Summary and Response to What Shamu

She tries he usual ways to change him, such as counseling and a lot of nagging, but she soon resigns herself to the fact that these tactics are not going to work. While on a trip to California to research a school for exotic animal trainers, Sutherland studied the techniques students were using, such as â€Å"approximation†: rewarding the small steps toward learning a whole new behavior, â€Å"least reinforcing syndrome†: not responding in any way to bad behavior, and â€Å"incompatible behaviors†: a behavior that makes the undesirable behavior impossible. Soon she realized that these same quenches may very well work on her husband.After years of secretly training her husband with these techniques, she is pleased to tell readers that his behavior and their marriage are both much improved. I enjoyed reading Sutherland essay for the humor she uses in her writing. I particularly enjoy the way she refers to her husband as â€Å"the American husband† and  "my animal†, as if he is some other species in need of training in order to make a good pet. I must admit that even though I found the humor in this read, I found the whole idea of training your husband as you loud an animal to be complete nonsense. Did she write this piece as a joke? Retainer hope so, because if she meant for it to be serious and she actually tried this training on her husband, she has entirely too much time on her hands. Sutherland says â€Å"l began thanking Scott if he threw one dirty shirt into the hamper. If he threw in two, I'd kiss him. Meanwhile, I would Step over any soiled clothes on the floor without one sharp word, though did sometimes kick them under the bed. But as he basked in my appreciation, the piles became smaller† (251 I have a suggestion for you Mrs.. Sutherland, how bout you just ask, or tell if you have to, your husband to pick up his clothes.If he still doesn't honor your wishes, throw his clothes away each time you find them on the floor. This type obtaining usually works well. Call it the â€Å"toss clothes method†. No need for â€Å"approximations† here. If you would like to cook dinner without him hovering over you, how about you just tell him so. If this doesn't work, stop cooking him dinner. Would bet he figures out real quick that he shouldn't hover over you anymore. This is referred to as the â€Å"no din-din technique†. Who needs â€Å"incompatible behaviors† anyway? One more IP for you Mrs..