Subtitled "How
to train any animal using Dolphin training
techniques," Whales with Fur
is a book every pet owner must have.
Pete Davey is a professional dolphin trainer
who has used his special techniques to train
a wide variety of animals, including cats,
dogs and horses. With humor and lots of
photographs and sketches, Pete says that by
thinking of pets as "whales with fur," the
reader can apply his techniques to any
animal to get the desired results.
Foreword by
Jack Hanna, TV Host of Animal Adventures.
|
CONTENTS
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Foreword
Introduction
1: What do I know?
2: Fluffy is really smart
3: Why train?
4: Learnin’ the lingo
5: Some thoughts to keep
in your head before you start
6: Getting started on your
very own whale
7: Let’s start some
training
8: Retrievals
9: Training a cat?
10: A horse is a horse
11: Look at me…I’m
training!
12: Dogs will be dogs;
self-reinforcing behaviors
13: Oh, that’s just his
way of saying hello
14: Selective bridging to
improve behaviors, not just to fix them
15: Yippee, going to the
vet!
16: Hey, whatcha doing’
with that needle?
Index
Photographic/Illustration Credits
About the Author
REVIEWS
"Now
here is a book that lives by the rule "what you see is
what you get". And that's how the author lives his life.
No dancing around the topic, just getting down to the
real deal. Whales With Fur is a book that anyone
interested in training his or her pet "Fido", "Morris",
or "Mr. Ed", should have. Pete Davey approaches the
training of one's pet by drawing from his experience of
training marine mammals. For those of you that have been
in the exotic animal training business for years, you
most likely will find nothing new. It's not the content
of the information that had me glued to the pages; it's
the style with which Pete writes. It's downright funny.
Readers should be able to relax while learning from
Pete's book, because he conveys his thoughts as if you
were sitting in his kitchen watching him prepare dinner
(wait a minute, Pete doesn't make dinner, but Jody does,
and you'll see her throughout the book). Maybe a better
analogy would be debating with Pete over beers at an
IMATA conference; that's more realistic. But the bottom
line is you need this book. It's a great teaching tool
for novice trainers as he doesn't bore you with
laborious multi-syllabic terms coined every year at
conferences. But he draws great comparisons that attempt
to make the reader's mind "click" when struggling
through training. As you peruse his written dialogue,
Pete takes the reader through history (nice
pictures...however I noticed that Pete seemed to get
older each page I turned), reasons animals should be
trained, and then on to foundational terminology. He
then shifts gears into what one should consider before
confusing the heck out of the "about to be trained"
individual (lucky them). Finally the training process
begins, and the reader/apprentice trainer is taken on a
journey of "how to's" and "why not's" that many of us
wish we had heard, oh those many years ago. The best
part is how Pete encourages the reader to train the
examples he lists, and more importantly how to
troubleshoot what may be occurring...and all the while
he makes you laugh. As one heads through the "home
stretch" of the book, Pete covers the issues of
non-desirable behavior and forethought about those
things that can be sensitizing to the standard pet. All
in all, it's good stuff. As stated, the author, Pete
Davey, has done a great job of breaking down the lingo,
the desires, the problems, and the successes of training
in an easy to read format. He pairs a reinforcer
(laughing) with what may seem to be a border line
punisher (reading text) to achieve the desired outcome
(making Pete a lot of money)...I mean (teaching
caregivers how to not confuse their prized companions
through clear communication). It's a book well worth
reading. And just like Ramirez's book on training, you
only need to jump on Amazon.com...happy training! "
Off The Shelf-Compiled by Dr. Gray Stafford /
Reviewed by Billy Hurley, Dolphin Quest
"As a
dog lover, I am proud of what my beagle hound Shadow can
do. He can do regular dog things like roll over, say
hello, and stay. It was not easy teaching him these
skills, and I have failed in a number of other efforts.
For instance, if I throw a tennis ball, he will pursue
it, but he will not yield it up, preferring instead to
slurp it, chew it, and toss it in the air for himself.
As a hound, he is a prisoner of his nose. So efforts to
convince him to refrain from smelling our guests, with
emphasis on certain sensitive areas of their bodies,
have been equally unsuccessful. As a result, when
visitors come, he must be leashed. Although he sits
agreeably by me during visits, it is a little
embarrassing that I can not let him loose. He sometimes
barks when gullible people are eating, because he enjoys
people food. He will steal it if we turn our backs on
him.
Had I been able to read Whales with Fur prior to
teaching Shadow some manners, I would have had an easier
time of it. This book is written by an expert on
animals, but it is written in an easy-to-understand
manner. For instance, on the matter of fetching, I
immediately saw the error of my ways.
Like many other owners, I always threw the ball and when
my dog ran towards me, I would offer him a bit of doggie
biscuit. Of course, as soon as Shadow saw the biscuit,
he dropped the ball, ran to gobble the treat, almost
choking himself with enthusiasm, and then ran back to
pick up the ball and take off for parts unknown.
Author Pete Davey sheds a great deal of light on this
matter by explaining that instead of teaching the dog to
run after the ball, an owner must first teach the dog to
release the ball in a backward training approach. Davey
uses terms like "bridge" for the stimulus that
communicates to the dog what you want him to do so that
he will get the "reinforcer" or reward. Davey explains
that you actually begin the training with the goal. He
writes, "Think of training the behavior backwards. The
last thing in the sequence of events you want Laddie to
do is hand you the Frisbee. Right? So put the Frisbee in
Laddie's mouth. Then, at the same time your hand is
holding the Frisbee and Laddie holds the Frisbee in his
mouth, bridge (whistle) and reinforce (hot dog
piece)."(pg. 49)
That advice makes so much sense to me now, but until I
read this book, it never occurred to me. Whales with Fur
is full of such advice. It is more than a book, it's a
complete system for teaching an animal good behavior.
The foreword is by Jack Hanna, Director Emeritus of the
Columbus Zoo, and also host of TV's "Animal Adventures."
Author Pete Davey, Director of Training for Marineland
of Florida, has been involved in advanced animal
training and care for 16 years. He's worked with whales,
dolphins, sea lions, seals, tigers, birds, and many
other species.
If you want your horse to jump higher, or your dog to
quit falling apart as soon as he sees the vet, this
book's for you. Davey covers cats that scratch, dogs
that dig, and teaching animals how to perceive that
"good" means the behavior is what you want them to do.
Davey's writing style is peppered with humor, and that's
a nice touch that makes solid information more
user-friendly. Consider this passage about taking your
pooch to the vet: "Most people will claim Skipper KNOWS
when he is going to the vet. In reality it is far more
likely that he knows the car ride is going to end in
something negative. It is very unlikely that Skipper's
brain comes up with, "Wow, that lady is getting her
purse, putting the children in the car, and now is
coming towards me...my goodness, we must be embarking to
the veterinary office, where I might be stuck upon the
rump with a sharp needle. I know...I'll run away!" (pg.
127)
The photographs and illustrations in the book enhance
the reader's experience. There's one photo of a large
marine animal with a human foot protruding from the
animal's mouth. Apparently, the trainer hadn't read
Whales with Fur.
In our home, we'll be trying Davey's techniques on our
beagle hound. Maybe one day, we'll be able to leave a
turkey sandwich unguarded. I'll definitely be buying
some copies for my family and friends, with several
unruly pets in mind. Hopefully, loved ones will learn to
get the dog or cat to do what the humans want instead of
being held hostage by their pets."
Reviewed by Kay Day author of A Poetry Break, Poetry for
Your Pleasure
TOP OF PAGE |
