The Genius of Dogs: How Dogs Are Smarter than You Think Author: | Language: English | ISBN:
B00BAZPE4Q | Format: PDF
The Genius of Dogs: How Dogs Are Smarter than You Think Description
Brian Hare, dog researcher, evolutionary anthropologist, and founder of the Duke Canine Cognition Center, and Vanessa Woods offer revolutionary new insights into dog intelligence and the interior lives of our smartest pets.
In the past decade, we have learned more about how dogs think than in the last century. Breakthroughs in cognitive science, pioneered by Brian Hare, have proven dogs have a kind of genius for getting along with people that is unique in the animal kingdom.
Brian Hare's stunning discovery is that when dogs domesticated themselves as early as 40,000 years ago they became far more like human infants than their wolf ancestors. Domestication gave dogs a whole new kind of social intelligence. This finding will change the way we think about dogs and dog training - indeed, the revolution has already begun.
Hare's seminal research has led him to work with every kind of dog from the tiniest shelter puppy to the exotic New Guinea singing dog, from his own childhood dog, Oreo, to the most fashionable schnoodle. The Genius of Dogs is nothing less than the definitive dog book of our time by the researcher who started a revolution.
- Audible Audio Edition
- Listening Length: 7 hours and 58 minutes
- Program Type: Audiobook
- Version: Unabridged
- Publisher: Penguin Audio
- Audible.com Release Date: February 5, 2013
- Whispersync for Voice: Ready
- Language: English
- ASIN: B00BAZPE4Q
I bought this book because Victoria Stilwell recommended it. In fact, treat trainer that she can be, I'd love to read her honest and full review of this book if one is available...
This book is really quite engaging from the beginning through halfway into the read. The essays build a case, chapter by chapter, towards the most fascinating part (in my opinion) called "Survival of the Friendliest," which looks at the evolution of dogs - and humans - in a way that I've never heard of. It really is fantastic food for thought.
However, the book's title points to another supposedly revelatory finding in the area of dog cognition or "dognition." And, having finally arrived at its application for us dog owners/handlers, the section was disappointingly thin, just one chapter titled "Teaching Genius" that runs about 30 pages. And this came at the unnecessary expense of pitting itself against Behaviorism (a.k.a. reward-based training or clicker training). There's even a section very unfortunately named "The Tyranny of Behaviorism." Really, tyranny?
This poor choice of words and perspective really does the author's writing a disservice. Behavioral training has done A LOT to advance the methodologies of the everyday trainer. For generations prior, well-meaning but totally misinformed people applying Dominance theory were beating and choking their dogs half to death. The Behavioral approach has given tools that regular people (not just elite scientists and researchers) can understand and use. It's proven to work, it's safe, and has improved the relationships of many households with their pets. How is that tyranny?
Here is a book of real, cutting-edge science that will be accessible to anyone. It's reporting of genuine scholarship, it describes experiments in detail, it has graphs, and it's got seventy pages of footnotes at the end. The reason the science here goes down so easily is simply the subject matter. _The Genius of Dogs: How Dogs Are Smarter Than You Think_ (Dutton) is by the founder of the Duke Canine Cognition Center Brian Hare and his wife Vanessa Woods, a research scientist at the center. It tells about how dogs got to be partners with humans with advantages to both sides, what dogs can figure out and how, what dog breeds are smartest, and much more. The book is written in the first person with Hare being the person; he affably describes how much he learned as a kid from his dog Oreo. A professor told him that chimpanzees could not understand human gestures, and Hare blurted out, "My dog can do that!" The professor didn't shut him up, but encouraged him to do research, and Oreo was his first subject. The book invites all of us to have some scientific fun learning what our dogs can do, and the authors have set up a website to help with home research that will supply broad-based data for their team.
The experiments described here are fascinating, all the more so because there is a "try this at home" attitude. It is surprising how involved the research had to be in order meticulously to weed out alternative explanations. For instance, Oreo had a choice of two cups, under one of which was a treat. Naturally, Hare the experimenter had not put food under one without faking putting food under the other. He settled himself between the two cups, and pointed to the one hiding the food. "Okay, Oreo, go find it!" he said, and Oreo went to the cup pointed at.
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