Zoomility: Keeper Tales of Training with Positive Reinforcement

By Grey Stafford

Book Overview

Training should be about helping animals succeed, not boosting our egos. That idea is at the core of Zoomility ? a combination of humility and Dr. Stafford's years of experience training animals at... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0979681006
• ISBN13: 9780979681004
• Release Date: September 2007
• Publisher: Ireinforce.com
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 3.90 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Insightful Perspective on Positive Training

As a proponent of positive training, I am always excited when a work showcases the benefits and great results of positive training. This book does that and more! Dr. Stafford does a wonderful job of breaking down positive training methods and explaining them in a way that can be easily understood. He progresses from explaining theory to showcasing methods that can be used to teach behaviors such as sit, stay, heel, name recalls, etc. As part of this, he also discusses what to do when the animal doesn't meet criteria, instead of using punishment. This, I feel, is so important because so many trainers are left wondering what to do when this occurs. It is also refreshing that the book highlights examples when training and animal interactions did not go quite as planned for Dr. Stafford. It is so nice to know that even the best trainers have unexpected moments when working with animals and that these events can be taken in stride. A great book for professionals and others who would like to learn more about positive training and how to form a great relationship with their animals!

Good for basics

I am a professional zookeeper and bought Zoomility to help with some of our training issues we were having at the zoo. While Stafford's methods fall in line with Karen Pryor's, I found the book to be lacking in concrete examples of how exactly he dealt with some of the problems he described. I did like the appendix in the back that breaks down simple commands such as sit, stay, crate training etc, but found the "A to B" training breakdown lacking. All in all a good read, and had many helpful tips, but was not groundbreaking enough to make me want to go to his two day Zoomility conference. I would recommend buying and reading Karen Pryor's "Don't Shoot the Dog" before investing in Zoomility, however, both books make a great addition to any training library.

Great Book

This is a great book, would recomend it for anyone. Lots of terminology put plain and simple. Very helpful information and the zoo stories are great to. I would recomend this for Trainers in zoo's and people looking for a way to train their pets at home.

Excellent reading

The best way to train animals is with positive reinforcement. This book has many true stories demonstrating positive reinforcement with very interesting animals. A great book to read for fun and if you want to be a trainer.