Patricia B. McConnellCritiques

This is not your average dog training book. In some ways, it isn't a dog training book at all. Rather, it provides insights into both canine and human body language. McConnell teaches you how to modify some of your body language into something your dog can understand. Want your dog to come to you? Turn your back to him, bend a bit at the waist and look over your shoulder while you call to him. That is body language your dog understands. And it works! That was the first great hint I found just within the first few pages. Use this book in conjunction with a standard training book (and taking McConnell's word over the other author's when they conflict), and you should be okay.

Very good. Best one yet. I bought a copy for Eric. A sensible mix of anecdotal and scientific, common sense, dog communication and why we are bad at it as humans.

Every person with a dog should read this book! It’s been on my TBR pile for far too long, and I’m glad I finally got to it. It’s so good I’m going to buy it to keep as a reference and reread.
McConnell discusses primate instincts versus canine instincts in relation to how we interact with our dogs. It’s based on the author’s own research, as well as that of many others. Her writing style is warm, engaging, instructive, and interspersed with stories about her own dogs and clients she’s worked with for behavioral problems.
Fascinating and helpful book—read it read it read it.

The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What WE Do Around Dogs
Author: Patricia B. McConnell
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publishing Date: 2002
Pgs: 246
Dewey: 636.7 M1295o 2003
Disposition: Interlibrary Loan - Irving Public Library - South Campus - Irving, TX via Helen Hall Library, City of League City Library, League City, TX
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REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
Summary:
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!”
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Genre:
Dogs
Pets
Training
Animal Husbandry
Domestication

Why this book:
Love dogs.
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The Page 100 Test:
√◄ - good to go.
∞◄ - read on.

The Feel:
I learning a lot and seeing things that I’ve believed be reinforced.

Favorite Quote:
When Beagles and Bloodhounds put their noses down to the ground, I suspect that the rest of the world fades into oblivion. Think “adolescent with headphones on” and you’ll know what I mean.

Hmm Moments:
The paw-over, where it looks like your dogs are petting each other is aggressive behavior. And humans when they see it usually laugh because ‘Awww, they’re petting each other.” In dogs that don’t know each other, it is aggressive behavior. In dogs that do know each other, it is often seen as a precursor to play; ie: Play with me. Do you want to play with me?

The silhouette recognition was something I was aware of. My dog has had vision problems his whole life and it was glaringly obvious that he recognized people when they moved based on their silhouette against the background. If they weren’t moving, he had a hard time seeing them. And if someone he knew showed up with a hat or something that changed their shape, he lost his nugget.

Wisdom:
Dogs respond to body language and micro-expressions. Yep. Agree.

The “don’t square your feet towards the dog when you first meet them” rule makes sense.

The hand signals, feet position, and stance signals in conjunction with verbal commands are great advice. I’ve seen it work with my pack.

Do the information gathering head tilt to disarm an aggressive dog. Apparently, it causes a reset in behavior.

Juxtaposition:
If every time your dog comes to you, you drop everything and pay attention to them, you're sending them the signal that they are in charge. This leads to spoiled fur persons living in your house.

The Unexpected:
Sub-chapter: Every Dog is Different, but Some Dogs Are More Different Than Others…I laughed out loud. My pack consists of two pugs, a pom, a pit-boxer mix, a long hair chihuahua, and two cats, all with their own foibles. That subtitle spoke to me.

So, I Was Right:
Dogs who aren’t socialized in their early development can never overcome the missing part of what it’s like being a dog at that age. They can learn to be more comfortable around unfamiliar people, but well-adjusted is more in line with a normal social environment during their puppy years.
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Last Page Sound:
Good, insightful, well presented.

Conclusions I’ve Drawn:
I see my dogs in this book. Some of the things that happened to them before I got them, and some of the things that I didn’t help them overcome. I work with them and try to get the proper socialization and interaction for them. My pack is made up of a bunch of misfit toys that came to us from a diverse group of f’ed up backgrounds. But we’ve melded them into an odd quintet who get along well together.
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Lots of great practical advice, concise and clear.

This is the book I should've started with. It's not about training dogs, it's about communicating with dogs: how to read their body language, how we primates misinterpret a lot of what they do, how they misinterpret a lot of what we do. I had no idea that petting a dog on the head or hugging a dog are often perceived as aggression/punishment. It had never occurred to me that if you run after your dog when he grabs the remote he sees that as a fetch game - i.e., as a reward for grabbing the remote. It had never occurred to me that if your dog is running away from you at the park the way to make him come back is to move away from him, not toward him. It all sounds pretty obvious *after* Dr. McConnell explains it, but it's actually a lot of counter-intuitive knowledge. So, this book is not about how to housetrain your dog or how to teach it "sit" or "fetch"; it's about all the foundational knowledge you need to have before you even think about training your dog. It's essential knowledge that I didn't even know I didn't have ("unknown unknowns"). Also, Dr. McConnell writes in a superbly engaging style, which is pretty amazing for someone in academia; there is zero jargon and the sentences are short and to-the-point.

As with all of Patricia McConnell's books, I devoured this. Already a huge fan, I now feel a strange connection to this woman I have never met, who shares my love of Border Collies, solitude, and nature, and whose past traumas resonated deeply with me. I loved the book, but it is perhaps best-suited for people who have worked with and loved traumatized dogs or experienced trauma themselves.

I didn't enjoy this book, and couldn't get very far, despite the mostly positive reviews it has received. The lure of more exciting texts pulled me away from this book. It might just be because I don't enjoy the tone of scientific-based texts. I did not feel like I could relate what I read with my own relationship with my dog, despite the author's constant use of anecdotes. I'm sure someone else could enjoy this book. Perhaps someone a little more left-brained than me!

In my opinion the best to understand a dog if you do not have that much experience (and maybe, also if you are a long-year dog owner you might learn things you did not know). Easy and very interesting to read, with a lot of examples - sometimes funny too.

Why we do what we do around dogs

Picked this up at the lib, I used to listen to Ms. McConnell's radio program on pets. Really a very nice story, interspersed with the author's experience of working on her own issues at the same time as getting a dog with issues. She writes as well as she speaks. Liked the book.½

¿Cómo es posible que su perro se siente con toda parsimonia cuando usted le está pidiendo precisamente que acuda a toda prisa? ¿Por qué ladra todavía más fuerte cuando usted le dice que deje de hacerlo («calla, calla, ¡CÁLLATE!»)? ¿Por qué será que le mira con esa cara de sufrida resignación cuando usted le está felicitando con efusivos abrazos?

Dr. Patricia McConnell is an applied animal behaviorist and dog trainer with more than twenty years experience. The Other End of the Leash is a fantastic read for dog owners or those interested in animal-human interaction. Dr. McConnell very practically illustrates the differences between primate and canid behavior and mannerisms, and explains why many things we as humans do can be difficult or impossible for dogs to understand. She also presents ways that humans can alter their behavior to increase communication and understanding between the species (talk less and be very aware of and intentional with your body language/movement).

One month prior to reading The Other End of the Leash, I had been experimenting with my puppy, using mostly hand signals and drastically cutting down on vocal commands. I noticed that my dog obeyed far faster with hand signals without the hesitating look of “Um, let me make sure I understand what you’re trying to say.” A lot of the things I had been learning through experimentation and observation were confirmed in McConnell’s book with an explanation as to why it worked. Everything I tested from her book worked on the first try (such as getting my dog to come right away using solely body language and movement). As an introvert, I love not having to chatter at him, and he doesn’t miss it (dogs’ primary means of communicating aren’t vocal, and I am finally speaking his language).

I highly recommend this book to dog owners. There is so much practical, applicable information, and it may just give you a new paradigm through which to view some of your dog’s “problem” behaviors with great advice for effective interventions.

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 simple anecdotal evidence. I learned a lot from it.

It isn't a training book per se, though there are a decent number of training tips, how to redirect unwanted behaviours for example. This is primarily a book about what makes people people and dogs dogs. The main message is that we aren't the same. We are different species, with different needs and wants, and different interpretations of the same behaviours. Understanding this can make a world of difference in the lives of dog and their humans...or humans and their dogs. This should be required reading of all new dog owners.

To-the-point and useful. Very short pamphlet. I love this author.

Excellent book. Read if you have ever had a dog or are considering getting one.

This is a perfectly delightful little book, and not just about training dogs, but about loving them and recognizing how important the dog-human relationship can be. An animal behaviorist, McConnell obviously knows all the scientific studies and the physiological stuff about dogs, but I especially loved the way she was also willing to get down and dirty in the interest of understanding - crawling around on the floor of her house and sniffing all the nooks and crannies, trying to get a sense of what her dogs were smelling down there. And I also appreciated - from harsh experience - how grief-stricken she was when she lost a dog, whether through 'rehoming' or death.

I suppose I could have given this book five stars, except parts of it made me feel guilty for being needlessly - heedlessly? - stupid about how I spoil my dogs. Because I know I do. Fortunately they are both nearly as laid back and forgiving as the author's near-perfect dogs, Luke and Lassie.

Written a dozen years ago, THE OTHER END OF THE LEASH is still relevant, and a welcome addition to my ever-growing collection of "dog books." (My favorite one remains Hal Borland's classic memoir, THE DOG WHO CAME TO STAY.) Highly recommended.

This book is interesting as it looks at the human dog relationship from a dog's perspective. Not in a sense as what dog's think about when they look at humans. But what are the things that we humans do when around dogs. Things that quite frankly drive dogs nuts. For example petting the dog on its head. Did you know that dog's actually hate that! The author is very knowledgeable and she has both the experience and the educational know-how and research to back up what she is talking about. This book is well written humorous and easy to follow while teaching some valuable lessons in human dog interactions.

Ich habe mich anfangs mit diesem Buch etwas schwer getan weil es oftmals mehr um den Menschen und den Affen geht als um den Hund. Aber dann hats klick gemacht. Patricia vergleicht unser Verhalten mit dem der Affen. Das ganze mit Studien unterlegt. Und dieses Verhalten wiederrum vergleicht sie mit dem von Hunden. Aus diesen erfährt man warum Hunde viele Dinge die wir gerne tun, gar nicht mögen weil es nicht zu ihrer Natur gehört. Sie regt mit dem Buch an, seinen Hund mehr zu beobachtebn. Auch sie erzählt viele Geschichten die sie mit Kunden erlebt hat und auch was sie mit ihrern eigenen Hunden erlebt. Sie gesteht Fehler ein und will verdeutlichen warum es zwischen Mensch und Hund immer zu mißverständnissen kommt. Das ganze ist humorvoll geschrieben. Die Themen immer abgeschlossen und mit ihren Beispielen unterlegt. Auf jedenfall ein tolles Buch aus dem man viele Erkenntnisse zieht :-)

Crash course on some things to think about if you are going to have multiple dogs. If you've got lots of experience with dogs and behavior management, this might not have much new to teach you but it's still good to have all the thoughts in one place. I'll refer back to it as a pack of 2 joins my pack of 1 this next week.

If you need this book, say you have a new foster dog or a rescue dog coming into your home, it is a fantastic quick guide to everything you will need to do or need to know to get your dog settled in. I've been a volunteer dog trainer for eight years, so I knew most of what McConnel/London talked about. However, I have never fostered a dog before. Now I have my first foster dog. To a casual eye he seems well adjusted and friendly, but if you know what you're looking at you see he's freaked out and cuddly when it's safer to be submissive. He's barking and growling to any threat that is slightly more removed. This book helped me understand what is in my own house, and it's helping me have the patience to deal with it.

This is one of the best dog books I have ever read. That being said, this is not a book that gives you step-by-step instructions for obedience training. This book gave me so much insight into my two dogs. I never really considered the differences in primates and dogs. The way we express ourselves and how it appears to dogs is very interesting. I never realized that so many things that I do with my dogs can be considered rude from the dogs point of view. It also gave me some good ideas to implement in my future training session. All around great book.

Patricia McConnell has to be one of the best dog behaviorists writers in the US. This book is both funny, thought provoking and advanced enough to keep the interest of those of us who have read many, many dog books and worked with hundreds of dogs. It focuses on human and dog brain functions and emotions. Don't let that technical description scare you though. It is written in a very accessible style though so would not be inappropriate for the casual dog owner who wants to have a better relationship with their dog.½

If you are looking for a way to train your dog to not react fearfully to whatever it is that scares him, this is the book to get. Patricia McConnell clearly lays out the steps in an easy to follow format.

I liked this book quite a bit. It's a little repetitive in places, reading a bit like the chapters were written separately. Still, there was a pretty good flow. The pictures are really nice examples. I'm not as much interested in the debate of what emotions animals have since I already agree with the author that they must have them. Still one of the best dog books I've read and a good follow up on her other book "The other end of the leash"