Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know
Horowitz introduces the reader to dogs’ perceptual and cognitive abilities and then draws a picture of what it might be like to be a dog. What’s it like to be able to smell not just every bit of open food in the house but also to smell sadness in humans, or even the passage of time? How does a tiny dog manage to play successfully with a Great Dane? What is it like to hear the bodily vibrations of insects or the hum of a fluorescent light? Why must a person on a bicycle be chased? What’s it like to use your mouth as a hand? In short, what is it like for a dog to experience life from two feet off the ground, amidst the smells of the sidewalk, gazing at our ankles or knees?
Inside of a Dog explains these things and much more. The answers can be surprising—once we set aside our natural inclination to anthropomorphize dogs. Inside of a Dog also contains up-to-the-minute research—on dogs’ detection of disease, the secrets of their tails, and their skill at reading our attention—that Horowitz puts into useful context. Although not a formal training guide, Inside of a Dog has practical application for dog lovers interested in understanding why their dogs do what they do. With a light touch and the weight of science behind her, Alexandra Horowitz examines the animal we think we know best but may actually understand the least. This book is as close as you can get to knowing about dogs without being a dog yourself.
Reviews (196)
better off buying a dog story or biography of a dog
this book gets tedious after a while and seems to be a lot of anecdotal navel gazing on the part of the author... she just watches her dog then comes up with reasons why her dog does this... it seems way less scientific than I was hoping for and she just talks about her thoughts while watching or walking her dog.... also this is not compellingly written....
Great Insights
I was never really a "dog person". Then Lucy happened. I was looking for a pet for my wife (her dog had passed about a year prior) when I met Lucy, a red toy poodle, and it was love at first sight. We have been inseparable since. Now, I am a dog person. And being a new dog person, I wanted to learn about dogs. I was reading a dog blog and the blogger recommended this book. Most of the books I'd read up to then were about training, care and how-to. But, this book was said to help you understand how they think, to see the the world from their point of smell. Any healthy relationship is based on trust AND understanding. Your dog keenly observes you to understand you. This book will help you understand your dog. If you love dogs, if you see your dog as a little person and not just property, then this book will give you great insights into their world.
Tedious, boring, skip it
Was really excited about the topic and looking forward to hearing a podcast with the author, so wanted to read the book. Both my son and wife also started it at the same time, and we were going to discuss it together. I got through 30% of it before giving up, and that was more than others in the family. I don't like the writing style, chapter format, and endless paragraphs that said nothing. Would love to read a 10 pager from the author that just told me -- concisely -- what dogs see, smell and know. If anyone did a synopsis of this, in english, please pass it on to me!
This book will forever change how you see your dog.
I think this book is great. It will change how you perceive your dog, and how you interact with your dog. There is much information here, you will be educated. The information can be scientific at times, but I personally like that. If your not scientifically interested, there is not really that much at all. This book also has a great bibliography for further reading. Of all the dog books I have read, this one is the best so far. I highly recommend it.
Fascinating bundle of information about dogs' senses, abilities, and experiences
I'm rounding up a bit. I started reading this book as research for a novel for which I needed to know more about the abilities, senses, and internal experiences of dogs, and I found it extremely useful for that purpose. It was also just plain interesting -- very much so. I only wish I could remember more of what I read. (I let more than a month go by between reading the first and second halves, so I already know I've forgotten quite a bit.) The book can be a bit repetitive at times, but that is my only criticism.
Got a Dog? You NEED This Book!
Did you ever wonder why your dog reacts to things the way he/she does? Stop wondering and get this book. The author did all of the work for you and if you read this book, you'll enjoy a far better relationship with your pet and find training so much easier. Your dog is far more intelligent than you probably think. Not only smart, but empathetic, caring and intuitive too. It's a fascinating read and you'll notice things about your best friend that you never noticed before. An essential read.
For the dog lover
This book was recommended to me by an ardent reader and dog owner. It is thorough exploration of a dog's life and our lives with them. It gets a bit repetitive. Information is informed by research and the writer's anecdotal experiences with her dog, Pump. Which also serves to lighten the mood and avoid being ponderous. It explains why we find living with a dog so pleasing. It is definitely for the dog lover who wants confirmation about the joys of having a dog and the desire to better understand why they do what they do.
Mandatory Reading!
For Fido's sake, read this (awesome, amazing, riveting) book! I have had dogs for decades and thought (alas) that I knew everything about dogs. Wrong. As in Really Wrong. (And pretty arrogant to boot!). Inside of a Dog has radically changed my understanding, approach, behavior, and communication with my Lab. She is MUCH more than I imagined, capable of MUCH more than I gave her credit for, and is immensely MORE emotional and sensitive than... well, you get the idea. Alexandra's writing is easy, captivating, endearing, and stunningly informative. After reading it, I was frankly grieved by what I didn't know. And for all my other Labs that I'd 'short sheeted' through my ignorance. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Got a dog? Although Fido will love you forever, if you read this book, you'll know what that means from HER perspective.
I gave up
I'm a dog lover. Grew up with them, have had numerous canines in adulthood, and can't imagine a life without a dog. I'm reading along and finding it interesting, but not great. Then the author tells of how she gives her own dog, Pump, grapes, raisins, broccoli, and other foods that are just not good for our four-legged family members. (To be fair, she does have a footnote indicating that raisins were recently placed on the doggy no-no list.) She goes on to discuss how dogs are omnivores (yep), and so Pump can eat anything she does. I'm sorry, but I had to stop reading at that point, as I became so infuriated with this laissez-faire attitude. Yes, dogs descended from wolves that ate our forebears' table scraps, but that was meat, maybe cooked, maybe not. Ancestral dogs were not fed chicken tikka masala, shrimp fra diavolo, kung pao tofu, or tacos. (And I know first-hand what happens when you leave your husband and your Rottie mix with a plate of tacos; I'm the one who had to clean up the mess the next day. Fortunately, the dog recovered and outlived the marriage.) Even though this isn't a primer on dog care, the fact that she's willing to endanger her Pump's life with food that a dog shouldn't eat is bad enough; anyone following her example will rue the day.
A science book
This book does a good job of presenting current knowledge of the scientific understanding of dogs, with comparisons to other mammals, and perspective on what is and what is not well understood. It is, as other reviewers have pointed out, not a training manual, rather it is a good example of science writing for an inquisitive and educated non-scientist. It covers a wide range of subject matter, and does a fairly good job of giving life to the material through example and personal history. And importantly, the book is well referenced and replete with an extensive list of further sources. Like any good scientific report, it makes no claim to being the last word or infallible, but rather the starting point for as much delving into what makes dogs tick as the most curious of us could want.
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