Someone just asked me what book or books they would recommend for someone who wants to learn more about dog behavior. This person’s interest is not superficial, she is serious about studying canine behavior. My friend wanted to buy her some books for Christmas to get her started. What would I suggest, she asked.
I suggested that she look at The Classics on my website, because I compiled it as an answer to that very question. I should note that the entire package of six books a tad expensive, however, and more than a person might want to spend on a gift. If you wanted to send a few books, I’d suggest two. One is Barbara Handelman’s book, Canine Behavior, a Photo Illustrated Handbook. I recommend this book because visual signals are such an integral part of canine behavior. If you can’t “read” a dog, you can’t begin to understand them.
Here’s the awkward part (she writes, taking a breath): The other book I’d recommend is The Other End of the Leash. By, uh… some slightly pudgy Midwestern woman who likes to write about dogs. I suggest this book, awkward as it feels, because for many of us, the best way into a dog’s brain is by comparing it with ours. Given that it’s not possible to get out of our own brains, the only way I know for us to try to understand members of another species is to compare and contrast their perceptions and behavior with that of our own. Sometimes we do a great job at that, other times, not so much. I realized early on that most “behavior problems” in dogs were problems related to communication between two very similar, but also very different, species. As I say in the book, when talking about how often dogs and people fail to communicate:
Some of this miscommunication, though, results not just from ignorance about how to train a dog but from fundamental differences between the behavior of two species. After all, dogs aren’t the only animal in the relationship. We humans at the other end of the leash are animals, too, with our own evolutionary baggage of behavior that came along on our evolutionary train ride.We don’t come to dog training as blank slates, any more than dogs do. Dogs and dog lovers alike have been shaped by our separate evolutionary backgrounds, and what each of us brings to the relationship starts with the heritage of our natural history. Although our similarities create a bond that’s remarkable, we are each speaking our own native “language,” and a lot gets lost in the translation.
I should be clear that this is not a dog training book, so don’t look to it for that. It may have an effect on how one trains a dog (I hope), but it’s not a step-by-step how to book. Right now I’m looking at the bookshelf in my office, where I can see copies of the book in 14 languages. Surely there is little more rewarding to an author than knowing there are people in China, and Poland and Finland reading what they wrote.
There are so many other wonderful books out there as potential presents for dog lovers. I’d suggest books that are memoir-ish, page-turning stories for the long nights of winter, books like Cat Warren’s What the Dog Knows, Susannah Charleson’s books, Scent of the Missing and The Possibility Dogs, as well as Merle’s Door by Ted Kerasote. I love so much of what Suzanne Clothier writes in Bones Would Rain from the Sky (including the brilliant title), and I’ll repeat my rave review of Alexandra Horowitz’s new book, Being a Dog.
There are a gazillion other great books out there–I’d love to hear what you are giving to your dog loving friends. (Or what you’d like to get yourself?) My ears are pricked.
MEANWHILE, back on the farm: Snow! Yay! Finally, the yes-it’s-nice-it’s warm-but-this-is-getting-creepy weather is over. Really, it’s not okay to have it this warm up here in the north. Many of my bulbs were coming up. That’s a potential disaster in spring, because bulbs can only store so much energy during the spring and summer. If they use it up in fall, or send up flowers shoots in winter, then no flowers in spring. And you know how I love flowers.
That’s why I was so happy to see the snow early Sunday morning when we woke up. After I took this picture we got another 3 inches or so. Picnic on the deck anyone?
I can’t say that the sheep were equally happy, but I do love the way they look with a dusting of snow.
Nothing like a snowy day to call one into the kitchen to bake bread. I made “no knead” bread from the New Artisan Bread cookbook and English muffins from a King Arthur Flour mix. (King Arthur Flour–let me count the ways I love you. Now I see you have a recipe for homemade, I’ll try that next.) We had the bread with a chopped salad and Moroccan beef soup for dinner last night while the snow fell and the dogs cuddled at our feet. Sweet.
Bruce says
Trisha, I can understand your hesitation but I can recommend The Other End of the Leash wholeheartedly and without hesitation or conflict. OEL is a fantastic book, and one that I re-read frequently and always pick up something new.
Canine Behavior, a Photo Illustrated Handbook and Merle’s Door are also fantastic. I look forward to reading a few of your “long nights of winter” recommendations this winter.
No snow or fresh bread here, but Mrs. B spent a day transforming the Thanksgiving bird remains into smoked turkey stock, and then using the smoked turkey stock to create three, winter-warming soups. My usual favorite has stock-blended corn, roasted Poblano chiles, and the smoked turkey stock. Needless to say the house smelled amazing.
Dewitt Gimblet says
Well, The Other End of the Leash is also one of the first books I recommend to new dog owners. I see it as a way for people to start learning how to “think” about dogs. Learning about training or body language is great, but learning about either of those is difficult if you are seeing dogs through a distorted lens.
charlotte peltz says
Hi:
If time allows? How about some reviews of those books you mention. Of course – I do not need a review of YOUR book – Other End of the Leash! 😉 That one I DO know and love.
Charlotte Peltz
Terrie says
I always regreted that audio books weren’t as big a thing before my grandmother died. She would have loved the readable kindle edition of your book. She was a huge animal lover.
Kathy says
You are not the slightest bit pudgy. I second the book recommendations wholeheartedly, but in the spirit of correcting obvious errors, I have to point out that I see you in (beautiful, slender) person fairly frequently, so I know whereof I speak: you are not pudgy. Just saying.
Jann Becker says
Big-well, midsize-dogs and fresh snow go together like peanut butter and jelly! We’re looking at getting another dog after the holidays so I put Love has no Age Limit on my Kindle. I had it in real life but gave it away to someone thinking of adopting a shelter dog.
I’m trying to boil down our proposed-dog-qualities list to the top 3 or 4 that we can show a shelter worker rather than confronting her with 8 or 10! The deal breaker is that they (dog, not volunteer) be small enough not to pull me off my feet as I use a cane to get around.
Kim says
My friends are donating to shelters and rescue groups this Christmas.
Debby Gray says
I believe The Other End of the Leash saved my dog’s life. My first dog was an abandoned puppy and so easy that I who had read nothing about dog behavior and training did very well with him. (And he would probably think he trained me pretty well too) My second dog came from Lab Rescue because I wanted a happy go lucky easy dog. Unfortunately as Trisha has said, MeMe never read the book on happy go lucky Labs.
I started reading The Other End of the Leash in between the two dogs and as MeMe’s issues became ever more apparent, I clung to every sentence, phrase, word in the book. MeMe is far from perfect but she is manageable and I credit a lot of that to both The Other End of the Leash and to Trisha’s The Cautious Canine.
Trisha says
Thanks for the votes of confidence, they are even more appreciated than usual during this run up to the new book coming out. The memoir is a completely different book than OEL, but if the memoir crashes and burns at least I can look to OEL and remind myself that I wrote a good book once!
To Kathy: Well, that’s what clothes are for. That’s all I have to say.
To Debby: You are gracious to credit OEL and CC, but I know your devotion to MeMe, and 99% of her good behavior is thanks to your love and commitment. Lucky lucky dog she is!
Jean S says
I picked up The Rosetta Bone at a used book store because I loved the title! I purchased it because it gave me ways to think about my dog’s perspective.
A good read that I added to other “perspective” titles
lynn says
Add my voice to the thousands who love The Other End of the Leash. My copy is both well-read and well-chewed! Although, when I was going through the worst stretch of ‘adopter’s remorse’ after bringing my first dog home and beginning to discover just how deeply fearful she really was, it was For the Love of a Dog that I read and re-read. Not the whole book, just the chapters on happiness and love. Your voice as a writer is so generous and kind, and the subject matter was so cheering, that I’d feel my shoulders start to unknot as I went. Thanks for helping me breathe, and focus on finding ways to share a little happiness with my wild-eyed new companion, all those years ago.
LisaW says
I second everything Lynn said. I’ve read all your books, some more than once, some front to back and back to front. And, I think I have most of your booklets. I’ve gotten so much out of them, and your voice has a clarity of purpose and a friendly tone, not a common combination. It’s not awkward, it’s true (and thank goodness).
Now as far as being pudgy, I haven’t met you in person, but from your pictures, you look great. It reminds me of my sister, who is rail-thin (a trait we do not share), she still has an image of herself when she was eight years old. When she looks in the mirror, she sees a pixie-cut pudge. Nothing to do with how she actually looks now, and she can’t let it go almost 60 years later.
Jenny H says
Ah! but the real question is, what books does she already have?
And what understanding does she already have?
I hesitate to recommend books without knowing more about the receiver/purchaser of those books.
I have been sad the receive expensive and goos books as gists — because I have them already 🙁 I tend to then donate them to our local ANKC affiliated dog club.
In this day and age what serious dog owner doesn’t already HAVE “The Other End of the Leash”?
More theoretically inclined or practical?
Would a more basic Psychology book (Burch & Bailey?) be better or go for Lindsay’s “Applied Dog Training and Behaviour”?
Would a Pat Miller or Paul Owens book fill the bill, or go more for a book like Coppinger & Coppinger, or Michael W Fox? Or an older classic? Like “How Animals Talk: and other pleasant studies of birds and beasts” (William J Long) or a Lorenz (Man Meets Dog, King Solomon’s Ring or “On Aggression”)? Or Darwin’s “The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals”?
Vilmos Csanyi’s “If Dogs Could Talk: exploring the canine mind” is an excellent book.
Two books which I found very disappointing were “Inside of a Dog” (Alexandra Horowitz) and “How the Dog Became a Dog” (Mark Derr), I could not finish either 🙁
Andy Murphy says
Just finished this book (well the audio book version).
It was amazing and very VERY enlightening, I love Patricia’s take on everything along with her easygoing writing style.
Diane says
I had you sign my second copy of OEL. I left the first at home when I attended a talk you gave. When you signed I said,
“this is where it all started” ..for me it did. Made me think so differently about dogs and people, and sparked my interest in dog behavior. Don’t be ashamed to recommend your book..there are so many people and dogs who benefitted.
P.S. You responded wondering when you were going to be able to get to the bathroom!!!! It was great to have met a “down to earth” author!