Karen Pryor Clickertraining - Press, Science, Clicker Digest

Concerned about chemicals? Consider your pet too

Miranda Hersey Helin — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 16:51:56 -0500

Concern about chemicals in our environment—especially those inside our homes—is growing. From water bottles, baby bottles, and Teflon pans to cleaning chemicals, products that many of us rely on may be making us sick. This may be even more true for our beloved animals. Unfortunately, the US does not regulate the chemicals that pets are exposed to, including those used in manufacturing chew toys and pet accessories.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a nonprofit research and advocacy organization. Founded in 1993, EWG works to protect human health and natural resources. EWG's groundbreaking investigations into human body's toxic burden led to the creation of Pets for the Environment.

In a study released April 17, 2008, EWG reveals that pets are indeed carrying a toxic burden—one that is even higher than their human owners.

"In the first study of its kind, Environmental Working Group found that companion cats and dogs are polluted with even higher levels of many of the same synthetic industrial chemicals that researchers have recently found in people, including newborns.

"Dogs and cats were contaminated with 48 of 70 industrial chemicals tested, including 43 chemicals at levels higher than those typically found in people, according to our study of blood and urine from 20 dogs and 40 cats. Average levels of many chemicals were substantially higher in pets than is typical for people, with 2.4 times higher levels of stain-and grease-proof coatings (perfluorochemicals) in dogs, 23 times more fire retardants (PBDEs) in cats, and more than 5 times the amounts of mercury, compared to average levels in people found in national studies conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and EWG.

"Just as children ingest pollutants in tap water, play on lawns with pesticide residues, or breathe in an array of indoor air contaminants, so do their pets. But with there compressed lifespans, developing and aging seven or more times faster than children, pets also develop health problems much more rapidly. Pets, like infants and toddlers, have limited diets and play close to the floor, often licking the ground as well as their paws, greatly increasing both their exposures to chemicals and the resulting health risks."

Wondering how to protect your pets? Here's a list of tips to keep your pet healthy. You can also read EWG's press release or visit Pets for the Environment for more information.

Clicker trained Acro-Cats on Chicago's WGN morning news!

Miranda Hersey Helin — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 08:18:08 -0600

Tune in! Friday, February 1, between 8:15 and 9:00 a.m., the Acro-Cats, along with special guest Wilbur the Groundhog, will be making a live appearance on Chicago's WGN morning news to promote their upcoming show at Mars Gallery on February 3.

Watch as a groundhog competes with the Acro-Cats in a display of various skills and tricks. As always, cats and live TV make for unique entertainment!

Some of you may remember clicker trainer Samantha Martin and the Acro-Cats from our profile: Herding Cats in Hollywood. Samantha has been clicker training animals for commercials and films for more than 15 years.

Operant conditioning and the creative artist

Miranda Hersey Helin — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 15:46:34 -0600

Robert Genn is a painter who hosts the website www.thepainterskeys.com and sends out a semi-weekly e-newsletter on various art-related topics. I've been a subscriber for a few months now. When I received a newsletter on the connection between operant conditioning and creativity, I chuckled. I think you'll enjoy it. The letter is reprinted here (click "read more"), with Robert Genn's permission.

Fido Awards to Recognise Dogs in Cinema

Aidan Bindoff — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 02:02:17 -0500

Five Corgis, Anna, Poppy, Megan, Alice, and Oliver, have not only starred opposite Oscar winning actress Helen Mirren in her award winning role as Queen Elizabeth in "The Queen", but now they have been nominated for their own awards in the Historical Hounds category of the newly created Fido Awards at the London Film Festival.

Golden retriever nurses stray kitten

Miranda Hersey Helin — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 14:12:19 -0500

A golden retriever has stepped up to the plate as surrogate nursing mother to a stray kitten, according to an Associated Press report.

The hungry kitten, found in an old tire at a concrete plant, refused to drink from a bottle and her rescuers feared she would die. That's when Honey, the family dog who hadn't given birth in 18 months, stepped in with her motherly instincts.

"She started licking her and loving her. Within a couple of days, Honey started naturally lactating," said Kathy Martin, whose husband, Jimmy, brought the kitten home six weeks ago. "The kitten took right to her."

Clicking for Credit: Video of ClickerExpo Cleveland, 2007

Aaron Clayton — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 15:53:58 -0500

Don't miss this great video from the 2007 Cleveland ClickerExpo. Entertaining and informative. If you've never been to ClickerExpo, this clip provides a great feel for the event—and if you've been before, see if you recognize anyone! Click here to watch!

Register by 9/30 for ClickerExpo Los Angeles and save $50

KPCT — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Only a few days Left to save $50 on ClickerExpo!

Alex the African Grey Parrot Dies of Natural Causes, Aged 31

Aidan Bindoff — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 06:52:17 -0500

Earlier this month the world lost a very special bird, Alex, the African Grey Parrot.

In 1977, Dr Irene Pepperberg, then a doctoral student at Harvard, went to a pet store to purchase an African Grey Parrot for her Avian Learning Experiment (Alex is an acronym of this title). Dr Pepperberg didn't choose Alex as an extraordinary example of the species, insisting that the store-keeper choose a "typical" African Grey for her.

Are McDonald's wrappers a conditioned reinforcer?

Tia Guest — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 09:14:47 -0500

When I heard about the study where preschoolers were found to prefer foods in McDonald's wrappers, I told my husband that the paper wrappers were a conditioned reinforcer. I was joking when I said it, but then realized it was true! The study showed that not only did kids prefer identical menu items wrapped in the familiar label compared to plain-wrapped food, but they even preferred healthy foods like carrots and milk when served up in the familiar McDonald's packaging!

What effective marketing McDonald's has created—youngsters have such a positive association with their brand. I wonder if the combined effects of play and socialization also contributed to the conditioning?

The research findings were published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine; an abstract is available here.

Clicker training cats as service animals...?

Miranda Hersey Helin — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 13:07:00 -0500

Thinking outside the canine box when it comes to service animals, from Newsday.com:

...Training a service cat can be more challenging than your average golden retriever. "Cats are a harder package to put together," Knowlton concedes. "You have to get one that's not afraid of anything, and who will listen. And she needs to be unobtrusive—if I bring Pushette to a restaurant, she needs to stay in her basket," which is attached to Knowlton's motorized wheelchair.

Read the full article Newsday.com here. You can also find lots of goodies on clicker training cats at this page.

Tamar Geller and Opportunities for Clicker Training Instructors

Aidan Bindoff — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 20:44:35 -0500

Recently, author of "The Loved Dog", Tamar Geller was featured on Oprah. Tamar Geller advocates a positive, hands-off approach to dog training using rewards rather than punishment to show the dog what is expected.

Geller has an enormous reach into the homes of the American public through shows and publications such as Oprah, 20/20, USA Today and The New York Times Magazine.

Thousands of people will be discovering the joys and advantages of a positive, hands-off approach to dog training - and apart from reading "The Loved Dog", where will they find it in their town?

Earn CEUs from Karen Pryor Academy!

Tia Guest — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 10:08:01 -0500

Great news! You can now earn CEUs for IAABC and CPDT by enrolling in the Karen Pryor Academy Dog Trainer Program! Along with all the other benefits — a great education, business training, marketing support and more — you can add CEUs (22 for CPDT and 20 for IAABC)!

Learn more about Karen Pryor Academy:

Clicker Training for Cats earns 5 stars from About.com!

Miranda Hersey Helin — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 06:45:31 -0500

About.com provides an in-depth, glowing review of our Clicker Training for Cats Kit. Read the review or learn more about this indespensible tool for cat owners. "Anyone seriously interested in clicker training a cat will need this book, and the Clicker Training Fun Kit will give you all the tools you need to start today."

Golden Retriever performs ... the Heimlich Maneuver?

Bill Peña — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 10:55:06 -0500

Now this is a great application of targeting:

CALVERT, Md. -- Toby, a 2-year-old golden retriever, saw his owner choking on a piece of fruit and began jumping up and down on the woman's chest. The dog's owner believes the dog was trying to perform the Heimlich maneuver and saved her life.

Massive Pet Food Recall

Bill Peña — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 10:36:49 -0500

There is a massive pet food recall in place for many major brands of wet dog and cat food, including brands like Iams and Eukanuba, as well as many store brands like Hannaford's and Save-A-Lot.

Please look at the recall information, and check your pet's food if you use any of the brands. The risk to your pet's health is potentially fatal, so please get the information and spread the word!

Hearts, Minds and Paws - the Extraordinary Talents of Our Canine Partners

Aidan Bindoff — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 17:13:06 -0600

Canine Partners in the UK is a registered charity which specializes in training and providing assistance dogs to people with disabilities. They use a program designed by Nina Bondarenko, a world renowned dog trainer who uses clicker training. Nina has recently written a book entitled "Hearts, Minds and Paws" to both inform and move us on the extraordinary talents of our canine partners.

Parrot uses 950 words to talk with people, crack jokes

Bill Peña — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 13:17:24 -0600

The finding of a parrot with an almost unparalleled power to communicate with people has brought scientists up short. The bird, a captive African grey called N'kisi, has a vocabulary of 950 words, and shows signs of a sense of humour.

Read the full post for more, and hear an excerpt of the parrot talking with his teacher!

Navy May Deploy Anti-Terrorism Dolphins

Bill Peña — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 09:23:08 -0600

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Dozens of dolphins and sea lions trained to detect and apprehend waterborne attackers could be sent to patrol a military base in Washington state, the Navy said Monday.

Our Latest Audiobook Raffle Winners: BlueHairBob and Diane Filler!

admin — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 14:00:43 -0600

Every month KPCT holds a raffle to reward our users for their contributions to Clickertraining.com. Our latest winners of the Don't Shoot the Dog audiobook in MP3 format are BlueHairBob and Diane Filler! Congratulations and thanks to you both!

Would you like to win your own copy of Don't Shoot the Dog, or other treats from KPCT? Just register here, contribute by commenting on stories, blogging, inviting your friends and more, and you'll earn clicks and treats! You'll also gain access to our entire training library, and be eligible for special member-only discounts, unadvertised specials and exclusive content.

Training in the Multi-Animal Household

Melissa Alexander — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 16:49:39 -0600