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

A great read. Informative as well as fun. Ms. McConnell writes in a manner that teaches while she entertains. You get to know her dogs and her life experiences in a way that will help me with my own dogs. Her love for her canines is evident in her writing. Very good book.

Want to communicate with your dog without buttons 😅 this books teaches us dog body language and how it’s sometimes OPPOSITE of human behavior - mind blown - 🤯 For real dog lovers who want to connect more deeply with their companions and fur friends. Also written with a self aware and humorous edge. Not dry like I expected. Very wet.

I love, love, love this book. I have already purchased copies as gifts for all of my family members who have dogs. This should be required reading for anyone who has a dog, is thinking about owning a dog, or is around friends/family with dogs. Just as I am fascinated about how people interact with each other, I am very curious about the unique relationship between humans and dogs. This book draw's on Dr. McConnell's background in psychology and animal behavior. I believe that her background makes her an authority on the topic of how canines and humans communicate with each other. As other reviewers have noted, this is not a book on how to train your dog. However, I believe that this book should be a pre-requisite to dog training. It provides a foundation on WHY certain methods work and why others are ineffective. There are so many myths floating around about dog training and people love to create sound bites and quick tips out of all of the available information. Context is key. One of the tactics discussed is how to get a dog to go the direction you want it to go. Dogs look in the direction they want to go. Humans tend to prefer to face the dog which is actually perceived by dog as encroachment of their space and typically makes the dog want to back up. While on Christmas vacation, we had a puppy that was insisting on sleeping in Mom's favorite arm chair. Instead of charging up to the dog and speaking at him when I wanted him to get off the chair, I walked up to him, turned away from him, and pointed to the floor. With my body and my hand pointing in the direction I wanted the dog to go, it was like magic! I didn't even have to use my voice to communicate my command. The family was amazed! This is just one example of how understanding what my body language means to a dog enabled me to develop a simple and effective method of communication. I actually liked the author's personal stories about her working dogs and their different personalities. While others may feel these are irrelevant to the overall book, I think they enhance the book. In my opinion, any type of behavior analysis only benefits from more real-life examples. Please get a copy of this book for yourself and for any dog owners you know. Understanding what you are really saying to a dog is the first step in creating effective communication which leads to a more rewarding relationship.

There is a great deal of wisdom in this book, it's not a 'do this to get your pooch to do that' guide for basic obedience but it makes clear how humans by nature tend to communicate and how dogs do and, where there is a gap, how to bridge it more effectively to help your dog understand what you need from him or her. And it really helps achieve greater obedience. Case in point, how do you call your dog to come? She writes, think like a dog and get the dog to chase you to come. Call out 'come' over your shoulder in a playful voice as you move away in the direction you want the dog to come - i.e. toward you. Crazy? No. It worked under heart-stopping circumstances. After having my new stray adoptee a week, he escaped an old cedar fence in the backyard and ran off in search of rabbits. He crossed several streets as I pursued him puffing and screaming 'Come, Anchovy, come!" When I finally got near him, he was halfway up a cement stairway one block from a busy, four-lane street beyond which beckoned a huge public park (larger than Central Park in NYC). He stood poised to run away and I stopped, turned away against all my instincts and chirped "Come Anchovy" in a high pitched voice and starting jogging away from him. He raced to catch me, tail wagging, body wiggling, wondering what it was I was going to show him. A HUGE RELIEF. Then I hugged him under his tummy up, not over his back, a primate thing dogs tolerate, and I rubbed his chest, a dog thing primates don't think to do that they love. There were many more insights of practical use than that, but that tip alone may've saved my dog's life. It certainly reinforced that coming to me is a good, fun thing even when unexplored worlds are just a scamper away. I"ll be re-reading this from time to time to remind myself of more dog wisdom. I highly recommend this whether you've had dogs for years or are about to adopt your first. (There are lots of great training manuals out there, too.) All that said, I didn't love the depth to which she goes into primate behavior, it could've been summarized as key points without the loving detail from her doctoral thesis days IMO, however, having a better understanding of inborn human/dog differences, has made a big difference to me. I have made faster, more meaningful progress with a newly-adopted, former stray dog thanks to what I learned here.

Amazing book for dog owners who want to better understand and communicate with their dogs. Great storytelling too! Wish I could give this book 10 stars.

Outstanding book on dog behavior and training.

SUGGESTED AUDIENCE: Dog lovers wanting to improve the relationship with their dog by understanding how dogs and primates can better communicate with one another. Back in the early 1990's, when we still lived in Wisconsin and before we got into the pet care business, Paula and I attended several dog training classes with our dogs Gus and Shed. It was not until 1994 that we found Dr. Patricia McConnell and her training school, Dog's Best Friend. This was the first class that all of us, humans and dogs alike, truly enjoyed. Why? Because of Trisha's understanding of how dogs and humans communicate and her emphasis on rewarding good behavior. Now the world can benefit from her knowledge in her new book, The Other End Of The Leash. The Other End Of The Leash is an information-packed, yet readable book. In it you will learn how to have an improved relationship with your dog through better communication. As a scientist who has studied both primate and canine communication systems, Dr. McConnell has a keen understanding of where the communication between humans and dogs often breaks down, creating frustration and stress for both species. For example, she explains how simple innate greeting patterns of both species can cause conflict. We know that when two people meet, the polite thing to do is to make direct eye contact and walk straight toward one another smiling. However, as Dr. McConnell notes: "The oh-so-polite primate approach is appallingly rude in canine society. You might as well urinate on a dog's head." The fact is direct eye contact and a direct approach is very confrontational to a dog. Dr. McConnell also emphasizes how dogs primarily communicate visually, while humans are a very verbal species. The picture she paints of the frustrated chimp, jumping up and down, waving their hands, and screeching repeatedly is only a slight exaggeration of the frustrated human, saying "sit, sit, sit, ahhhh please sit" while displaying countless bits of body language. Primates, including humans, "...have a tendency to repeat notes when we're excited, to use loud noises to impress others, and to thrash around whatever is in our paw if we're frustrated. This behavior has no small effect on our interactions with dogs, who in spite of some barks and growls, mostly communicate visually, get quiet rather than noisy to impress others, and are too busy standing on their paws to do much else with them." With these fundamental differences, it's amazing we can communicate with our dogs at all. While Trisha's book will certainly enlighten you, it will also move you. Her description of her relationships with her own animals leaves no doubt about her love and commitment. Reading her recollection of how her beloved Luke was almost hit by a car and the passing of her little Border Collie Misty had me very near tears. FAVORITE QUOTES: "If humans are understandably a bit slow at responding to the visual signals that our dogs are sending, we are downright dense about the signals that we generate ourselves." "Forcing dogs into 'submission' and screaming in their face is a great way to elicit defensive aggression. It makes sense that a dog would bite, or at least threaten to, in this context. Within their social framework, you're acting like a lunatic." "It seems very human to stay fixated on the negative: 'No!' seems to come out of our mouths as easily as breathing. But saying no doesn't teach a dog what to do, and it keeps the attention focused on it and nothing else." I highly recommend The Other End Of The Leash for anyone with a dog in their life.

It. Is. Amazing. Warning: Gushy post ahead, I can't say enough good about this book! I feel like it's revolutionizing my relationship with Cassie (13 yr. old border collie-x)! This author is engaging and so informative. She backs up her claims with well rounded research and anecdotal stories. She gives clear suggestions for interacting with dogs. Best of all, every time she makes a suggestion, I put down my book and notes and give it a try with Cassie. So far, we've had amazing success! Here are two examples.....one, Cassie has a little obedience routine that we practice including her COME, SIT, STAY, DOWN. She generally listens well (to me) and performs correctly about 75% of the time. After analyzing my actions, words, and the results, I realized that I was not being consistent. My smart little pup has figured out what I want most of the time, but eventually she gets confused and wanders away or comes and sits down beside me ending our session. When I employed Dr. McConnell's suggestions however, she was performing at 100%! wow! Even better, Cassie has never listened well to Cole (my husband). We thought it was because she preferred me...she always seems to look at me when he says something and then generally doesn't obey him. I have learned that the inconsistencies are just multiplied tenfold when dealing with Cole because she never managed to decipher his mix of signals....and perhaps she doesn't care enough to try really hard - her goal in life is to please me. I had him run through the same routines I was doing and she listened better than ever before with him! Furthermore, we tried to get him to call her away from my side (a tall order for my shadow), he executed the move perfectly, and Cassie trotted over immediately without even looking to me for guidance! Our poor girl has just been confused for all these years. I'm taking lots of notes and practicing with Cassie in hopes that we can give Mica the consistency and clear communication that he'll need. I hope that he'll be even more receptive because he hasn't spent years reading my crazy human signals like poor Cass. We feel more confident and in control which is thrilling after being so nervous about bringing Mica (our new rescue) home. Cole too is feeling stronger and ready to tackle this challenge!

Ich war erst etwas skeptisch und dachte, die Inhalte seien schon etwas "oldschool" aber es stellte aich bald heraus, dass es ein sehr gutes Buch ist und es klärt ganz wunderbar darüber auf, warum wir Menschen uns ggü. unseren Hunde verhalten, wie wir es tun und v.a. wie wir es besser machen können.

Tres intéressant, basé sur la recherche et m’a permis de comprendre bien des comportements du chien et permet aussi de nous faire remarquer l’impact des mots et gestes que l’on utilise dans la communication avec notre chien

たくさんの身近な例で、犬から見た人間の行動って、本当に分かりにくいものなんだと考えさせられます。犬に分かりやすい伝え方を学んで愛犬とのより良き関係に、お勧めです！

Parece mas un escrito para hablar de ella en un “talk show” que en una guia de comportamiento canino. Como Biologa que soy, pienso que si uno se dirije a compartir conocimineto a el publico, deberia hacer solo eso. Por cierto, los mexicanos no somos lo que ella describe… se regresa!

Superb book and a must for dog owners !! It gives you REAL insight as to how they perceive us and why they are not at fault most of the time- it's us !!! For not giving clear signals! A dog does not understand us when we talk in sentence to it- it just picks up on tone and the 100's of movements you make ( without even being aware ) Try standing and looking in a mirror at yourself. Keep as still as you can but smile, then frown. Now do it again but this time observe the tiny changes you see in the muscles on your face. Try doing this with some one else and ask each other to do different things but NO TALKING !! This is only a small example of what your dog sees/ only he's aware of every muscle in your body- all at the same time- no sound needed and he can work out from these changes what you are doing/ going to do. For example; How many people follow a reasonably same routine before going out each time? You might have something to eat and drink, put your dishes in the sink,go to the bathroom, clean your teeth, brush your hair etc. Then come down stairs and get your coat and bag then check your bag to make sure you have everything before picking up your keys. By the time you have got to the point of brushing your teeth, your dog has already recorgnised that you are going and leaving him and at this point if he suffers from stress this is when it starts!! The book gives you SO MANY insights!!