In her book, What Shamu Taught Me About Life Love and Marriage, Amy Sutherland goes into great detail about what she learned from animal trainers.  Amy Sutherland emmersed herself into the world of animal trainers to find out what it was they did and how.  What she got out of the experience was a life changing experience and a new perspective on the greatest of all animals… Humans.

About the Book

While doing research for her previous book  “Kicked, Bitten, and Scratched”, Amy Sutherland found her self at a little known community college in Southern California where they train animal trainers.  After spending so much time watching the students learn to walk dangerous big cats on leashes and dealing with other large and dangerous animals with great success, she began to wonder about using these same techniques on another animal…. her husband.  So she took these lessons home and found out that not only would the animal training techniques work, but they made her a better person for using them.

Amy Sutherland talks about how to use such techniques as the LRS, Least Reinforcing Scenario, which is the most neutral response possible to an incorrect behavior.  Basically what a trainer does is not respond to something the animal does which the trainer does NOT want to reinforce. They will ignore  the behavior they don’t want and reward the behavior they do want.  Of course this doesn’t apply to behavoir that is dangerous, but that’s talked about in another part of the book.  Amy then talks about how she uses these techniques in her own personal relationships with her husband, friends and family.

My Thoughts

I really didn’t know what to expect from this book, and probably never would have picked it up in the bookstore, but I’m so glad I was got a chance to read it for this review.  I plan on having it around for future refrence and I’ve already started using some of these amazing techniques on my own children.  This is probably one of the best books on interpersonal relationships I’ve read in a very long time.

Amy Sutherland is a witty and charming writer with a great perspective on life and relationships.  She takes you through the lessons she learned from animal trainers and how she used them to make her life and relationships better.  While reading this book light bulbs went off and I had many “A-ha!” moments, especially concerning my sons, but also my other important relationships.  The biggest lesson in the book isn’t about how to “train” or “change” the people around you, but how to “train” or “change” yourself and how you react to the people around you.

This was a fun and interesting book to read and the techniques of positive reinforcement that is explained are easy to understand and implement into your own life.  They just make so much sense!  I plan on giving this book to some of my family with young chidren because it’s definitely a great parenting instruction manual.  If you’re having trouble with your kids or any relationship in your life, this is a must read!  Not only will you get great ideas on how to deal with the big and little problems, you’ll also have a good laugh!

Book Details

• Author: Amy Sutherland
  
• Publisher: Random House (February 12, 2008)
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400066581
• ISBN-13: 978-1400066582

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