The video below is about Chaser, the Border Collie who knows a thousand words, but in sharing Chaser’s story, John W. Pilley, Emeritus Professor of Psychology at Wofford College and Chaser’s owner, shares what we think are some powerfully helpful statements. Can you pick them out?

For us, a couple of the phrases were, “The express of these (instincts) yield tremendous joy to the dog, and powerfully reinforce the behaviors that they follow,” and, “too often, dog owners use food only as the reinforcer for behaviors. We have found that play is infinitely greater than food. It’s not as distracting, and dogs don’t satiate on play.”

Sadly, Dr. Pilley passed away last month at the age of ninety, but he left behind valuable insights. What were your “take away” thoughts from the video?

Image of Chaser and John were taken from Chaser’s Facebook page.