The Not So Secret Life Of Dogs | Patricia McConnell | Talks at Google

Dr. McConnell is one of the world's foremost experts on canine and feline behavior. She has a doctorate in Zoology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and wrote the book on understanding dog behavior (The Other End of the Leash). She is currently on tour for her newest book, The Education of Will, about dealing with trauma across species.
Dogs have a rich emotional life, but we dog lovers aren’t always adept at translating their expressions. Through videos, images and stories about her own traumatized Border Collie, Dr. McConnell translates the visual signals that dogs so desperately need us to understand.
Get "The Education of Will" here: goo.gl/9iPyVU
Get "The Other End of the Leash" here: goo.gl/gZzGqk

[@deeaustin6479]

I wrote to Dr. McConnell about 10 years ago when I was having problems with my pack. I never expected to hear from her, but one week later I not only received a wonderful reply from her but she kept in touch with me until I had the situation sorted. The most amazing thing is I wrote to her from the UK! I will never forget this wonderful woman who helped me so much.

[@GypsyGirl317]

That's so beautiful. 💖 😊 🙆🏻‍♀️ A sign of a true professional and caring person. 🌿👍🏾

[@kr6033]

Dr. McConnell was my Zoology professor at the Univ of Wisconsin…on the first day of lecture she showed up with her dog and said “You do not have to call me Dr.McConnell, just call me Trisha” loved her Animal Behavior lectures, loved spending time in her office hours, love Tricia! :)

[@gablison]

Omg she is a delight! Her voice overs and vocalisations make the videos infinity times funnier, she's a hoot. Love her! Glad I watched it her talk!

[@rigohook1160]

To the question at 0.55, i always tell people, sometimes kinda rude, to don't touch my dogs. When they tell me, but they love all dogs, i usually answer them, i love all women, but i don't touch all of them, otherwise i'd be in prison.

[@mariadasilva1341]

Lol

[@javieramor8395]

HAHAHA!

[@marciasloan534]

EXACTLY

[@marciasloan534]

Furthermore, WHAT IF ? My dog likes them better than me ??

[@juleswhy5920]

We must be very careful these days and not let people who have been vaxxed touch your dogs. Dogs very sensitive to the spike protein. My dog manifested physical changes soon after being handled. Her skin cancer which she apparently already had cranked up almost overnight to a very serious level

[@LedgerAndLace]

LOVE LOVE LOVE Dr. McConnell! She has helped guide me thru the last 4 rescue dogs I have! :-)

[@GypsyGirl317]

She packs so much information into her talks eh! 😊

[@KeikoBushnell]

I can be dogs pretty well it’s just easy for me but I know a lot of people can’t so I’m glad that you made this video very glad actually it makes me mad and sad about the suffering dogs go through because people don’t understand them I wish this was a mandatory video for everyone to watch on the Internet

[@ShawnJonesHellion]

gettting As in school classes like literature should be mandatory as well. an once a child hits 18 if they are still in 2nd grade or whatever they should have to work. at a special mc donalds that only serve other kids who cant pass school to pay for their ongoing an previous schooling. so they are not able to mess up normal humans food

[@lysas781]

This is such useful and practical knowledge! Wonderful! I recently saw something on PBS about dogs. They talked about people who loved everybody as adults and apparently found an anomaly in their DNA. They also found the same anomaly in dogs. Dogs love. 💕

[@marciasloan534]

AWWWWWWWWWWWWW

[@maargenbx1454]

In adults this is called Williams-Beuren syndrome. I didn’t know dogs had it too!

[@reflexdogtraining1337]

5 years since I checked this vid. Still some great info here!

[@williamalexander7481]

this was great.

[@kristinhess2280]

This woman is absolutely incredible. As an instructor, as a scientist; as a soul. How incredibly inspiring. Applicable. Purposeful. Talk about a well-spent life.

[@Kaby629]

I was so so fortunate to see her speak 02/17, wonderful speaker!

[@elizabethpitts6474]

APDT?

[@hawkcollaborative]

Fantastic - just what I needed to watch as I am about to adopt a rescue dog

[@razoblicavanje4231]

Congratulation on adopting zoonial diseases, too. Not to mention the risk of attacks if you are silly iženought to adopt bully-bred vermin.

[@lesliegale7242]

I love, love, love Dr. McConnell.

[@valiastube]

Excellent

[@RidleyDogTraining]

This is wonderful information! I tell my clients trust is the most important ❤️

[@marcykeegin7551]

Very helpful. I now have more questions

[@dylanjayne8245]

I LOVE HER

[@judiechamblee9581]

always have 2 animals..2 dogs are happier than one alone

[@tenaciousdogtraining]

I love this video! Thank you for sharing your expert advice.

[@KeikoBushnell]

That’s so interesting and true about the “hard eye” good to look out worth on people too!

[@dawnmallory9539]

I’ve seen hard eye frequently in my puppy now adolescent when im doing something he disapproves of such as leaving him, withholding something he wants etc. I was terrified at first because of his breed & my lack of exposure to strong dogs. I created a bond with bhim and a little special communication pattern that cuts it of but he can hold that look!

[@LoneLupine]

As an autistic person, this was educational on how to read human facial expressions 😂 Its also interesting that alot of this behavior is similar for snakes. I have a ball python and he gets scared if you loom over him, if his mouth is shut tight and he's not moving it means he's scared...but if his tongue is flicking and he's moving around it means he is comfortable, thr same thing she said about friendly dogs having open mouths. 😊 This video was helpful, I already knew a lot of it but the stuff I didn't know was super helpful in communicating with my dog. I've had him for a year and sometimes i feel like we don't click or I don't understand him, so this was very helpful!

[@MaximillianandRubyGrace]

Yup people always smack mine on the head ugh

[@anamartinezlozano5844]

Hola, me encantaria que alguien pudiera subtitular en español esta conferencia, soy una gran seguidora de Patricia. Gracias

[@akporta]

No es perfecto, pero si prendes el CC (Closed Caption) puedes cambiar el lenguage para español en el botón de configuraciones (subtitles/CC > auto-translate > spanish).

[@paulk468]

Watched this in response to a KZbin response. A lot of good information. I was a mailman for 34 years never was bitten. I always went down on one knee when a dog would come up to me. Most stopped in front and sniffed. The little ones run around behind you and as long as you face them the back away. My experience. Now have a rescue , have had 5 months, who has bitten me and are other pup. I learned the hard way he is a resource guarder. Issue he has bitten our other pup twice over what he thinks is food. One bit was the result of both dogs chasing bugs and when both went for the same fly he did the biting. Not sure all this positive stuff works for all. After 4 months he decided to jump the fence to chase a rabbit. We have a dog door for pups to go in and out. The dog door is now always shut. An secular used to keep him from jumping the fence. After a few shocks now all that is needed is the beep to bring him back. I am not sure the positive stuff will keep him alive. I have to ensure biting stops. Again good info but think there may have to be a combination of positive and control to keep my pup safe and alive.

[@deefee701]

If this talk doesn't help, see a dog trainer in your home. They can spot the problem and help you correct it. It might just be settling in, but don't wait to be savaged and have go to hospital, to get help for your dogs.

[@paulk468]

@@deefee701 thanks for reply. We have scheduled a weekend seminar with Solidk9training. Have already introduced some of his methods, prong collar, electric collar (to stop repeat of fence jumping) and working with vet who has prescribed anti anxiety meds (been on for a month and he seems much less anxious). Worst part is we are moving soon so whole new normal is coming. Good thing I am retired and can spend a lot of time with pups. Thanks again for your response. I did get some good info from the video and am using it.

[@NoOffensePies]

While your dog is not ready, you have to control his environment so he has a chance to succeed while he can still control himself. I think that's one part people miss. The key is to control the dog enough in the least stressful way, so he can try to do things successfully and you can reward his behavior. If you chuck him in the deep end and hope for him to swim (i.e., have a chance to be come guarding of food around a pup), he'll stuggle.

[@paulk468]

@@NoOffensePies It has been over a year and a half since his training sessions. Prong collar and stimulation collar have worked wonders. I just keep enforcing the rules he has learned and really now a pleasure to be with. Was never sure we would get here but glad we were able to

[@be6715]

@@paulk468 Well done, sir!

[@gingerkittiesfour]

I raised Sadie from an 8 week old puppy and she loves to greet people at stores and stands up to hug them around their waist. However, she is very jealous of the attention I give to Argos who I got after she was the only dog for almost two years. He loves to play fetch and she doesn't, but recently she started bringing me an old tennis ball while he was playing fetch. She also tries to out run him to get his ball.

[@zack5454]

Queen

[@Taco-jitsu]

Very insightful! She shows lots of knowledge on K9’s. Knowledge on humans however…..

[@mzmscoyote]

To the people wanting to pet my dog, I stop the human (hand up like a traffic policeman with “stop”), heal or sit my dog, ask the human to shake hands. I reach for his hand, put the clasped hands in front of my dogs nose. If my dog relaxes I give permission AND tell the person my dog likes to be petted on his side. With my dog in heal or sit I am in position to block a reach for the top of his head and say, “he doesn’t like his hair messed up”. If the dog doesn’t relax after sniffing the person’s hand in mine, I say “no, you may not pet my dog” We took a great class in which the trainer trained us humans to to deny permission, to say “No” and enforce the no. It was one of the best lessons I ever had

[@Edgeofthornes]

I wish the bit on leaning could be taught in school (it would cut down on bites and poor dogs being killed for a child’s lack of knowledge) as my current baby is a ESA 9-lb chihuahua … no one is smaller than her except a few dogs (AND my Tigger figured out sitting on the raised foot of my power chair made her “taller” LONG before I figured out it out: I thought she was afraid of the dogs, even though she WOULD play with them.

[@californiadreaming567]

It’s unfortunate that we can’t see the photos on the video just mostly blue curtains. If the camera showed the photos it would be good

[@JamesScottGuitar]

It’s really important to not reward your dog after they’ve engaged in an aggressive behavior. It’s called “behavior chaining.” If your dog looms over another dog, acts aggressive, or on the offensive, do not offer rewards after the behavior, in any form. They will start to connect the behavior to the reward, whether that is attention or a toy, or play or a reward. By the way, her book, ‘On the other end of the leash,’ is worth reading. And for training check out, ‘Ruff Love.’ Fantastic book that is based in positive reinforcement and operant conditioning.

[@kdf525]

The dog looked away, then sat. The other dog didn't avert his gaze at all and came forward

[@kkdesignservices183]

As far as the direction of tail wagging, could it be that a dog is actually directing or "fanning" scent in a certain direction?

[@bfaceru]

4:30 those are not mastiffs but Alabai (central asian shepherd)

[@bfaceru]

@@BennyDACHO all mastiffs are molossoids but not all molossoids are mastiffs

[@bushka087]

The only dogs that Hug for fun are Rhodesian Ridgebacks 😅

[@MissLibertarian]

That was not jealousy! It was envy. One is jealous over one’s own grape, and envious over another’s. Put another way, if the primate was worried that the primate handing out the rewards loved his rival better, that would be jealousy over her affections, but it was clear the subject was upset about not getting the grape; mo sign of being jealous for her affection.

[@julietawse6024]

Good point. It still could be jealousy though if 'cucumber' primate felt that the human primate liked 'grape' primate better based on observing such deliberate repetition of giving a higher value food to 'grape' primate. But how could we know this to be true or not? How would we test for that emotional reasoning?

[@MissLibertarian]

@@julietawse6024 either remove the human or add another one, I guess.

[@nancylpr]

I know dogs get angry. My little dog Squirt, refused to even look at me for a year after I brought home a puppy. He was so pissed. It was obvious.

[@judiechamblee9581]

if you left me alone every day all day i would tear up your entire house after you left me like it

[@elvafong3591]

As far as dog interaction goes, my 4 year old Shiba Inu prefers to play with dogs that he played with since he was a puppy. When a new dog comes along, my dog prefers to smell that dog's butt first but he does not allow other dog's to smell his butt. My dog will interact with another dog if my dog chooses. However, the last few encounters he has had with dogs have begun with the dog coming up to my dog wanting to play and my dog lunging forward as if to attack the other dog as if to say, "I don't want to interact, back off". I immediatly pull the leash back and the other dog backs off and goes away. What should I do in these situations after I pull the leash back - should I correct my dog?

[@DavidEVogel]

What should I do in these situations after I pull the leash back - should I correct my dog? No correction is necessary. Your dog is selecting friend or foe. No need to "correct" nature.

[@KattReen]

You did everything right, Elva. You used the leash instinctively to prevent them from hurting eachother, you did a good job. An actually well-mannered and well-socialized dog would just ignore you and your dog even if off-leash, dogs vibe check eachother way before they get close. These kinda things almost exclusively happen with young dogs that haven't properly been taught social boundaries yet, and rude adult dogs with oblivious owners. People sometimes have trouble telling well-mannered sociable dogs from poorly behaved dogs owned by entitled fools. The latter do have a catch phrase that make them really easy to spot though. It's "he just wants to say hi".

[@micheleploeser7720]

I talk to llamas the same way, Monty Roberts talked to horses the same way. Most people don’t have a clue. They think they own the animal, too bad for the critters.

[@dmitrynikelshpur2245]

I was very disappointed with Dr. McConnell’s answer regarding her ‘opinion’ on Ecollars. It was not scientific. I would expect something along these lines in the 1970s or 1980s, but her response made me question the rest of her dummied down presentation. In short, her answer was neither doctoral, nor useful, and at best misleading.

[@micheleploeser7720]

See Karen Pryor, book: Don’t Shoot The Dog, best10 bucks you’ll ever spend!!

[@elvafong3591]

The only people that my 4 year old Shiba Inu allows to pet her are my family and people that he has known and has petted her since he was a puppy. Recently, when I was walking in the park,a park worker would greet us when we occassionally passed by him and stick out his hand and ask the dog to come up and sniff it. The dog ignored him each time. One day, the man was off work and came up to us and stuck out his hand, when the dog ignored him, he withdrew his hand and started to walk away. The dog ran over and was about to attack this man's pant leg when I pulled the dog back with the leash. What caused the dog to do this? Do you think the man might have "loomed over" the dog? Do you think that dog thought that the dog was the leader and this person did not have the dog's permission to leave and was correcting him? Do you think that the dog thought the dog was the leader and was trying to protect me?

[@DavidEVogel]

All dogs need human socialization. It comes from puppy socialization, but does not last forever. Dogs need constant exposure to let them know that humans are not a threat. I take my pitbull to events with a large number of people. Bella is unable to "focus" on one individual. She does well in this situation. Your dog may have a different on and off-leash personality. Remember "fight or flight?" For an on-leash dog there is no "flight."

[@luciemarinov129]

Good question! Wish u could get answers on this!

[@julietawse6024]

We often assume that people living and working around us are not a threat, but dogs pick up on things. People can be really scared of dogs but want to overcome their fear, or maybe try to hide fear out of pride. The dog will just sense the fear though, so they can't trust the person and will feel they or their human companion may not be safe. Also, some people are plain nasty.

[@googleisshittoss]

Not sure about the hug thing....I don't very often, but my three Collies don't get stressed at all about it

[@Wickedlove263]

Hugging is not something dogs like but instead tolerate.

[@GermanShepherdDaphne]

My German Shepherd loves when I hug her. She even mimics my sounds. Like when you give someone a big bear hug and make that sound of relaxation happiness, my GSD does that now to. But my dog does sleep with me and likes to be close at all times. Maybe just the type of dog she is.

[@judiechamblee9581]

animals come in twos....2 birds..2 cats 2 dogs..they need each other badly when left alone with k ow way to k ow when you come back

[@judiechamblee9581]

to be alone all day 8 to 10 to 12 hours all alone is crazy for anybody to do human or animal....always have 2 dogs so they do not go crazy all alone..it is only normal to hate being alone

[@wendywhite2642]

I recently heard of a study it is 7422 of whether men and women get the same rate of satisfaction from hugging, and women report feeling a great deal of emotion from hugging but men report almost none! Not as bad as dogs :-) but interesting eh?

[@jaytouvelle2359]

SHE MAKES A LOT OF GOOD POINT BUT I HAVE BEEN WITH DOGS MY WHOLE LIFE 61 YEARS. i LOVE THEM AND ALWAYS TRY TO GET THEM TO TRUST AND LOVE ME PLUS THEY WILL DO ANYTHING FOR A TREAT. I HAVE OWNED ONLY SHIBA INUS AND THIS BREED IS THE HARDEST TO CONTROL BUT ALL MY DOGS ENDEDCUP TRUSTING ME BECAUSE i SPEAND SO MUCH QUALITY TIME WITH THEM , I TELL THEM I LOVE THEM AND WILL ALWAYS TAKE CARE OR THEM OVER AND OVER , I SING TO THEM HUG AND KISS THEM THEY UNDERSTAND I AM THEIR BEST FRIEND AND WANT TO SLEEP ON MY LRGS. SHIBAS ARE ALWAYS A DISTANCE AWAY FROM YOU BUT THEY REALLY CAN ATTACTCH TO SOMEONE WHO HUGS AND KISSES THEM AND TELL THEM THEY WILL BE PROTECTED FOREVER. 100% LOVE REALLY BREAKS DOWN SOME THINGS LIKE HUGGING MY PUPS KNOW IT'S GOOD BECAUSE IAM WITH THEM 24-7 AND BACK UP MY HUGS EVEN IF SOME DOGS DON'T LIKE IT BUT I AM THERE ALWAYS WITH THEM AND THEY TRUST ME.

[@julietawse6024]

Not sure why all the capital letters here. Your situation is an exception to the rule. My daughter also has a dog who loves to be hugged and he actually hugs her which is really weird to see; but this is very unusual. You cannot preach love and hugs conquers all when it comes to dogs. It's just far too dangerous.

[@BeastMasterNeil]

Terrific talk, but I have to object to the stuff about left/right tail-wag bias. While the bias shown was "significant" in the strictly mathematical sense, and therefore academically important, it was of no practical relevance at all to owners and trainers. The dogs were more likely to wag one way than the other by a tiny percentage, utterly INsignificant in the everyday use of the word. I.e. they were almost as likely to wag the opposite way. Do not bother looking for which side the tail is wagging on; it will not tell you anything about the dog in front of you. Sadly, the science of dog behaviour is plagued by such overenthusiastic grasping, and I predicted that this sort of misrepresentation would happen, as soon as I saw the original study.

[@pibly7784]

If dogs hate to be hugged, then why don’t they react negatively to it? I sometimes hug the Eskipoo I dog sit and he doesn’t have any obvious negative reaction. He just sits there and doesn’t seem annoyed. I guess she means don’t hug ones you don’t know well.

[@kirsteenniven5111]

some dogs are used to it and even can enjoy it. If the dog turns away, it's a sign he doesn't want you to do it. Dog signs are very subtle.

[@donnamogavero9212]

Well I have a dog who loves to be hugged

[@user-dk7jk1uz3l]

5+

[@joang.8735]

While the info is useful, the speaker's love of speaking and making it a pleasure for herself, as in loving to perform and hearing herself talk, laughing at her own jokes, loving the attention, this is very irritating to me. She is not just teaching us her body of knowledge, she is loving the attention. I keep fast forwarding.

[@newpatch36]

Totally, this talk would have been way better delivered in a low droning monotone...

[@jmdenison]

I was just wondering if she had any pet psychics in that group. Also, dog spirits and horse spirits are interchangeable, and if you spent any time around horses, you will find out they have a ton of personality and they do create a pecking order in their herd or group. They do communicate but a lot of it's telepathic or in pictures. You communicate with your dog in pictures. If your dog owners have some experience with pet psychics, I believe dogs will lie more than your cat or bird. I do have a snake, not sure about him. They are also emotionally intelligent and sometimes if your pet, including dog is having behavior problems, it may be your deep seated emotional unresolved trauma and your pet will only improve after you get therapy. lots of good youtubes on pet psychics. I use them all the time. Anyway, loved the video. You seem like a super sweet person helping pets and their owners be happy. BTW, biggest complaints from dogs is food. Be sue to feed them a fresh homemade diet of high quality meats, cheeses, entrails eggs, etc. no carbs or sugars or veggies, please

[@micheleploeser7720]

Too bad Google will find ways to profit from this & by now, have all your data & you will see a barrage of commercials on your devices. Just ask Alexa.

[@eveseldercare]

She is a good talker ..but the guy chowing down on food in front of the screen, was a bit obnoxious, for this video... either they should have moved...stopped eating...or put the camera at a different angle....maybe next time...hahaha

[@Sky10811]

I wish she spoke in a more calm manner

[@DavidEVogel]

We talk about dog behavior in human terms because we do not speak "dog." Dog behavior is in its DNA: Security, roam, a pack member, procreate. 90% of dog behavior is based on these factors. I allowed 10% for "goofy" because it doesn't fit.

[@blbrightlights564]

Can't you get signs on a jacket to say. Please do not pet. Poss like working service dogs?

[@cynthiamarston2208]

Ive had multiple dogs for decades. I see how they do things and have ended up being kind of the same. They ignore each other a lot! I ignore the little things. I limit focused attention because I have to. All are jealous attention hog budinskies. So i choose times to give each their attention in its various fun ways seperately from the others. Thats for when it comes to me. They have each other I say…..as they all ignore each other most the time while I ignore them. Peace

[@johncarolina]

I just watched this and another of her lectures, and while she's definitely very knowledgeable on dog behavior and training them using positive reinforcement, her answer on ecollars was a disappointment because she basically said she's a total novice on how to use them, having only used them twice in 28 years, and hates them, while admitting at the same time that the two times she used them was as a last ditch effort to save dogs from being killed for attacking livestock. So basically she's admitting that they work to stop negative behavior, and quickly, when other methods don't work or work as quickly, yet she avoids using them. This seems more based on emotion than empirical evidence, because the evidence would point towards using them more often if they work more efficiently than positive reinforcement only. What a lot of Positive Reinforcement Only trainers miss is that, if used properly for giving corrections to a dog to stop unwanted behavior, it is no more distressing to a dog than a leash tug correction with even a flat collar or harness. It's not the shock function that makes them uniquely useful, as many dogs can be trained based on vibration and sound functions alone, but the much longer distance they give you to communicate with your dog, and the convenience of not having a long leash to get tangled and having to mange a long leash to keep the slack correct to deliver a correction when needed. All good dog trainers use positive reinforcement, which is best to teach wanted behavior, but the ones who epen their minds to the latest technology to also use positive punishment ("positive" used in the sense of "adding" an action such as a leash or ecollar correction), are the balanced dog trainers who can best stop unwanted behavior. Positive Reinforcement Only trainers basically waste their clients' time and money and risk putting dogs on meds such as Prozac and Trazodone or even being put down unnecessarily, for the sake of their egos and convictions based on ignorance or incomplete information.

[@adventureswithfrodo2721]

There is so many things wrong. Over anthromorphisim. Dog show gratitude and affection. A fearful dog is only dangerous if it is backed into a corner. She seem ignorant of the evolutionary nature of human and dogs. So sad she is suppose to be an expert.

[@zerobyte802]

What is this? Kindergarten? Trigger warning beforehand showing two dogs staring each other down over food? To quote C3P0: “We’re doomed.”

[@Infoseek777]

They're very sensetive at google....lol

[@GermanShepherdDaphne]

Have you ever seen a dog fight? I have between both of my pets a Doberman and German Shepherd. It’s nasty and horrible. This happened when I was 7. In 43 and it stays in my head. Was tragic

[@zerobyte802]

@@GermanShepherdDaphne yes, and as a kid, and there was blood everywhere.

[@DougHinVA]

She is a waste of time... faces of humans with dog pictures is silly.... they are 2 VERY different species in Nature.

[@GermanShepherdDaphne]

Actually. We have the some dog dna. The closest dna we have is cats, monkeys.

[@ItsMe_G]

I see the dog look away at the first second ... im better reading dogs than Patricia ... where is my call for make conference?

[@Infoseek777]

Then write a book.....

[@jennifercox576]

Learned very little about dogs more about the lady

[@saltychips4866]

Humans are NOT primates, we are humans created in the image of God.

[@akuso99]

You should probably avoid any fact based results or videos which use the scientific method to gather data. They will really challenge your belief in magic and may make you state nonsense like you did above.

[@michaeljwoodwi]

And claiming that the earth is round or that it's not the center of the universe is heretical! Or, at least it was. We know better now.

[@Infoseek777]

Nope. Not true at all. We have actual scientific evidence that shows how humans evolved over millions of years. You got a bible...lol

[@Wickedlove263]

Nope we're primates. Get over it.

[@saramations]

O s!hte,u rite my n!gga.