After reading and listening to a number of books about dogs lately, I found this book very insightful. I chose to listen to the audio version on my morning walks with the girls and all the way through it felt like the narrator has written the book herself.
The author Dr Patricia McConnell is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviourist (CAAB) Emeritus and has a degree in Zoology (1988). With decades of experience, she is an expert on canine behaviour and dog training and is highly regarded by other professional trainers and vets around the world.
The Other End of the Leash, Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs was first published back in 2003 and has proven to be very popular globally and has been translated in 13 languages.
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The Other End of the Leash, Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs
It is different from the others I’ve read recently in a way that it focuses on interpreting our own and dog behaviour and how we can change our own behaviour to help our dogs. It explains how certain misunderstandings arise and how most often it is humans who are at fault.
Be warned that this book does not contain a list of instructions on how to train your dog, but it will help you build a bond with your dog and a mutual understanding of each other. It contains many personal anecdotes and professional insights backed by science.
I couldn’t help but nod enthusiastically when I read the chapter on personalities, where she explained how we should not expect getting a “copy-paste” personality of a dog just by getting a dog of the same breed. The different personalities within the same breed often get forgotten when choosing a puppy, for example. And it was very insightful to hear how the character of the dog’s parents is important in this.
But most of all, the book’s central premise is to demonstrate how the slightest changes in your voice, eye contact, movement will translate in your dog’s behaviour. This was a compelling book, and I would recommend it to those who seek to create a better bond with their dogs.
Thanks for reading,
Lolita
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