The American Spectator

Books in Review

The Man Whisperers

By Shawn Macomber on 10.1.08 @ 2:19PM

(Page 2 of 2)

Again, Nudge: Self-control issues are most likely to arise when choices and their consequences are separated in time.

The Dog Whisperer: In order to get the message across to [your dog], you have to give him your signal of approval virtually the exact moment he sits. If you walk into a room three seconds after your dog has eliminated on the carpet, there’s no use even  commenting on it.…As far as he’s concerned, you’re yelling because of what he’s doing at that exact moment— lying quietly on the floor.

Nudge: The bottom line, from our point of view, is that people are, shall we say, nudge-able.

The Dog Whisperer: You can shape virtually any behavior you want from your dog, including wagging his tail at various speeds, a very fast or very slow sit, sneezing three times in a row, or nodding his head yes and no.

During a recent interview with Denver Magazine, Barack Obama admitted his two young daughters “definitely don’t think I’m a rock star” and that they so far had little interest in the presidential race. “Their main focus is getting a dog after the campaign.”

I see the potential for a real Obama family bonding experience: The girls can learn to train the pooch while watching Thaler and Sunstein—The Man Whisperers—teach Daddy how to properly train the nation.

Shawn Macomber is a contributing editor to The American Spectator.

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