Reaching the Animal Mind: Clicker Training and What It Teaches Us About All Animals,   ISBN:9780743297769

Customer Rating: 

This is a terrific book to inspire and educate everyone to use positive training, especially clicker training. The author utilizes many different examples including dolphins, ferrets, ponies, dogs, cats and fish to illustrate what most of us will be applying to our dogs. The variety of examples serves to drive home the point that these concepts really are universal. Not only can the reader expect to improve their training skills and outcomes, they can expect to have fun while they are doing it. Equally important, the dog (or other learner) will also be having fun. Karen Pryor does a nice job of describing the neurophysiology that supports her observations that clicker training is both more effective and more fun than traditional training techniques for both the trainer and the subject. The book also has links listed to videos on a website that are referenced in the text, a nice bonus. Read this book and allow it to change your mind!

Customer Rating: 

As we have come to expect from Karen Pryor, this wonderful book is well-written and is a 'good read' too. Learn to think like your pet and reach him/her in his own language with good civilizing effect. After her "Don't Shoot the Dog" this should be required reading.

Customer Rating: 

This book goes into detail about training SEVERAL animals, not just dogs. She goes into major detail discussing the psychology of animals and positive reinforcement. Karen demonstrates how this method of training can work on all animals including humans.

She starts with dolphins, in fact, goes into great detail about dolphins & working in a sea park. Karen goes on to cover aspects of communication and feelings in animals. She shares new understanding of the neuroscience behind conditioned reinforcements, and using these methods to help humans learn, also This book is readable & enlightening, and I couldn't put it down. It's a must-read in my opinion.

Overall, I think it is best used as a resource to help you understand your pet. Karen gives you insight into the mind of the pet.

This is an enjoyable non-fiction book.

Customer Rating: 

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.

Customer Rating: 

A wonderful read for all animal lovers!

This is a really insightful look into how to understand the thoughts and feelings of many different species. She shows how clicker training is a tool for all mammals - even humans!

I really love her videos, and I can't get over the video of the fish who throws a small tantrum when he is not rewarded for his trick. She manages to show that all sorts of animals we think of as "dumb" actually have a lot more going on in the head.

This book is great for a general breadth of knowledge, perfect for training nerds like me. It's also great for animal lovers of all kinds. She focuses on showing examples from many different species, so someone who is only interested to a fast track guide to training their dog might not get what they want here. Her methods work great on aggressive dogs and other doggy misbehaviors, but that is not the focus of this book. (If you have a new puppy I'd suggest Ian Dunbar, a fearful dog - Leslie McDevitt, a aggressive dog - Emma Parsons, etc.)