Synopses & Reviews
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, youll 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.
Review
"It matters greatly that people who love dogs understand enough about them to provide a good environment, writes McConnell....[This book] offers sound advice for dog owners....[A] helpful guide for pet owners by a specialist who clearly loves her work." Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
From the bestselling author who writes "the most utterly compelling translation of dog to human I have ever seen" (Jeffrey Masson), a groundbreaking guide to giving our dogs the happiest, healthiest lives
Synopsis
From the best-selling author who offers and#8220;the most utterly compelling translation of dog to human I have ever seenand#8221; (Jeffrey Masson), a joyful chronicle of a dog that is also a groundbreaking answer to the question: How can we give our dogs the happiest, healthiest lives?When Ted Kerasote was ready for a new dog after losing his beloved Merle and#8212; who died too soon, as all our dogs do and#8212; he knew that he would want to give his puppy Pukka the longest life possible. But how to do that? So much has changed in the way we feed, vaccinate, train, and live with our dogs from even a decade ago.
In an adventure that echoes The Omnivoreand#8217;s Dilemma with a canine spin, Kerasote tackles all those subjects, questioning our conventional wisdom and emerging with vital new information that will surprise even the most knowledgeable dog lovers. Can a purebred be as healthy as a mixed-breed? How many vaccines are too many? Should we rethink spaying and neutering? Is raw food really healthier than kibble, and should your dog be chewing more bones? Traveling the world and interviewing breeders, veterinarians, and leaders of the animal-welfare movement, Kerasote pulls together the latest research to help us rethink the everyday choices we make for our companions. And as he did in Merle's Door, Kerasote interweaves fascinating science with the charming stories of raising Pukka among his dog friends in their small Wyoming village.
Funny, revelatory, and full of the delights of falling in love with a dog, Pukkaand#8217;s Promise will help redefine the potential of our animal partners.
About the Author
Patricia McConnell, Ph.D., is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Zoology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an expert applied animal behaviorist. Her company, Dogs Best Friend, Ltd., specializes in family dog-training and treating aggression in dogs, and she is an immensely popular speaker around the country. She is the co-host of Calling All Pets, an animal behavior advice show syndicated to a hundred public radio stations, and works daily with four dogs (three border collies and a Great Pyrenees) on her sheep farm outside of Madison. Her Web site is www.dogsbestfriendtraining.com.
Table of Contents
and#160;1.and#160;Too Soon Overand#8195;1
and#160;2.and#160;The Clocks of Dangerand#8195;8
and#160;3.and#160;Loaner Dogsand#8195;24
and#160;4.and#160;Houndy Labsand#8195;35
and#160;5.and#160;Sifting the Genesand#8195;43
and#160;6.and#160;On a Farm in Minnesotaand#8195;67
and#160;7.and#160;Duration of Immunityand#8195;74
and#160;8.and#160;At Our Startand#8195;94
and#160;9.and#160;Outward Boundand#8195;112
and#160;10.and#160;Building the Dikesand#8195;137
and#160;11.and#160;In the Time of the Big Lightand#8195;160
and#160;12.and#160;Carnivore to Monovoreand#8195;175
and#160;13.and#160;Should a Wolf Eat Corn?and#8195;187
and#160;14.and#160;Real Food, Many Formsand#8195;209
and#160;15.and#160;Whom Shall We Eat?and#8195;224
and#160;16.and#160;The Worst Word in the Worldand#8195;243
and#160;17.and#160;Dog Speedand#8195;266
and#160;18.and#160;The Bad Good Deathand#8195;291
and#160;19.and#160;Shelters to Sanctuariesand#8195;309
and#160;20.and#160;Chanceand#8195;323
and#160;21.and#160;The Flip Side of Spay/Neuterand#8195;330
and#160;22.and#160;Not Long Enoughand#8195;353
and#160;23.and#160;Forever Youngand#8195;367
With Great Thanksand#8195;385
Notesand#8195;389
Indexand#8195;439