Waltham, MA, June 16, 2009—Karen Pryor gives everyone the technology for reaching into animal minds—and even glimpsing their souls. Reaching the Animal Mind, released today, is about an entirely new way to see, understand, and communicate with animals. If you're in love with dogs, go ga-ga over whales, or marvel at elephants, if you ever wished you could talk to the animals and have them talk to you, you'll love Reaching the Animal Mind.
Animals are a lot smarter and more aware than we used to think. They show humor, affection, and regret, uncanny intelligence and depth of thought, but you have to know how to bring it out. Share animal trainer and scientist Karen Pryor's extraordinary interactions with the largest and smallest of creatures in the oceans and on land, in this compelling, enjoyable, and important book.
Karen Pryor is a scientist with an international reputation in two fields-marine mammal biology and behavioral psychology. Through her work with dolphins in the 1960s she pioneered modern, force-free animal training methods. Karen is the author of many scientific papers and monographs, as well as seven books. She is a founder and leading proponent of clicker training, the worldwide movement involving new ways to communicate positively with pets and other animals. The founder and CEO of the behavioral publishing company Sunshine Books, Inc., and its online divisions, Karen has three children and seven grandchildren. She lives in Boston with two clicker trained dogs and a clicker trained cat.
Karen Pryor says, "This is a book about loving, understanding, and communicating with animals. Animals are a lot smarter and more aware than we used to think. Now you can share my personal experiences training and communicating with animals ranging from an elephant to a hermit crab. You'll learn how you, too, can bring out the intelligence, personality, warmth, even humor, in dogs, cats, horses, and other pets, and have fun doing it, too. Lots of people are already trying to use a clicker, but may not be using it right. Other folks are skeptical about using food, or can't see how you could train without punishment. I interviewed some of the leading neuroscientists in the US to get you some new answers to those questions and more. And, it turns out this technology is not just for animals! In my new book you'll learn how clicker training methods can teach people positively, too."
Library Journal on Reaching the Animal Mind: "Backed by the author's impressive credentials and readable style, this is highly recommended for both pet lovers looking for training advice and students of animal behavior."
From Booklist: "Karen Pryor, trainer extraordinaire and author (Don't Shoot the Dog! 1984) has spent more than 30 years training animals and perfecting the ‘all positive reinforcement' clicker training system. Basically, this system involves a trainer waiting for an animal to show a desired behavior, using a clicker's ‘click' to reinforce the correctness of the behavior, and then giving the animal a treat. Incorrect behavior is ignored, so the only reinforcement the animal receives is positive. Pryor relates success stories (and failures) in training dolphins, dogs, elephants, horses, primates, fish-and people. The chapter on creativity discusses how animals can invent new behaviors as a form of play and how this can be used in training, while animal friendships become obvious in a section on attachments. Communication, fear, feelings, and how to reach minds other than our own are examined, and a chapter on using clicker training with people neatly sums up the technique. This absorbing look at the broad applicability of a major training technique will be useful for all animal owners, parents, and people who train others or who need training."
CONTACT:
Aaron Clayton, President
Karen Pryor Clickertraining (KPCT)
49 River Street #3
Waltham, MA 02453
Phone: 800-47-CLICK
www.reachingtheanimalmind.com
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