Product Description

Yes, humans and canines are different species, but current research provides fascinating, irrefutable evidence that what we share with our dogs is greater than how we vary. As behaviorist and zoologist Dr. Patricia McConnell tells us in this remarkable new book about emotions in dogs and in people, more and more scientists accept the premise that dogs have rich emotional lives, exhibiting a wide range of feelings including fear, anger, surprise, sadness, and love.

In For the Love of a Dog, McConnell suggests that one of the reasons we love dogs so much is that they express emotions in ways similar to humans. After all, who can communicate joy better than a puppy? But not all emotional expressions are obvious, and McConnell teaches both beginning dog owners and experienced dog lovers how to read the more subtle expressions hidden behind fuzzy faces and floppy ears.

For those of us who deeply cherish our dogs but are sometimes baffled by their behavior, For the Love of a Dog will come as a revelation–a treasure trove of useful facts, informed speculation, and intriguing accounts of man’s best friend at his worst and at his very best. Readers will discover how fear, anger, and happiness underlie the lives of both people and dogs and, most important, how understanding emotion in both species can improve the relationship between them. Thus McConnell introduces us to the possibility of a richer, more rewarding relationship with our dogs.

While we may never be absolutely certain what our dogs are feeling, with the help of this riveting book we can understand more than we ever thought possible. Those who consider their dogs part of the family will find For the Love of a Dog engaging, enlightening, and utterly engrossing.

• Amazon Sales Rank: #88978 in Books
• Published on: 2006-08-29
• Released on: 2006-08-29
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 368 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Animal behaviorist, dog trainer, syndicated radio talk show host and prolific author on all things canine, McConnell (The Other End of the Leash) presents a compelling combination of stories, science and practical advice to show how understanding emotions in both people and dogs can improve owners' relationships with their pets. This is more than a simple dog-training book: much of what McConnell discusses concerns how dog owners can learn "the language" of dog by recognizing important signals and reading them correctly. She provides numerous helpful examples of how owners can observe dog behavior, especially differences in posture and facial expressions, in order to help dogs be better behaved and help dog owners to be better handlers; her discussion of the meaning of a dog's "tongue flicks" is alone worth the price of the book. Her overall goal is to help owners provide their pets with "a sense of calm, peaceful benevolence," and she skewers current dog-training fads that emphasize "dominance" over a dog. "Don't fool yourself: if you yell at your dog for something he did twenty seconds ago, you're not training him; you're merely expressing your own anger." (On sale Aug. 15)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Understanding what drives the behavior of our pet dogs is McConnell's goal. She teaches readers to understand the emotional environment of their dogs' actions and helps them to reprogram undesirable behaviors. This is not a book on how to train dogs, but McConnell's examination of cases from her veterinary practice, backed up by her scientific study of animal behavior, will help readers better understand their closest companions. Whether discussing separation anxiety, fear biting, or simple canine happiness, McConnell explains the emotional state of each dog and how this drives the observed behavior. One gentle Labrador was traumatized by an aggressive boy and had begun to growl and snap at all human males--he was cured by simple therapy involving habituation to nice behavior and treats from men and boys. A dog that was terrified of thunder was trained to go to his safe place--a heavily insulated, very quiet doghouse. McConnell's main message is for readers to observe their own dogs and to understand the emotions behind their actions, both good and bad. Nancy Bent
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
Advance praise for For the Love of a Dog

“For the Love of a Dog is a wonderful book. Fine, balanced, charming, it is sure to appeal to all dog fans whose numbers seem to be increasing (and rightly so) by the day. I read it with great delight.”
–Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, Ph.D., author of Dogs Never Lie About Love

“A step-by-step guide on how to interpret how your dog feels by reading his facial expressions and body posture. A marvelous book that everybody who loves dogs should own.”
–Temple Grandin, author of Animals in Translation

“Brilliant! For The Love of a Dog is a perfect balance of science and soul. These stories will either keep you up reading long into the night knowing that with your dogs, you love and are loved, need and are needed.”
–Dr. Marty Becker, resident veterinarian on ABC’s Good Morning America and author of Fitness Unleashed!

“A fascinating, highly educational read. McConnell alternates between expressing empathy with our canine friends and taking a step back to explain the scientific limits of any attempt to get into their heads.”
–Frans de Waal, author of Our Inner Ape

“Patricia McConnell skillfully blends cutting edge scientific data with examples from her personal experiences with dogs to produce a clear picture of the emotional life of dogs. In the process we learn more about how the mind of a dog works, and how to better understand and interact with them. This is a ‘must read’ for all dog owners.”
–Stanley Coren, author of The Intelligence of Dogs and How Dogs Think

Related Sync for this product

• Obsidian Wings: In which I pledge undying love to a fern and then ...
  So, everyone is thinking about Roland Burris. Me? I'm thinking about Rolando Cruz.... [S]ix years ago, when Burris had the opportunity to be very careful when faced with a flimsy death penalty case, he failed [the test]. And it was...
  
  
• The Caroline Times File: Maureen Dowd's Insane Love Letter
  Caroline Kennedy is not only close friends with the publisher of the Times Maureen Dowd knows her as well so.
  
  
• Steve Busfield: What did you love best about ER? | Media ...
  Steve Busfield: With just one last season starting this week, please share your favourite ER moments, memories, characters and clips.
  
  
• New Music Report: Taylor Swift, Love as Laughter, Plus Top Stories ...
  Up to the minute breaking news from the world of music, from the editors of Rolling Stone.
  
  
• Top 10 Poisonous Foods We Love To Eat - The List Universe
  Everyday we chow down on food produced from plants that carry deadly poisons. Most of the time we don't need to be concerned with this as the mass production of fruit and vegetables ensures that we are usually safe, but from time to ...
  
  
• Balloon Juice » Blog Archive » To Russia with love
  To Russia with love. by DougJ. One amusing byproduct of the financial meltdown will be endless stories of the pathetic and tasteless ways in which various crooks spent their ill-begotten gains. You may have already heard of Bernie ...
  
  
• Send Your Love An Exclusive Bloody Valentine In 3D | TEN Gossip
  We all know Jensen Ackles new movie, My Bloody Valentine 3D, comes out on January 16th. And to celebrate you can send your Valentine a Valentine early.
  
  
• Sevigny -- No Love for "Big Love?" - TMZ.com
  TMZ is your official site for entertainment news, celebrity gossip, Hollywood rumors, celebrity video and photo galleries.
  
  
• IDEAS IN FOOD: Love is...
  pumpkin pie. It's one of the few things that I've cooked in recent times. There have been a few pies, biscotti, rugelah, and the occasional thrown together meal (mostly peanut butter sandwiches) when Alex was taking care of business ...
  
  
• Jennifer Love Hewitt 'Having Tough Time' Working After Broken ...
  Fulfilling her shooting commitment though her engagement to actor Ross McCall has come to an end, Jennifer Love Hewitt is said to be "having a tough time" on the set of her hit TV series "Ghost Whisperer." About her post break-up ...
  
  

Customer Reviews

Showed Me What I Was Missing!
This book is amazing - a fast-paced entertaining read, plus it improved my relationship with my dogs. I never knew how much I was missing. My dogs were sending me signals about how they were feeling using facial expressions and body language and I just wasn't getting it. Now that I know what to look for we can have two-way communication. The numerous photos inside are helpful and entertaining. I also loved the stories about the author's dogs Tulip and Luke.

This book is essential for all dog lovers. I can't recommend it enough!

Too much story telling
If you like a lot of story telling, you will probably enjoy this book.
But for me, I like a little story and get straight to the point. So far I can't get pass the massive of this happened, that happened...etc. I'll probably pick it up again sometimes when I really don't have anything else to do or read.

Heartwarming and intellectually stimulating
A dog nerd's delight, this book delves into the complex subject of canine intelligence and emotion and brings along compassion for both the animal and the well-intentioned, occasionally foolish human.

The pictures are great! Comparing a dog's facial expression/mood with that of a human being in same frame of mind was a stroke of genius. Who will not understand that? Those photos alone make the book purchase worthwhile.

It's not an easy read but well worth the extra effort. Every sentence is packed with meaning and some of the information presented is foreign and technical. It takes some additional contemplation to fully appreciate everything that was discussed.

Readers of this book can't help changing for the better.