Chaser

Chaser: Unlocking the Genius of the Dog Who Knows a Thousand Words Hardcover

Author: Dr. John W. Pilley Jr. Ph.D - ISBN: 0544102576 - Language: English - Format: PDF, EPUB

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*Starred Review* There probably isn’t another breed of dog with the drive to work as the border collie, so it is no surprise that the dog that knows more than 1,000 words is that breed. Chaser arrived in the author’s household as an eight-week-old puppy, destined for the dual role of pet and research subject. From the start, she demonstrated a quick ability to learn, a strong herding drive, and an open and accepting personality, all of which made her the ideal dog for training and for advanced learning. In a warm, folksy narrative style, Pilley describes the steps he took in teaching words to Chaser: along with learning the standard herding commands, Chaser was also taught to differentiate between her toys by their names. Pilley artfully describes his training techniques, which can be extrapolated to any dog, and shows us exactly how Chaser learned. When the author and a colleague published a scientific paper on Chaser’s achievements, her fame went viral, and she was invited to demonstrate her genius on TV. This marvelous blend of good science and heartwarming dog story will inspire all of us to reexamine our canine friends. --Nancy Bent

Review

"Chaser is the most scientifically important dog in over a century. Her fascinating story reveals just how sophisticated a dog’s mind can be."
—Brian Hare, coauthor of The Genius of Dogs

"After you read Chaser, you will realize that you may have underestimated the intelligence of your dog. Marvelous insights into a dog’s mind."
—Temple Grandin, author of
Animals in Translation and Animals Make Us Human

"This is an extraordinary book, full of warmth and wisdom that has the potential to forever change the way we look at dogs. While Chaser herself seems extraordinary, maybe she is also every dog, in showing us what every dog is capable of. 　Maybe not every dog can learn over a thousand words, but every dog I have ever known can read our heart, and that, to me, is the great secret between dogs and humans that we are just now learning, and which is so deeply evident in this wonderful book: 　Chaser loves people, and because of that love she will do anything asked of her, even learn the names of one thousand toys! Dr. John Pilley’s work with Chaser is not only a loving affirmation for readers who already know how much they adore and trust the ability of dogs, but is also a game-changer for skeptical scientists, who must find themselves, after reading this remarkable book, inching closer to recognizing the full humanity of dogs."
—Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, author of When Elephants Weep and Dogs Never Lie About Love

"A Border Collie that understands lots of words won’t surprise people who work with these inventive dogs, but what makes John Pilley’s tale special is his dogged determination, long after his retirement from teaching psychology, to keep his own brain fizzing with all the new words and techniques and ideas he needs to learn to get his results published in a respected science journal."
—Bruce Fogle, author of The Dog’s Mind and The Encyclopedia of Dogs

"If a truly great book leaves one better for having read it, then Chaser is quite simply a masterpiece.　 Dogs and those of us who love them owe to debt of gratitude to the brilliant, courageous author and his equally heroic subject."
—Jennifer Arnold, author of Through a Dog’s Eyes

"An engrossing and remarkable tale." -- The Bark

"A delightful memoir that offers a challenge to behavioral psychologists and inspiration for pet lovers." -- Kirkus Reviews "This marvelous blend of good science and heartwarming dog story will inspire all of us to reexamine our canine friends." -- Booklist, *starred* review

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DETAILS

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (October 29, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0544102576
• ISBN-13: 978-0544102576
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #36,965 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #77 in Books > Science & Math > Biological Sciences > Zoology
  • #93 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Pets & Animal Care > Dogs > Training

REVIEWS

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In the spirit of full disclosure, I am a dog lover and the owner of a Shetland sheepdog that never ceases to amaze me with her intelligence. For most of my life, I have strongly disagreed with the belief, long espoused by the church and philosophers such as Descartes, that animals are soulless and therefore essentially different from humans. It is therefore with great interest that I picked up a copy of 'Chaser: Unlocking the Genius of the Dog Who Knows a Thousand Words', a book that knocks that archaic attitude on its tail.

Its author, John Pilley Ph.D., is a retired professor of psychology at Wofford College who, during his teaching career, taught animal behavior using, as his teaching assistant, his dog, Yasha. With both Yasha and his teaching career behind him, Pilley took to moping around the house until his wife, as any sane wife would, put her foot down and told him in no uncertain terms that he was going to get another dog. Enter Chaser, a border collie puppy that enters the Pilley household and immediately takes over.

Pilley, with his background in animal behavioral research, is not your everyday dog owner and immediately sets out to answer the question, "How much can a dog learn?" Armed with love, patience and an endless supply of free time, he worked with Chaser every day, devising experiments aimed at discovering the limits of what a dog can learn. I use the words work and experiments but the truth is that everything he does with Chaser is play, at least as far as Chaser sees it. Within three years, Chaser had learned the names of 1,022 toys and was able to correctly respond to several commands related to each. She also was able to apply deductive reasoning and retrieve unfamiliar items by process of elimination.

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