Book · recommended on 7 episodes
Don't Shoot the Dog
Karen Pryor ISBN 0553253883
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Karen Pryor ISBN 0553253883
Find it on AmazonAffiliate link — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
This book by Karen Pryor has come up 7 times on Tim Ferriss. 7 of those mentions were genuine on-air recommendations, not just passing references. The people who brought it up: Elan Lee, Tim Ferriss. The earliest mention we indexed is from 2021-10-21 and the most recent from 2026-03-26. Every occurrence below links to the episode page and to the exact second it was said on YouTube.
Explains the underlying principles of behavioral training and how powerful positive reinforcement can be, whether working with pets or trying to improve humans.
“the books that I have found most helpful are Don't Shoot the Dog by Karen Pryor. I think everybody should read that”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Tim Ferriss: Author, podcaster, and early-stage investor; solo Q&A host answering pre-submitted and live audience questions about AI, careers, creativity, and life. Tim Ferriss answers listener questions on the AI tsunami, arguing offline, relational, and in-real-life advantages matter more as machines eat white-collar work.
“It's called Don't Shoot the Dog. It is the best game design principle I have ever encountered in my life.”— Elan Lee
The guest here is Elan Lee: Co-creator and CEO of Exploding Kittens, the self-described number one independent game studio (60 million games sold), former chief design officer at Xbox; co-designed the game Coyote with Tim Ferriss. Exploding Kittens CEO Elan Lee walks Tim Ferriss through designing, testing, and selling their card game Coyote and what makes bestselling games.
“there's a great book there's so many terrible books on dog training one which has a terrible title unfortunately called Don't Shoot the dog is written by Karen prior”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Dr. Becky Kennedy: Clinical psychologist, founder of Good Inside, and author of Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be; known for parenting scripts and her TED Talk on the power of repair. Dr. Becky Kennedy unpacks sturdy leadership, boundaries, repair, and the myth of maternal instinct in parenting.
“I was reading this book called Don't Shoot the dog excellent book isn't it a great book it is the top recommendation always for people who are considering getting a dog”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Scott Glenn: Actor of nearly 60 years (Apocalypse Now, Urban Cowboy, The Right Stuff, The Silence of the Lambs, The Hunt for Red October, The Leftovers, Daredevil, The White Lotus), based in Idaho with no social media or website. Legendary actor Scott Glenn, 85, on building a 60-year career, marriage, and elite fitness through tenacity, presence, and apprenticeship.
“I would strongly recommend Don't Shoot the Dog by, I believe it's Karen Pryor, who popularized clicker training”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Tim Ferriss: Author, entrepreneur, angel investor, and host of The Tim Ferriss Show, in a solo live Q&A fielding pre-submitted and live-feed questions. Tim Ferriss answers fan questions on AI companions, weight training for longevity, writer's block, low-back pain, and meaning in a secular age.
“there's a quote also from a book called Don't Shoot the dog which is terrible title but excellent book written by Karen PRI”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Tim Ferriss: Five-time #1 New York Times bestselling author (The 4-Hour Workweek, Body, Chef), pioneering podcaster of The Tim Ferriss Show, startup investor, and major philanthropic funder of psychedelic mental-health research. Tim Ferriss breaks down his system for spotting future trends, learning fast, psychedelic philanthropy, and the personal traumas that shaped his work.
“there's a great book called don't shoot the dog terrible title great book by uh it's karen pryor that i recommend to everybody”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Alisa Cohn: An executive coach who has worked with founders and executives for nearly 20 years at companies like Venmo, Etsy, DraftKings, Dell, Google, and Microsoft. A recovering CPA and former startup CFO, she is the author of 'From Startup to Grown-Up' and an angel investor and Broadway show investor. Executive coach Alisa Cohn shares frameworks on 360 feedback, founder prenups, self-talk, and word-for-word scripts for difficult conversations.
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