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Chaser: Unlocking the Genius of the Dog Who Knows a Thousand Words

John W. Pilley

really liked it 4.0 · Rating details · 756 Ratings · 125 Reviews

A New York Times Bestseller

The amazing story of a very smart Border collie who is redefining animal intelligence.

Chaser has a way with words. She knows over a thousand of them—more than any other animal of any species except humans. In addition to common nouns like house, ball, and tree, she has memorized the names of more than one thousand toys and can retrieve any of t ...more

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Hardcover, 260 pages

Published October 29th 2013 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (first published January 1st 2013)

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Nov 17, 2013 Kari rated it really liked it

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 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. ...more

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Dec 29, 2013 Heather rated it really liked it

Shelves: animal-books

This was an enjoyable and educational read. Dr. Pilley, a retired psychology professor who loves dogs, takes the time to not only educate his border collie, but document her learning so that there is some scientific contribution made in terms of what animals can understand about language and how they learn. The book is far more in depth than any videos you can see about Chaser, yet accessible to the average reader vs. scientist in terms of methodology. It is clear that Chaser is a loved family m This was an enjoyable and educational read. Dr. Pilley, a retired psychology professor who loves dogs, takes the time to not only educate his border collie, but document her learning so that there is some scientific contribution made in terms of what animals can understand about language and how they learn. The book is far more in depth than any videos you can see about Chaser, yet accessible to the average reader vs. scientist in terms of methodology. It is clear that Chaser is a loved family member and that her aptitude is capitalized on. Not every dog or every border collie will be able to achieve these results. However, what was interesting is the way he trained her and one can get some good ideas about communication training to use with your own dog if you'd like to try. His techniques are positive and tailored to the dog. Chaser is more toy motivated than treat motivated - dogs like that can be harder to train but Pilley has really done a wonderful job with Chaser, making the most of that strong toy drive.

One thing I enjoyed about the book was that, although in no way portrayed as a negative, it should be obvious to the average reader that a border collie is not a good dog for most people. They have such drive and energy, what it takes to keep them happy is way more than most people can provide. Chaser is very lucky - she has an owner who worked with her natural play and herding drives to make learning fun for her, and also documented it to make it useful for scientific research. He clearly recognizes that when she is asked to perform and not rewarded with play it's not fair. It should also be clear that even a dog like Chaser, who is trained hours per day, can be a handful - she has a will of her own. She is not always obedient. She can be very demanding. She will not let you watch TV and ignore her. This is the truth about most herding breeds - they really are very demanding and in the wrong homes they become neurotic or destructive. I hope that Chaser's popularity doesn't motivate people to get border collies for the wrong reasons - hopefully anyone who reads the book will realize that, as with all smart animals, they are a HUGE commitment!

If you like really smart dogs, are interested in dog training, or you have an interest in language skills and animal vs. human language learning, you are sure to enjoy this. I think even most dog lovers would enjoy it, though there is a lot of emphasis on training techniques. I found it enjoyable throughout. ...more

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Jan 15, 2015 Nancy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The information provided on Chaser and his ability to learn was very interesting to me personally. However, I found the positive influence this project had on the author, Johm Pilley, equally fascinating. Pilley did his extensive work with Chaser in his late 70s, and it is still continuing into his mid-80s. The research, as well as his incredibly strong relationship with his dog, have kept him physically, mentally, and spiritually energized. As a senior citizen who works with active large dogs, ...more

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May 21, 2017 Simona rated it it was amazing

Shelves: review, nonfiction-in-my-library

The story does have a scientific background in language learning, but it's primarily a memory, author's personal experience of the communication with the dog, through training. It's difficult to avoid the comparison between own dog with Chaser - which is extremely susceptibility to learning, but I'm convinced that we all see our own pets as the smartest (and the most beautiful) animal in the world, and that we all can share our own breathtaking experience of our pets in communicating with us. Th ...more

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Dec 06, 2015 Nick rated it liked it · review of another edition

Chaser is a border collie who knows the names of over one thousand of her toys. She can fetch them, paw at them or nose them on command- by others too not just her dad/trainer. This is the story of how Dr. Pilley, a retired psychology professor trained and tested Chaser. It also covers how they got published and the shows they were on.

It is very interesting if a little long winded. Chaser knows a bunch of balls by ball, an individual name and toy. How Dr. Pilley taught this to Chaser was gone o ...more

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Mar 07, 2014 Marianne rated it really liked it

Interesting book, VERY interesting dog. Lucky dog to have come into the life of the perfect human being for her. He is a mostly retired psychology professor who loves dogs and has a lot of time on his hands, literally 4-5+ hours a day to work with the dog, plus students to help him. It's the perfect storm of people, animal, and passion for each other's well-being.

Some aspects of the book were a bit tedious. He'd start out talking about something mundane and I'd be thinking, something is going t ...more

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Apr 28, 2014 Stephanie rated it liked it

Shelves: 2014, non-fiction

I really don't think there was enough here to fill an entire book, so there was a lot of filler that I found myself skipping over. Still, I enjoyed it, and am trying some of the things I learned here with my own dog. I loved the photo on the back flap; it made me smile every time I looked at it.

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Jun 28, 2018 Gabrielle de Waal rated it really liked it

Chaser is a Very Good Dog.

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Oct 28, 2013 Mary (BookHounds) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2013, biography-memoir, from-publisher-author, dog

MY THOUGHTS
LOVED IT

Bottom Line: Dogs are much smarter than they are given credit. John Pilley explains exactly how quickly they learn and given the chance can communicate with us. Pilley explains how he used his dogs as research subjects in his lab in his job as a psychology professor. His students observed them and dissected their abilities. After his last dog dies, his wife insists he is getting a new puppy for Christmas and they both agree that a local breeder of Border Collies is their best ...more

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Apr 02, 2015 Kirsti rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

An amazing book about an amazing animal. What this book is really good at doing is comparing your own, untrained animals to the wit of Chaser. I mean sure, Danny understands 'Get a Ball', but I've never discriminated against any of his toys. They are all 'Ball' and a stick does just as well. That this dog knows each of its toys by name, and knows the difference between nosing or taking the toy amazes me. I knew Border Collies were intelligent (two of my boys are half Border Collie) but this dog ...more

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Feb 27, 2014 Theresa rated it really liked it

Shelves: dog

Perfect book for an English teacher and a dog lover such as myself. Might be a bit of a slog for someone not quite as interested in how language is learned (by humans or by dogs). What a smart dog you are, Chaser!

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May 15, 2017 Noella Allisen rated it liked it

Now that's one smart dog and an incredibly dedicated, patient, loving owner. All of this came out loud and clear in this book. I can't say I was riveted to the story but it was interesting to read about the training.

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Apr 05, 2014 Kathy England rated it liked it

Anyone interested in dogs and/or animal behavior should read this book. The author gets bogged down with too much detail about the everyday, notably Chaser's appearances on TV, but the information on how he taught Chaser and what Chaser is capable of is extremely interesting.

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Nov 29, 2014 Sophia Velázquez rated it it was amazing

Amazing application of language psychology

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Jun 28, 2014 Jane Steff rated it really liked it

Loved it. I want a border collie now.

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May 12, 2017 Leanna Aker rated it really liked it

I enjoyed this story about Chaser and his retired-from-academia owner. The story discusses how Chaser came to know over 1000 words, learn how to identify objects by exclusion, and start to put together 3 part commands (take one object to another object). It helps the story that Chaser is very endearing. :-)

One minor gripe.... at times the book seems to take the flavor of a dog training book. (i.e., do it this way). However, I think that if the "typical" dog owner was looking to train a "typical" ...more

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Sep 20, 2017 Steve Nolan rated it really liked it

I've read a lot of books about famous animals recently, and this is by far the best one. (It's so deep in my wheelhouse I think it can't ever get back out.)

You get a real sense of what the person, animal and science are all doing, which is a lot more than most of these books do. (Usually it's just a recollection about what the animal's owner's life was like. Which, I don't care, you're not the point of this. Tell me more about the cute puppy.)

It'd prolly have been a 5 star review, if not for th ...more

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Aug 14, 2017 Jami rated it really liked it

Shelves: audible-books, animal-books

This was interesting on several levels. First and foremost, of course, is Chaser! I was amazed at how Chaser learned and his deductive abilities. I also loved the bond between Chaser and the author. In addition to Chaser, this book was part memoir and part a discussion about the author's teaching methods and research. Overall, I enjoyed this.

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Mar 07, 2017 Sally Pearce rated it it was ok

Shelves: kindle, read-in-2017

I was so excited to start this book, thinking it was a good book about dogs. a 40%, I decided that I really wasn't interested in a whole book on trading a Border collie. I don't have one and never will. I know how smart they are.

The research and training was good and interesting, but I have so many books that I really want to read that I'm moving on.

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Sep 14, 2017 Gregg rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Fascinating story and research

This book confirms what many dog owners have thought all along: they dogs are smarter than most people think. The author's painstaking experimentation gives us clues on how to continue to learn about their cognition and what it means for human child development.

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Aug 03, 2017 Peace rated it it was amazing

This book was so inspiring- but also confirming for anyone who knows and loves their dog, for they know all this already. :)

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May 17, 2017 Cathy Harbert rated it really liked it

Very enjoyable and enlightening.

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Feb 15, 2018 Karen rated it it was amazing

Absolutely wonderful dog book that happens to also be about science. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to train a puppy, because the training methods are awesome.

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Oct 08, 2013 Chris Craddock rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-fiction

A Unique Combination of Nature AND Nurture

Chaser is an amazing dog who is chronicled in a book by John W. Pilley, an emeritus professor of psychology at Wofford College in South Carolina. Chaser combines the instincts of a border collie with the training of a research subject in an advanced psychology experiment in language learning. A unique combination of Nature AND Nurture. She is not only a research subject, she is a member of the Pilley Family. Professor Pilley has patiently trained her in A Unique Combination of Nature AND Nurture

Chaser is an amazing dog who is chronicled in a book by John W. Pilley, an emeritus professor of psychology at Wofford College in South Carolina. Chaser combines the instincts of a border collie with the training of a research subject in an advanced psychology experiment in language learning. A unique combination of Nature AND Nurture. She is not only a research subject, she is a member of the Pilley Family. Professor Pilley has patiently trained her in a way that amazed even the sheep farmer who bred her. Farmers have long claimed that border collies can follow commands and even go after individual sheep from the flock by name. But accepted wisdom of science believes otherwise--that animals are incapable of true language learning. Until now.

Pilley seems like a gregarious and likable 84 year-old. The kind of man who uses words like "gosh." He is baffled by newfangled gadgets and PowerPoint presentations, but as a man of science and with the help of young students and family he eventually prevails. When his paper was published online he was surprised that it went 'viral.' News of Chasers achievements really resonated with dog lovers, who knew in their hearts that dogs understood them, even if science scoffed at the notion.

In telling his story of Chaser, he has to first tell the story of Yasha, the previous Pilley Family Dog. Yasha was a border collie/shepherd mix who also exhibited amazing language learning potential. One of his tricks was that he could perform math calculations, though he was actually just barking until subtle cues told him to stop. The interviewer would lean forward when the number of barks equaled the answer. It seemed like he was doing math, but it was really just a trick.

This was similar to a horse in Germany who seemed to be able to tap its hoof the number of times required to answer questions. The horse, known as Clever Hans, was actually just reacting to subtle, subconscious clues the trainer gave. Though it was remarkable that the horse could detect such subtle changes in stress from the trainer, it was not the same as if the horse was really doing math. This phenomenon is known as 'the Clever Hans Effect.' In order to prove that the subject is not getting clues from the trainer, the experiment has to be designed so that they can't see or hear each other when the tasks are performed. Like, Chaser is told to go into another room and retrieve toys by name. Not only could Chaser do so with surprising statistical accuracy, she could also find items she didn't know the names of by excluding the items she did know. She learned over 1,000 names of toys, and also other words such as verbs, and names of categories of things.

At first he has trouble getting his papers published because there is healthy skepticism among the scientific community. But once he designs his experiment rigorously with double blinds to exclude any 'Clever Hans Effect' and the YouTube video goes viral, they began to come around. Hollywood also came knocking. His wife talks to a very nice man who wants Chaser to come to Los Angeles and be on his show. Jimmy Kimmel was anxious to talk about Chaser and his own dog, no doubt another unacknowledged canine genius. They decline his offer, because they don't want Chaser to have to ride in a crate in the baggage compartment of a plane. But they do drive up the coast to have Chaser appear with Matt Lauer, Diane Sawyer, and on PBS.

In conclusion, Chaser causes a sensation in the world of Science, on Television, and on the Internet, where dog lovers everywhere rejoice that Chaser has proved what they always knew: Dogs and humans have a special bond, and are capable of understanding quite a bit of what we tell them. ...more

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May 08, 2014 Ed Bond rated it really liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Several books on the market today offer dog owners a chance to understand the minds of their canine companions. Questions about how dogs think, learn, love and evolve are finally being answered through scientific inquiry. But one of the most enjoyable tales about this new area of research comes from Dr. John Pilley and his dog Chaser.

At the start, Pilley found no reason to believe dogs could learn words. They don’t even know their own names, except as a signal to pay attention. That was the prev

Several books on the market today offer dog owners a chance to understand the minds of their canine companions. Questions about how dogs think, learn, love and evolve are finally being answered through scientific inquiry. But one of the most enjoyable tales about this new area of research comes from Dr. John Pilley and his dog Chaser.

At the start, Pilley found no reason to believe dogs could learn words. They don’t even know their own names, except as a signal to pay attention. That was the prevailing wisdom in the scientific community, a legacy from René DesCartes, the 17th century mathematician, physicist and philosopher. Descartes had declared animals to be no more than meat machines, and the label stuck for centuries. Further undermining the case for animal intelligence was Clever Hans, a horse that early in the 20th century seemed to be able to understand language and perform mathematical tasks. But Clever Hans was not really clever. The horse was simply reading the unintentional body language of the human trainer, and the exposure of this hoax heaped further skepticism onto the question about whether animals could learn words.

It was only after meeting some very insistent owners of border collies that Pilley decided it was worth putting the accepted scientific doctrine to the test. After he retired as a psychology professor, Pilley and his wife adopted a new Border Collie puppy who had a dangerous tendency to chase cars. His partnership with Chaser began probably the most intensive attempt to teach a dog language so far. The results, which ultimately were published in a scientific journal, went far beyond what anyone had achieved in animal language training.

It took several tries for Pilley to get his work published, and it required the help of a colleague who could organize and compile the data in a convincing way. Even for an experienced professor, getting published in a scientific journal is a challenge. That’s a useful lesson for anyone who would seek to oppose long-established scientific doctrine. But the other lesson is that scientific truths will eventually overcome scientific biases.

Pilley proved that not only could his dog, Chaser, learn more than 1,000 nouns, he could also learn verbs and combine the two parts of speech to understand sentences. Pilley’s discovery became a worldwide phenomenon and led to appearances for Chaser on the Today show, World News With Diane Sawyer and Nova Science Now. One can only wonder what new possibilities Pilley has opened up. Perhaps someday there will be vocabulary competitions among dogs to rival today’s dog agility events.

Or perhaps not. Anyone who follows Pilley into this world of animal language should be prepared to work for hours a day over several years with their dog. And while the Border Colie may have the intelligence needed to build a vocabulary of a 1,000 words, they are also high-energy dogs in need of a lot of space, attention and play. Fortunately, Pilley had plenty to give his dog.

The book is an engaging and fun read. The science here is presented in layman’s terms, hardly needing any translation. Pilley truly loves the dogs in his life, and that comes through in the telling of this story. ...more

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Sep 22, 2014 Robin Tierney rated it really liked it

This book is about a dog and also, about her person, who is a researcher and retired college professor. It is a memoir of a wonderful time in a man’s life, when he retires yet discovers a new calling. The author, Dr. Pilley, indicated that he viewed Chaser as a partner in research, and attributed the great strides they made in communication and comprehension to Chaser being able to use her own reasoning. Creative learning, not rote learning (teaching a predetermined response) -- stimulating and This book is about a dog and also, about her person, who is a researcher and retired college professor. It is a memoir of a wonderful time in a man’s life, when he retires yet discovers a new calling. The author, Dr. Pilley, indicated that he viewed Chaser as a partner in research, and attributed the great strides they made in communication and comprehension to Chaser being able to use her own reasoning. Creative learning, not rote learning (teaching a predetermined response) -- stimulating and supporting the animal’s (or human person’s) spontaneous responses to solving a challenge. It’s akin to a teacher encouraging a student’s individual interests, and creating situations in which the person can channel his/her reasoning and enthusiasm. Capitalizing on Chaser’s social nature and talent for listening, herding and creative play has opened up her ability to understand language.
Among many points made near the book’s conclusion: The chimpanzee Washoe and the bonobo Kanzi, who were both raised and trained with lots of affectionate human contact, have far exceeded in language learning apes raised and trained without such contact.
The experience shows how animals, when serving as research subjects, are best treated like the sentient, intelligent, feeling individuals they are. And it proves that by being treated as a member of a family or at least social group, and not some poor living widget, the most knowledge can be gained and in a truly ethical, decent, humane fashion. In the 17th century, Rene Descartes -- without any experimental evidence -- declared that nonhuman animals are just machines that don’t think and feel beyond reflex. He purposely and purposefully committed a wrong, out of greed and lust for power. Yet too many people, in research and business, through the centuries embraced Descartes’s paradigm as an excuse to use animals in ways to damage their bodies, minds, feelings and lives. That “scientists” and others continue to echo Descartes’ bogus declaration is the crowning evil of society. This concept of “otherness” has been used to harm, enslave and kill “other” humans too.
As noted in the book, Chaser joins chimpanzee Washoe, dolphins Phoenix and Akeakamai, African gray parrot Alex, bonobo Kanzi and Chaser’s fellow Border collie Rico as proof of language learning skills that can no longer be dismissed or ignored. “Together they tell us that it is past time to abandon Descartes’s paradigm of animals as machines and to replace it with a new paradigm of animals as truly our fellow creatures -- biologically, emotionally, and cognitively.” The book’s other lessons include joy in continuing the journey of discovery. ...more

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Oct 19, 2014 Karla Eaton rated it liked it

What a fascinating book this was for me as a teacher and a dog lover and owner.
As a teacher, I admire Dr. P's patience and thoughtfulness. When something didn't work, he figured out a way to re-work the system so that Chaser could be successful. One of the best examples of this was trying to teach him indirect objects - like take the blue ball to the couch. She already had proper and common nouns as well as adjectives and verbs, but needed that next step. Dr. P realized that Chaser was hearing What a fascinating book this was for me as a teacher and a dog lover and owner.
As a teacher, I admire Dr. P's patience and thoughtfulness. When something didn't work, he figured out a way to re-work the system so that Chaser could be successful. One of the best examples of this was trying to teach him indirect objects - like take the blue ball to the couch. She already had proper and common nouns as well as adjectives and verbs, but needed that next step. Dr. P realized that Chaser was hearing the last word in the sentence as primary, so in that example, she would have focused on couch. By changing his syntax to the formation of Spanish speakers where the indirect object comes first - take to the couch the blue ball - she focused on the direct object but still processed the indirect object. That is fascinating to me. As a teacher, I am always trying to present information in different ways because different learners see and hear information differently, so it often takes many tries in different forms to get the whole class on the same page of learning.
As a dog lover, the reminder that playtime has to be part of the learning for the dog (and for humans too) is a good reminder. I need to embed my learning expectations all throughout the day with Heidi, not just when I decide it is time for her to practice a task. I have started doing this in the middle of walks and when I am in the kitchen cooking or in the bedroom putting clothes away. We are learning "place" - an advanced "stay" where she sits and relaxes where she is, not being tempted with distractions like other people or Archie or the doorbell or her toy on the other side of the room. I think she is learning this deeper when I do it randomly, not just when it is time to practice "place". This goes for all learning. In English class, you shouldn't just practice paying attention to poetic devices, for example, when we are doing poetry. You should be hearing them in the music on the radio and in the commercial on television, etc...
The reason I did not rate this higher is because 1) it is not a piece of literature. It is well written but not literary and 2) it gets a little extraneous and elongated near the end - when he is writing about Chaser's television debut. His enthusiasm though for his wonderful dog and his science is infectious. I love that he had this major revelation in his career AFTER his retirement. There is hope for all of us!! ...more

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Oct 27, 2013 Marsha Hubbell rated it it was amazing

I truly believe “Chaser” by John W. Pilley is one of the best “dog” books I’ve ever read! This is the true story of a border collie that made national news by learning more than a thousand words and the story of a retired psychologist who, recognizing the intelligence of dogs, taught him. Their journey together is a guide to all dog lovers.

There are so many excerpts I “dog-eared” while reading. Here are just a few:

“A friend of mine says, ‘If you get a pet, eventually you get a broken heart.’ The I truly believe “Chaser” by John W. Pilley is one of the best “dog” books I’ve ever read! This is the true story of a border collie that made national news by learning more than a thousand words and the story of a retired psychologist who, recognizing the intelligence of dogs, taught him. Their journey together is a guide to all dog lovers.

There are so many excerpts I “dog-eared” while reading. Here are just a few:

“A friend of mine says, ‘If you get a pet, eventually you get a broken heart.’ The relatively short life spans of our pets cause us a lot of grief, but they also ground us in a natural cycle of life and death and, if can accept it, renewal. The spirit of our relationship with one pet lives on and shapes the spirit of our relationship with another pet, even years later.”

“Saddan sums up creative learning for animals by saying that ‘it means creating an environment in which the animal’s natural propensities (which, in an intelligent animal, go far beyond reflex response) can flower to their full extent.’ Once we’ve created a positive way for an intelligent animal to tackle a challenging problem, we can let a natural creative learning process occur. Our job is to watch for the spontaneous problem-solving efforts that have the most promise, and reinforce them positively. As the educator Maria Montessori put it, ‘Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed.’ That is what (Pilley) tried to do with Chaser.”

Throughout this book, you come to know Chaser, and love him. His personality comes through on every page. You come to admire Pilley and all those around him who see the potential and intelligence in dogs and other animals. “Chaser joins the chimpanzee Washoe, the dolphins Phoenix and Akeakamai, the African gray parrot Alex, the bonobo Kanzi, and her fellow Border collie Rico as anomalies that can no longer be dismissed or ignored. Together they tell us that it is past time to abandon Descartes’s paradigm of animals as machines and to replace it with a new paradigm of animals as truly our fellow creatures – biologically, emotionally, and cognitively.”

Pilley hopes Chaser’s story inspires other pet owners to incorporate play-based training. “If such training becomes commonplace, it can unleash the genius of all dogs and many other species, and in so doing expand humanity’s horizons to encompass a new understanding of ourselves in the natural world.”
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Apr 16, 2015 Michael rated it liked it

It should be no surprise that Border Collies are among the smartest of all dog breeds, but that wasn’t enough for John W. Pilley, emeritus professor of psychology and very much a dog person. In Chaser, Pilley sets out to examine if traditional methods of teaching human infants can be applied to a dog specifically bred for its intelligence; and, in doing so, to document what this teaches us about both sides of man’s best friendship.

While the concept is fascinating and the results are mind-blowing It should be no surprise that Border Collies are among the smartest of all dog breeds, but that wasn’t enough for John W. Pilley, emeritus professor of psychology and very much a dog person. In Chaser, Pilley sets out to examine if traditional methods of teaching human infants can be applied to a dog specifically bred for its intelligence; and, in doing so, to document what this teaches us about both sides of man’s best friendship.

While the concept is fascinating and the results are mind-blowing (and Chaser is adorable), it’s the actual telling that finds the book most wanting. Pilley, in collaboration with Hilary Hinzmann, tries to paint such a complete picture of himself, his family, his neighborhood, his background at Wofford College and the early days of having Chaser as a puppy, so much so that there are pointless anecdotes (did we really need to know the intricacies of Chaser’s choice of seat to and from TV studios?) and stilted dialog (“Gosh, Sally, I’m so sorry I spoke the way I did”, but maybe that’s just South Carolina) scattered liberally throughout the first two-thirds of the book.

Perhaps most frustrating about Chaser is the way Pilley and Hinzmann try to put words into the dog’s mouth and an expression on her face, instead of letting her tell her own story. When Chaser interacts with a rescue dog and with the young child next door, we get an idea of who this dog is outside of the tests that Pilley and his assistant carry out on her. When Pilley writes “The expression on [Chaser’s] face seemed to say, ‘You think I’m gonna let you lift me into the car? Ha-ha, fooled you again!’”, I roll my eyes. Dogs are undeniably expressive, but the extent of anthropomorphizing Chaser comes across as Pilley overenthusiastically trying to sell us something we bought a long time ago.

But more than anything, John W. Pilley loves his dog, as well he should. Chaser is an exceptional canine in many ways, and Pilley’s understanding of how she officially became the smartest dog in the world tells volumes about the unbreakable bond between man and dog.
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Sep 19, 2014 Reggie Billingsworth rated it it was amazing

What an intriguing read! Not great literature. More for it's astounding content, "Chaser: Unlocking the Genius of the Dog..." unabashedly makes the tale [I refuse to descend to a pun here] the thing. One glance at the exquisite cover photo and you know this dog is wired on her fantastically fortunate life!

This book stands tall as an entertaining report on the forward thinking and indefatigable attention John W. Pilley and his family have committed to inspiring and interacting CONSTANTLY with his What an intriguing read! Not great literature. More for it's astounding content, "Chaser: Unlocking the Genius of the Dog..." unabashedly makes the tale [I refuse to descend to a pun here] the thing. One glance at the exquisite cover photo and you know this dog is wired on her fantastically fortunate life!

This book stands tall as an entertaining report on the forward thinking and indefatigable attention John W. Pilley and his family have committed to inspiring and interacting CONSTANTLY with his Border Collie "Chaser" whose personal charm and her breed's instinctive drive from puppy hood have seen her accomplish a hugely impressive receptive knowledge of a massive vocabulary, as well as considerable syntax and grammar skills all retained to her current prime in 2014.

As ghost writer for Pilley, Hilary Hinzmann must take credit for the easy reading style. Yet the intriguing story behind Chaser's development has it's own natural pace. It's very like a prolonged visit with family. Hinzmann and Pilley deliver limited statistical data appropriately in a palatable form. This allows the tale to dominate in a more reader friendly way appreciated by the animal loving public. The reasoning and logic and thoughtful analysis Pilley puts into his relationship with Chaser and her education is both insightful and touching. The down-home personality and at times downright naivete of this professor emeritus (especially with modern media and technology) also emerges gently and entertainingly.

Pilley's dedication and achievements reveal an incredible obsession that clearly matches his beloved Chaser's focus and devotion. They are, in fact, a perfect match, in sensitivity and preoccupation. Pilley exploits his Border Collie's love of work as 'play' and consequently thoroughly argues for and compellingly advances creative learning possibilities in animal cognitive theory.

A fun read...re-enforcing much of what many animal guardians have known for decades but writ large and leaving a challenging and possibly embarrassingly high standard for others. [cue FX: crickets] The animal behaviour scientists have a lot of catching up to do as they choke on Chaser's dust. ...more

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About John W. Pilley

John W. Pilley

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JOHN W. PILLEY is an emeritus professor of psychology at Wofford College. He has been working with Chaser since 2004 and has published the findings from their work in the journal Behavioural Processes.

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Chaser, le chien qui comprend 1000 mots (Essais et documents)

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“There was no doubt about it. Chaser had learned Puddin the pony’s name in a single trial. Identifying the new object correctly after hearing its name only once indicated that Chaser had achieved a form of referential understanding. Somehow she had grasped the idea that objects can have names.” — 2 likes

“The spirit of our relationship with one pet lives on in and shapes the spirit of our relationship with another pet, even years later.” — 0 likes

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