Customer Reviews

The Other End of the Leash

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Owning an embarrassing number of dog training/behavior books and having kept Border Collies for a long time, I feel qualified to say that if you only bought one book on canine behavior, this would be it. Dr. McConnell provides a clear and lucid explanation of why dogs behave and respond as they do -- all the while being careful to make note of the ambiguities and idiosyncratic nature of both canine and human behavior. There are no 'magic formulas' here. But there are many guidelines and explanations of why some things tend to work, while others tend not to. The strength of this book is that it provides an understanding of why dogs respond, allowing the reader to refine his/her behaviors to better communicate with dogs. This focus on human behavior and how dogs interpret it provides unusual insight into effective interaction and training. Extensive experience and academic preparation in animal behavior and communication have provided McConnell with an exceptional understanding of how much of what we do in interacting with dogs is actually counter-productive because dogs see the world quite differently than primates do. Changing some of my behaviors after reading this book, I could almost see my three Border Collies thinking, "Well, about time you figured that out."

Patricia McConnell has done a WONDERFUL thing for all pet owners... this book is not specifically about dog-training, but about how OUR behavior influences the behavior of our PETS.(That's US onthe "other end of the leash"). This is must have book, whether you live with dogs, cats, other pets or even interact with other humans!!!
What can I say but WOW! Fantastic! You have to read this book- you will laugh, cry, giggle and get that wonderful "AHA!!! Now I know why..."moment.
Buy this book!!!

I can't say enough about this book and how great it is. I'm very involved in dog training and this was the one book I found that had sound advice. It is fantastic for anyone who owns a dog and I am recommending it to everyone I know!

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and the personal dog training experiences the Dr. McConnel recounts. Although it does give some dog training information, it is more of an overview of animal and human behaviour as it relates, or not, to dogs.

I LOVED This book. I've read many books on dog training & this one is truly wonderful. It provides tons of great information on dog behavior & on dog-human interactions. Very easy to read & understand. McConnell is also a very witty, entertaining author. This is truly one of the best dog behavior books I have ever read!

I really enjoyed Patricia McConnell's writing style and humour. Her willingness to make you aware that she too isn't perfect and has to stop and re-group sometimes when attempting to communicate with her dogs. The book is full of incredibly useful information relating to dogs and how they view us and the world. If you truly take the time to read and absorb the riches of this book, you'll never look at any dog the same way.
I love learning why things are the way they are and because of this found this to be a very rewarding read. It all made so much sense.
Sometimes I did find myself getting a bit restless when things got all scientific, but even that was necessary a lot of the time and I pushed myself through them anyway because I knew something of worth was going to come of it. I wonder if part of my restlessness was because I was anxious to find out what else I was going to learn. It's worth the effort if you find yourself feeling like I did. Patricia's skill at story telling and obvious love for dogs makes you feel so good and had me reading every page top to bottom (even the tiny notes on the bottom thatIwould normally ignore or not notice) I wanted to learn everything I could from her. I learned as much about our species as I did about dogs.
Once you see how dogs viewthings you'll be able to communicate much better and it can't help but benefit your relationship. Please do your dog a favor and read this book!

I have loved every word of "The other end of the leash"
Its a bright,intelligent and fun book about dogs AND people, and why we do the things we do around dogs.It focuses on human behaviour as well as in canine(after all,we're human animals)making it so much easier to understand doggie language,and realizing the mistakes we make in dealing with animals.Once I started reading it I couldnt put it down,and I will certainly read other books by Patricia McConnell,I have recomended this book to everyone!

This is the best book I've ever seen that explains in plain terms how your dog sees you and your behavior and why dogs do the things they do. The author is extremely knowledgeable, but she's also clearly a dog lover. The book is well-researched and well-written. I enjoyed the anecdotes; they helped illustrate the author's points.

A very good read ...

The book starts with the premise that people who love dogs have desire to understand dogs ... And McConnell's book guides us down this very special journey without cloying sentimentality but always with heart and kindness ...

A dog behaviour book that goes beyond just reciting basic concepts of dominance, leadership within a pack ... and beyond basic operant, praise & treat methods ... McConnell explores and explains the subtleties of dog nature and human nature ... how our 2 species interract and react one with the other ... the building blocks for better understanding between man and dog ...

The author explains why dogs do what they do, and just as important, she explains why we behave the way we do ... and how our very differences, both enrich and causes conflict in our relationships with our canine friends ...

The chapter titles are descriptive of the author's beliefs ... 'Translating Primate to Canine' ... 'Pack Mates' ... 'The Truth About Dominance' ... 'Patient Dogs and Wise Humans' ...

The author's thoughts are clear and easy to follow ... her words a pleasure to read ...

While this book is not a training manual, it will compliment any training manual ... filling the bare bones of training with an appreciation & understanding of how and why training methods work (or don't work) and teaches when and how to modify training methods to suit both dog & owner ...

Definitely worth a read ...

You're walking in town and you see a great ape walking a small wolf on the other side of the street... sounds interesting?

Dr. McConnell uses a unique approach the origin of the animals at both ends of the leash; the tall great ape [human] and the domestic wolf [dog] to explain how and in some cases why these two species interact the ways they do.

For people actively involved in traing their dog or helping others to train their dog a good geal of information deals with, "Its not what you say, but how you say it" backed with valid reasearch.