Do not shoot the dog, look for ways to help people and modify their behavior

This book addresses how to train any human or animal, big or small, alone or in a group, to do anything that can and should be done. How to get the cat out of the kitchen or stop your grandmother from stubbornly resisting you? How to influence the behavior of your pets, children, boss, and friends? How to improve your tennis serve, your golf game, your math skills, your memory? All of this using reinforcement training principles. These principles are laws like the laws of physics that underpin every learning situation, just as the law of gravity underpins the falling of the apple. And whenever we seek to change behavior in ourselves or others, we use these laws whether we realize it or not. Usually, we use them inappropriately... we threaten, argue, hate, and prevent. We attack others when things go wrong and miss the opportunity to praise them when things go right. We are harsh and impatient with our children, with each other, and even with ourselves, and we feel guilty about this harshness. We know that with better methods, we could achieve our goals faster and without frustration, but we cannot imagine these methods. We are simply out of sync with the ways modern trainers benefit from positive reinforcement laws. Whatever the training task—whether keeping a four-year-old calm in a public place, or training a puppy, or coaching a team, or memorizing a poem—things will go faster, better, and be more enjoyable if you know how to use positive reinforcement.