Animal expert to speak at UW-Rock County on Nov. 12
If you go
Who: UW-Rock County Performing Arts and Lecture Series
What: Animal expert Dr. Patricia McConnell will speak on “Darwin, Dogs and the Emotional Life of Animals.”
When: 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12.
Where: Kirk Denmark Theatre in the Wells Cultural Center on the UW-Rock campus, 2909 Kellogg Ave., Janesville.
Admission: $12 for the general public and $10 for UW-Rock students. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Rock County Humane Society. Advance tickets are on sale by calling (608) 758-6565 Ext. 100 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. weekdays. Tickets also will be sold at the door a half hour before the program.
To learn more: McConnell has written books, including “The Other End of the Leash, which has been published in 13 languages, in addition to her self-published book and booklets on dog training and dog and cat behavior problems. These books are available on her Web site, www.patriciamcconnell.com.
She also has a blog at www.theotherendoftheleash.com that is read by 10,000 people every month.
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Patricia McConnell tries to improve relationships between people and their pets. She brings her advice to UW-Rock County.
JANESVILLE — Your 9-year-old dog growls at your newborn baby girl you just brought home from the hospital.
He didn’t do that before you got married and started a family.
Your pet barks and lunges at other dogs on your daily walk. It doesn’t make sense. He never behaved that way before.
Your newly blended family of two cats and a dog don’t get along. Will they ever be compatible?
Dr. Patricia McConnell has treated those and other pet behavioral problems for 20 years.
She is speaking Thursday, Nov. 12, at UW-Rock County about “Darwin, Dogs and the Emotional Life of Animals.”
McConnell for 14 years shared advice about animal behavior on National Public Radio’s “Calling all Pets.” She also is an adjunct associate professor in zoology at UW-Madison.
She said the most common misunderstanding people have about their pets is the belief animals are disobedient because they don’t respect you or that you have to act like a Marine drill sergeant.
“Dominance is only relevant a small part of the time in social interaction,” she said.
Many behavioral problems are related to fear, McConnell said.
“Fear is a huge motivator of dog behavior and why a dog does this or that. If you take the fear away, then you take the potential for aggression away,” she said.
Solving a problem typically includes teaching people how to modify their animal’s behavior, McConnell said.
What people will glean from her program, she said, is a better understanding of why their pet does what he does and how to turn it around so he does what you want, she said.
“It’s fun, fascinating conversation,’’ she said.
Nov 7, 2009 at 7:12 a.m.
Suggest removal
I have been to two of her workshops, and she is amazing! If you love animals, and even if they have no issues, she is STILL worth seeing. Her information is good, easy to follow, and very informational. I hope to be up front with my daughter and granddaughter!
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