Don-t Shoot the Dog- - The New Art of Teaching and Training Description:

Don't Shoot the Dog! : The New Art of Teaching and Training review:
1 stars (Don't Believe the Hype! The Ineffective Art of Teaching and Training) -

I love the title of this book.



The contents, however, perpetuate the mythology of behavioral science as an actual science that always and inevitably works to change, shape, or modify behavior. It's not, and it doesn't. In fact, in my opinion it has become more like a belief system--based on a tautology*--where despite mounting evidence of its overall ineffectiveness, particularly when it comes to solving behavioral problems in dogs (which is my own area of expertise, and where it only works about 15% of the time), its adherents continue to tout it as highly successful. They also wrongly claim that ALL dog training takes place through some form of operant conditioning, whether the trainer is aware of it or not. (Most dog training is actually closer to respondent than to operant conditioning, but that's another topic**.)



Still, Pryor makes a convincing argument for applying the ideas of B. F. Skinner to everything from dolphin training to the little problems of everyday life, even though the preponderance of Skinner's ideas have been proven invalid. Even Skinner's student Keller Breland, who invented clicker training and later became Pryor's mentor, sadly discovered that, "There are definite weaknesses in the philosophy underlying these techniques." ("Behavior Problems in Organisms," American Psychologist, 1961.)



I have to admit, though, even I was suckered in by Pryor's fervent belief in conditioning when I first read this book. She has that effect on people. And, energized by her passion, I began using her ideas in my dog training practice in New York City. I quickly found out, though, that conditioning techniques are mostly ineffective, and that, believe it or not, using food rewards can actually cause a negative learning experience for the dog, because it isn't intrinsic to learning most of the behaviors a dog needs to learn.***



However, I wouldn't want to discourage anyone from buying and reading this book. I think you should look at behavior from all possible angles and carefully consider all sides of an issue. But if you DO read it, my suggestion would be take what Pryor says with a very large grain of salt. And if you're interested in really new ideas about dog training, there are a couple of books I do recommend, and highly: PLAYTRAINING YOUR DOG by Patricia Gail Burnham, and NATURAL DOG TRAINING by Kevin Behan. (Don't be fooled by the publication dates of these books; the ideas in them are still fresh and new.)



*The Primary Behavioristic Tautology:

What is a reinforcement? Anything that causes a behavior to be learned. What is a learned behavior? Anything that has been reinforced. That's circular logic.



** An operant is a behavior which is spontaneously emitted, with no stimulus coming from an outside source. A respondent is a behavior that is elicited or induced by a stimulus coming from an outside source (such as a dog trainer). So, very little of what a dog trainer does could be correctly termed operant conditioning.



*** According to behaviorists, intrinsic reinforcers work better than extrinsic reinforcers. And food is, generally speaking, an extrinsic reinforcer since it's not directly related to the behaviors being learned in dog training. Another point is that extrinsic reinforcers, such as food rewards (and by extension, clickers, which get their effectiveness from the association a dog makes with being fed), have a tendency to actually undermine the learning process entirely. (That's not just me talking, either, by the way, that's textbook behaviorism.)


5 stars (not just for dog training) - I have to agree with an earlier reviewer that the title of this wonderful book is an unfortunate choice. The subject of behavioral conditioning is covered in an easily accessible conversational voice and relates to general learning theory (all species including people) as well as specifically to dog training. The principles are presented clearly and concisely with many fascinating examples of practical applications. The fluid style makes for easy reading without being a superficial coverage of the topics.
5 stars (The Bible of modern dog training) - This book is a great introduction to the science of operant conditioning, and a must read for any dog owner or trainer.



Drawing on decades of behaviourism, the author covers the effective use of different types of reinforcement and punishment, discusses the use of markers and bridges (such as the popular 'clicker'), and explains the nuances of extinction, shaping and different reinforcement schedules. Unlike many recent behaviourist-based training books, Ms Pryor's book is not specifically "purely positive" and does rationally discuss the uses of aversives in training and learning.



This book is not specifically a dog training book, and as such it will not give you step-by-step instructions to make your dog sit or lie down. What it will give you is an understanding of the basic techniques needed for effective teaching. After reading this book it should be possible for even an unexperienced dog owner to design an effective behaviour modification programme for their canine companion.



I recommend this book to every new dog owner I meet. However, although this is a valuable foundation text I wouldn't recommend it as the sole reference work for any dog owner or trainer. It definately needs to be complemented by species-specific reading on dog body language and instincts. In particular I would recommend reading "The other end of the leash" (Patricia McConnell), "The Truth about Dogs" (Stephen Budiansky) and "On talking terms with dogs (Turid Rugaas).