Karen Pryor is a behavioral biologist, a pioneering dolphin trainer, and an
authority on applied operant conditioning—the art and science of changing
behavior with positive reinforcement. Her book, "Don't Shoot the Dog," now in
its 16th printing, was written as a basic text on how the conditioned
reinforcer works in everyday life; it's also become the "bible" for many dog
trainers, especially those who want to avoid harsh methods.
Many dog trainers are now using a little plastic noisemaker, a "clicker," as
their marker signal to tell the dog when it's done the right thing. In 1987
Pryor began giving dog training seminars and communicating with hundreds and
then thousands of people who were experimenting with this non-coercive teaching
system, nicknamed "clicker training." Clicker training has now spread around
the world, greatly aided by the Internet (see Pryor's clicker training Web
site in the Resources section of this site). Reinforcement training is now widely used in
zoos, in the handling and medical care of wild animals, and with other domestic
animals such as horses. Pryor herself is presently studying the use of a marker
signal in the teaching of developmentally disabled children.
Karen Pryor was educated at Cornell University with graduate work in zoology
and behavioral biology at Rutgers and NYU. She was a co-founder of Hawaii's Sea
Life Park and Oceanic Institute where she served as curator and pioneering head
dolphin trainer. She is the author of seven books and over 50 scientific and
popular articles on learning and behavior. She has served the U.S. government
as a marine mammal expert and Federal Commissioner, and consults to private
industry on behavior and training. She is the publisher and editor in chief of
Sunshine Books, Inc., producing books and videos on "clicker training" and the
science of operant conditioning and positive reinforcement. Ms. Pryor has three
children, six grandchildren, and one dog, a Border Terrier. She resides in
Watertown, Massachusetts.
