Lads Before the Wind: Diary of a Dolphin Trainer

by Karen Pryor, Konrad Lorenz

This classic adventure story will delight anyone who loves animals and the sea. Lads Before the Wind is also the most readable book written on the new science of training and communicating with positive reinforcemnet.

Genres: Nonfiction, Animals, Memoir, Nature, Biography, Science, Dogs

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

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

[Laura Baugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn't a training book so much as it is memoirs of training and related events. Karen Pryor is a noted behavioral biologist who helped bring the technology of "clicker training" (animal-friendly operant conditioning) from the psychology sciences into the popular pet training market.

The book is full of anecdotes and fascinating information. Pryor relates experiments and experiences with equally readable style. Both animal lovers and science nerds will enjoy this read.

I first enthusiastically read this book in seventh grade and did a presentation on it. Now the author is my boss. Curious how these things work out!

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an astonishing book. Amazing in how well written it was, how consistently sympathetic and funny, how packed with great information and stories, and how I've managed to go without reading it for 20+ years. (I'll give myself a few years' grace period on the grounds of my not having been able to read yet, but I would have enjoyed this book almost as much in grade school as I did today.)

Karen Pryor, now one of the leaders in the field of operant conditioning, got started in exotic animal training when she and her husband got the idea to start an oceanarium in Hawaii. They caught the dolphins (which she calls porpoises throughout the book) and she was drafted into training, on the strength of having a guide book of Skinnerian principles and having trained some dogs and a pony. What follows is her account of learning to train dolphins and whales. It's enthralling. She has a breezy writing tone that makes you want to run out for a dolphin trainer's whistle right away. She also has a refreshingly guilt- and angst-free approach to the dolphins themselves. Rather than weighing them down with all sorts of philosophical, ethical, and metaphorical baggage she treats them as animals: worthy of respect and dignity, and possessing of their own personalities and quirks, but free of the the navel-gazing that has become almost ubiquitous in animal narratives.

Her position on animal intelligence and language will be provocative to some, but keep in mind this book was published in the 70s. It'd be interesting to hear her thoughts today (now that some animal language has been proven to contain syntax.)

She has some fascinating ideas on the "domestication" of the dolphin, and its use in research and deep-sea exploration that I'm anxious to investigate further.

In the end, this book left me with an urge to get to the nearest dolphin show -- but to watch the trainers, not the dolphins.

I'd recommend this book to anyone -- it's full of enjoyable, humorous anecdotes and is darn fun to read. The cool science and amazing training just add to its achievements, earning it five stars from me.

[Vadim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Замечательная книга директора гавайского океанариума, занимавшейся также дрессировкой и научным изучением дельфинов. Это удивительные животные по уровню интеллекта стоящие рядом с шимпанзе, которые способны освоить язык глухонемых, запомнить и использовать для общения до 100 слов.
У каждого дельфина свой характер, они могут быть упрямыми и капризными, злиться если что-то идёт не так, но всегда остаются любознательными и любящими поиграть. Они обожают музыку и охотно откликаются на своё имя.
Каждый раз, когда человек осваивал новую среду обитания, он одомашнивал местное животное и часть работы возлагал на него. Сейчас человечество начинает покорять морские глубины и дельфины могут стать там отличными помощниками. Это откроет нам множество перспектив, о которых мы сейчас даже не подозреваем!
Ведь как говорил Плутарх: "Дельфин единственное существо, которое ищет дружбы без корыстных целей".

[Cherilyn Willoughby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so neat to read while I was working at Sea Life Park! This book embellished the unique qualities of Hawaii and Sea Life Park. The story embarks on Karen Pryor's personal journey throughout the birth of the facility, and well into her years after. It is a look into the process of starting a facility like that and the ways/culture of that time era. There are inscriptions discussing the first marine mammal use by the Navy and the training methods used.

From a trainer's perspective, it really is interesting to read the different challenges and obstacles she entailed throughout the story. It was comical to read about the relationships amongst the animals and the people and the hilarious behaviors they would exhibit.

I loved learning about the history in the book and the geographical places described in it. It was really neat to actually be out in the ocean and in the same areas where they ran the open ocean trials with the dolphins! It was an amazing experience to be able to relate to so much in the book and I think even if you never lived there or visited, it is stll a really intersting story.

[Azz Lunatic · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book about Karen Pryor's experience with the evolution of marine mammal training. If you want to know how she came up with Don't Shoot The Dog, read this book.

[Ilga · Rating 5 out of 5]

In December, we had a family trip to Hawaii. Unfortunately, Kent got a really bad cold, so while on Oahu, Liana and I had a couple of days to find something to do that was not TOO far away. We happened to drive by Sea Life Park. "What is that?" We looked it up, and saw you could swim with the dolphins. I have always been intrigued by that, but never thought it would happen.

After going back and forth several times ("Do we really want to do this? It is a lot of money."), we decided to go for it. What a great last minute adventure. The park was tiny and cheesy and not very crowded (right before Christmas is maybe a slow time?). But all the workers seemed very into their jobs. I posted about it on Facebook.

My niece who is an animal trainer knew all about this park. Founded by Karen Pryor and her husband. "There is a book about it. It is my favorite book."

So for Christmas, I got this book from my niece. Karen Pryor is a well known animal trainer (Don't Shoot the Dog is the first book I read by her). This book describes how she got into dolphin training, and what it took to build the park and research center. Pryor is a very intelligent and thoughtful person and a good writer. Now I wish I had read the book BEFORE we went to the park. Maybe we have to go back.

And to make it even more interesting, Liana is reading a book about dolphins -- Voices in the Ocean -- for school. It starts at a similar time period (late 1960's). And in part describes this researcher Lilly. I thought he was a little cray-cray. And sure enough, Pryor talks about meeting him (she reaches out to all kinds of professionals in various fields to learn as much as possible to improve her dolphin training skill and understanding). She is more diplomatic, but I got the feeling she felt similarly about Lilly as I did.

In general, I think Lads Before the Wind is a much better book than Voices in the Ocean. I am trying to talk Liana into switching books.

[Richard Burley · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was every bit as good as it was all those years ago. Very early insights into cetacean behavior and told with charm.

[Shaya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really great!

So interesting and readable!

I loved hearing details about what life was like as a marine animal trainer and meeting other scientists/behaviorists/trainers. I especially liked the Skinner and Conrad Lorenz descriptions since I've heard about both of them.

This book shows how many behavior modifying methods we don't use fully in dog training. Like backchaining? There are definitely people who use it but not as much as we should it seems. I was inspired to play clicker shaping games, like Karen Pryor does with her staff. A friend I've been playing the shaping game with trained me to do a small series of events with backchaining and it was much easier to throw in the command I'd been rewarded for before after the one I was currently being rewarded for.

Another thing she used was elimenating the behavior off-cue which seems a very important step. In the middle of the show you don't want the porpoises offering leaping through the air at random intervals. That would take away from them doing it on cue.

Karen Pryor also discusses training some of the whales to offer new behaviors that they've never done before. That really interests me and I'd be interested in trying to train that with another species.

I was very interested in her comparison of male to female trainers. And that the struggle female trainers often has is not being tough enough with witholding reinforcement.

It was also interesting hearing about how any animal can be clicker trained. Goldfish, rat, pigeon, whale, dolphin, horse, human... I really liked her discussion on the definition of intelligence when applied to animals and how some animals are better problem solvers but not as good at remembering lots of cues once they learn them but others are very good at remembering hundreds of cues but not so good at offering new behaviors. It reminds me of a Stanley Coren book.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved this book. It reawakened the feelings I used to have about dreaming to be a dolphin trainer. A must read for anyone interested in training or just looking for a dolphin book though she explains in the expanded edition that it was never menat to be a dolphin book. One does get the feeling (especially if you read the expanded edition) that she really dint love dolphins, she loved the training. I loved the book but came to have mixed feelings about the author. You did get the sense that the animals were important but there was not the air of concern that one would expect from a dolphin trainer, like it was just a job for her and nothing else. Maybe it was just the times that this all took place. It was interesting to see how little they knew back then and how few rstrictions they had to deal with. If they wanted a dolphin or whale they just went out and got one. Unimaginable nowadays.

[Debbi · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those who enjoy autobiographical stories about animal training with a little smattering of "how to" thrown in, or animal training "geeks" this is a good read. Since I'm both, I have no idea how the rest of the population will enjoy it. I liked it a lot. All about her "dolphin days."
Was surprised at some of the techniques she used in her early days of training, since my image of her is as a reward-based only trainer (which I think is the philosophy she eventually adopted.)

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great collection of stories detailing the beginnings of the use of positive reinforcement in the marine mammal training field, which happened at Sea Life Park in Hawaii. Karen Pryor is an amazing trainer, but sometimes her writing does come across as slightly biased. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the read.

[Phyllis Twombly · Rating 4 out of 5]

How do you communicate with a dolphin that doesn't speak a human language? That was the question Karen Pryor had to answer. The learning process was probably harder on the humans. This book is worth the read just to learn how a dolphin can sulk!

[Zeb · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a long while ago since I read this, but when sifting through my shelves to get rid of unwanted books, this one stayed in. Worth to keep if for nothing else but her stories of meeting some of the big names in (animal) psychology, like Skinner and Konrad Lorenz.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of how Karen Pryor got started training dolphins. Written in the 70s, there are some things done that I hope we would never consider today. Sometimes seems cold and unfeeling about the wild dolphins who were captured, became ill and died. Otherwise, a light and entertaining tale.

[Lizziebeth10 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most engaging books I have ever read. Will the dolphins survive the ineptitude of the people? Will they train the people to do what they want? Read and find out how the humans and dolphins grow to love each other. You won't be sorry.

[Denis Budko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very useful book for everyone who works with animals.

[Ilana Bram · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am too speechless to write a review. This book is golden.

[Jennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. If you have any interest in animals or training, you'll love it.