with this grin like he wants to know if its his turn now! Barley is pretty much just excited the whole time. :p

How is the training coming. Are you still working with both Goldens?

[Brandy and Charlie's Mom]

I know exactly the grin you're talking about! Brandy does the same thing.

She loves agility, seems fascinated by the challenge, and a pleasant side effect is that she listens more closely to me now. Her sits and stays have also improved dramatically because of the agility table.

Jenna isn't even the same dog she was a year ago when we adopted her. She's bouncy, happy and a true joy.

She and Brandy go each Tuesday to the training facility, and both get so excited about it. Jenna plays fetch with my husband, and lounges in the kiddie pool, while Brandy and I train. The both come home totally exhausted.

[sammydog]

Thats great! I am always encouraging people to try agility. It really is so much fun and the dogs love it! Thats so great to hear about Jenna, she just need a chance and a guiding hand. What good girls. Is she stil wary of the camera?

[Brandy and Charlie's Mom]

I snapped this shot last week. She still runs from the camera but I was just very lucky. :085

[sammydog]

That is a great shot! She sure looks happy! Love the smile :D

[HeatherM]

yeah, jenna. :029 glad to finally meet you!

[sammydog]

I ordered both books from Amazon today. I will let you know how Don't shoot the Dog is.

[ChicagoCanine]

"Don't Shoot the Dog" is a very good book about operant conditioning. It is not only useful for "training" your dog, but also for "training" your spouse, children, mother, etc... It does not focus on showing you how to train actual behaviors but rather describes different techniques that can be used in changing the behavior of all animals including humans (and dogs.) This does include some specific examples that are related to dogs, but not exclusively. One example I recall mentioned a dog who barks all night, but another talked about someone who leaves their clothes on the floor. The name "Don't Shoot the Dog" is from one of the options given in the solutions to the problem-- "shooting" the dog. She doesn't suggest that is a viable solution obviously, but as an example or simplification of what some types of training would suggest you do.

The writer, Karen Pryor, has been a dolphin trainer and also a dog trainer and has written several dog training books, mostly focusing on clicker training. You can see her website if you search for Karen Pryor.

[Brandy and Charlie's Mom]

I'll add that to my list, thanks ChicagoCanine.

[sammydog]

Thanks, I am just finishing the book. It was a very interesting/informative read.