Conversations in Science
for K-12 Educators

A program conceived and organized by the Wisconsin Initiative for Science Literacy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with the collaboration of the Madison Metropolitan School District and the Edgewood Sonderegger Science Center.

The Other End of the Leash

Patricia McConnell, Ph.D
Department of Zoology, UW-Madison

About the conversation:

Although dogs are familiar animals to most of us, most of us actually know very little about how they communicate and how they perceive our communications to them. This talk will integrate ethological knowledge of canine (them) and primate (us!) behavior with advances in learning theory to assist us in communicating effectively and humanely with our dogs.

About the professor:

Patricia McConnell, Ph.D. is an Adjunct Associate Professor in Zoology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, teaching "The Biology and Philosophy of Human/Animal Relationships." She is also a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist who gives advice to cat and dog owners on a daily basis from her consulting business, Dog’s Best Friend, Ltd., and her nationally syndicated radio show, Calling All Pets. She is the behavior columnist for the BARk magazine (“the New Yorker of Dog Magazines”) and a Consulting Editor for the Journal of Comparative Psychology. Dr. McConnell is a much sought after speaker and seminar presenter, speaking to training organizations, veterinary conferences, academic meetings and animal shelters around the world about dog and cat behavior. She is also the author of the nationally acclaimed book, The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs.

References and Suggested Readings:

Coren, Stanley. 2004. How Dogs Think. Random House, New York.

McConnell, Patricia B. 2003. The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs. Ballantine, New York.

Serpell, James. 1995. The Domestic Dog: its evolution, behaviour and interactions with people. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.