The Other End Of The Leash

Learn to communicate with your dog—using their language “Good reading for dog lovers and an immensely useful manual for dog owners.”—The Washington Post An Applied Animal Behaviorist and dog trainer with more than twenty years’ experience, Dr. Patricia McConnell reveals a revolutionary new perspective on our relationship with dogs—sharing insights on how “man’s best friend” might interpret our behavior, as well as essential advice on how to interact with our four-legged friends in ways that bring out the best in them. After all, humans and dogs are two entirely different species, each shaped by its individual evolutionary heritage. Quite simply, humans are primates and dogs are canids (as are wolves, coyotes, and foxes). Since we each speak a different native tongue, a lot gets lost in the translation. This marvelous guide demonstrates how even the slightest changes in our voices and in the ways we stand can help dogs understand what we want. Inside you will discover: • How you can get your dog to come when called by acting less like a primate and more like a dog • Why the advice to “get dominance” over your dog can cause problems • 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 mischief • How dogs and humans share personality types—and why most dogs want to live with benevolent leaders rather than “alpha wanna-bes!” Fascinating, insightful, and compelling, The Other End of the Leash is a book that strives to help you connect with your dog in a completely new way—so as to enrich that most rewarding of relationships.

New edition updated for 2022! Develop the tools and understanding you need to be the best trainer for your new puppy or adult dog—it’s never too early or late to start! Professional dog trainer Kate Perry has seen it all: the secret pee-ers, the delivery-man harassers, the skittish wallflowers, the zippy puppy, the pulling sled dog, the barking door dashers, and the withdrawing senior. If any of these remind you of your dog-or you fear your pup is on their way to developing a behavioral challenge-let Kate help you create a balanced training program that will yield positive results for you and your pooch. Kate’s layered methodology includes an easy-to-take Canine Drive Survey, the same one she provides to her clients, enabling you to identify your dog’s particular set of drives, behavioral traits, and needs. Next, she develops a personalized training program for you and your pooch that blends together your lifestyle and household setup and your dog’s unique “canine-ality” to create an atmosphere of mutual trust, respect, and understanding. Kate’s goal is to turn you into the best trainer for your dog, using simple commands with step-by-step instructions that cover all the essential training categories: housetraining, socialization, leash walking, exercise, and dealing with anxiety. Each chapter contains personal stories and photos pulled from Kate’s client files including Professor Sophie, Kate’s well-trained pug, who also offers her own brand of authentic nose-nudging advice and tips and has helped teach over 2000 pups in the group classes. Whether you’re looking for advice for your current canine companion or welcoming a new puppy into your home, Training for Both Ends of the Leash will help you create a happy and healthy relationship that will last a lifetime.

In dogs, "many fear-based problems can be overcome by learning how to apply desensitization and counter conditioning. Whether fear of strangers, vacuums, or objects, by identifying triggers and creating a step-by-step plan you [may] improve the quality of your dog's life--and yours"--Amazon.com.

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 founder of “clicker” training, the widely praised humane approach to shaping animal behavior, comes a fascinating book—part memoir, part insight into how animals and people think and behave. A celebrated pioneer in the field of no-punishment animal training, Karen Pryor is responsible for developing clicker training—an all-positive, safe, effective way to modify and shape animal behavior—and she has changed the lives of millions of animals. Practical, engrossing, and full of fascinating stories about Pryor’s interactions with animals of all sorts, Reaching the Animal Mind presents the sum total of her life’s work. She explains the science behind clicker training, how and why it works, and offers step-by-step instructions on how you can clicker-train any animal in your life. For bonus video clips, slide shows, articles, downloadable exercises, and links expanding on the contents of the book, go to ReachingtheAnimalMind.com.

Dogs have been mankind's faithful companions for tens of thousands of years, yet today they are regularly treated as either pack-following wolves or furry humans. The truth is, dogs are neither -- and our misunderstanding has put them in serious crisis. What dogs really need is a spokesperson, someone who will assert their specific needs. Renowned anthrozoologist Dr. John Bradshaw has made a career of studying human-animal interactions, and in Dog Sense he uses the latest scientific research to show how humans can live in harmony with -- not just dominion over -- their four-legged friends. From explaining why positive reinforcement is a more effective (and less damaging) way to control dogs' behavior than punishment to demonstrating the importance of weighing a dog's unique personality against stereotypes about its breed, Bradshaw offers extraordinary insight into the question of how we really ought to treat our dogs.

"An animal behaviorist recounts the story of how in order to help a troubled dog she was compelled to revisit painful memories about her own past in order to gain understanding into the impact of trauma on the brain, "--NoveList.

If you want to raise a happy dog who loves to play and cuddle--but still comes when called and doesn't chew up your favorite shoes--you need Jolanta Benal's The Dog Trainer's Complete Guide to a Happy, Well-Behaved Pet. Jolanta's dog-training philosophy is simple: playful, rewards-based training fosters sociable, polite behavior that is the hallmark of a likeable dog. Harsh, outdated prong collars and choke chains do not. Whether you've just welcomed a new puppy into your life, or are facing some struggles with an already beloved family member, Jolanta has sound advice on everything you want to know, including: • How to housetrain your dog for good • How to read your dog's body language • How to avoid common training mistakes and fix the ones you've already made Jolanta's warm, funny tone and encouraging conversational style will teach you to raise the most loving and best-behaved pooch on the block.

For many of us, the only way we meet "dangerous" dogs is through news reports about vicious attacks, and films and TV shows that feature out-of-control versions of man's best friend. But there's more to the Bad Dog's story than sensational headlines and movie beasts. A deeper look at these representations reveals a villain much closer to home. This book takes the reader on a rich journey through depictions of violent dogs in popular media. It explores how press accounts and screen stories transform canines into bloodthirsty hunters, rabies-infested strays, ferocious fighters, rogue law enforcement partners and diabolical pets, all adding up to a frightening picture of our usually beloved companions. But, when media tells the dangerous dog's story, it is often with a deep connection to the person on the other end of the leash.

A guide to canine care covers such topics as the comparative health of purebred and mixed-breed dogs, the benefits and consequences of common health care practices, and how to identify best pet foods.