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44th out of 441 books
—
973 voters
The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs
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 do...more
Paperback, 272 pages
Published
April 29th 2003
by Ballantine Books
(first published January 1st 2002)
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Jun 07, 2012
Jennifer (aka EM)
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
dog lovers, esp. Cesar Milan followers
Recommended to Jennifer (aka EM) by:
Meg diNicola
Shelves:
going-to-the-dogs
This is animal behavioural science, not dog whispering, and it should be required reading for everyone who has a dog, is thinking of getting a dog, or is at all interested in dogs. It's a necessary antidote or at least counterpoint to the "wolf pack/dominance" school of dog training.
The book is structured to compare and contrast primate (including human) behaviours and their underlying meaning with canine (wolf and dog) behaviours. McConnell itemizes and then analyzes the natural behaviours that...more
The book is structured to compare and contrast primate (including human) behaviours and their underlying meaning with canine (wolf and dog) behaviours. McConnell itemizes and then analyzes the natural behaviours that...more
I'd read anything she writes. She's a wonderful writer and I can never learn enough about dogs.
4 1/2 for this one..I am desperate to understand how to communicate with my dog and this book sets the stage for that. I'm a snotty academic with a Master's in Anthro. so, I also love the fact that an individual with a background in ethology is describing not only canine behavior but our own primate actions/reactions. I'll definitely be reading her other books.
This was a fascinating book about the psychology of dogs, but based on a much more scientific approach than Cesar Millan's version of dog psychology. This is not so much a training manual, but part advice, part memoir, part comedy - I found the difference between a primate approach and a dog approach to things so interesting, and Patricia McConnell is a very engaging writer. I loved all her anecdotes about sheep herding. As someone who has owned a dog in the past, and hopes to do so again in the...more
Feb 24, 2008
Jen
is currently reading it
In progress but so far everything in this book has really helped me out with understanding how my dog thinks. I learned how to get her to be on a stay, and that's something that we have been working on for a long time! So far this is an easy to apply read and really recommend for anyone who has a dog or is thinking about becoming a dog owner.
For anyone who is serious about training their dog, this is a good book. I did not agree with McConnell's view of man, and her behavioral psychology got a little much when applied to people, but when reading for the purpose of behavioral training for dogs, it is very worth while.
this is one of my all time favorite books. i love the way P.M. writes, including anecdotes and then going through to explain the details of what she thinks about it. i think everyone who owns a dog should read this book.
This book is part dog training manual, part dog psychology book, part human psychology book. I learned a LOT from Patricia McConnell. She's come highly recommended by most of the dog communities I'm in and while I've had the book for some time and started it any number of times, I didn't really get around to reading it until just after the new year. If anyone wants to delve more into why YOU act the way you do around your dogs and why your dog reacts the way it does to the often unconscious (and...more
I really enjoyed this book. It is so weird because I have read so many puppy books, but Charlie is really more dog than puppy now, and it is time i face facts! I no longer have any use on the "how-to" books, and i want a more thoughtful perspective of dog/human interaction which before, to be honest, i couldn't really understand these books until owning a dog.
In this book, the author compares the social structure of dogs as they have descended from wolves to the social structure of humans which...more
In this book, the author compares the social structure of dogs as they have descended from wolves to the social structure of humans which...more
1 like · like · see review
Aug 19, 2008
Nicole
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Dog lovers and those interested in animal behavior
Recommended to Nicole by:
Sandy from HART
This book was recommended to me by the folks at HART (Homeless Animal Rescue Team). It decribes the differeces and similarities in how primates and canines communiticate and how understanding these differeces can help you train and communiticate with you dog. Each chapter starts off with an antidote from the author's personal experiance as an animal behaviorist and dog trainer followed by an explanation of what went wrong or right as the case may be. This book is well researched and some what ac...more
Written by an applied behaviorist, this book compares and contrasts primate and canine behavior and psychology to give dog owners a little more insight into their companion's behavior. McConnell interweaves carefully referenced scientific studies and engaging anecdotes from her own extensive experience working with dogs (and their owners) to give readers a solid sense of the current state of the field of canine ethology. Extensive references are listed in the back and there are footnotes through...more
I got this after some trying experiences with my adolescent pooch. I'm a few chapters in and already I feel much more able to communicate effectively with her. We've been working this week on coming when called, and have seen a big difference. She discusses the role of body language in communicating with dogs. Last night as usual Kaia was trying to sniff my dinner plate, while I was sitting on the floor, and I just leaned forward a little bit towards her to assert my dominance and she turned awa...more
This book made me wish I lived on a farm with sheep and cows that my dog could herd. I just don't know how practical that is when I have never done anything like it I wouldn't know where to begin but Locke could help me. I thought this book was very good. It made me see things from my dogs perspective. She must think I'm not very polite. This book was the beggining for me. It made me really focus on who my dog is and if she is happy. I hope so. I have found out Ruby is a social climber and a sta...more
2 likes · like · see review
This book came highly recommended as "readable" and "literary" (even on the back cover!). I found it to be anything but. Her use of cutesy comparisons was irritating and seemed to hide whatever useful scientific information she was meant to be presenting. Based on the reviews and my desire to have a great relationship with my dog, I slogged through until ...
The last straw was her description of a trip to southern Texas to record jockeys who spoke only Spanish. After an offensive, stereotyping de...more
The last straw was her description of a trip to southern Texas to record jockeys who spoke only Spanish. After an offensive, stereotyping de...more
Broad and fundamental, yet practical. The content is based on the academic research and scientific observation, and it was probably easy to sidetrack or get lost in too much information; however, the author integrated such information with the heart of the book. I appreciated her positive training approach and learned a few hands-on training methods that I'd never heard even though I'd done a lot of online search when I got my dog about a year ago.
A funny and ironic thing is, though, my dog ate...more
A funny and ironic thing is, though, my dog ate...more
The Other End of the Leash is more about communicating with dogs than how to train them. Patricia McConnell masterfully explains how as primates we are consistently unaware of the signals we are sending to our four legged friends. In our defense it isn’t willful ignorance; humans just communicate differently. Things like eye contact, shaking hands and hugging, which are signs of affection among humans, are seen as rude and aggressive to dogs. Similarly we tend to disregard things like blinking a...more
It is one of the most exciting books I've ever read on dog training/behaviour. So exciting that I had to refrain myself to go further and read few pages (if not the whole title) in advance in following chapters; Or yet going backward to previous pages to find back a beautifully written description of a dog expression and check it on my dog's face. Thus it was a very enjoyable back and forth reading that I never wanted to end. When came to the end, I was relieved finding many more insights and wo...more
I learned a few things from the book about my interactions with my dog, but mostly, it is not a very engaging read. I couldn't finish it.
I could not get over the author's short, but frequent, quips to remind us how qualified she is to be writing about the subject at hand. OKAY, we get it! You got a PhD! Let's leave it alone now. Chances are, people already acknowledge your qualifications if they picked up your book...
The other major problem I had with this book is that it focuses too much on the...more
I could not get over the author's short, but frequent, quips to remind us how qualified she is to be writing about the subject at hand. OKAY, we get it! You got a PhD! Let's leave it alone now. Chances are, people already acknowledge your qualifications if they picked up your book...
The other major problem I had with this book is that it focuses too much on the...more
This is a amazingly well written and informative book. Dr. McConnell's writing style is easy to read and enjoyable. I have to admit (somewhat shamefacedly) that prior to reading it I would have thought of Applied Animal Behaviourist as one of those 'you do what' kind of jobs. What do we really know about animal psychology anyway, and what makes you or anyone else more informed on the matter than me? Well I would have been wrong. Dr. McConnell's book is well researched and based on more than simp...more
I find that dog literature is a difficult section of the library or bookstore to navigate. Much like parenting, the gamut has been covered for every style of selecting, raising, training, rehabilitating, and understanding our canine friends. Oftentimes, in my experience, I find that much of the literature is dumbed down to "Learning 101"and while I can appreciate the information presented in a syntax that is accessible, I don't enjoy reading on the levels of an 8th grader when I'm looking for re...more
I cannot recommend this book highly enough for every dog owner that really cares about how they are raising their dog. This is not an instructional how-to guide for training dogs. Rather, it is about us humans that are usually sending so many mixed signals that it is a credit to our dogs that they learning anything.
This book was recommended to me by my dog's trainer, who wisely knew that if she could get me to learn a bit, my dog would learn 20 times faster. She was right. I have slowly been pr...more
This book was recommended to me by my dog's trainer, who wisely knew that if she could get me to learn a bit, my dog would learn 20 times faster. She was right. I have slowly been pr...more
I LOVE Patricia McConnell. This book focuses on how human body language is interpreted by dogs. First read her "For the Love of a Dog" which was a wonderful balance to the Caesar Milan school of dog training. (Lots to learn from Caesar, but he doesn't have all the answers.) Looking forward to adding to my bag of tricks to use on Dixie!
I didn't find this one as compelling -- perhaps, not as practical -- as For the Love of a Dog. I think this book could be boiled down to several key points (and th...more
I didn't find this one as compelling -- perhaps, not as practical -- as For the Love of a Dog. I think this book could be boiled down to several key points (and th...more
So, OK, I'm spending all my time lately reading dog training books. Talk about not what I want to be doing. I have a list of 4 books a training specialist told me to read, and I'm working my way through.
This one, though, I must say, was a fun read. Patricia McConnell understands a lot about a lot of different animal behaviors, and she has a talent for getting the point across to the rest of us. She lives on a sheep farm in Wisconsin, where in addition to her dog training business, she raises she...more
This one, though, I must say, was a fun read. Patricia McConnell understands a lot about a lot of different animal behaviors, and she has a talent for getting the point across to the rest of us. She lives on a sheep farm in Wisconsin, where in addition to her dog training business, she raises she...more
I sincerely think anyone who owns a dog needs to read this book. Because owners are technically primates( think ape family) and dogs are canines ( think wolves), we tend to train our dogs incorrectly ie: as a good primate would, however our dogs are NOT primates , but canine. For instance, when our dog barks, we, as primates, tend to yell "No bark" or something as ineffective. When our dog continues to bark, we lgetlouder and yell more for emphasis ( I really men it,)
This is how primates train t...more
This is how primates train t...more
This highly readable book helps dog lovers understand their canine companions from a scientific and evolutionary standpoint. Using plenty of anecdotes as well as formal data, it compares and contrasts dog/canid psychology and social structure with that of humans/primates. Although it's not a training manual, McConnell does present several strategies for better communicating with and interacting with your dog. These strategies aren't intuitive because of the fundamental differences between dogs a...more
I thought this book had some really interesting insights, and there are definitely some things I will incorporate into training and living with my rescue dog.
I was really reading everything in the beginning, but a few chapters in, when she started going on and on about the differences between primates and humans, I started to get a bit bored. Not that it isn't interesting material, but it's not what I thought I was getting in a book about dogs. I feel like she could've mentioned her background...more
I was really reading everything in the beginning, but a few chapters in, when she started going on and on about the differences between primates and humans, I started to get a bit bored. Not that it isn't interesting material, but it's not what I thought I was getting in a book about dogs. I feel like she could've mentioned her background...more
Very good book about the dog-human relationship. Patricia McConnell explains a lot about people in this book, and how we unintentionally confuse our dogs. She gives good examples of how to clear up the miscommunication, too. My favorite: apparently, calling your dog to come, while running towards her, is sending mixed messages. McConnel explains that dogs want to go in the direction your feet are pointed, so to effectively call your dog, act like you're going to run in the other direction.
This i...more
This i...more
I purchased this book when I ordered two booklets by the same author. The administrators of our dog obiendence class had recommended Patricia McConnell, and I am so glad that she did. The Other End of the Leash does an excellent job of exploring how a social primate species functions with a social canine species. It reminds us that no matter how much we consider our dog as part of the family, they are still a dog. They do not speak English, they do not hug among their own kind, but they do thriv...more
Excellent book. Patricia McConnell is an applied animal behaviorist who primarily works with dogs. As the title suggests, however, she puts much of her focus on humans and how our ways of relating are not necessarily dogs' ways of relating. She points out, for example, how humans, like primates, hug each other. To us, it feels good. It reassures us. It calms us. But dogs don't hug each other and they are uncomfortable when we hug them, though the best ones put up with it for love of us. She is a...more
37. 5/9/09: The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs, by Patricia McConnell. This book was SO useful and well-written. Everything in it is credible due to the source, not to mentioned explained in ways that are simple to follow. For example, the chapter on verbal communication... I am one of those people who talks to her dogs WAY too much because somehow I think it will help if I get louder and repeat things, lol. But now that I have read this book I know how to better manage...more
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Patricia McConnell, Ph.D., a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, (CAAB) has made a lifelong commitment to improving the relationship between people and animals. She is known worldwide as an expert on canine and feline behavior and dog training, and for her engaging and knowledgeable dog training books, DVDs and seminars. Patricia has seen clients for serious behavioral problems since 1988, and i...more
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Jun 07, 2012 09:56am
updated Jun 08, 2012 05:18am