Is your copy of Don't Shoot the Dog! worn out? Have you lent it to so many people that you can't remember who forgot to return it most recently? Don't despair—Karen Pryor's new book, Reaching the Animal Mind, is here and it's a gem. Packed full of cutting edge science on neurology and interspecies communication, Pryor's clear, witty and engaging writing entices readers to learn about shaping, communicating, feelings, creativity, attachments, fear and the neuroscience underlying it all.
Dogs
Debunking Dominance Theory
By Karen Pryor on 08/11/2009Throughout the pet business right now, "dominance theory" is a popular explanation for absolutely anything that happens, from a puppy tugging on your trouser leg to birds flying up instead of down. Conquering "dominance" has become justification for absolutely any punishment people can think up.
How to Practice Clicker Mechanics
By Tia Guest on 08/01/2009Do you remember when you learned to tie your shoes? Maybe that's too far back and the details are fuzzy. How about when you learned to type? I remember that well. It was during my freshman year of high school, the first period of the day, bright and early. My fingers were still asleep! As I clicked away at the IBM Selectric typewriter, it seemed so awkward. But as I practiced each day, I became more and more comfortable and my skill improved. By the end of the semester I was typing over 50 words per minute.
How to Cure a Cat-Chasing Dog
By Karen Pryor on 08/01/2009When I brought Mimi the Burmese home at the age of 12 weeks I was quite worried about my older dog. I felt sure that my young poodle, Misha, and the new kitten would rapidly become friends and playmates (which they did). However Twitchett, a 9-year-old border terrier, represented a serious threat. In fact, one senior animal behaviorist had e-mailed me advising that I rethink my plan of getting a kitten.
The Uses of Pandemonium—A Trainer's Take on Good Morning America
By Karen Pryor on 07/14/2009Sandra, an executive with the New York Humane Society, sometimes takes adoptable dogs on Good Morning America. Sandra tells me it's usually just her, the dog, the hosts, the set, and the cameras.
But this time it's not like that.
