Adam Task Calling Animals by Name (Audible Audio Edition) Vicki Hearne Rachel Fulginiti Audible Studios Books
Download As PDF : Adam Task Calling Animals by Name (Audible Audio Edition) Vicki Hearne Rachel Fulginiti Audible Studios Books
Have you ever watched a horse flick her tail or had a dog greet you at your door and known in your heart that the animal was exhibiting something more than simple instinctual responses? If so, you must read this book. In it Vicki Hearne asserts that animals that interact with humans are more intelligent than we assume. In fact, they are capable of developing an understanding of "the good", a moral code that influences their motives and actions. Hearne's thorough studies led her to adopt a new system of animal training that contradicts modern animal behavioral research, but - as her examples show - is astonishingly effective. Hearne's theories will make every trainer, animal psychologist, and animal-lover stop, think, and question.
Adam Task Calling Animals by Name (Audible Audio Edition) Vicki Hearne Rachel Fulginiti Audible Studios Books
So many reviewers have completely missed the point of this book, in spite of Hearne's warning in the first paragraph that the book is "philosophical" and about finding "an accurate way to talk about our relationships with domestic animals." Listen carefully: It is not a training manual. Let's wait a moment for the folks who need to digest that.Not so strangely, Hearne does not reveal her special trick for getting dogs to fetch, although there is an entire chapter called "How to Say 'Fetch!'" (Note it is about how to SAY 'fetch', not how to teach it.) In fact, she spends almost as much time talking about horses as she does about dogs, and there is even a substantial chapter on cats. Since the latter "can't be trained," this might serve as an additional clue that (ready?) "This is not a training manual."
To those who got that and still weren't too happy with the book, I offer my sympathy. There are places where Hearne lets "literature" run away with coherence, not on every page but often enough that I found myself writing "More gibberish" in the margin 'way too often. That said, there is enough unique, illuminating insight in the book to more than make up for the occasional rave. I am not sure that all good dogs are "contemptuous of bribes," but I have one who is (admittedly, she is still a teen with teen arrogance), and I had one who was (a Rotty mix of great wisdom, gentleness, and charm). If we remember that our work is "finding a way to talk about our relationship with domestic animals," Hearne's observation becomes apt. By presuming that we can bribe a dog into doing our will, we say something about that relationship that is worth reconsidering.
A key concept of Hearne's "new vocabulary" is the idea that dogs think in terms of "their work." Gwynn, for example, my snotty teenager, has identified patrolling for squirrels as "her work." Her companion, an ACD named Pwyll, finds her dedication and concentration rather bizarre. He's happy to rush after this squirrel or that, but it's just one of many pleasures. Gwynn, on the other hand, will refuse to come, no matter how tempting the treat or offer or how unpleasant the outcome, when she is busy with a squirrel. Once she is finished with the squirrel, then she is happy to oblige, and she sees nothing wrong with her behavior. Patrolling for squirrels is her work; when she is busy, ignoring me isn't personal. That is not to say it's Ok to ignore me, but understanding her behavior in these terms makes dealing with it less fraught. Most of us know someone who is convinced his dog piddles on the carpet "to get even" when left alone, and what Hearne wants us to think about is not the truth or falsity of this opinion, but the metaphysics, the philosophy that it entails.
One reviewer sneers that HE hardly ever regards anyone "metaphysically," so the idea that a dog does is pretty silly. The silly thing is speaking from such ignorance. You regard someone "metaphysically" when you hypothesize about him (That mouth: He's a drinker, for sure! NB: Drawing that conclusion from busted capillaries in the nose is not "metaphysics"). Of course dogs size us up, decide whether we are worth listening to or deserving of respect or to be avoided like the plague. And what Hearne is trying to grasp is how they do that, how they judge us, what they value. If you think a dog is a happy little moron-savant ready to do anything you want in return for a cheese stick, you may be right. But that is not the wholeness of dogs, it is not the nobility of dogs, and it is not what Hearne is interested in.
There are some questionable things in Hearne's point of view. Her argument that dog fighting may not be a bad thing is utterly unconvincing, for example. She makes the case that if a dog's work is fighting, then maybe fighting is Ok. What she fails to mention is that being a person who wants to watch dogs kill each other is not Ok. Even if gladiators volunteer, it is a degraded species that's wants to watch them die.
This is the first book about animals, training, and cognition that I have gone back immediately to re-read. Some of the early chapters made more sense the second time around. There are, after all, two kinds of gibberish. The author may know what she means but fail to say it, or she may not know what she means and say something to hear her own voice. There is very little of the latter in Adam's Task. One tragedy of Vicki Hearne's early death is that with a few more books, she might have made herself better understood.
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Adam Task Calling Animals by Name (Audible Audio Edition) Vicki Hearne Rachel Fulginiti Audible Studios Books Reviews
I first read Adam's Task before existed. I order it periodically to give to people, particularly expecting parents. I am mystified by the strong, negative comments. On some levels it is a difficult book. Vicki Hearne's understanding of modern philosophy might easily put off many readers, but her deeper message about learning is important it comes with caring, knowing discipline. This applies to all trainable beings, including to us humans. At one point she described her initial training of a dog. She first has to get the dog's attention. She does this by walking briskly in the opposite direction of the dog's whim. Gradually the dog gets the message and eventually returns to her, sits, and looks up at her as if to say, "What is this crazy lady going to do next?" And she replies, "and you better know what you are going to do next!" The dog has begun to comprehend that there is a conversation to be had it sits; it is beginning to comprehend the sit command. Such comprehension brings with it from the trainer, the handler, the parent, the teacher the clear reminder of a duty if you are going to engage someone in the sit command, you better know what you are going to do next. Much parenting fails miserably when a parent isn't up to this duty.
This book is not merely a book about training dogs and horses; it is a far more important book about learning who we are, whether it is a search dog that will not quit until it has found the lost child; the horse that will finish a steeplechase with a lame rider; or a doctor or a fireman or a policeman who won't quit until the job is done. It is about true learning.
Great information. Very hard to read but worth it.
I didn't get the idea they were trying to get across. I gave up reading. Maybe I am not educated enough.
Very cool. Very different. A deep dive into the philosophy, linguistics, meta-cognition of dog and horse training. Deep dive. Somewhat of a reach for me, which I like. This boom has lead me to think more deeply and differently. (The definition of a good day.)
Vicki Hearne brings back a tradition of training dogs and horses that dates at least back to Xenophon, an ancient Greek writer and contemporary of Socrates. Or, maybe it goes back to the Garden of Eden, where Adam was given the task of naming the animals. In this book, naming is a metaphor for the relationship people form with animals, which the long-domesticated animals (horses, dogs), anyway, come to recognise and answer to.
Hearne, formally trained in philosophy, but a horse and dog trainer by profession-- takes academic behaviorists to task. Somehow, the idea that people cannot form a relationship with an animal in which they can discern the animal's motivation and even character (dare we say, "heroic" dogs, "brave" horses) -- somehow that idea of real communication between people and animals has become considered politically incorrect and must be suppressed in ALL class discussion. Academic hardliners exert themselves to relegate anyone who relies on personal experience (of animal training) in this realm to outer darkness.
Hearne takes down the academic approach and the mistakes in training that it leads to. Drawing on her great curiosity about philosophy and history, Hearn interlaces a battle of ideas with engaging examples of famous dogs and horses, and even has some reassuring anecdotes about cats. Definitely worth reading.
It's rare for me not to finish a book. I can usually slog my way to the end, even if I'm not particularly enjoying the experience.
Not this time.
It's been probably two months, so my recollection of just what I disliked is fuzzy, but I do remember thinking the author was pretentious. There were many references to Nietzsche and Plato, with the fake-humble assumption that "Of course, everyone has read that!". Well, no, not everyone. It just rubbed me the wrong way.
I've removed this from my device, and won't be downloading it again.
So many reviewers have completely missed the point of this book, in spite of Hearne's warning in the first paragraph that the book is "philosophical" and about finding "an accurate way to talk about our relationships with domestic animals." Listen carefully It is not a training manual. Let's wait a moment for the folks who need to digest that.
Not so strangely, Hearne does not reveal her special trick for getting dogs to fetch, although there is an entire chapter called "How to Say 'Fetch!'" (Note it is about how to SAY 'fetch', not how to teach it.) In fact, she spends almost as much time talking about horses as she does about dogs, and there is even a substantial chapter on cats. Since the latter "can't be trained," this might serve as an additional clue that (ready?) "This is not a training manual."
To those who got that and still weren't too happy with the book, I offer my sympathy. There are places where Hearne lets "literature" run away with coherence, not on every page but often enough that I found myself writing "More gibberish" in the margin 'way too often. That said, there is enough unique, illuminating insight in the book to more than make up for the occasional rave. I am not sure that all good dogs are "contemptuous of bribes," but I have one who is (admittedly, she is still a teen with teen arrogance), and I had one who was (a Rotty mix of great wisdom, gentleness, and charm). If we remember that our work is "finding a way to talk about our relationship with domestic animals," Hearne's observation becomes apt. By presuming that we can bribe a dog into doing our will, we say something about that relationship that is worth reconsidering.
A key concept of Hearne's "new vocabulary" is the idea that dogs think in terms of "their work." Gwynn, for example, my snotty teenager, has identified patrolling for squirrels as "her work." Her companion, an ACD named Pwyll, finds her dedication and concentration rather bizarre. He's happy to rush after this squirrel or that, but it's just one of many pleasures. Gwynn, on the other hand, will refuse to come, no matter how tempting the treat or offer or how unpleasant the outcome, when she is busy with a squirrel. Once she is finished with the squirrel, then she is happy to oblige, and she sees nothing wrong with her behavior. Patrolling for squirrels is her work; when she is busy, ignoring me isn't personal. That is not to say it's Ok to ignore me, but understanding her behavior in these terms makes dealing with it less fraught. Most of us know someone who is convinced his dog piddles on the carpet "to get even" when left alone, and what Hearne wants us to think about is not the truth or falsity of this opinion, but the metaphysics, the philosophy that it entails.
One reviewer sneers that HE hardly ever regards anyone "metaphysically," so the idea that a dog does is pretty silly. The silly thing is speaking from such ignorance. You regard someone "metaphysically" when you hypothesize about him (That mouth He's a drinker, for sure! NB Drawing that conclusion from busted capillaries in the nose is not "metaphysics"). Of course dogs size us up, decide whether we are worth listening to or deserving of respect or to be avoided like the plague. And what Hearne is trying to grasp is how they do that, how they judge us, what they value. If you think a dog is a happy little moron-savant ready to do anything you want in return for a cheese stick, you may be right. But that is not the wholeness of dogs, it is not the nobility of dogs, and it is not what Hearne is interested in.
There are some questionable things in Hearne's point of view. Her argument that dog fighting may not be a bad thing is utterly unconvincing, for example. She makes the case that if a dog's work is fighting, then maybe fighting is Ok. What she fails to mention is that being a person who wants to watch dogs kill each other is not Ok. Even if gladiators volunteer, it is a degraded species that's wants to watch them die.
This is the first book about animals, training, and cognition that I have gone back immediately to re-read. Some of the early chapters made more sense the second time around. There are, after all, two kinds of gibberish. The author may know what she means but fail to say it, or she may not know what she means and say something to hear her own voice. There is very little of the latter in Adam's Task. One tragedy of Vicki Hearne's early death is that with a few more books, she might have made herself better understood.
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