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

by Karen Pryor

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.

Genres: Nonfiction

475 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 3, 2023

About the author

Karen Pryor was an American author who specialized in behavioral psychology and marine mammal biology. She was the founder and proponent of clicker training. She was formerly a Marine Mammal Commissioner to the U.S. government.

Reviews

[isa · Rating 4 out of 5]

i learned that with positive reinforcement you can effectively train yourself, partners, kids, parents, coworkers, chickens, cats, dogs, fish, elephants, etc. very accessible and straightforward book, best paired with ‘the other end of the leash’ if reading for dog purposes.

worthwhile read for anyone interested in how living things learn new behaviors and how to stop unwanted behaviors.

edit: a huge takeaway for me was that our behaviors train people around us whether we’d like them to or not. for example, people that say “you never call me” are actually training you to not call with negative reinforcement. this book offers ways we can better cultivate meaningful and fulfilling relationships using reinforcement.

[Jayne Reel Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

extremely helpful. it’s rare to find a psychology / behavioral text well written so that anyone can read it, but where I was already familiar as a behavioral therapist, this text still leveled up my knowledge! highly recommend to human parents, pet parents and therapists/coaches alike

[Jacqueline Helm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great book to give you baseline knowledge if you are training a puppy

[Abbie Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

I had so many “aha!” moments while reading this book. Karen explains complex ideas and the many nuances of behavior/behavior change in a way that’s simple and easy to understand. Her humor and plethora of examples made this book the perfect blend of theory and application.

Sure, this books certainly shows its age in some places, but I still found the content invaluable.

[Katelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Definitely dated in some ways but good basic information for all sorts of training.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a bit dated and a little dry, but it is full of fun anecdotes and advice about training any animal with behavioral modification techniques. The author trained all kinds of animals, but seems to have started out training sea mammals. I used it for dog training advice, but there are also examples for how to modify behavior of other humans! We all respond well to positive reinforcement it seems.

I especially liked the outlining of 8 ways to get rid of an unwanted behavior and also this description of the beautiful bonding that happens during the training process. I feel it is true for myself and my dog... we are so much closer because of agility training we do together.

The trainer rapidly develops an attachment too. I remember Shanti the elephant and that wolf, D'Artagnan, with respect and I even have a soft spot for that dunderheaded polar bear. What happens, I believe, is that the success of training interchange tends to turn the participants into generalized conditioned reinforcers for each other. The trainer is the source of interesting, exciting, rewarding, life-enhancing events for the subject, and the subjects responses are interesting and rewarding for the trainer, so that they really do become attached. Not dependent, just attached.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Wails of 'I can't' may sometimes be a fact, but they may also be symptoms of being reinforced too often merely for trying. In general, reinforcing behavior that hasn't occurred yet—with gifts, promises, compliments, or whatever—does not reinforce that behavior in the slightest. What it does reinforce is whatever was occurring at the time: soliciting reinforcement, most likely."

I read this because I'm adopting a dog later this spring and wanted to acquaint myself with the basics of dog training. But ACTUALLY this book is so much more than that and should sit alongside self-help and business titans like Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones. It goes into clear detail and specific examples about how to use positive reinforcement to get better responses from dogs...and children...and coworkers. There are thunderstruck aha moments in every chapter, and I underlined so much. So easy to extrapolate how sticky personal dynamics could be shifted into cleaner more satisfying ones after reading this book.

[Margeau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good guide to training with positive reinforcement. Easy to read with good examples. I feel more prepared for my next dog and I would recommend this book to any pet owner! Or even parents... shaping works on anyone/any aniamls!

[Mayaisfiya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finally got around to reading this one and frankly, it doesn't live up to the hype. Probably a good beginner text on behavior but it feels overly simplistic and reductive. This is supposed to be a seminal animal training text but it reads like a self-help manual at times.

[Wil Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The principles in this book still hold up today. A great read for anyone wanting to understand the basics of positive reinforcement.