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Showing posts with label book club. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book club. Show all posts

Companion Animal Psychology Book Club April 2017

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The book of the month is The Other End of the Leash by Patricia McConnell.

Two chihuahuas sleeping on some books on the settee. The book of the month is The Other End of the Leash.


The book for April 2017 is the dog training classic The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs by Patricia McConnell.

From the back cover, “Dr. Patricia McConnell reveals a revolutionary, new perspective on our relationship with dogs – sharing insights on how “man’s best friend” might interpret our behaviour, as well as essential advice on how to interact with our four-legged friends in ways that bring out the best in them.”

Book club members can join in the discussion on Facebook. Alternatively you can leave your comments on the book below, or just enjoy reading alongside us.

The Companion Animal Psychology Book Club reads one book a month, with January and July off.

Companion Animal Psychology Book Club: March 2017

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The book of the month is Being a Dog by Alexandra Horowitz.

A beagle rests his head on some old books in a library


The book for March 2017 is Being a Dog: Following the Dog Into a World of Smell by Alexandra Horowitz.

From the inside cover, "To a dog, there is no such thing as "fresh air." Every breath is full of information. Dogs, when trained, can identify drugs of every type, underwater cadavers, cancer, illicit cell phones in prison, bedbugs, smuggled shark's fins, dry rot, land mines, termites, invasive knapweed, underground truffles, and dairy cows in estrus. But they also know about the upcoming weather, earthquakes before they happen, how "afternoon" smells, what you had for breakfast, and whether a cat touched your leg yesterday."

Join us in the book club for the discussion, leave your thoughts on the book in comments on the blog, or just enjoy reading alongside us.

The Companion Animal Psychology Book Club reads ten books a year about animals and us. Follow the link for more information and a list of the previous books.


Companion Animal Psychology Book Club: February 2017

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The book of the month is Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? by Frans de Waal.


An African hedgehog is reading a book, apparently



The Companion Animal Psychology Book Club continues with discussion of Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? by Frans de Waal.

From the inside, "Frans de Waal explores both the scope and the depth of animal intelligence. He offers a first-hand account of how science has stood traditional behaviourism on its head by revealing how smart animals really are, and how we've underestimated their abilities for so long."

Towards the end of the month, I will post my thoughts about the book. You will be able to leave your own thoughts on the book in the comments section.

Through the book club, we will learn more about companion animals and our relationship with them, and build up a nice library of books about animals and the human-animal bond. Of course, we'll also enjoy talking about the books.

Are you reading too?

The Secret History of Kindness: Companion Animal Psychology Book Club

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The book for December was The Secret History of Kindness: Learning from how dogs learn by Melissa Holbrook Pierson.


The book cover of The Secret History of Kindness


The Secret History of Kindness: Learning from How Dogs Learn is a history of clicker training, from B.F. Skinner’s studies of operant conditioning and the development of the field of behaviourism through to present day dog training.

It covers Skinner’s rise and fall within Psychology, including the devastating effect of Chomsky’s review of Skinner's book Verbal Behaviour. It also details the work of Marian and Keller Breland via Animal Behavior Enterprises, Bob Bailey, Karen Pryor, Jean Donaldson, and the author’s own experiences of attending Clicker Expo.

Interwoven through the history are stories about Pierson’s own dogs, and what it was like to learn to live with them and train them. She is a fine writer and I enjoyed these stories very much.

For someone who espouses positive reinforcement, Pierson somehow fails to teach her dog to come when called. But the book is not intended to be a guide to dog training – it is very much a history of the development of modern dog training methods using operant conditioning. The kindness of the title refers to kind training methods that use positive reinforcement.

While the dog goes romping through the undergrowth, we are treated to philosophical musings about life with a canine. These discussions are an interesting part of the book, covering topics such as the treatment of zoo animals and why some people are so quick to use physical punishment when other options are available.

The meticulously-researched footnotes are packed with interesting asides, but it’s possible to leave them to dip back into later.

“Dog training is both exquisitely simple and achingly hard,” she writes (p219).

Anyone who has trained a dog will find something of interest in this book.

Learn more about the Companion Animal Psychology Book Club.

If you’ve read the book too, what did you think of it?

Companion Animal Psychology Book Club: December 2016

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The book of the month is The Secret History of Kindness by Melissa Holbrook Pierson.


A happy mixed-breed dog sits on a beach with a pile of books


The Companion Animal Psychology Book Club continues with discussion of The Secret History of Kindness: Learning from How Dogs Learn by Melissa Holbrook Pierson.

From the cover, "Pierson draws surprising connections in her exploration of how kindness works to motivate all animals, including the human one."

Later in the month, I will post my comments about the book, along with some highlights of the book club discussion.

You will be able to leave your thoughts on the book in the comments section.

Through the book club, we will learn more about companion animals and our relationship with them, build up a nice library of books about animals, and of course enjoy talking about the books.

Are you reading too?

The Trainable Cat: Companion Animal Psychology Book Club.

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The book for November was The Trainable Cat: How to Make Life Happier for You and Your Cat by John Bradshaw and Sarah Ellis.




The Trainable Cat: A Practical Guide to Making Life Happier for You and Your Cat is fascinating from start to finish.

It is about how to teach your cat the things that will help him or her to have an easier, happier life. Instead of tricks or obedience, think useful skills like how to get along with a new baby or how to go in the cat carrier.

Near the beginning of the book, the authors say,
“we aim to show you how training can improve not just your relationship with your cat but also your beloved pet’s sense of well-being. That’s not to say that the training won’t be fun – it will, for both of you – but the distinction is that you will be producing a happy and well-disposed pet, not a circus star.”

Each chapter has a section on how cats see the world, followed by training information. Early chapters explain how cats learn. Chapter 3 introduces a set of key skills, along with activities so you can practise them before you start training for real. Future chapters use these key skills and apply them to the practical situations your cat faces in everyday life. The book shows you how to tailor training to your individual cat – taking into account whether your feline is bold or fearful, and what their preferred rewards are.

The book also explains how you can meet your cat’s instinctual needs to hunt and to mark their territory by providing scratching posts and toys. Ideas to keep indoor cats content include cat agility and a sensory box to bring the outside in.

The book received overwhelmingly positive feedback from book club members; even the ‘dog’ people found it fascinating.

With this book, cat owners will not only understand their cats better, but also be able to teach them useful skills. It is essential reading for cat owners, and may even change your cat's life.

For more information, read my interview with Dr. Sarah Ellis on The Trainable Cat, or learn more about the Companion Animal Psychology Book Club.

You can follow the authors on social media: John Bradshaw on Twitter, and Sarah Ellis on Facebook and Twitter.

If you've been reading too, what did you think of the book?



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