Our first on-line discussion, "Clicker Training in the Shelter Environment," was a smash hit. Great questions, great solutions, great new ideas-and participation from all over the world.
--group no longer available--
Second Clicker Shelter Discussion in September
The Second Shelter Discussion will be held September 19. The topic will be "Clicker Training in the Shelter Environment II." The messages will start posting at 9:00 AM and will stop at 7:00 PM. You may send questions or comments in advance. You can elect to read the correspondence on line, which is handy if you'd like to follow it but can't do so during the day.
To participate, you must first sign on to our Yahoo Group.
--group no longer available--
"Shaper" novel popular with clicker trainers
Prize-winning children's author Jessie Haas has written a wonderful novel about clicker training, kids, dogs, and a troublesome horse. Thanks to all of you who have already ordered it. Makes a great present, maybe with a dog or cat Clicker Fun Kit, for an animal-loving kid or teenager.
Meeting Karen Pryor for real, not just on line
I'm going on the road! Here are the places where I'll be talking, teaching, or just plain hanging out in the next few months. I hope to meet and visit with as many clicker trainers as possible.
Come say hello!
Tufts Animal Expo, Boston, MA, Sept 12, 13, 14
Tufts Animal Expo is a huge three-day educational event for veterinarians, trainers, groomers-everyone involved in animal care. I'll be there the whole time, usually in the Clickertraining.com booth. Come check out our new products and programs; we're on the right side of the main aisle, just a few booths down from the Exhibit Hall main entrance.
Karen Pryor shelter seminar, England, October 13
In October I'm going to England to judge the Clicker Challenge, a sport competition developed by Kay Laurence and her associates. (More details in my next letter.)
I'm also going to be giving a half-day public seminar on the topic of clicking in the shelter environment, Sunday, October 13 at Warwickshire College in central England.
Kay Laurence workshops in Boston area November 9, 10
Kay Laurence, master British clicker teacher, gave an invitation-only day-long seminar here in Boston earlier this year, and enjoyed herself so much she is flying over in November, just for the weekend of the 9th and 10th, to teach two more. She's a gold mine, especially on matters of advanced teaching techniques and precision performance and cuing. Mary Ann Callahan has organized these limited-attendance workshops.
New clicker magazine, Teaching Dogs
We've just become the US distributors for Kay Laurence's new clicker-training magazine, Teaching Dogs. The first issue, just out, features an article I've been working on for a couple of years, "The Poisoned Cue," about the side effects of teaching cues with corrections for errors. This is a strictly clicker magazine, useful for the beginner and especially interesting for the advanced, precision-performance clicker trainer.
-- Learn more and Subscribe UK or Subscribe US
Bay Colony Cluster AKC Dog Show, Boston, MA, December 5, 6, 7
One of the biggest dog shows in the Northeast. I'll be at the booth the whole time, and Boston area clicker trainers will be giving demonstrations of clicker dogs in action.
Come say hi and learn about new products and projects.
Karen Pryor Seminar in Dallas, Texas, March 7, 2003.
In March I'm giving an all-day clicker workshop in Dallas, sponsored by the Texas Association for Behavior Analysis. It's part of their annual scientific conference. The public is invited (no dogs). If you sign up for the workshop ($60, cheap!) you may attend the Saturday conference free (Early Saturday morning I'm also giving a talk on advances in clicker training.)
Do dogs learn by observation? Do dogs deliberately teach other dogs?
Phoebe, my daughter Gale's new border collie pup from England, is six months old now. She just had her first vacation experience, with parents, kids, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandma (me) on Martha's Vineyard, an island off the Massachusetts coast. Every day at the beach Phoebe studied Ezzie the old collie carefully. By backing Ezzie up and imitating her every move, from lifted paw to head turn to crouch, Phoebe learned to help Ezzie herd those pesky waves back into the ocean where they belong. She also learned to swim, following Ezzie very awkwardly at first, with a worried face--she appeared to be wondering how on earth Ezzie made it look so easy.
Ezzie leaves Phoebe's care to the adults most of the time, but twice I witnessed the old dog disciplining the pup for disobeying HUMAN (not doggish) rules. Once I saw Ezzie leap to her feet, body-block Phoebe, and put her jaws against Phoebe's muzzle, reprimanding her in dog language--for sniffing at a bag of groceries on the kitchen floor. Another time she interfered in the same way when Phoebe forgot where she was and started to crouch to pee in the house. "Oh, No, we don't do THAT!" Ezzie said clearly (one of the humans immediately took the pup outdoors.)Frankly I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself.
No doubt about it, Ezzie has her Standards, and maintains them. Ezzie is all smiles and licks and softness for the human children in her charge. But when it comes to her protegee Phoebe, she's definitely a traditional trainer!
Gale Pryor will be writing a series of articles on Phoebe's career in America, starting with the next issue of "Teaching Dogs."
Another training magazine
By the way, for a general magazine about animal training past and present, including interviews with many circus and exotic trainers, take a look at American Animal Trainer Magazine, published by Catherine Crawmer. (You may know her as the agility cat trainer on our Clicker Magic video.)
Karen Pryor is the founder and CEO of Karen Pryor Clicker Training and Karen Pryor Academy. She is the author of many books, including Don't Shoot the Dog and Reaching the Animal Mind. Learn more about Karen Pryor or read Karen's Letters online.
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