Behavioral biologist Karen Pryor has spent more than thirty years in the business of training animals. First developed for marine mammals, Pryor’s all-positive “clicker” training system is a safe and effective way to modify behavior—by isolating wanted behaviors and ignoring the unwanted—and is now in world-wide use with dogs, cats, horses, birds, zoo animals, and increasingly, humans.
Reaching the Animal Mind explains in clear, accessible language, the background of the ever-widening applica- tion of non-punitive training for animals of all kinds. Pryor introduces us to some of the multitudes that have benefited, including clicker-trained ponies that can surf, a dangerous baboon, a police dog who pulls off a “hat trick,” and, at the Philadelphia Zoo, the world’s gloomiest birds are taught how to play. Thanks to Pryor, readers can teach their own cat how to give a high-five, or get their dog to find the car keys, as well as train their pet to eliminate bad behavior.
Part Animals in Translation, part The Dog Whisperer, this book combines science, mesmerizing stories, and practical how-to information in a book that will become invaluable to anyone who has animals in their life, domestic or otherwise.
