Unlocking the Animal Mind

by Franklin D. McMillan, Kathryn Lance

From the man who pioneered the concept of feelings-based animal care-a revolutionary work about animal moods and emotions that shows us a totally new way to view and care for the beloved pets who share our lives. In this ground-breaking work, veterinarian and animal theorist Dr. Frank McMillan uses a wide variety of examples from his own practice with scores of scientific studies to construct a striking-and extraordinarily logical-depiction of the way your pet's mind works. Dr. McMillan presents a comprehensive look at how physical and emotional feelings are at the controls in guiding your animal's actions, from wanting to go for a walk to hiding from the vacuum cleaner to limping on a sore leg. Understanding the importance of your pet's feelings, according the Dr. McMillan, is the key to unlocking the animal mind. Dr. McMillan shows
· What the Pet Pleasure Principle is and why your pet wants you to always use it as your main guide in caring for him or her
· Why feelings are the only things that your pet cares about
· How profound an influence the mind has on every aspect of an animal's health
· The importance of the Comfort Zone and how to help your pet reach it and stay in it
· Why boredom can be devastating to your pet's emotional health and how to relieve it
· What "stress" really is and how to give your pet the tools to deal with it in his or her life
· Why the best veterinary medical care is based on your pet's feelings
· Why a Safe Haven is the single most important factor for your pet's emotional well-being
· How to determine your pet's quality of life and ways to maximize it For the 152 million people in the United States living with pets, Dr. McMillan explains why understanding your pet's feelings is essential for making every decision affecting his or her life, such as upbringing, conflicts with other animals, health care, and even the heartbreaking choice of euthanasia. He shows how feelings-based care offers your pet the greatest 20opportunity to enjoy the happiest, healthiest, and most emotionally fulfilled life possible.

Genres: Nonfiction

324 pages, Paperback

First published May 27, 2004

Reviews

[Jamie HB · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing book. I was looking for something to read on animal behaviour and am glad I chose to read this book first. The information in this book is reliable as it is written by a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, who shares his knowledge and experiences throughout his many years in practice. He shares much of his knowledge in the form of real life stories he has encountered with pet owner clients - that's not to say this is a story book by any means. This is not a self-help or how-to book, but it can help you to identify the reasoning behind your pets (troublesome) behaviours such as chewing, excessive barking, anger, etc.; as well as other unexplainable behaviours due to emotional problems. This book encourages you to take responsibility as a pet owner to do what's in the best interest of your pet by satisfying their emotional needs because companionship and comfort are essential to your pets recovery from just about any condition, including physical ailments.

You may find the beginning chapters to be a bit redundant as it is explaining two scales that will be used to explain "comfort" and "pleasantness" throughout the book, however don't be turned away. I believe it was Chapter 5 where I sunk in and read straight through to the end. I really like the sections on separation anxiety, behaviour modification, and socialization (how/when to socialize your pet). In terms of content, this book is very well written and organized. Most of the content is based on scientific findings, evolution, and there is a great list of references if you wish to read further. The terminology is written in everyday language that is easy for anyone to read and understand. I found this book helpful and I have been working in veterinary services for about a decade now. It helped to justify a lot of the knowledge I had already acquired from my own years in veterinary services. I would recommend this book to any pet owner, and definitely anyone working in veterinary services, especially to veterinarians, technicians, and animal behaviourists.

A quote that I think best explains this book is written in one of the chapters: "The lesson for you as a pet owner is to realize that, whenever your pet seems stressed, the way to help him is to identify and ease the unpleasant feelings he is experiencing" (p.92).

[Teresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was an ok book for the general public. A little too basic for those educated about animals at all