The Genius of Dogs
How Dogs Are Smarter Than You Think
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3.9 • 59 Ratings
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
The perfect gift for dog lovers and readers of Inside of a Dog by Alexandra Horowitz—this New York Times bestseller offers mesmerizing insights into the thoughts and lives of our smartest and most beloved pets.
Does your dog feel guilt? Is she pretending she can't hear you? Does she want affection—or just your sandwich? In their New York Times bestselling book The Genius of Dogs, husband and wife team Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods lay out landmark discoveries from the Duke Canine Cognition Center and other research facilities around the world to reveal how your dog thinks and how we humans can have even deeper relationships with our best four-legged friends.
Breakthroughs in cognitive science have proven dogs have a kind of genius for getting along with people that is unique in the animal kingdom. This dog genius revolution is transforming how we live and work with dogs of all breeds, and what it means for you in your daily life with your canine friend.
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Arguing against the common assumption that a domesticated animal is somehow also a weaker, less intelligent one, Hare and Woods present a scientific study that doubles as a warmhearted tribute to man's best friend. The authors evaluate animal intelligence primarily on the basis of a species' success in surviving, finding the canine intellect on that count to be closely suited to coexistence with humans. Domestication has resulted in animals "more like infants than wolves" that can make inferences about human behavior and learn human vocabulary. Dogs also read our gestures, anticipate our desires, and better the quality of our lives, receiving food, shelter, and care in return. Observing that humans do not invite many other mammals to live in our homes and even sleep in our beds, Hare and Woods suggest that dogs earned this coveted spot by being our friends a phenomenon they dub "survival of the friendliest." The pair find that the human-canine relationship is not as one-sided as it can sometimes seem, but delivers such benefits to humans as alleviating loneliness, lowering blood pressure, and relieving stress, while they also touch on their research's implications for our own species.
Customer Reviews
A great read about the true capacity of our furry friends
The Genius of Dogs is about how dogs have evolved through their close affiliation with humans, and how far science recently has come in understanding their unique genius.
The authors do this in a fun, engaging and conversational style, while at the same time dispelling some myths and perpetuated “truths” about dogs, and also about what “intelligence” really is.
For anyone who's interested in understanding what makes our furry friends tick, this is a great (e)book!
The genius of dogs
More science than practical advice for new dog owners. Came away with three insights on dog behavior. Hoping for more.
Appreciate
This is not a guide on how to train your dog, this book describes ways in which the wolf evolved with us over time to become the dog. The Dog and Humans are the most successful mammals on the planet, this book helps explain why.