Comments on: Reaching the Animal Mind: Clicker Training and What It Teaches Us About All Animals http://dogtrainingmyths.com/reaching-the-animal-mind-clicker-training-and-what-it-teaches-us-about-all-animals.html Finally, 5 Dog Training Myths Exposed Mon, 21 May 2012 04:11:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: D. Hong http://dogtrainingmyths.com/reaching-the-animal-mind-clicker-training-and-what-it-teaches-us-about-all-animals.html/comment-page-1#comment-3738 D. Hong Mon, 28 Jun 2010 20:51:12 +0000 http://dogtrainingmyths.com/reaching-the-animal-mind-clicker-training-and-what-it-teaches-us-about-all-animals.html#comment-3738 Before I picked up this book, I thought this was a "clicker" training manual. I had heard about clicker training when I took my puppy to PetsMart for puppy classes and they had suggested he do clicker training. I had heard very good things about clicker training and thought I would give it a shot but never came around to it. My puppy is now 4 years old, so I still haven't gotten around to it. <br /> <br />What a surprise when I got this book, and it wasn't a book on clicker training manual at all, but a very insightful book about animal behavior. Karen Pryor does a fantastic job describing the different behaviors of animals and how they respond to certain types of training (such as positive reinforcement, which ALWAYS works better than negative reinforcement in my opinion) and behavioral aspects of animals. Don't be fooled by the cover, this book has stories on all types of animals. <br /> <br />A great read. Rating: 4 / 5 Before I picked up this book, I thought this was a “clicker” training manual. I had heard about clicker training when I took my puppy to PetsMart for puppy classes and they had suggested he do clicker training. I had heard very good things about clicker training and thought I would give it a shot but never came around to it. My puppy is now 4 years old, so I still haven’t gotten around to it.

What a surprise when I got this book, and it wasn’t a book on clicker training manual at all, but a very insightful book about animal behavior. Karen Pryor does a fantastic job describing the different behaviors of animals and how they respond to certain types of training (such as positive reinforcement, which ALWAYS works better than negative reinforcement in my opinion) and behavioral aspects of animals. Don’t be fooled by the cover, this book has stories on all types of animals.

A great read.
Rating: 4 / 5

]]> By: Jo Ana Starr http://dogtrainingmyths.com/reaching-the-animal-mind-clicker-training-and-what-it-teaches-us-about-all-animals.html/comment-page-1#comment-3737 Jo Ana Starr Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:41:50 +0000 http://dogtrainingmyths.com/reaching-the-animal-mind-clicker-training-and-what-it-teaches-us-about-all-animals.html#comment-3737 I have loved this clicker form of animal behavior modification, since seeing Victoria Stilwell use it on her TV show with many dogs. So simple, so effective. I recognized the Pavlovian connection watching her, but this book turned my knowledge of that simple "click" into much much more. And the use of the clicker is not limited to dogs as the book indicates, but works with many other animals. <br /> <br />The author has elevated that simple "clicker" sound into an extraordinary signal for behavioral modification. I think, honestly, if I still had small kids, I'd use the clicker to quickly get their attention and to reinforce the behavior that I wanted to encourage. <br /> <br />This is a wonderful book, at least for anyone who is interested in training his/her dog to behave properly and possibly for any other number of behavior modification subjects. <br /> <br />Excellent excellent book ! Rating: 5 / 5 I have loved this clicker form of animal behavior modification, since seeing Victoria Stilwell use it on her TV show with many dogs. So simple, so effective. I recognized the Pavlovian connection watching her, but this book turned my knowledge of that simple “click” into much much more. And the use of the clicker is not limited to dogs as the book indicates, but works with many other animals.

The author has elevated that simple “clicker” sound into an extraordinary signal for behavioral modification. I think, honestly, if I still had small kids, I’d use the clicker to quickly get their attention and to reinforce the behavior that I wanted to encourage.

This is a wonderful book, at least for anyone who is interested in training his/her dog to behave properly and possibly for any other number of behavior modification subjects.

Excellent excellent book !
Rating: 5 / 5

]]> By: D. Hamilton http://dogtrainingmyths.com/reaching-the-animal-mind-clicker-training-and-what-it-teaches-us-about-all-animals.html/comment-page-1#comment-3736 D. Hamilton Mon, 28 Jun 2010 17:17:24 +0000 http://dogtrainingmyths.com/reaching-the-animal-mind-clicker-training-and-what-it-teaches-us-about-all-animals.html#comment-3736 Let me start by saying that this book is NOT a quick read. If you are looking for a book about how to use a clicker for training your dog, you will find some valuable information here, but it's not a quick training guide. This book goes into detail about training SEVERAL animals, not just dogs. She goes into major detail about the psychology of animals and positive enforcement. Although I loved all the information and agree with a lot of her tactics. I thought I was getting a quick guide to how to train my dog with a clicker. I went out and bought a clicker, and before I read the book, I used the clicker and my two small dogs looked at me like I had a new toy and they wanted to play. <br /> <br />It wasn't until I read the book and started using her technique they understood what it was all about. So I have to say that what she is saying in the book really does work, but I didn't want to read so much information for what I wanted from the book. Although it is good information to have, it just isn't a read and go book. Now that I have a good idea on how animals think, if I ever decide to work at a pet store or a zoo, then at least I know what I'm doing now. Rating: 4 / 5 Let me start by saying that this book is NOT a quick read. If you are looking for a book about how to use a clicker for training your dog, you will find some valuable information here, but it’s not a quick training guide. This book goes into detail about training SEVERAL animals, not just dogs. She goes into major detail about the psychology of animals and positive enforcement. Although I loved all the information and agree with a lot of her tactics. I thought I was getting a quick guide to how to train my dog with a clicker. I went out and bought a clicker, and before I read the book, I used the clicker and my two small dogs looked at me like I had a new toy and they wanted to play.

It wasn’t until I read the book and started using her technique they understood what it was all about. So I have to say that what she is saying in the book really does work, but I didn’t want to read so much information for what I wanted from the book. Although it is good information to have, it just isn’t a read and go book. Now that I have a good idea on how animals think, if I ever decide to work at a pet store or a zoo, then at least I know what I’m doing now.
Rating: 4 / 5

]]> By: Jane Dust http://dogtrainingmyths.com/reaching-the-animal-mind-clicker-training-and-what-it-teaches-us-about-all-animals.html/comment-page-1#comment-3735 Jane Dust Mon, 28 Jun 2010 16:04:46 +0000 http://dogtrainingmyths.com/reaching-the-animal-mind-clicker-training-and-what-it-teaches-us-about-all-animals.html#comment-3735 I have requested this book thinking that it will provide me some guidance and working examples of clicker training for dogs. This book does not provide that. <br /> <br />However, the book is nonetheless a fascinating reading providing some very interesting and novel insights into minds of animals and teaches us how we can better understand them and how we can communicate with them more efficiently. <br /> <br />That being said, I would like to see more reflection on stopping unwanted behavior, aside of positively reinforcing desired behavior. Maybe I need to do some more research but it seems to me that not everything can be achieved by positive reinforcement only. Sure, if you have a whole pack of dogs you can reward the ones behaving well but if you only have one dog who barks, what do you do? I think that gentle disciplining has also its place in the dog training process as well. Or maybe I am misunderstanding something. <br /> <br /> Rating: 4 / 5 I have requested this book thinking that it will provide me some guidance and working examples of clicker training for dogs. This book does not provide that.

However, the book is nonetheless a fascinating reading providing some very interesting and novel insights into minds of animals and teaches us how we can better understand them and how we can communicate with them more efficiently.

That being said, I would like to see more reflection on stopping unwanted behavior, aside of positively reinforcing desired behavior. Maybe I need to do some more research but it seems to me that not everything can be achieved by positive reinforcement only. Sure, if you have a whole pack of dogs you can reward the ones behaving well but if you only have one dog who barks, what do you do? I think that gentle disciplining has also its place in the dog training process as well. Or maybe I am misunderstanding something.

Rating: 4 / 5

]]> By: Great Cook http://dogtrainingmyths.com/reaching-the-animal-mind-clicker-training-and-what-it-teaches-us-about-all-animals.html/comment-page-1#comment-3734 Great Cook Mon, 28 Jun 2010 15:43:45 +0000 http://dogtrainingmyths.com/reaching-the-animal-mind-clicker-training-and-what-it-teaches-us-about-all-animals.html#comment-3734 I did not expect this type of book. <br /> <br />I thought it was going to be on how to train my dogs, but it talked about all <br />Amimals can be train with this mothod. <br /> <br /> It basicly talked about giving any animal a treat when they did good, and doing bad did not get anything.. <br /> No matter what your animal was doing if it was good, like sitting looking out the window, give her/him a treat.. <br /> <br /> I didn't think it took that many page to get the point across.. Rating: 2 / 5 I did not expect this type of book.

I thought it was going to be on how to train my dogs, but it talked about all

Amimals can be train with this mothod.

It basicly talked about giving any animal a treat when they did good, and doing bad did not get anything..

No matter what your animal was doing if it was good, like sitting looking out the window, give her/him a treat..

I didn’t think it took that many page to get the point across..
Rating: 2 / 5

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