The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs

The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs by Patricia B. McConnell

246 pages

Long before there was the dog whisperer, there was…Patricia McConnell. McConnell is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist with a Ph.D. in Zoology, but her expertise in training dogs comes as much from her decades of experience on a sheep farm as from her formal education. I picked up The Other End of the Leash because I wanted some guidance regarding the dogs in my life. It proved very useful in that regard, especially in calling my attention to how human behavior, down to the most indiscernible gesture or flash of eye contact, can affect dogs in very dramatic ways. And in how drastically we—dogs versus humans—differ in terms of our senses. McConnell illustrates this with a moving story about how her cat was rescued from certain death, thanks to her Border Collie’s keen sense of smell. But aside from being a how-to manual, it’s a compelling and well-written read for anyone interested in animal or human behavior.