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| For the Love of a Dog: Understanding Emotion in You and Your Best Friend | 
 enlarge | Author: Patricia B. Mcconnell
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $9.89
You Save: $15.06 (60%)
New (25) Used (13) Collectible (1) from $9.75
Avg. Customer Rating:  64 reviews
Sales Rank: 125445
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 368
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 5.7 x 1.1
ISBN: 0345477146
Dewey Decimal Number: 636.7
EAN: 9780345477149
ASIN: 0345477146
Publication Date: August 29, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Hardcover. Brand new
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| Customer Reviews:
Excellent insight into the mind of your dog November 29, 2006
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
I was initially surprised that Patricia McConnell was writing about canine emotional states given her solid scientific background. In fact, she said during a presentation that she didn't start out to write this book, but it became clear that's what she needed to do. I started reading and was instantly intrigued and I have learned a lot. She continues her observations that she started in The Other End of the Leash, but instead of showing how dogs and humans are different she points out the striking similarities of the facial expressions and how learning to read them well not only will help your dog training, but may save you from being bitten. The pictures alone that show open mouth, happy, relaxed dogs and closed mouth, stressed, staring, tense dogs are worth the price of the book.
One section that I loved was that she goes into detail about how the dog brain has the same parts as a human brain that are associated with emotion and mood. (The amydala being one of them). Dog brains certainly have the ability to experience emotions (which are just the physical manifestation of the biochemical state of the brain.) What became clear is that the burden of proof is now on those that claim that dogs don't have emotions. They can no longer just state it as something categorically obvious as obvious it is not.
Once you've read the book I highly recommend attending a seminar by her for further analysis.
Good Window into our Dog's Emotions November 14, 2006
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
Provides new insight into the emotional life of our dogs, and enables us to better know what's going on in their minds at any given moments. The section on the similiar facial expressions of humans and dogs was fascinating. A good companion book is On Talking Terms with Dogs: Calming Signals by Turid Rugaas.
For the Love of Communication November 10, 2006
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
Patricia McConnell's latest book on our human relationship with dogs and, indirectly, with all other sentient inhabitants of this world is written with great aplomb. She picks up the gauntlet thrown by those who charge anthropomorphism at the slightest provocation and dares to examine the subject of emotion in our best friends. While I must admit to some bias since I'm already a fan of both Patricia McConnell and Suzanne Clothier, and she's thus preaching to the choir, I thought that her arguments were very carefully researched and presented in the most entertaining, moving and usually warm manner. If you've enjoyed her previous book "The Other End of the Leash", you're sure to get as much from this latest offering. This is far from a primer on dog training but, whether you're a new dog owner or experienced trainer, I would highly recommend this book to deepen your understanding of our relationship with our best friends and, indirectly, with others of our own species.
GOOD FOR ALL SPECIES November 10, 2006
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
THE INFORMATION IN THIS BOOK APPLIES INTERESTINGLY NOT ONLY TO THE CANINE
WORLD BUT PROBABLY FITS ALL SPECIES, ESPECIALLY HUMAN. I KNOW IT TOUCHED
ONE SEVERAL AREAS IN MY LIFE PSYCHOLOGICALLY. VERY GOOD BOOK.
Understanding the emotional basis of behavior October 5, 2006
74 out of 76 found this review helpful
Patricia McConnell has written a wonderful book filled with engaging stories and much practical advice for dog owners. She incorporates the latest research findings on the workings of the dog's mind in presenting her own cases from her behavior counseling service. Her discussion of counterconditioning covers an extremely valuable concept that is not stressed (or even utilized) enough by other behaviorists and trainers. This technique is invaluable and of nearly limitless potential in alleviating many emotional distresses and disorders in dogs.
Especially pleasing to see is that in her discussion of counterconditioning and other techniques the author diverges from the decades-old approach of addressing "behavior problems" (a term that should be killed off and unceremoniously buried - it's not the animal's problem any more than if your husband had a habit of talking too loudly to your liking would you tell your friends that he had a behavior problem) by focusing on simply eliminating the behavior. This mechanistic behaviorism approach may be effective in eliminating the behavior but frequently does nothing to relieve the dog's underlying emotional distress that is causing the behavior. For example, if a dog is suffering from loneliness because he is tied up alone in a backyard and barks endlessly for human attention and companionship there are plenty of ways to eliminate the barking. But there is only one correct one: alleviate the emotional pain of loneliness. McConnell understands this and focuses on this underlying emotional distress when working with the dogs to change unwanted behavior. In light of the advances in neuroscience, comparative psychology, and brain imaging, this places McConnell on the leading edge of the changes underway in how unwanted behavior in dogs should be addressed. The primary focus in treating behavior "problems" is to help the dog rather than the owner. McConnell gets this. Most dog behaviorists and trainers don't.
I strongly recommend this book for all dog owners who want their dogs to get the best emotional care and support in all behavior-related matters.
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