Description

Description

If you’ve ever said, ‘I love dogs, but I hate people’, this book is for you.

Following the lead of Dr. Nick Trout and Dr. Phillip Schott, who brought readers behind the scenes in busy animal hospitals, Misadventures follows quirky and (eventually) confident McCue-McGrath into people’s most intimate spaces, their homes, through a decades long career in dog training and behavior.

This part-memoir, part-career guide is the first of its kind to put readers in a behaviorist’s seat, feeling the flush of embarrassment when explaining humping to second graders, the shock of finding adult toys on client’s countertops, and the stab of anxiety when aggression cases go sideways. This book is more than a day in the life of a dog trainer, but a look at the rapid evolution of understanding canine behavior over the last twenty years.

The interplay between the author’s often comical, and sometimes heartbreaking, personal journey into a still unregulated industry perfectly mirrors the global shift from outdated, dominance-based training to modern behavioral sciences. The payoff is a hopeful look at what we can do for animals, what these pets already do for humans, and what we humans can do for each other.

Melissa’s personal journey through the world of dog training offers great insight to those curious about picking up a leash and entering the industry. Alongside her experiences are practical and technical advice for the behavioral professional including signposted resources and coverage of relevant industry bodies. Through the 147 dogs (and one cat) Melissa demystifies this rewarding profession. But most importantly, these beloved pets teach us what saved means, what love means, what hubris is, and remind us all that animals truly make us more human.

Author

Melissa McCue-McGrath is a certified Animal Training Instructor. She began in competitive disc dog sports in 2004 and later led training at New England Dog Training Club for over a decade. Now a Behavior Consultant at the Animal Welfare Society in Maine, she teaches innovative classes and has guided hundreds of challenging behavior cases through humane, effective training.

Podcasts

• DogCast Radio
• All About Scentwork Podcast
• The Pawsitive Post in Conversation by Companion Animal Psychology
• Dog Works Radio
• Positively – Victoria Stilwell
• Unleashed
• Behavior Buzzzzzz
• Patricia McConnell
• Dog Talk
• Keep It Humane

Table of contents

1 Your First Dog
2 Your Awkward Cases
3 Your Origin Story
4 Your Experience in Sexism
5 Your Humpiest Cases
6 Your Decision Point
7 You’re A Dog Trainer
8 Your Limited Options
9 Your First Dog Fight
10 You’re Fired
11 Your Square Pegs and Round Holes
12 You’re Pregnant
13 Your Soapbox
14 Your Other Options
15 Your People
16 Your Dedicated Students
17 Your Favorite F-Word
18 Your Language Matters
19 Your Hardest Case
20 Your Definition of Success Will Change
21 Your Mental Health Is Important
22 Your Bond with Animals Will Change You
23 You Saved Them?
24 Your Favorite Cases
25 Your Dogs On Your Sleeve