Patricia B. McConnell - The Other End of the Leash

EXCELLENT

Warm and informative, The Other End of the Leashteaches us to bridge some differences and to honor others.

Dog Fancy

McConnell explores dog-human communication with down-to-earth science and entertaining anecdotes. Whether you have a dog with a behaviorial problem or you just like dog stories, this book is a milestone in the field and a great read.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

CHARLES T. SNOWDON, PH.D.
Former President, Animal Behavior Society

Patricia McConnell understands the behavior of dogs and their owners as Jane Goodall understands chimpanzees. Well written, insightful, and often moving A must-read for everyone who holds one end of a leash.

McConnells book offers unique insights into canine logic. Even humansand this is her greatest achievementstart to make some sense here.

Savannah News

What you don't know about your dog could fill a book. It's called The Other End of the Leash.

Colorado Daily (Boulder)

Director of Pet Training and Behavior Counseling St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center A blend of wisdom and passion exudes throughout this book. A wonderful book for those of us who train and even greater for those who love dogs.

Pia Silvani

ABSORBING

This is a finely observed approach to better living with dogs.

Isthmus Books Quarterly (Madison, WI)

In this highly readable book, Patricia McConnell provides readers with a new set of techniques for communicating with and understanding their dogs. This is a must-read' for all people who share their lives with a dog.

Stanley Coren, Ph.D.
Author of How to Speak Dog and Why We Love the Dogs We Do

The only problem with this book is that once you pick it up, you'll find it's impossible to put down.

Wayne Hunthausen, DVM
Director of Animal Behavior Consultations
Coauthor of The Handbook of Behavior Problems of the Dog and Cat

Patricia McConnell has written the You Just Don't Understand of the human-canine relation. This humorous, well-written book tells us what to do and what to avoid based on years of studying dogs and their primate owners.

Frans de Waal, Ph.D.
Author of The Ape and the Sushi Master

Sound advice [A] thoughtful exposition on improving human-canine communications This is a helpful guide for pet owners by a specialist who clearly loves her work.

Publishers Weekly

All of the people and dogs that are described in this book are based on real people and real dogs. But family problems are very intimate things, whether they relate to dogs or people or both, so in order to protect people's privacy I have changed the names of all the dogs (except mine) and all the clients that I mention in this book. In some cases, I changed the breed of the dog or the sex of the client. Many of my clients will no doubt relate to some of the cases that I describe, because so many of the problems that I see are shared by hundreds, if not thousands, of dog owners. If you think you recognize yourself or your own dog, know that you're not aloneI probably saw dozens or hundreds of people and dogs with the same issues. Unless, by chance, you're bursting with pride about being mentioned in the bookin that case, of course it's about you!

A word of caution and supportive advice: if you have a serious or potentially serious behavioral problem with your dog, don't hesitate to find good, professional assistance. There's actually very little that's intuitive about handling and training a dog, especially one with a serious behavioral problem, and there's no substitute for getting a helpful coach who can help you one-on-one. You wouldn't try to learn basketball just by reading a book, so if you need to play the game, do what any parent would do for their child, and find a good, knowledgeable coach. Don't be embarrassed, as people often are about coming to see me for help with their dog. I don t know anyone who finds it humiliating to take his car to a mechanic. But as with mechanics, there's a huge range of expertise and ethics out there. Be sure to find someone who is well-versed in using positive reinforcement and who is just as kind to you as they are to your dog. See the References in the back of the book for more direction about how to locate qualified assistance. And don t hesitate to talk to your vet about your dogs health. Sometimes behavioral problems derive from physical ones.

And finally, a note to the readers: Rather than using he exclusively or awkwardly using he and she when I refer to generic dogs, I have alternated between he and she throughout the book. It's just simpler, and in writing and dog training, simpler is almost always a good thing.