Synopses & Reviews
Yes, humans and canines are different species, but current research provides fascinating, irrefutable evidence that what we share with our dogs is greater than how we vary. As behaviorist and zoologist Dr. Patricia McConnell tells us in this remarkable new book about emotions in dogs and in people, more and more scientists accept the premise that dogs have rich emotional lives, exhibiting a wide range of feelings including fear, anger, surprise, sadness, and love.
In For the Love of a Dog, McConnell suggests that one of the reasons we love dogs so much is that they express emotions in ways similar to humans. After all, who can communicate joy better than a puppy? But not all emotional expressions are obvious, and McConnell teaches both beginning dog owners and experienced dog lovers how to read the more subtle expressions hidden behind fuzzy faces and floppy ears.
For those of us who deeply cherish our dogs but are sometimes baffled by their behavior, For the Love of a Dog will come as a revelation – a treasure trove of useful facts, informed speculation, and intriguing accounts of man's best friend at his worst and at his very best. Readers will discover how fear, anger, and happiness underlie the lives of both people and dogs and, most important, how understanding emotion in both species can improve the relationship between them. Thus McConnell introduces us to the possibility of a richer, more rewarding relationship with our dogs.
While we may never be absolutely certain what our dogs are feeling, with the help of this riveting book we can understand more than we ever thought possible. Those who consider their dogs part of the family will find For the Love of a Dog engaging, enlightening, and utterly engrossing.
Review
"McConnell offers sophisticated explanations to account for different types of behavior, as well as insight into how bad behavior can be prevented." Library Journal
Review
"McConnell's main message is for readers to observe their own dogs and to understand the emotions behind their actions, both good and bad." Booklist
Synopsis
Yes, humans and canines are different species, but current research provides fascinating, irrefutable evidence that what we share with our dogs is greater than how we vary. As behaviorist and zoologist Dr. Patricia McConnell tells us in this remarkable new book about emotions in dogs and in people, more and more scientists accept the premise that dogs have rich emotional lives, exhibiting a wide range of feelings including fear, anger, surprise, sadness, and love.
In For the Love of a Dog, McConnell suggests that one of the reasons we love dogs so much is that they express emotions in ways similar to humans. After all, who can communicate joy better than a puppy? But not all emotional expressions are obvious, and McConnell teaches both beginning dog owners and experienced dog lovers how to read the more subtle expressions hidden behind fuzzy faces and floppy ears.
For those of us who deeply cherish our dogs but are sometimes baffled by their behavior, For the Love of a Dog will come as a revelation-a treasure trove of useful facts, informed speculation, and intriguing accounts of man's best friend at his worst and at his very best. Readers will discover how fear, anger, and happiness underlie the lives of both people and dogs and, most important, how understanding emotion in both species can improve the relationship between them. Thus McConnell introduces us to the possibility of a richer, more rewarding relationship with our dogs.
While we may never be absolutely certain what our dogs are feeling, with the help of this riveting book we can understand more than we ever thought possible. Those who consider their dogs part of the family will find For the Love of a Dog engaging, enlightening, and utterly engrossing.
From the Hardcover edition.
Synopsis
The critically acclaimed author of The Other End of the Leash offers fascinating insights into the canine mind critical tools for a healthy relationship with a well-trained dog.
Synopsis
A neuroscientist finally and definitively answers the age-old question: What is my dog thinking?
Synopsis
The powerful bond between humans and dogs is one thatand#8217;s uniquely cherished. Loyal, obedient, and affectionate, they are truly and#8220;manand#8217;s best friend.and#8221; But do dogs love us the way we love them? Emory University neuroscientist Gregory Berns had spent decades using MRI imaging technology to study how the human brain works, but a different question still nagged at him:
What is my dog thinking?and#160;
After his family adopted Callie, a shy, skinny terrier mix, Berns decided that there was only one way to answer that questionand#8212;use an MRI machine to scan the dogand#8217;s brain. His colleagues dismissed the idea. Everyone knew that dogs needed to be restrained or sedated for MRI scans. But if the military could train dogs to operate calmly in some of the most challenging environments, surely there must be a way to train dogs to sit in an MRI scanner.
and#160;
With this radical conviction, Berns and his dog would embark on a remarkable journey and be the first to glimpse the inner workings of the canine brain. Painstakingly, the two worked together to overcome the many technical, legal, and behavioral hurdles. Bernsand#8217;s research offers surprising results on how dogs empathize with human emotions, how they love us, and why dogs and humans share one of the most remarkable friendships in the animal kingdom.
and#160;
How Dogs Love Us answers the age-old question of dog lovers everywhere and offers profound new evidence that dogs should be treated as we would treat our best human friends: with love, respect, and appreciation for their social and emotional intelligence.
About the Author
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.
From the Hardcover edition.
Table of Contents
Prologue: Dress Rehearsaland#8195;xii1.and#160;Dia de los Muertosand#8195;1
2.and#160;What Itand#8217;s Like to Be a Dogand#8195;13
3.and#160;A Fishing Expeditionand#8195;21
4.and#160;Puppy Stepsand#8195;31
5.and#160;The Scanner Dilemmaand#8195;41
6.and#160;Resonant Dogsand#8195;48
7.and#160;Lawyers Get Involvedand#8195;56
8.and#160;The Simulatorand#8195;68
9.and#160;Basic Trainingand#8195;75
10.and#160;The Stand-Inand#8195;87
11.and#160;The Carrot or the Stick?and#8195;97
12.and#160;Dogs at Workand#8195;105
13.and#160;The Lost Wedding Ringand#8195;114
14.and#160;Big Questionsand#8195;125
15.and#160;Dog Day Afternoonand#8195;134
16.and#160;A New Worldand#8195;150
17.and#160;Peas and Hot Dogsand#8195;158
18.and#160;Through a Dogand#8217;s Eyesand#8195;168
19.and#160;Eureka!and#8195;179
20.and#160;Does My Dog Love Me?and#8195;186
21.and#160;Whatand#8217;s That Smell?and#8195;195
22.and#160;First Friendand#8195;206
23.and#160;Lyraand#8195;215
24.and#160;What Dogs Are Really Thinkingand#8195;225
Epilogueand#8195;234
Notesand#8195;241
Acknowledgmentsand#8195;247