Initiative for Force-free Dog Training

03/02/2025

06/01/2025

"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.

01/12/2024

🎉 CSF 2025 ticketing is now open! 🎉

We’re excited to announce that ticketing for CSF 2025 is officially LIVE!

📅 Don’t miss out on the early bird offer—buy your tickets by 31st January 2025 to secure the best price.

🎟️ Get your tickets now at: www.csf-hamburg.de

Join us in Hamburg for an unforgettable CSF 2025 —we can’t wait to see you there! 🌟

Feel free to share this post to help us spread the word! 💬


The CSF 2025 organising team

29/09/2024

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tz5ukSvZGTY

In this insightful video, Jose from Train Me Please delves into a lesser-known study on electronic collar training that challenges prevailing narratives. Wit...

14/09/2024

05/07/2024

A word I wish we would remove from our vocabularies is the word "fine."

I routinely hear dogs being labeled as "fine" when they are in fact shut down, nervous, upset, tolerating, or uncomfortable.

"Fine" should not be the standard we aim for when it comes to how a dog is managing.

The goal should not be that the dog is tolerant of what is happening to or around them, rather, we should ensure that the dog is genuinely comfortable and accepting of it.

Let's take something as innocent as petting.
Humans pet dogs as a way of greeting, to provide attention, or to show affection, but how many dogs actually like to be pet?
Or if they do, are we sure that they want to be pet by THAT person in THAT very moment?
A dog should be permitted to enjoy an activity, such as petting, but still not wish to partake in that activity all the time, or with every person they come across. They should be given a choice, and be permitted control over what happens to their body (and when/by whom.)

Very rarely are our dogs given the chance to vote on the matter.

As dog guardians we can do better for our dogs.
* Look at their body language (all of it, not just their presence in the moment) to determine how your dog might be feeling.
If you're unsure what their body language is telling you, take the chance to learn more about this subtle, but vital communication.

* Give your dog agency by allowing THEM to initiate interactions with others, should they choose.
This might look as simple as instructing guests to ignore the dog (you'll want to specify what this looks like), and only engage in petting if the dog approaches them and ASKS for this attention (nudge, nose bump, etc.)

* Perform regular "consent checks" to see if the dog wants the interaction to continue.
I like to teach a 3 pets and pause rule. Pet 3 times, ideally on a "neutral" area such as the shoulder or chest, and then withdraw your hand and stop. What does the dog do next? Do they bump your hand in outrage? You're probably OK to continue.

Dogs shouldn't have to tolerate life just because we want them to. They are sentient beings with feelings and preferences that deserve to be respected.

Be your dog's voice.

19/06/2024

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQnBLXa-dGs

Welcome to Train Me Please with Jose! In this video, I'm excited to share 8 guiding principles that underpin modern compassionate dog training. Join me as we...

04/06/2024

https://www.thisdogslife.co/cesar-millan-just-celebrated-20-years-on-tv-not-everyone-is-happy-about-it/

Cesar Millan’s influence on dog training is undeniable, marking two decades of shaping public perceptions and practices. But not everyone is celebrating.

15/05/2024