Many years ago I read Karen Pryor’s book Don’t Shoot the Dog! (about using positive reinforcement with any animal and people too- not a focus on dog training) and Lads Before the Wind. This book is much more recent, and it’s about the specifics of clicker training, or when it’s applied to people, called “tag teaching” (only because coaches and teachers objected to using a method that was “for dog training”!) In basic summary, the use of a clicker marks for the learner exactly what they have done right. It has to be precise to the moment in time, and devoid of the emotional information overload that can come with verbal cues (whether you think you’re giving that information or not). The author explains why this positive reinforcement works so well, how the brain processes the click information so instantly and acutely (retention of the learned skill appears to be lifelong) and how much animals enjoy working this way. She compares it to traditional methods as well.
I really liked reading about the varied experiences- from how she taught dolphins in oceanariums (and studied some in the open ocean via fishing fleets), helped calm wild birds in a zoo, got a hermit crab to ring a bell, an oscar fish to swim through a hoop, and of course many many dogs to learn new skills- even to quit barking on cue. There’s also lots of details about how to teach people to use this method, how coaches and teachers can use it for students, and what is actually going on in the brain with this type of learning. Of course I thought a lot about the horse book I just finished reading- another way of reaching communication without us humans administering dominance or force. That book was about using verbal cues and body language. This one is about using a very short, specific marker to show an animal what you want, that will get it a reward. I didn’t understand at first, how that could turn into two-way communication, but the author’s myriad examples show that it does. This is the kind of book that makes you excited to go straight home and try it yourself- whether to get your husband to pick up his socks for once, or teach your aquarium fish a trick. I’m thinking to attempt that with my paradise fish now . . .
Borrowed from the public library.
