Karen Pryor’s book, Don’t Shoot the Dog heralded the start of the clicker training revolution. Pryor started out as a trainer of dolphins and whales and her work really drew attention to the possibilities of positive reinforcement. Like most trainers who work with wild or aquatic animals, Pryor is understandably cautious about the use of negative reinforcement – this facet of operant conditioning is rarely appropriate in a zoo or aquarium setting because these trainers work at a distance from their charges. For those of us who have physical contact with the animals that we train (horses, camels, elephants and to a certain extent dogs) negative reinforcement isn’t an option, it’s our bread and butter…
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