Don't Shoot the Dog!

"Don't Shoot the Dog!" by Karen Pryor explains how understanding and applying positive reinforcement can effectively change behavior. Instead of punishing unwanted actions, it emphasizes rewarding desired behaviors to encourage them to occur more often. The book covers principles of operant conditioning, showing how consistent, targeted rewards can shape habits in humans and animals alike. It also highlights the importance of clarity, timing, and patience in training, making behavior change more humane and effective. Overall, the book advocates for kind, science-based methods to influence behavior constructively and sustainably.