The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs - Paperback

by Patricia McConnell (Author)

Learn to communicate with your dog--using their language

"Good reading for dog lovers and an immensely useful manual for dog owners."--The Washington Post

An Applied Animal Behaviorist and dog trainer with more than twenty years' experience, Dr. Patricia McConnell reveals a revolutionary new perspective on our relationship with dogs--sharing insights on how "man's best friend" might interpret our behavior, as well as essential advice on how to interact with our four-legged friends in ways that bring out the best in them.

After all, humans and dogs are two entirely different species, each shaped by its individual evolutionary heritage. Quite simply, humans are primates and dogs are canids (as are wolves, coyotes, and foxes). Since we each speak a different native tongue, a lot gets lost in the translation. This marvelous guide demonstrates how even the slightest changes in our voices and in the ways we stand can help dogs understand what we want. Inside you will discover:

- How you can get your dog to come when called by acting less like a primate and more like a dog
- Why the advice to "get dominance" over your dog can cause problems
- Why "rough and tumble primate play" can lead to trouble--and how to play with your dog in ways that are fun and keep him out of mischief
- How dogs and humans share personality types--and why most dogs want to live with benevolent leaders rather than "alpha wanna-bes "

Fascinating, insightful, and compelling, The Other End of the Leash is a book that strives to help you connect with your dog in a completely new way--so as to enrich that most rewarding of relationships.

Front Jacket

The Other End of the Leash shares a revolutionary, new perspective on our relationship with dogs, focusing on our behavior in comparison with that of dogs. An applied animal behaviorist and dog trainer with more than twenty years experience, Dr. Patricia McConnell looks at humans as just another interesting species, and muses about why we behave the way we do around our dogs, how dogs might interpret our behavior, and how to interact with our dogs in ways that bring out the best in our four-legged friends.
After all, although humans and dogs share a remarkable relationship that is unique in the animal world, we are still two entirely different species, each shaped by our individual evolutionary heritage. Quite simply, humans are primates and dogs are canids (like wolves, coyotes, and foxes). Since we each speak a different native tongue, a lot gets lost in the translation.
"The Other End of the Leash demonstrates how even the slightest changes in your voice and the way you stand can help your dog understand what you want. Once you start to think about your own behavior from the perspective of your dog, you'll understand why much of what appears to be doggy-disobedience is simply a case of miscommunication. Inside you will learn
- How to use your voice so that your dog is more likely to do what you ask.
- Why "getting dominance" over your dog is a bad idea.
- Why "rough and tumble primate play" can lead to trouble-and how to play with your dog in ways that are fun and keep him out of trouble.
- How dogs and humans share personality types-and why most dogs want to live with benevolent leaders rather than "alphawannabees!"
In her own insightful, compelling style, Patricia McConnell combines wonderful true stories about people and dogs with a new, accessible scientific perspective on how they should behave around each other. This is a book that strives to help you make the most of life with your dog, and to prevent problems that might arise in that most rewarding of relationships.

"From the Hardcover edition.

Author Biography

Patricia McConnell, Ph.D., CAAB is an ethologist and certified applied animal behaviorist who has consulted with cat and dog lovers for more twenty-two years. She combines a thorough understanding of the science of behavior with years of practical, applied experience. Her nationally syndicated radio show, Calling All Pets, played in more than 110 cities for fourteen years and her television show Petline played on Animal Planet for two and a half years. She was the behavior columnist for The Bark magazine ("The New Yorker of dog magazines"--Time) and is adjunct professor in Zoology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, teaching "The Biology and Philosophy of Human/Animal Relationships." Dr. McConnell is a much sought-after speaker and seminar presenter, speaking to training organizations, veterinary conferences, academic meetings, and animal shelters around the world about dog and cat behavior, and on science-based and humane solutions to serious behavioral problems. She is the author of thirteen books on training and behavioral problems, as well as the critically acclaimed books The Other End of the Leash (translated into fourteen languages), For the Love of a Dog, and Tales of Two Species. She lives with her Border Collies, Willie and Maggie, her rescue Cavalier Spaniel, Tootsie, and a very spoiled flock of sheep, and suffers from separation anxiety when she leaves them.