I remember seeing Chaser on Nova and being amazed and fascinated by her. I mean, she knows over a thousand words ! How awesome is that ? So when I spotted this book I just had to read it. I wanted to know more about how she managed to learn so many words. The book is a very enjoyable read of Chaser as a puppy and the bond she forms with the the author John W. Pilley. This bond turned out to be a very important factor in her obtaining all these words. Pilley maintains that just about any border collie, and probably most dogs are also capable of having a thousand word vocabulary. But what this book makes clear is just how much of an important role Pilley played in the procedure. After reading this book I am still amazed and fascinated by Chaser, but I am also amazed and fascinated by John W. Pilley as well. Pilley take a bow, you richly deserve it ! ( )

A book club selection that had mixed reviews. I liked the book, and story but sometimes was more technical than I or some of the others in book club wanted. ( )

I really injoyed reading the story of Chaser. It's a great read about psychological testing, training, operant conditioning. However, it's told by one who loves dogs for those who also have been owned by smart thinking dogs. If you don't have a connection with dogs, particularly herding dogs, this is probably not the book for you.

Great information in a friendly heart warming story. ( )

Great book! ( )

John Pilley uses old-school psychology to train his border collie in Chaser: Unlocking the Genius of the Dog Who Knows a Thousand Words, co-authored with Hilary Hinzmann. What a coincidence that the methods he uses, based on his experience as a professor of human psychology, look a lot like force-free dog training!

With one exception: Like Ted Kerasote in Merle’s Door, Pilley turns to an aversive method to curb Chaser’s “chase drive.” While Kerasote used a shock collar, Pilley uses a mighty jerk of a long line and a stern “No.” It’s hard for me to say these techniques are wrong, wrong, wrong, because as far as reported, they prevented the dogs from chasing things, and neither Merle nor Chaser developed aggressive or fearful tendencies as a result. I can say that knowing what I now know, I would never use either method on a dog.

Otherwise, the book is a joy to read. I love that this retired professor refers to himself as Chaser’s “Pop Pop” (because that’s what his grandson calls him). Throughout, Pilley emphasizes how much fun it is for Chaser to learn new words. He turns down an offer to let another scientist work with her, which would have meant more academic acclaim, because that would mean having Chaser live with someone else temporarily. Above all, Chaser is a family dog.

When Chaser appears on the Today Show, Pilley feels bad that Chaser doesn’t have a chance to play with her toys after fetching them by name for Matt Lauer. Chaser is supposed to get to play with her toys as her reward for fetching the right toy.

I’ve heard dog trainers brag about how many words their dogs know. How do they really know? I wondered. Beyond their names and basic obedience commands, most dogs know “outside” or “walk” or “dinner,” but how do you keep track of the number of words? Pilley set about it scientifically, by giving each toy a unique name. He has a list of 1,022 different toy names that Chaser understands. He also teaches her categories of words: she knows a racquetball by its name “Blue,” and also knows that it is a “toy” and a “ball.”

Pilley works with Chaser for hours a day. With that much dedication, I bet any dog of above average intelligence could learn quite a few words. ( )