Search Results: Away To Me

Away to Me Trisha’s debut mystery novel.A woman. A dog. A murder. “Away To Me has it all: amazing canines, a flawed, funny, compelling heroine, unrelenting suspense…” -Cat Warren, NYT bestselling author of What the Dog Knows “Away To Me is like All Creatures Great & Small meets Agatha Christie-only with more glorious writing, and…

Introducing ‘Away To Me’ the first mystery novel from best-selling author Patricia McConnell! ORDER NOW! “Away to Me is like All Creatures Great & Small meets Agatha Christie-only with more glorious writing, and more border collies!” -Sy Montgomery, NYT bestselling author of What the Chicken Knows “Away to Me has it all: amazing canines, a…

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From Chapter One: What is more beautiful than watching a dog, all muscle and mind and heart, run free across a field of green to gather a flock of sheep? My heart swells up every time I see it. Every time. And I see it a lot. Being an applied animal behaviorist is my career,…

We’re just back from a week in Jamaica. Good to go, good to be home. Usually winter trips around here are motivated by a desire to escape the cold. Not this time, I think it was in the 50’s when we left. We basically had about two weeks of real winter–very cold, lots of snow–but…

From Chapter One: An explanation of emotions, and why they are so controversial in animals. At first, all I saw was a white blur out of the corner of my eye. It was a long way away, maybe five hundred yards, and initially I wasn’t sure what it was. Most of my focus was on…

As summer progresses, we see more and more dogs out for walks, visiting dog parks, and lounging on the patios of restaurants and coffee shops. It’s not surprising that dog bites increase significantly in the summer months, with one report from the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene stating that more than half of…

Do you have a dog who isn’t good meeting other dogs when on leash? If so, you’ll not be surprised that a recent blog post on how to stop uninvited dogs from approaching your own got 129 comments and reached 352,783 people on Facebook.   Wow. That’s compelling. In some ways, I’m not surprised. My…

Every summer, barn swallows chitter just a few feet away from my study, skimming the air currents, landing precariously on a rope we strung up on the porch for the attachment of holiday lights. When Willie and I go outside, the birds swoosh away and begin swooping over the grass to snatch up more insects.…

From the Introduction: Good Puppy Owner! Goooood Puppy Owner! How clever of you to start now on your puppy’s education! You should feel good because you are caring and committed enough to take responsibility for your new dog’s welfare. As you know, there’s more to your puppy’s well-being than physical health; your dog’s behavior will…

Articles featuring Away to Me Wisconsin dog whisperer Patricia McConnell turns to murder mystery – The Capital Times Patricia McConnell’s new book is a who-doggone-done-it – Isthmus Press Kit PRESS RELEASE Download PDF here   OFFICIAL BIO Patricia McConnell, PhD, CAAB is an internationally renowned animal behaviorist and author whose acclaimed books, including The Other…

As you plan your celebrations for the upcoming holidays, don’t forget about your pooches! Trainers and behaviorists know this is one of the busiest times of the year, filled with calls about leaving a newly adopted dog for the first time or having a fearful dog and a houseful of company coming for a weekend.…

The paperback edition of The Education of Will is here! I can’t believe it’s been a full year since the hardcover release. It’s been an amazing year of speaking engagements, interviews, and most importantly, getting to know readers on a deeper level. I am grateful for all the emails, calls, personal conversations, blog and social…

I felt sick to my stomach. How could I even think about not keeping Willie? The dog who moaned when he pressed his head against my neck; whose happy face could only be described as radiant. When Willie was good, he was very, very good, and by now I loved him as much as I’d…

Yup, it’s that time of year when the leaping, crotch-sniffing, cat poop-eating dog that you just rescued from a puppy mill is about to meet Aunt Polly, the only member of the family who is terrified of dogs. Or maybe you’re about to have guests who hate dogs, even your perfectly behaved ones. No matter what…

Oh boy, July 4th fireworks are coming soon! What fun, hey? That is, if you are a human. Not so much if you are a dog. We may all be best friends, but keep in mind that we don’t share everything. People don’t like to roll in cow pies or dead fish, and dogs don’t…

Author, Speaker, Animal Behaviorist MORE ABOUT PATRICIA Your dog is begging you to read this! A classic, now in thirteen languages. READ MORE The all-new, fully-updated version of this beloved classic is now available! READ MORE A powerful memoir about dogs, love, trauma, and redemption. READ MORE Stories, science, and advice about the emotional lives…

The Puppy Primer The Puppy Primer, Patricia’s beloved guide to raising a puppy, is now all-new and fully-updated! “We give The Puppy Primer to all of our Puppy Day School students because it is the next best thing to having a trainer in their living room.” – Kelly Elvin, TipTopTraining, 
Kalamazoo, MI “The Puppy Primer…

The Other End of the Leash Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs “Vivid anecdotes and keen insights… a wonderful book… [that] exudes wisdom and passion throughout.” – Bark Magazine “Warm and informative, The Other End of the Leash teaches us to bridge some differences and to honor others.” – Dog Fancy “This is…

For the Love of a Dog Understanding Emotion in You and Your Best Friend “A marvelous book that everybody who loves dogs should own.” -Temple Grandin, author of Animals in Translation “[McConnell] sheds new light on the emotional lives of animals.” – The Washington Post “A wonderful book…Fine, balanced, charming, it is sure to appeal…

The Education of Will Healing a Dog, Facing My Fears, Reclaiming My Life “McConnell gives a voice to those who can’t speak in words and provides hope for fearful animals everywhere.” -Temple Grandin, author of Animals Make Us Human  and Animals in Translation “Wisdom earned in the hardest places, dog and human, brings with it a carrying…

I have to give myself chocolate when I leave on a trip, because I find it so hard to say goodbye to my dogs. But I’m not the only one who suffers when being separated from someone I love. Separation anxiety (SA) can be a serious problem and dogs who suffer from it may panic…

Read excerpts and first chapters from Patricia’s Memoir book. I WILL, I WILL, I WILL, WILLIE. I felt sick to my stomach. How could I even think about not keeping Willie? The dog who moaned when he pressed his head against my neck; whose happy face could only be described as radiant. When Willie was…

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Meet Theo & Kimberly Found by the dog catcher, running on the highway in New Jersey, Theo was an eight month old whippersnapper when I first met him at the shelter in Old Bridge, New Jersey where he’d languished, un-adopted for over three months.  Though he was hampered by lack of training and the security…

Patricia is known worldwide as an expert on canine training and behavior and for her engaging and knowledgeable books, speeches, and seminars. She is the author of the much-acclaimed books The Other End of the Leash (published in 14 languages), For the Love of a Dog, and her memoir, The Education of Will. Her debut…

I’m just back from the first phase of book tour, and so much of what came up on the dog-lover side related to “reactive” dogs. As I talk about in The Education of Will, dogs can be psychologically traumatized too, and one of the symptoms of that is “hyper-reactivity.” Just as a veteran soldier with…

  Will your dog stop on cue when trotting, loping or full-out running away from you? I consider it an essential tool for any dog that is ever off leash. (When I say “running away,” I mean “running with their faces turned away from their humans, not “running away” as in packing up their dog…

Last week’s post on teaching dogs “Enough,” when you are tired of being a petting machine, elicited a request from reader Nana-Mary: “Speaking of our two dogs, I would love some tips on controlling the BARKING! I know that we don’t want to discourage ALL barking, but sometimes it gets way out of control. It’s…

We’re just back from the Nippersink Sink or Swim Sheepdog Trial, and I’m still glowing over Maggie’s work. Don’t get me wrong here–we neither won nor came close to it, but my goal has been to progress in the Open class such that I felt we belonged there, and it is starting to feel like…

A little over a year ago I wrote a post about the causes and treatment of resource guarding. It generated a lot of interest, and no wonder. It is such a common problem. Ironically, I was reminded of that by the opposite: My new dog Maggie seems happy to let any person or any dog…

Years ago, I took care of a gooey-sweet adolescent Border collie, (Tilly, I’ll call her) who flattened her ears and folded like a bird’s wing every time you said her name. She was responsive and polite, and the other dogs seemed to like her as much as I did. It was especially rainy when she…

The seminar in Seattle was great fun, lots of good folks  and excellent questions from the audience. In the morning I talked about treatment for dog-dog reactivity, and I promised a summary of that on the blog. Here it is, with the obligatory caution that the morning itself wasn’t close to enough time to cover…

Last night I went outside to feed the cats and called “NELLIE! NELLIE! POLLY! POLLY!” and both cats came running like circus cats from behind the barn. Later I took the dogs out to potty; Willie wheeled around in a microsecond when I called his name, and after I called “Tootsie, Come!,” she turned away…

I did a seminar last week in Pittsburgh for the Westmoreland County Obedience Training Club, and worked with 3 dogs who had “dog-dog reactivity” problems. In choosing those dogs I had a problem myself: I had to choose from over 12 people who offered their dogs for demo’s. Right now I’m working on choosing dogs…

One of the issues readers have asked me to address is how to help a dog feel comfortable when being left at a kennel or a friend’s while they are away on a trip. It’s a great question, and is especially relevant now that the GREAT ROLLER COASTER OF HOLIDAYS is looming ahead of us.…

How does a dog heal if it was raised in an abusive situation? Can it ever become a “normal” dog? I’ve been asked this question often in the last week because of the release (sale, actually) of 1,500 beagles from Ridglan “Farms”, which has gotten national attention. Primarily a place that bred beagles for laboratory…

Thanks to all who have commented so far in answer to the questions “Are you a 100 % positive trainer?” and “Would you sign a pledge to only use positive reinforcement and never use punishment?” I appreciate the thoughtful discussion that the questions have generated. I’ll jump in now, with the caveat that this topic…

Let me start with a story, one that I relayed in Bark Magazine in 2005: When I was taping the Animal Planet show Petline, a veterinarian-turned-sales-rep asked to borrow Cool Hand Luke for a demonstration on dental care. Luke and I had JUST finished a segment on how much dogs dislike being patted on top…

Thanks for all the great comments about your experiences with dogs who are reactive, whether it’s to other dogs, or to people, or other objects. If you haven’t read the comments, here’s what comes out (at least to me) loud and clear: 1. There isn’t any one method that works for all dogs. Dogs are…

A dog’s love of a good chase is both a blessing and a curse. It makes playing with them extra fun; what a joy it is to play fetch and chase with some dogs! And it’s got a dark side too–chasers love to chase cats, cars, joggers and bicyclists, and that doesn’t tend to work…

Last weekend Jim, Willie, Tootsie and I stayed in a lovely log cabin owned by friends in the woods in eastern Wisconsin. I mention that because for the first time in her nine years of life, Tootsie got to run off leash in an unfenced area off the farm. Wooo Hooo! Some people might not…

Last week a dear friend brought her teenage Bernedoodle, Leo, over to meet Skip and Maggie. Leo was like Sheldon at a Comic Con Convention (can you tell I’ve been watching Big Bang Theory?)–all enthusiasm and no social finesse. This is Maggie after he tried to mount her head. (Please supply caption.) In spite of…

  Last weekend we were at a sheepdog trial, where I could walk the dogs off leash in a field full of campers and other dogs. The area was surrounded by a knock-you-to-your-knees electric fence. What a joy to know that I could trust my dogs to stop when I said, stay close when asked,…

This is Part Two of last week’s discussion about what visual signals can and can’t tell us about the internal state and future behavior or our dogs. I should mention right away that I had planned to add my own comments about what we could discern from the video of Misty and the photo of…

When Willie starting working sheep as a youngster, he didn’t want to quit. This is a high quality problem with a young sheepdog, but it’s still a problem. At some point you just have to end the session. It’s a common problem too–I’ve seen scores of adolescent Border Collies zoom around and around the flock…

When IS it safe to let a dog off leash? I’ve been in several conversations lately with people who live in rural areas, and those who live in urban or suburban environments. What became clear was that, in their case at least, the dog owners in the country couldn’t imagine having their dogs restricted on…

I’m not seeing clients anymore, beyond helping out an occasional friend, but a conversation with some colleagues got me thinking about the value of thinking through an issue with your dog as if you were your own client. I’ve used this technique before myself–writing out the “problem behavior,” deciding what behavior I do want in…

Watching dogs play well together is one life’s greatest joys. One of my essential criteria when looking for a dog to replace Willie was whether he played well with Maggie. We tried two dogs out before we found Skip, neither of whom had any interest in playing with Maggie. Maggie ignored one, and hated the…

“Oh no, he’s just fine! Go ahead and pet him.” If I heard that once, I heard it a thousand times, from owners anxious for me to pet their dog, while their dog begged me not to. Of course, the dogs didn’t say so, but their body language spoke volumes. Mouth closed, stiff bodied (even…