Gentle Touch Dog Training

01/09/2025

This is from another page (NOT my cat!); I'm all about sharing information that could potentially save any cat a near-death experience, not to mention the cat's staff major stress & unimaginable vet costs.
🐈💜🐈‍⬛️💜🐈💜🐈‍⬛️

Just wanted to warn fellow cat owners, and pet owners in general:
The other day I purchased a Clorox toilet tab. Its purpose is to clean your toilet, it goes into your toilet tank. I put it in my tank.
The morning after, my cat was extremely sick suddenly. He was vomiting, very lethargic and hiding. His face was swollen and he was shaking.
I rushed him to vet. He started bleeding from his a**s. My vet told me she didn’t know if he was going to make it. He had elevated liver enzymes and the vet was asking if he had gotten into anything poisonous. I was very confused, because I am very careful what I have laying around the house.
Long story short - I discovered he had ingested some toilet water somehow, after a long investigation. He has been in hospital on IV for 2 days. This was enough to almost KILL him. Please be aware of this! This incident has costed me thousands of dollars in vet bills.
Edit: also a heads up cats are attracted to the smell of bleach. Beware of any cleaning products in your home that contain bleach! Even a small amount is enough to make them sick.
UPDATE: my cat was discharged this afternoon and is recovering. Thank you for the kind comments, I am so blessed he is going to be okay. ❤️

01/07/2025

"When you stop relying on aversive controls such as threats, intimidation and punishment, and when you know how to use reinforcement to get not just the same but better results, your perception of the world undergoes a shift. You don't have to become a wimp. You don't have to give up being in charge. You lose nothing of yourself. You just see things you didn't see before."
Karen Pryor. 1932-2025
Nice words, but can you back them up? Oh, you can.
Books:
On My Mind: Reflections on Animal Behavior and Learning – 2014
Reaching The Animal Mind: Clicker Training and What It Teaches Us About All Animals – 2009
Click to Win: Clicker Training for the Show Ring – 2002
Dolphin Societies: Discoveries and Puzzles –ed. with Kenneth Norris; University of California Press, 1998
Don’t Shoot The Dog: The New Art of Teaching and Training – 1984, 1999, 2002, 2006
A Dog & a Dolphin 2.0: An Introduction To Clicker Training – 1996
Getting Started: Clicker Training for Cats – 1999, 2002, 2004
Getting Started: Clicker Training for Dogs – 1999, 2002, 2005
Lads Before the Wind – 1975, 1994, 2000 (Harper & Row 1975)
Nursing Your Baby – 1963, 1973, 1991, 2005 (HarperCollins Publishers 1963)
On Behavior: Essays and Research – 1994
Crunch and Des: Classic Stories of Saltwater Fishing – 2002
How To Teach Your Dog To Play Frisbee – 1985
Pryor, K. (2014). A dolphin journey. Aquatic Mammals 40th Anniversary: Special Issue, 104–115.
Pryor, K. & Chase, S. (2014). Training for variable and innovative behavior. International Journal of Comparative Psychology, 27, 218–225
Pryor, K. & Ken Ramirez, K. (2014) Modern Animal Training. In The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Operant and Classical Conditioning. McSweeney, F.K and Murphy, E. S. (Eds.).
Pryor, K.W (2001). Cultural transmission of behavior in animals: How a modern training technology uses spontaneous social imitation in cetaceans and Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 24, 352–352
Pryor, K. & Shallenberger, I. (1991). School structure in spotted dolphins (Stenella attenuata) in the tuna purse seine fishery in the Eastern Tropical Pacific. In Dolphin Societies: Discoveries and Puzzles. Pryor, K. & Norris, K.S. (Eds.). Berkeley: University of California Press
Pryor, K. (1981). Why Porpoise Trainers Are Not Dolphin Lovers: Real and False Communication in the Operant Setting. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 364, 1, 137
Norris, K.S., Pryor, K. (1970). A Tagging Method for Small Cetaceans. Journal of Mammalogy, 51, 3, 609–610
Pryor, K.W., Haang, R., & O’Reilly, J. (1969). The creative porpoise: Training for novel behavior. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 12, 653–661
Lang, T.G., Pryor, K. (1966). Hydrodynamic Performance of Porpoises (Stenella attenuata). Science, 152, 3721, 531–533.
Pryor, T., Pryor, K.,& Norris, S.K. (1965). Observations on a Pygmy Killer Whale (Feresa attenuata Gray) from Hawaii. Journal of Mammalogy, 46, 3, 450–461.

01/06/2025

01/06/2025

Remembering Karen Pryor: The Legacy of a Trailblazer Who Ignited a Global Training RevolutionWith profound sadness and immense gratitude, we honor the life and legacy of Karen Pryor, a true pioneer in the fields of animal behavior and positive reinforcement training. Karen’s groundbreaking work re...

01/06/2025

Rutherford the cat disappeared from his home in 2013.

01/06/2025

'Don't Shoot the Dog!' 🐾

On a morning where I've woken early, not feeling quite 100% and decided to hibernate in front of the fire 🔥 with spaniels and a cuppa, I've been saddened to read of the passing of Karen Pryor 😔

Undoubtedly a key player in the world of and someone who I first came across during my undergraduate degree - ironically when learning about marine mammal learning and cognition 🐬🐋🐳.

I then first read this book in the '90s and still revisit it regularly. It's importance to me is highlighted by the fact it's on the bookshelf in my sitting room for easy access, rather than my study. Almost 30 years later, it's still a key reference tome for me and one I recommend to my students too 🧑‍🎓

I'm always aware that in working with animals and especially, we stand on the shoulders of giants. Karen Pryor (and her legacy) is definitely one of those giants 🐾😔

01/06/2025

Today, we honor the incredible life and legacy of Karen Pryor, a pioneer who transformed the world of animal training and left an indelible mark on our industry.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that Karen Pryor’s groundbreaking work paved the way for trainers like myself, and countless others, to advocate for humane, effective training methods. While the fight for positive change would still continue, her visionary efforts undoubtedly accelerated the progress, bringing us to this better place much sooner than we might have otherwise achieved.

Karen Pryor was one of the first to show the world that animals don’t need to be trained with violence or fear. Her work with marine mammals in the 1960s, grounded in science and compassion, paved the way for positive reinforcement techniques that continue to shape the industry.

She didn’t just teach us how to train better; she taught us to see animals as sentient beings, deserving of respect, patience, and understanding.

Her book Don’t Shoot the Dog! remains a cornerstone in the field of behavioral psychology and animal training, introducing the world to the principles of operant conditioning and the power of positive reinforcement. The Karen Pryor Academy, founded in 2007, has trained thousands of professionals, ensuring her legacy endures in the hands of those committed to ethical training practices.

She laid the foundation for a movement that prioritizes trust, connection, and kindness. The positive changes we see in the industry today, our collective rejection of outdated, punitive methods, are a direct result of her fearless advocacy and unwavering belief in a better way.

Her work changed our field, but more importantly, it changed the way we connect with the animals who share our lives.

Thank you, Karen, for showing us what’s possible when science and compassion come together.

Your legacy will continue to inspire us, and we’ll strive to honor your memory by carrying your vision of compassion for animals forward. Rest in peace, and thank you for everything.

Zak George

01/06/2025

With profound sadness and immense gratitude, we honor the life and legacy of Karen Pryor, a true pioneer in the fields of animal behavior and positive reinforcement training. Karen’s groundbreaking work revolutionized how we communicate with animals—and each other—leaving an indelible mark on science, education, and the lives of countless species around the world.

Continue reading: https://bit.ly/4214rRG

01/05/2025

Karen Pryor's impact on dog training is undeniable, but reaches into zoo welfare and marine mammal care, and even children on the spectrum

01/05/2025

https://youtu.be/qWcnDSq46gE?si=HrniYeLQxpS3dOPM

This video is all about keeping dogs' teeth healthy and safe. Dr. Orion, a veterinarian, explains that while it's normal for dogs to chew things, some chew t...