Karen Pryor had many interests. She was an observer of the smallest detail (as a child she studied butterfly anatomy) but what made her life&#;s work exceptional was that she also saw the big picture. It would have been enough that Karen was one of the first marine mammal trainers who used behavior science and positive reinforcement, but she took that experience and turned it into a culture-changing perspective on animal behavior, communication between species, and humanity. We are all fortunate that Karen was an effective and engaging writer, making her observations accessible to readers worldwide.
She initially learned about behavior theory as a pioneering dolphin trainer in the s. But early on she had mentors from fields that rarely intersected, such as behaviorist B. F. Skinner and ethologist Konrad Lorenz. Karen has said: “I consider my gifts as a scientist to be the ability to synthesize apparently opposing fields of thought and to apply theory in the real world.”
In the real world, using her perspective, she brought positive reinforcement (clicker) training to the dog and zoo worlds, gave confidence to hundreds of thousands of breast-feeding women, developed techniqu
Karen Pryor’s life work defies labels. As a marine mammal trainer in the s, she was a pioneer in the use of behavioral science to develop the dolphin shows at Sea Life Park. While there, she was the curator and head trainer, and did ground-breaking work on animal behavior and cognition. Her work at Sea Life Park led to the first scientific paper on training creativity in animals. Karen Pryor saw the big picture, and understood how these training techniques could create empathetic and effective communication not just with marine mammals, but with all other animals, and amongst humans. She put those ideas into her book Don’t Shoot the Dog! (published ). This became an international bestseller (and continues to be to this day). What was outlined in the book became embraced by animal trainers, and eventually turned into what is now called clicker training, which is a positive and humane way to work with animals.
Throughout her life, Karen Pryor saw problems and looked for doable solutions. As a young mother, she wasn’t satisfied with the advice that she was given about breastfeeding. So she did research, and went on to write Nursing Your Baby, which since has been continually
Pryor, Karen
PERSONAL: Born May 14, , in New York, NY; daughter of Philip Gordon (an author) and Sally (an antiques dealer; maiden name, Ondeck) Wylie; married Taylor A. Pryor, June 16, (divorced, November, ); married Jon Morrow Lindbergh (an aqua-culture consultant), May 14, ; children: (first marriage) Tedmund Wylie, Michael A., Gale T. Education:Cornell University, B.A., ; graduate study at University of Hawaii—Manoa, , and New York University and Rutgers University,
ADDRESSES: Home—Watertown, MA. Office— Sunshine Books, Inc., 49 River St., Suite 3, Waltham, MA
CAREER: Behavioral biologist and author. Sea Life Park and Oceanic Institute, Honolulu, HI, cofounder and developer, , curator and head trainer, ; Fawcett-McDermott-Cavanaugh, Honolulu, copywriter, ; U.S. Tuna Foundation, Washington, DC, scientific adviser, ; Sunshine Books, Inc., Waltham, MA, chief executive officer, publisher, and editor in chief. Member of national Marine Mammal Commission, ; Cambridge Center for Behavior Studies, member of board of trustees; principal investigator on dolphin behavior for Office of Naval Research, National Marine Fisheries Service, and National Aeronautics and Space
Remembering Karen Pryor: The Legacy of a Trailblazer Who Ignited a Global Training Revolution
Karen’s work in writing and publishing led to the creation of Karen Pryor Clicker Training (KPCT) in with business partner, Aaron Clayton. With Karen's inspiration, the organization catalyzed a community of positive reinforcement enthusiasts dedicated to teaching Karen’s principles and methods and advocating for their adoption across various settings—from companion animal training to competition environments and working animals, including assistance and guide dogs. KPCT became a leader in effective positive training methods, publishing books and other training resources, offering training products, hosting ClickerExpo conferences, and establishing the Karen Pryor Academy for Animal Training & Behavior (KPA).
The ClickerExpo conferences were the first training and behavior conferences of their kind, bringing together trainers, educators, and behavior enthusiasts to share knowledge, techniques, and innovations in positive reinforcement training. The conferences have inspired countless collaborations and continue to attract attendees from around the globe.&nbs
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