The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs, by Patricia McConnell, is a fascinating and warm-hearted book about dog training by a woman with impeccable credentials. She’s one of my favorite writers.

No wonder that this book ranks so highly…It’s not another training manual, although it does have plenty of training advice. Rather, it’s a book about understanding dog behavior, written by an academic with a heart. She discusses many of the ways that we humans use body language in different ways than dogs do,  with the resulting misunderstandings. She tells us how we can better understand our own actions and dogs’ responses.

Dogs are masters at reading our body language, and we often don’t realize that they are doing it.

Since the book is written in a very personal and often amusing way, it’s a very good read. Patricia McConnell has worked for years as an animal behaviorist and has trained many dogs that their owners were about ready to give up on. She has done a lot with aggressive dogs.

If you were only going to buy one book on the behavior of dogs, make it this one. I’m sure you won’t be sorry!