The Other End of the Leash

I'm currently reading Patricia McConnell's "The Other End of the Leash." The very first line in her introduction (after the story) is: "All dogs are brilliant at perceiving the slightest movement that we make, and they assume that each tiny motion has meaning."

Couldn't be truer! Just yesterday, Casey was on the mainfloor of our house in the living room in her playpen. I was downstairs with my husband, and ran upstairs to grab something from the kitchen ("ran" being the operative word here - I literally ran up the stairs because I was in a hurry to get back downstairs). When I got to the top of the stairs, Casey was sitting on her bed, wide-eyed, head-bowed low, ears slicked back like she was caught with her hand in the cookie-jar. Apparently, I only "clomp" around the house when I'm angry or annoyed, and she took my heavy steps to mean that I'm mad about something. Today, I did a little test to see if this were true, and while in the kitchen, I took intentionally heavy steps out into the living room where she was. The same thing again! It's crazy how aware they are.

Gotta be more cogniziant of my own behaviour!

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Comment by Beth on May 29, 2010 at 12:25pm: I really like the book too, and it's made me aware of some of the communication gaps I had with my dogs! She has a blog too: Theotherendoftheleash.com.

Comment by christy fry on May 29, 2010 at 9:11am: It's a wonderfull book =)

Comment by Bev Levy on May 29, 2010 at 7:49am: Isn't it a great book? My favorite part was where she described how she learned to say "No" instead of recalling when her Border Collies headed off somewhere she did not want. It made a huge difference with Sparty since he was one of those "Ok I will come over when I am done" types. Lots of good info for dealing with our smarties.

Comment by Rebecca Marie O'Bryan on May 28, 2010 at 6:26pm: o wow, i never thought of it that way. i have always wondered why he would lower his ears when i walked fast or when i shouted to my husband to get me something and teddy thought i was mad at him. that makes sence. thanks for sharing:) it is amazing how they are so intone with us