I’m just back from a “Writer’s Retreat” organized by the Madison Writer’s Studio. It was a glorious three days, full of inspiration, support, and teachings about the craft of writing. I’m grateful to Jim for holding down the fort, and for Susanna Daniel and Michelle Wildgen, the forces behind the MWS, for organizing such a […] The post Less is More, She Says Again, and Again and . . . appeared first on The Other End of the Leash ..read more

Well, you can’t say it’s been dull. First, to get this out of the way, because I’ve never learned to be comfortable with this kind of thing: There’s a big “Everything on Sale!” bonanza going on at patriciamcconnell.com. I’m posting this earlier than usual because the sale is over at midnight (eastern) on Monday. I […] The post Summer Summer Summertime! appeared first on The Other End of the Leash ..read more

Lately there has been an increase, in my area anyway, in “Board and Train” businesses (B & T). You give them your dog for one, two, or three weeks, and get back a dog who is . . . what? Much better behaved? Perfect on leash walks, never jumps up, and only barks on cue? […] The post Board and Train: Good Option or Not? appeared first on The Other End of the Leash ..read more

Ah, the irony. I had planned to repost a piece about helping to prevent or treat thunder phobia, and then ended up in the cellar last Tuesday night after the TV weather dude said, not quite in these words, “There’s a tornado moving toward your house, it just hasn’t touched down yet.” We are not […] The post Preventing Thunder Phobia with Thunder Treats, or, Skip Becomes a Rug appeared first on The Other End of the Leash ..read more

I’ve been to a lot of dog-related seminars, and, at every one, the female/male ratio is something like 90/10. Or 95/5. I thought it would be different at the Im-PECK-able seminar put on by K9 Behavior Consortium, thinking of all the guys I’ve run into over the years with law enforcement dogs, especially drug and […] The post Guys: We Need You In Dog Training Seminars appeared first on The Other End of the Leash ..read more

I was working on a post this morning (It begins: “I may be an idiot for bringing this up, but I can’t help myself . . .”), and then a dental adventure took up too much time and energy, so I’ll post it next week. Promise. So, it’s all about spring and the farm today. […] The post Spring is Busting Out All O-o-o-o-ver! appeared first on The Other End of the Leash ..read more

Well, how fun was that? Last weekend I was at the “Im-PECK-able Training Seminar” put on by Craig Schultz and Sally Dickinson for the K9 Behavior Consortium in Manassas, VA. I went primarily to learn more about sniffer dogs for my next mystery novel (wheeeee!), but reveled in spending time with some great dogs, and […] The post Sniffing Out Scent Dog Training appeared first on The Other End of the Leash ..read more

I recently had a great talk with Emily Priestley, the author of Urban Sheepdogs. I reviewed her book a few weeks ago, and although I noted some issues, I am a big fan of her attempt to help people understand that the behavior of their border collies or cattle dogs is not a mystery or […] The post Behavioral or Medical? Or both? appeared first on The Other End of the Leash ..read more

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 […] The post March 11, 2024 appeared first on The Other End of the Leash ..read more

                  I don’t pretend to be able to keep up with all the dog/animal behavior books being published right now, but two books got my attention this week that I thought you might find interesting. In some ways, they couldn’t be much different from each other. Who’s […] The post Book Reviews: Who’s a Good Dog? & Urban Sheepdogs appeared first on The Other End of the Leash ..read more