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

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Summary: A MUST for anyone interested in NLP or persuasion
Review: This is a FANTASTIC book about using positive reinforcement to increase incidences of behavior we like (both in animals and humans) and decrease incidences of behavior we don't like. The author makes an utterly convincing set of arguments for discounting punishment as an effective training technique. I think the vast majority of us would have found our school years far more engaging, enriching, and humane had all of our teachers assimilated the lessons of this book.

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Summary: Fascinating, intellectually stimulating and fun to read
Review: I recently bought this book on the advice of a doggy foster "parent", as a prelude to adopting from a local rescue organization. While this is not a how-to or step by step guide for training your dog, it is an excellent and clear book about behavior and how to shape it in a positive way. I was surprised at how much information I found useful for understanding my own relationship with my parents and how to be a better manager. The anecdotes help clarify the concepts, as well as making for very entertaining reading, and I especially appreciated the series of charts comparing different training methods and showing what can work best for a slew of different behavior problems. My next purchase will be a clicker training instruction manual, and I think it will be all the more valuable because Pryor's book has helped me understand WHY positive reinforcement works. Her book really explains the philosophy behind the methodology. Kudos.

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Summary: clear, witty and filled with practical information--a gem
Review: As a social worker specializing in child abuse and neglect, I have relied on Don't Shoot the Dog for years to teach harsh and punitive parents benign and positive behavioral alternatives. Parents learn more readily, and even enjoy learning, from the anecdotes about animal behavior, and don't feel criticized themselves because they have not had prior bad or abusive experiences with a chicken or a cat. They begin to see that all small creatures do some annoying things, and that their child is not singularly persecuting them. They feel less victimized by their child and suddenly become empowered to bring about change. The revised edition is especially welcome because of its expanded discussion of punishment, primarily why it doesn't work and what would be safer, kinder and more effective in its place, and for the information about clicker training, an enormous aid to angry or ineffective parents. Don't Shoot the Dog! is a must for all social workers, and for anyone interested in more enjoyable and productive dealings with other living creatures.

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Summary: A huge step forward in understanding animal behaviour
Review: I have recently purchased the book in South Africa ( have been collecting for the past 25 years) I loved what I could read however after p64 I FOUND AGAIN P33 TO P64... P65TO P96 ARE MISSING! I STAY IN ITALY AND CAN NOT FIND ANOTHER COPY HERE. COULD YOU HELP ME? The book is a Bantam edition 1985. Thank you

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Summary: Excellent Book
Review: When I first read this book, I was so fascinated that I read it again and again. It's not a step by step manual for dog training but it's a behavioral modification manual. I also purchased "Clicker Training for your Horse" by Alexandra Kurland which deals with the same thing only this is much more of a step by step training book. I loved both books and it definitely gives one a much more positive outlook on life. And it makes for MUCH happier, mentally healthier pets. I also will read Anything by the Monks of New Skete...for dog training.But this is just a way...you can use any method of training with it.

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Summary: Dopey, Misleading Book Relying on Discredited Theories
Review: Although behaviorism has largely fallen out of favor because of the very limited picture it presents of the psyche, nonetheless people like Pryor persist with the idea that operant conditioning is the solution to all of our problems. This book has very few insights about dogs (indeed, her advice is sometimes dangerously misleading because she doesn't pay attention to the way dogs are hard-wired to behave). And the advice she gives about modifying human behavior are often unintentionally hilarious. (For instance, she recounts that in order to give herself incentive to get out of bed for an early class, she would feed herself small squares of chocolate.) There is much more to the mental life of dogs than this book would suggest. For a book that does them justice, try the Monks of New Skete.

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Summary: A Must Have
Review: This book was recommended by my dog obedience teacher. In addition to helping me to understand the philosophy and methods behind positive reinforcement (Clicker) dog training, I was able to learn a lot about myself and the world around me. This book should be required reading for teachers, coaches, managers, and of course pet owners.

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Summary: Good dog! <click!> Good Book! Here's a biscuit!
Review: A very good book for dealing with behavior problems. I adopted an Australian Cattle Dog with extreme behavior issues and through the help of this book was able to rehabilitate him.

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Summary: WONDERFUL!
Review: Whether you want to train your dog, horse, husband, boss, or even yourself... then this is the very best book on the market. This book helped me train my Malamute, and it helped me train myself to file my taxes the first week of January. (My birthday is the 15th April!) Do yourself a favor and BUY THIS BOOK!!!

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Summary: The 'bible' for training any living creature!
Review: If you need to train your children, you spouse, your employees, your boss or your dog, read this book! Karen hit a home run when she wrote this clear, concise, easy-to-read and understand book.